A Hi s to ry o

f
T H E B O R G IA S

FR E D E RI C K B A R O N C O RV O

I n t r o du c t i o n b y

S HA NE L E S LI E

C A R LT O N H O U S E NE W Y O R K
 I NT R O D U C TI O N 1

A B I B LI OGRA P H I CA L n ote ha s long bee n due to the rathe r

m y s terious and elu s ive write r who may po ssibly be know n
“ ”
among immortal s a s Baron Corvo as he was to m o rt al s
“
by the equally uncertai n F r Rol fe The prefix stood fo r . .

Frederi c k not Father Rol fe as unwary book s eller s have ,

s uppo s ed Rol fe wa s n ever more than a tonsured Divinity

.

“ ” ’

student o r a s poilt prie s t at most His florm t can be .

p laced betwee n the Victorian and Geo r gian eras which ,

m ay account fo r the complete disregard and disdain he ha s

r eceived from critics Likewise he fell between the Catholic
.

a n d anti Catho l ic stool s and as n one would ow n and few

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be fri end him i n li fe death brought oblivio n to his wo r ks

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and p s eudonyms He was a master o f the ungentle a rt o f

.

r ai s ing enemies no n e o f whom p roved more r ele ntle s s tha n

,

himsel f .

Frederick W illiam S e rafi n o Austi n Lewis Ma ry Rol fe

( according to the Briti s h Museum catalogue ) was bor n i n
Londo n o n July 2 2 1860 and died in Ve n ice on O ctober
, ,

2 3 1 9 1 3 H e be c ame a rather i n spiring i f eccentri c teac h e r

, .

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at s uc h s c hool s as the Statio n ers Sa ffron Walden Gram ,

ma r and Grantham Gramma r whe r e he came under the

, ,

frie n dly i n fluence o f D r Ha r dy late r the Vice Principal -

o f Jesus College O x for d—D r Ha rdy a pp reciated hi m

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,

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as a teache r though o n o n e occasio n it was found n ece s

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s ary to collect and destroy a serious re p roach which Rol fe

dictated to the boys c oncerning the moral s o f Martin ‘

“
Luther D r Ha r dy appea r ed i n H adrian VI I as D r
. . .

1 T hisi ntro du ct i on is re p r inte d f ro m I n H is O wn Image “ ”

, by
Fre der i c k B aron C o rvo by and wi th pe rm issi on o f and sp e c ial
, ar
range ment with A l f re d A Knop f I nc authoriz ed p ublis he r s
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I
vi t u r n o n u c r ro N

S tr on g a d ar k g aunt Titan and remi n ded o n e o f t he

, , ,

few fo r whom Rol fe ever found kind n ess i n his hea rt .

From Se ptembe r 1905 to January 1 907 Rol fe acted as

, , , ,

sec r eta r y to D r Ha r dy who has set dow n hi s r ecolle ctio n

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,
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o f the f r iendship which proved Rol fe s only anchor i n
l i fe
“
I p r obably kn ow as much a s anyone o f hi s career fro m
the time whe n he became o n e o f my m a s ter s at Grantham
i n 1884 till 19 07 I n eithe r s aw nor heard anything o f him
.

a fter the beginning o f 19 07 I much regretted this a s I

.
,

l iked and appreciated his ve r y attractive personality Bu t .

hi s lite r a ry wo r k did n ot appeal to m e and I n eve r took

it very se riously I t i s only fai r to say that in spite o f hi s
.

l ittle foibles I always found Rol fe a good and loyal f r ie n d ,

a n d he was disti n ctly p ers on a grata i n my family I some .

times worked him pretty ha r d I n the two y ears whe n I .

was G reat s examine r he r ead p apers to me for six or seve n

hou r s a day fo r more than two months o n end In the .

n ewspape r paragraph which announ c ed hi s death ther e

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was a list o f his books and I was amu s ed to see in it

,

S tu dies i n R o m an H is t ory by my s el f o f whi c h he had ,

”
helped m e to co rr ect the proo f s .

W hen Rol fe was s tarving Dr Hardy i nvited him t o , .

O x ford whe r e he ar r ived o n foot from W ale s with his

,

entire p o ss e s sions o n hi s s houlder s Rol fe was hou s ed .

bodily at Je s us and mentally i n the Bodleian where he col ,

’
l ect e d mate r ials for hi s curious book s With Dr Hardy s . .

help he wrote a long Ci c e r onian indi ctment o f the co ntem

p o rary Engli s h Catholi c s whi c h was forwarded to Pop e
,

Le o X I I I and awaits the future hi s torian under the Vati

ca n a r chives Fo r fi fteen month s Dr Hardy kept and fed
. .

him but Rol fe with the gratitude o f Geniu s in s i sted o n

,
“ ”
r e ferring t o hi s stay as those wa s ted fi ftee n month s !
I n 1886 i n a spirit o f mingled devotion and revolt Rol fe
, ,

had made hi s peace with the Holy See and left Grantham .

He hu n ge red fo r a time o n Lo ndo n and a fte r j oi n i ng the ,

 I N T R O D U C T I O N fii
st a ff o f a Catholic school founded by the M a r quis o f But e
at O ba n prevailed o n the B i s hop o f Shrewsbury to send
,

him to study for the awesome o ffice o f priestho o d at O s cott

College where he entered o n O ctober 2 9 188 7 having on
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S eptem be r 1 0 indited the Lati n a n d English o f a hymn to

St William the boy ma rtyr o f Norwich to whom he felt
.
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a deep devotion enough t o cove r any false quantity .

T all p ine s st an d bl ack ag ai nst the m idnigh t sky .

T he sil ve r m oo n r e ign s o n he r sapp hi re t h ro ne .

N ail e d t o his c ro ss t he f ai r bo y h ang s a l one .

T he distant c i t y sl u m b e rs sil ent ly .

M ag n ifi c at he s ang at E vensong ,

A n d t h en wh en mu si c h u sh e d an d l am p s we re l ow ,

H e wand e r e d towar ds his h o m e wi t h f oo tste p s sl ow

, ,

A l l i n t he m o on ligh t swee t n or d r e am e d o f wr ong

, .

F rom a dar k entr y s p rang a Jewish h o r de ,

A n d str i pp e d and b oun d t h e y b o r e him t o the woo d

, , ,

N ail e d to a c ro ss his whi te li m bs stai ne d wi t h bl oo d ,

A s i n the ag e s dim t h e y n ail e d his Lo r d .

A n d whil e t he an g e ls watc h his ag ony

, ,

T o G o d s swe e t M ot h e r b re at h e s his l a st f ai nt s i g h
’
.

S A NCT E WI LLI E LM E N O RV I C I E N S I S O RA P RO ME
E cce p u e r gr ac ilis sil va j ace t ill e remo ta ,

P u r pu re u s s p l endo r p as citu r o re su p e r ,

O c c is u m iu v ene m f u lg o r c oel est is inau rat ,

S pis s a alibi l uc is o cc u bat umb r a su is .

V e s p e r e i n ee d e s acra c antu s p rodux erat ; i nd e

Lam pade s e x cide ru n t e xc idit i nd e m e l o s
, ,

T am qu e v i as re pe t e n s t ar d o p e d e l u s t rat o p acas
I ns c iu s a frau dis t ectaqu e so l u s adi t .

E xs il it e l atebris Iu daica tu rb a l at ronum ;

T rux illis vo l tu s m i t is at o re p u er
, ,

Q u al ite r e t D o m inu m vu lgu s mactaverat o li m

H u i c d ab at afli ng i candid a mem b ra c ru c i
A t d u l c is G enetr i x D o m i n i dat ro bo ra v i re s
Q u o mag is aete rnum mom di ad ema fe rat .

O therwise there i s slight su r vival o f hi s ve r se A t O s cott .

it wa s written o f him that

H e was no t o f the dis p o sit i o n t o b e mo u ld e d i nto a se r i ou s stu d ent
o f o rt h odo x t h e o l o gy H is abili t i e s were b e y ond the o r di nar y be ing
.
,

a g oo d C l assi cal s ch o l ar a s we ll as hav ing g i f ts fo r paint i ng an d

v iii I N TROD U CT IO N
p oetr y He rece i ve d the T onsu re and w as d e ligh te d at the tho ugh t
.

o f be i ng i n te r cl e ro s I n s p i te o f his c r i t i c ism o f t h o s e in au th o r i t y h e
.

c l ung t o t he C h ur c h an d was a d evou t c li e n t o f O ur Lady H ad he .

m e t w i th f r i ends s uch as F ranc is T h o mp s on m e t wi th he m ight

h ave attaine d a wider rec o gn i t i on o f his abili ti e s Unl ik e the g ent l e
.

T h o m p son his i nde p en d ent c h aracte r an d his p r id e o f bi rth tu rne d .

his wo u ld be f r i ends amo n gst wh om he c o unte d B ish o p s an d s ome

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n o tabl e C ath o li c l ai t y agai n st him

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, .

H e r emained a ye ar at O s cott wher e he c au s ed theo ,

lo gical admirat io by p ai nting a Tran s lation s c ene o f the

body o f St W illiam o f No r wi c h i n whi c h 149 re produ c
.
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tions o f hims el f i n varied ve s tments p er formed the cere

mony o f beari ng a corp o s an to who s e only di s c er n ible
featu r e bore a similar r esemblance ! From O s c ott the kind
hearted A rc hbishop Smith o f Edinburgh sent him to the
Scots College i n Rome where the r egi s ters carry the fleet
,

ing impress o f his name His amiable ec c e ntricities am u s e d

.

the College whe r e he was allowed the privilege o f t he

,

black souta n e i ns tead o f the purp le thistle dress o f the

raw Scotch S emi na ria n H e s eems to have devoted his .

a fternoons to fashionable call s i n the A po sto lic City Aris .

t o c rat ic converts a ffect p overty plebeian proselytes the re,

verse and Rol fe endeavoured to signali s e aristocratic

,
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blood by develo p ing gout with sundry re feren c e s to that
"
beast o f a grand father ! H e be came a vegetaria n o n the
mistake n theory that th e College was fed o n horse meat .

Hi s unique collection o f Anglica n s tories with Rabe

l ais ian ending s had a c ertain vo gue but he tended to be a ,

n ui s ance H e a s to n i s hed the S c ot s and was repo rted fo r

.

s aying that he was like New m an in that he had nothing to

learn when he entered the Catholic Chur c h ! He wa s ex
p e ll e d suddenly a n d without explanatio n and hi s li fe as a n
aesthetic tram p began .

H e had to live e nti r ely o n his wits and the mea n s o f

others whi ch h e always thought r ight to divert to a n
,
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arti s t s n eeds H e was fai n to take the Duc he s s C e sarin i
.

“
S forza as his adop ted g r a n dmothe r who s u pp o rted him ,
 I N TRODU CTIO N ix
awhile and became involved i n litigatio n whe n her al
lowance failed H aving failed to be c ome a s acerdos in
.

wt e rn u m Rol fe took to himsel f the le s s exalted style o f a

temporal Ba r o n and settled at Chri s tchurch in Hants ,

chiefly at the expen s e o f the G leeso n Whites who r eceived ,

him as th e g r and s o n o f a Du che s s H e painted the wall

.

painting i n the local C atholic Chu r ch Sub s equently he in

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du l ge d alternately i n ex p enditure o r ascetici s m starved o r ,

took tutor s hips o f s ho rt duration A fter dismis s al f rom

.

the Seato n family it i s recorded that he found hi s way into

the Seato n grounds and came to the entranc e gate where ,

the Old lady in charge r emarked that s he might as well le t

him out though s he had stri ct orders n ot t o let him i n !
His p oli s hed manner s stood him in good stead fo r i n all ,

the superficial he ex c elled H e a ffe cted the triolet p layed

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at photog r aphy and at the piano H e wa s a liturgi s t to the

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fi nge r tip s r athe r tha n a Christian at hea rt which seemed

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at times to be that O f one po s s essed H e appeal ed to the

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Bishop O f A berdee n to fina n ce a scheme fo r deep sea -

photography appare ntly with mo n eys le ft fo r the relie f

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o f the Catholic poo r a n d r eceived the humorous answe r

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that no suc h sums have been le ft lately s o that you mus t ,

have been mi s in formed May O ur Lord help you o u t O f all

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your di ffi cultie s for I have no faith i n submarine photog

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raphyf

The s am e appeal fell equally vai n o n M r A s tor and .

Lord Cha r le s B ere s ford who a ccorded him an interview at

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Chatham but failed to make the arrangement s Rol fe re

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quired i n order to photograph the hulk O f H M S Victoria . . .

at the bottom o f the M editer ranean !

He was very anxious t o o ffer Quee n Victoria a p hoto
graph O f the Nativity whi ch he had take n from livin g
m odels by m agnesium light A cc ordingly Baro n Corvo
.

pre s ented hi s compliments to Sir Henry Pon s onby and

“
would be ve r y grate ful fo r direction s as to the n e c e s sary
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fo r m to be Obse r ved o n this occa s io n The se r va n ts hall
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X NTRODUCTIO N I

at B almo r al would probably be sear c hed i n vain for thi s

work o f art At the sam e time he painted s o m e Saint s i n
.

the medi aeval s tyle whi c h he O ffered to the Aberdee n

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Muni c ipality i n quaint term s : I venture my Lord Pro ,

vo s t to sugge s t their appropriatene ss as a gi ft in conne ctio n

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with the Royal Wedding e s pecially as they are the work

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o f an a rti s t who ha s s ettled i n Aberdeen be cau s e O f it s

e xquisite s uitability fo r hi s work I n the end the only .

work h e wa s able to O btai n am ong the Scots was at a

photograph ic work s for 12 5 6d a week whi ch redu c ed . .
,

him to making appli cation to be c ertified in s ane i n o rde r

that he might enj oy free lodging at lea s t i n the A sylum at
the co s t o f the com m unity ! H e never lo s t hi s underlying
belie f that the Arti s t should be s upported by the unarti sti c .

At another ti m e he was retai ned to write o n the u n co n

genial subj ect o f South A frican I rrigation which led to
the u s ual law s uit At another he wa s appealing to the Duke
.

“
o f Nor folk i n ter m s O f detailed expo s tulation : I cannot
think my Lord Duke that you have felt the reality o f my
, ,

condition but whe n I tell you that I have eaten n othing

,

but four bi s cuit s s ince Friday la s t ( S u nday 4 a m ) and . .

that I have n o chan c e O f getting a n y food it may give you ,

so m e idea o f what I s u ffe r .

For a time he was re s cu ed by the Labour Leader H H , . .

Champion whose secretary he be c ame and whi ch a cc ount s

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for hi s ferocious pre s entment o f So c iali s m and Soci alists

i n H adrian VI I Then h e sank sank. Debt and , .

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di fficulty clo s ed and clogged the s cholar s p ath H e changed .

p ubli s hers and p s eudonym s He felt thwarted and pur .

sued H e di s gui s ed hi m sel f with wig and paint and walked

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o nly at night H O W deep l y he wa s redu c ed appear s f rom

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a fanta s tic adventu r e whi c h he wa s fain to publi s h in the

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W ide World Magazine for N ovember 1 89 8 which w as , ,

the n introdu c ing another minor writer o f fi ction to the

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B ritish publi c i n M de Rougemont ( R I
. Rol fe s tale . .

“ ”
was entitled How I was buried alive by Baron Corvo ,
 NTRODUCTIO N I X1
“
and was illustrated with his photograp h and drawing s
”
done unde r hi s o w n s upervi s ion H e des c ribed hi s o wn .

burial i n a state o f c oma after a fit o f faintness cau s ed by

a li z ard s lipping up his s leeve H e woke i n a sepulchral .

l o c u l u s and n ot on l y overheard the Capu cins conduct hi s

,

Requiem but eve n hi s patron the Duc he ss a ss ert that

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it was a case O f murder s ince h e had been turned o u t O f ,

the Seminary and all be cau s e he would n ot take the Rec

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tor s hints to give him hi s dre ss ing bag the gi ft O f the -
,

Du ches s to hi m s el f ! Fort unately he wa s able to bur s t ,

ope n hi s co ffin and de s c end by a rope to the floor o f the

Chapel when ce he wa s properly fet ched ho m e in the
,
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Du c he ss s bro u gham ! The whole tal e wa s indignantly di s
p roved but was lo s t sight O f i n the expo s ure O f de Rouge
,

mont .

A co ntem p orary at the Scots College recazts :

H e wa w nt t s nde mn the all e g e d l axi ty o f t he R oman C o m

o o co
mu n i on i n t he m atte r o f tr ut hf u lne ss an d it s s u bdis t ing u is hing t he
l ie He hi m se l f b r o u gh t u p as a str i ct A n gli c an had al l t he A ngli can
.
, ,

h orro r o f lying whi ch su r p r is e d u s as he was uni ve rsally r eg ar d e d

,

as abo u t t he bigg e st li ar w e had eve r m e t E ve ry t hi n g ab o u t him .

s ugg e ste d o ne who dabbl e s H is ro o m was a m ini atu re mu se u m In

. .

i nnu me rabl e ways he said an d did things b o t h in an d o u t sid e t h e

C o ll e g e and fo r a t i m e n o d o u b t i t w as v er y i n t e re st i ng B ut a c e r
, .

t ai n s avag e anno y anc e and s co rn towar ds R o l f e sl owly g r ew u p

am ong t he st u d ents W h en w e b e g an t o h e ar s t o r i e s f r o m o u t sid e
.

t he C o ll e g e whi c h i n di c ate d t h at his p r e s ence am ong u s was m aki n g

,

u s a s u b j e c t fo r g o ssi p an d co mm ent t he anno y anc e b e cam e r ag e ,

an d t he e n d was i n sigh t W e p u t o u r id e as r e g ar di n g him b e f o r e t he

.

R e cto r an d t he Re cto r e xp e ll e d him H e g o t a f o rtnigh t t o l o o k

, .

a bo u t him a we e k was add e d t o t h at t h r e e d ays o n e day m o r e t h en

, , , ,

his d e p artu re ! H e s e em e d to h ave a k e en sen se o f exte rn ali t i e s O f al l

kinds li tt l e o r n o app r e h ensi on o f the inwar d s p i r i t th at is i n m o st
,

t hi ngs H e p ai nt e d an d p h o to e d an d wr ot e ab o u t t he o u t side s o f
.

thi ngs He t ink e re d wi t h tri o l e t s b ec au se th e y are a m anne r a f o rm

.
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nothing e lse N o b o dy wi th an ything t o s ay wo u ld s ay i t in tr i o l e t s

. .

A c r i t i cal r e adi ng o f his var i o u s b o o ks wo u ld se rv e t o sh ow t h at h e

had a ver y c l e ar an d disc e rn in g e ye fo r o ut sid e val ue s an d s u p e r
fi c ial it ie s an d li ttl e e ls e F o rm s m an ne r s c o l o u r s s o u nds sh a p e s
.
, , , , ,

a nd be y o n d a r e gi on O f vag u e u n i nte r e st i ng sh ad ows a s o rt O f s p i r i t

u al an d i nt e l l e c t u al m y o p i a T h e r e y o u h ave t he k e y t o al l Ro l f e I n
. .

his tenaci ous de si re fo r the p r i e sth oo d was no thing sin ister n othing ,
xfi I N TRODU CTIO N
e l evat e d o r fi ne He s aw hi mse l f d o i ng wh at t o him se eme d p io
t u re s q u e t hi ngs I n a p i ct u r e s q u e way T h e r e w as i n him li tt l e p r id e
.

i n t he b ette r sense o f the te r m H e did n ot disd ain t o beg T h e re was

. .

a s ort o f ruthl e ss se lfishne ss ab o ut him whi c h l ed him t o e xp l o i t

o th e r s q u i t e r e g ar dl e ss o f t h e i r i n te r e st s o r f e e li ngs T ak e him all .

in al l he was n o t ve r y h u man H e w as a s o rt O f s u b s p e c i e s H e m u st
.
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h ave b een ve ry to u gh an d e l ast i c o r he wo u ld h ave b een u tter ly

c ru sh e d an d d e stro y e d by t he O pp o si t i o n an d enm i t y he m e t w i t h an d
did s o m uc h t o e xc i te W as th e re an ext ernal e l em e nt o f g re atness i n
.

him t o ac co unt fo r t his ? O r was i t p er h ap s s om ething m o r e anal

og o u s t o t h at app alli n g s aying o f P aro ll e s I f m y h e art we re g r e at
‘

,
’
two u ld b u r st at this S i m p ly the thing I am sh all mak e me live ?
.
’

T h e re was li tt l e o r n o warm t h o r a fi e ct io n at e n es s i n him p ro b ably ,

why he was s o s e lfish and s e l f centre d H is h umo r w as t hin and

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.

sar don i c I d on t kno w i f he cou ld be call e d r evenge f u l p ro b ably no t

.
’
, .

H e l ath e d fo r t he same r easo n th at he app arent ly lik e d : art ist i c

s ens e.
o ’

And yet many were grate ful that Rol fe n eve r r ec eived
the Catholic priesthood H e had s ome elements o f those
.

Satanic c hara cters who have u s ed their wa s ted and fallen

prie sthood to s ay the Black Ma ss .

“
A n Englishman I talianate i s a devil incarnate wa s a
p roverb that c ould be o fte n applied to him H e p a ss ed .

through li fe forcing me n into s tartled enmity while he ,

astoni s hed them no le s s by a ce rtain r are and magnificent

impuden c e A num ber o f very di fferent type s united i n de
.

sc r ibing him as the mo s t s triking and upsetting personage

they had ever m et i n their li fetime A London solicitor .

was once summoned to give Rol fe pro fe ss ional advi c e at

“
Chri s tchurch by the telegram Come immediately Y ou , .

”
will be met by barouc he with white livery Baron Co rvo . .

’
It was to initiate legal a c tio n agai n s t Rol fe s Duche s s !
Even then he was in debt t o hi s ho s ts but the s olicito r ,

could not refu s e s uch a wire out o f the blue and became so ,
’
intere s ted in Rol fe s a m a z ing per s ona l ity that be a fter
wards introdu c ed him to M r Stead o f the R e view of R e
.

’
v iews Stead be fo r e te s ting Rol fe s literary talents handed
.
, ,

a penny held by the Baron to hi s medium Julia who from ,

“
another room fur n i s hed th e oracular reply He i s a black ,
”
g ua rd ! H e has a hole i n hi s head M r St ead the r eu pon . .
 I N TROD U CT IO N xiii

c ha s ed and seized Rol fe until he could feel his c r anium ,

when behold there was a perceptible hole to be found in

the skull ! He was a ccordingly di s mi ss ed as a blackguard ,

and fo r once Rol fe wa s utterly baffled by powers more

s inister than hi s o wn ! Sinister seem s to have been de
’
served a s Rol fe s epithet H e brought amazement fear .
,

and repul s ion to men T o none happine s s Women he

. .

hated but n ot as the Saints have abhorred them To ani

,
.

mal s e s pe c ially the re ptiliar he could be cruel He could

, ,
.

p ier c e a live toad with a r ed hot p oke r But on that s core -

.

enough !
A s a writer Rol fe fi r st swam into notoriety by the
s torie s which originally appeared in the famou s Y e ll ow
,

B oo k The s e were reprinted in book form as Numbe r

.

Six in the Bodley Booklets ; and by Jame s Douglas were

de s c ribed as the mo s t ama z ing fantastical whimsi c al , , ,
”
bi z arre er r atic and hare brained o f books T o these six
, ,
-
.

Rol fe added twenty s ix similar tales and let them be

-
,
“ ”
publi shed under the title o f In Hi s O wn Image with ,

the dedi c atio n D I V O A M I C O DES I DERAT I S S I M O

“
D D D F R I D E R I CU S and the Colopho n From Lon
. . . ,

do n in my study on the eve O f Saint George the Marty r

, , ,

Prote ctor o f the Kingdom M D C CC C Thi s book wa s

”
,
.

m arked by the appearance o f the Corvo arm s u n s an ct i ,

fi e d by the College O f Herald s v ide l ice t a Raven for Corvo , ,

sabl e o n argent a lapel o f three and a cro ss potent o n a

fi el d—argent and sable counter charged surmounted by a
,

-
,

Hat Priestly sable for cre s t and surrounded for m otto by

the Greek—E Z TA I H A N TA KA A Q Z ( All will be well ) .

“ ”
The s tori e s in I n Hi s O wn I m age were variously
r eceived To the old fa s hioned o rthodox they appeared
.

pungently irreverent but certain c onvert s to Catholi ci s m

,
“ ”
di s tributed them under the title O f the fi fth Go s pel as
the complete rea ction from Briti s h Phari s ai s m and Hy
“
p oc ris y Jame s Dougla s wrote o f them as c harged with
.

Co rvo nian idiosync ra s y a j umble j argo n composed o f

,
x w I N TROD U CT IO N
modern sla n g o ld E ngli s h Lati n Italian Greek adding
, , , , ,
“ ”
that the Corvo vo c abulary i s or chida c eous Anothe r .

“
c riti c s u m med his language a s c la s si c and colloquial early ,
”
It al ian and Old Engli s h Co c kn ey and Athenian
, The .

“
Tw e n tieth C e n tu ry R eview s aw a beauti ful fancy t ha t
seduces o n e i nto thinking it quite the most delight ful
’ ”
thing which o f cour s e it isn t but i s very n early really
, , , , , .

Catholi c readers were pub l icly outraged o r delighted s u r

“
re p t it io u s l y The Ta bl e t thought him
. unfortunately very
” ’
amu s ing Chu rch B ells hoped that the author s Obj ect
.

may be to throw some light upo n the super s titiou s doctrines

”
O f moder n Rome l

The s e tale s are unique and though very u n even they

, ,

are very original They repre s ent a natural c ommingle

.

ment o f the Paga n and the Chri stia n tradition i n the

form o f mode r n Italia n fo l k lore expre ss ed through the
-

medium O f a r athe r fanta s tic youth But at time s it is .

diffi cult to s ay whether it i s Toto o r Corvo who i s speak

’
ing The nai ve t é i s always Toto s but the subtlety i s s ome
.
,
’
times Rol fe s .

“
The E p ic h of S an G e o rgia i s a Christiani s ati on o f the
”

legend o f Per s eus O ther s are ba s ed o n s uch incident s as

.

the rebu ff given by a n Eng l i s h duche s s to King B omba

“
( About the Holy Du c he ss and the Wicked or
the ble ss ing by Pius I X o f an Anglica n B i s hop About
Papa Feretti and the Ble s t O the r s are
p opula r fanta s ies making furiou s fun o f the C apucins and
Je s uits Mo s t o f t hem are rolli cking but exquisite pi ctures
.

“ ”
o f the gods o r s aints and thei r emotion s i n Pa r adise .

O ne typi cal senten c e de s cribes St Peter taking O ff hi s .

“
Tiara while he wiped the s weat f rom hi s brow u s ing the
, ,

G rem ial in stead O f the Pan c on provided fo r su c h pur

”
po s e s It require s som e liturgi cal s en s e to r ec ognise that
.

the Fan co n o r manip l e was originally a handker c hie f and

the Gre m ial an epi s copal apron They may be de s c ribed a s
.

anthropomorphi c idyll s o f Italia n popula r r eligion and ,

 NTRODUCTIO N
I XV

being p urely a rtistic can be rega r ded as highly r eligious o r

,

in s idiou s ly the r ever s e The style i s only blurred in plac es

.

’
by Rol fe s incurable love for f an c y coinage s and his indi
“
vidu alis t ic spe l l ing A senten c e like H is l amp rome ira
.

kiodia obeyed eac h ryt hm ick call only leave s the reader
with an irritated impul s e toward s the Greek Lexi c on .

I n politics Rol fe wa s a medi aeval Tory and H adrian ,

VI I contained a violent parody O f Engli s h So c ialism .

But he hated factory owners eve n more and the tale Why
-
,

the R os e is R e d carried an outburst again s t The in famous

local Rose O f Lancaster dyed red with the Blood Of I n
”
n oce n ts victims o f minotaur m anu fac turers !
, H e wa s a -

fanati cal Ja c obite and his eulogy o f Cardinal Stefano

,

Bo r gia was chiefly ba s ed on the go od turn the last Borgia

C a r di nal was able t o do the last o f the Stuart s Cardinal ,

Kin g He n ry I X wh o we l ea rn from a n ote ( and this

, ,
“
must be a pr o fou n d r eli e f t o p ost wa r Jacobite s ) be -
,

q u eathed his r ights i n t he E n glish Crow n to the de s c end

a n ts o f A nn a Maria d O rl éan s ( daughte r o f H en r ietta
’

Stuart an d n iece O f Ki ng C ha r les I ) who married Duke ,

V itt o ramade o O f S av oj a from whom descends n ot the ,

Bava r ia n Princess O f the W hite Ro s e but King Victor

Eman uel e I I I o f I taly Rol fe worked o u t a n elaborate
.

p edi gr ee t o show that Victor Em m anuel was th e r ight ful

Ki ng O f E n gla n d to whom a s his r ight ful sove r eign C opies
, , ,

o f his books we r e formally pre s ented .

Rol fe ea rn ed no fame and de s e r ved few f r i ends Even .

with p ublishers he carried on acid co ntrover s ies in gree n

“ ”
a n d heliotrope inks as to whether Sixtus and Sixti n e
we r e o n ly co rr upt forms o f X y s tu s a n d Xyst in e O n a
”
.

p oi nt o f medi aeval spelli n g o r o f wil ful indentation he

would challen g e a le g ion o f printers devils A rti fex r athe r ’
.

t han a rt ist he was n ot a Lord o f Language but a would

, ,

be tyrant o f words a n d wo r ds s eemed to tur n and ty r an

,

n i se ove r him H is cl as s ical verbalisms amused schola r s

.
,
xfi I N TR OD U CT IO N
but n one dared tO a s k what he meant by tygen dis o r
“ ”
t e chn ik rym O u che birth fl are li c keri s hly liripi pe fl y
.
,
-
, , ,

fo t n o l u nt ary so l ert o r talpine are good Engli s h though

, , , ,

r are But t o l u t il o qu e n t co n t o rt u pl icat io n fu mific abl e s ( fo r

. , ,

tobacco ) zaimph a s eity pu rrothrix in e ban ays ical ly re

, , , , ,

mai n to t r ouble c o mmentator s The only meaning atta c h .

“ ”
able to ro s e al e xan ro lith might o cc u r to a Chinese mind
-

as a portmanteau word for the Londo n pavem ents o n

-

Alexandra Day He wa s very fond o f the word pre cipi

.

t ev o l is s im ev ol m en te which would have made hi s l iterary

,

epitaph .

As a wordmonge r Rol fe de s cribes himsel f i n H adrian

“
VI I and his private di ctionary whi c h ( as an art ifi ce r i n
verbal expre ss ion ) he had c o m piled taking Greek words
from Liddel l and Scott and Lati n words from Andrew s ,

enlarging hi s Engli s h vocabula ry with such simple but

p regnant formations as the ad j ec tive hybris t from vflgwmg
( i ns ulting ) o r the n ou n g g is m f r om gingil ism u s ( loud
in il
laughter ) I n p re s erving the co r rectness o f G r eek s p ell
.

i n g Rol fe outdid the Hi s toria n G rote .

Thi s artifi c ial facility found ve n t i n his re n de rin g s O f

” “ ”
the Rubaiyat S ap rous bones
. so m atick atoms and ,
“ ”
aim at e ro s e hea rt seem leg itimate classi c isms ; but
”
me t hys tin e lake requires some ex p la n ation as a te rm fo r
drunkenness Rol fe brought ou t the humou r and sar
.

ca s m which Fitzgerald mis s ed a s well a s all the coloured

“ ”
epithets su ch as tulip tinctured xanthine rubine meces -
, ,
“
sa ry to illuminate what he called diaphotick ver s e Rol fe .

p rovided an intere s ting i f roundabout way o f reachin g

both the po esy and philosophy o f Uma r but as i n the ca s e ,

o f Fitzgerald the reader unread i n Per s ian can only gue s s

which poet he i s r eading The openin g Quat r ai n may be .

quoted
“
Lo Pho s phor ! And a voice f rom the Tavern c riet h
e n te r hi larious Phil o p o t s hybris t youths ; ente r a n d fill y et
,
 I NTRODUCTION xfi i

o n e more c u p o f Wine be fore that Fate shall fill brim ful

your Cup o f Li fe .

But his be s t books disappeared and rarely come into the

market ( at least H adrian VI I and the H is tory of the
B orgias ) H e failed to be mentioned i n any c ontemporary
.

s ave in F r Martindale s Life of M gr B e ns on—a pas s age

.
’
.

whi c h gives some substance to a n almost mythic p erso n

age
I n t he winte r o i 1904-5 B ens o n m e t wi t h a b o o k call e d H adrian
VII an d ve r y s oo n f o und hi m se l f i nvo l ve d i n an ac uaintance shi q p
p
o f an abs o r bing an d e cu li ar s o rt S o co m l e t e ly was his li f e fo r
. p
the next t wo o r th r ee y e ar s c o l o u re d an d i nt erconne cte d w i th re d F
e r i c k Ro l f e
.

At lea s t the n he exist ed a n d Benson embalmed him i n

,

parodi c form in The S en timentalis ts At lea s t Benson made .

a c ompo s ite pi cture betwee n Rol fe and anothe r f riend who ,

supplied mo s t o f the outside mannerism s while Rol fe ,

supplied the r ather unbeauti ful character which r equired

s uch a dra stic cure from the noveli s t Mgr B en s on for . .

some ti m e like many others su ffered from a fantastic

, ,

admiration fo r Rol fe a n d propo sed to write a book o n

,

St Thomas O f Canterbury i n collaboration which how

.
,
’
ever wa s prevented by Benson s friends thus earning a n ,

undying enmity from Rol fe whe n he found him s el f t e

garded even a s a literary outcast O ne who r ead his cor .

r e s pondence with Be ns on w r ote : I am almost sure he wa s

p o s ses s ed by a devil I have neve r i n my li fe com e n ea r any
.

one who hated s o much and was s o virulent an egocentri c .

Perhap s a genuine literary memorial to Rol fe occurs i n

’ ’
Henry Harland s novel s for both The Cardinal s S nnfi,

box and M y F rien d P ros p ero o w e some o f their Italian

colour and detail to Rol fe who c ertainly claimed both ,

book s a s his ow n children Harland was alway s a good .

friend to one with whom friend s hip was a minor e xpe ri

ment in demonology It remains di ffi c ult to pla c e Rol fe i n
.

literature He po ssessed a morbid se ns e O f the p icturesque

.
xfi fi I N TR OD U CTIO N
‘

and gari s h whi c h totally and d rug lik e u n de r mined his -

hi s tori c al s en s e When he wrote A H is t ory of the B o rgias

.

he c ould rej oice i n su c h sentence s a s the fol l owing roc ket

“
o f racy realism : S O the Senior Bran c h in the line o f the
direct de s c endant s o f the murdered Duke o f Gandia bas ,

tard o f the Lord Alexander P P V I withered i n sump . .

,

t u o u s Obscurity Savonarola whom he hated as a Puritan

,
“
and a Salvationi s t he summed up as a director turned
,
”
dictator the s ubtlety O f which epigram he urged in hect ic
,

and violent c orre s ponden c e O r take hi s fierce charact e ris a

.

“ ’
tion o f the Cardinal I ppolito d E ste : It i s o n e thing to at
tempt to blind a bastard brother who i s a r oyal prince It i s .

another thing to compass the death o f a brother who i s a

r eigning s overeign The robu s t young Cardinal wa s equal

.

”
to the first but above the s econd Rol fe u s ed the B o rgian .

era to deck his ow n i m agi n ed character with a s toni s hing

fi ctions whi c h may ge n e r ally receive c redit fo r being
,

st r anger than fact .

A H is to ry of the B orgias i s a vivid attempt to rehabil i

tate Pope Alexander the Sixth from the secula r in famy ,
“
whi ch unproved s u s pi cion k oprie mat ou s imagination and
,

ordurous j ournali s t s had combined to heap upon his

tiara In the very remarkable pre face Rol fe s tate s that
.

“
No ma n s ave O ne since Adam ha s been wholly good
, , .

Not o n e has been wholly bad The truth about the Borgia .
,

n o doubt lies between the two extre m e s Popes and Kings

, .

and lovers and me n O f intelle ct and me n o f war cannot be

j udged by the narrow code the s tunted s ta n dard o f t he
, ,

j ourn ali s t and the lodgi ng house keeper o r the plumber

-

”
and the haberda s her O f this bO Ok Henry Harland wrote
.

“
The hi s toric imagination the big vision the humour the
, , ,

i rony the wit the perver s ene s s the daring and the tre
, , ,

m e n dou s ly f elicitous and e ffective manner o f it ! I t i s like

a magnificent s eries O f tapestry p ictures O f the fi fteenth
“
c e n tury Rol fe disclaimed t o write i n the Roman
.
XX ODUCTION I NT R

the Borgia whi c h Spain gave to I taly Italy and the Borgi a ,

gave Me s ser Cri s to foro Columbo and the N ew World t o

”
Spain .

Though the writer states that he does n ot write with the

simple obj e ct o f whitewa s hing the Hou s e o f Borgia hi s ,

pre s ent Opinio n being that all men are too vile for words
”
to tell he c ertainly re n ders the wilde s t ac c u s atio ns against
,

the Bo rgia improbable e s pec ially in the matter o f poi s on, .

I nto the details o f poi s o n ing he goes at great length s how ,

ing that to the sixteen veno m s known i n the twel fth cen
“
tury only t r i sulphate o f arsenic orpiment antimony
-
, , ,

corrosive s ublimate a c onite o r wol f s bane o r monk s hood

, ,
”
and p erhap s white hellebore a n d black or Chri s tma s r o s e ,

were added i n the B o rgian era and by his knowledge o f ,

medi aeval pharma c y he critici s es Symonds and C reighto n

o n the suppo s ed tran s fu s ion o f blood pra c ti s ed by a H e

brew do c to r o n I nnoce n t V I I I Whether his ambition to .

write the last word o n the B o rgian era wa s fulfilled o r

n ot he was inclined to r epudiate the book be cause he was
,

n ot allowed to keep all the quaint and meticulous s pelling s ,

to s ay n othing O f A ppendix I II and a n appalling extra ct

1

from Varc hi The Borgia were stron g m eat he in s i sted

.
, ,

and could n ot be treated i n the language o f the Religious

Tract Society The only cha ra cte r o f the period who might
.

have appealed to the R T S was Savonarola whom Rol fe . . .

,

“ ”
term s mattoid and c r iticises fiercely fo r hi s minacity
,

and violen c e Compa r ed with the patience and moderation

“
o f Alexander V I a commander -in -chief dealing with a
,
”
mutinous mad s ergeant .

’
I t i s Rol fe s ob s es s io n and research fo r weird detail

1 T heppr sse d A pp ndi x I I I a s gg st d C r i ter i on o f t he

Su e e on u e e
C r dibili ty f H isto r i ans wa a v i vid a d v i r l nt i m p ch m t o f
”
e o s n u e ea en
fi e histo r i ans— P ntan
v In f s a G icc i
o di i V r hi a d J h n
o, e sur u ar n a c n o
A ddi ngton S y mon ds—i t he matt er o f dmi tt i ng t h
, , ,

n viden e o f a e e c
m ral tu r p i tu d e E ver y c o p y save O e was d stro ye d by a c aut i ou s
o . n e

publish r e .
 I NTRODU CTIO N xxi
r ather than his chara cter drawing that makes A H is to ry of
-

t he B org ias intere s ting Whence did he ferret out hi s li s t

.

o f practi cal j okes permi s sible o n ladies i n the B o rgian era ?

Could he have invented the recipe for getting rid O f u n
wel c ome gue s ts O f strewing harp s trings c u t s mall o n hot
-

meat so as to writhe like worm s ?

H adrian VII with the po ss ible exceptio n O f the Book on

’
the B o rgias i s Rol fe s masterpiece with all its uneven mix,

ture o f n ew s c uttings c ano n l aw e cclesia s ti c al s c ene s

-
, , ,

archaic diction and R o l vian propaganda I t might b e .

”
summed up as I f I we r e Pope to take a place be s ide ,
“ ’ ”
Richard l e Gallienne s I f I were God There can be .

little doubt that Rol fe i s de s c ribing some O f hi s li fe and ,

all his like s and di s likes The s ense O f a foiled vocation to

.

the priesthood always lay at the back O f hi s o w n de feated

li fe Hi s hero i s him s el f George A rthur Rose who brood s
.
, ,

fo r years Ove r hi s r ej ectio n from M aryvale ( O s co tt ) and

’
St Andrew s College ( S cot s College Rome ) wonder
.
, ,

“
in g why O G od have you made me s trange uncommon
, , , ,
”
such a mystery to my fellow creatures ?
The book was too brilliant not to strike s park s Fr . .

Rol fe ca n write but bath a devil the D aily M ail s u g ,

“
ge s ted The R e view of R ev iews de s c ribed it as a new
.

n ovel that i s unlike all n ovels and i s truly n ovel i n s tyle ,

” “
i n matte r and i n de s ign I t appea r s t o be the work o f a
.

devout Ro m a n Catholic s aid the P al l M all Gaze tte O n

, .

the other hand the C hris tian Wo rl d felt that n o Prote s“

”
tant could w rite anything more damaging !
H adrian VI I saves the n ece s sity o f writing Rol fe s li fe ’
.

“
He wa s undoubtedly hi s sel f con fesso r with reddi s h
-

” “
brown hair tu r ning to grey and tattooed o n the brea s t
”
with a cros s who wor e hi s grand father s silve r s pecta cles
’
,
“ ”
t o write his wonder ful fi ft e e nth century script ; u s ed -

s pring dumb bell s and slept i n

gl yc e rin e d glove s ; found
-

“
the Roman Machine inexorable i n i nqu iry a s in righteous
xxn I NT R O D U C T IO N
“
n e s s and became a mi s anthropi c altrui s t . H e a p ologi s es
fo r hi s u s e O f pseudonym s
In f act I s p li t u p m y p ersonali ty A s R o s e ( Ro l f e ) I was a t on
, .

s u re d c l e r k A s K i n g C l e m e nt ( B ar o n C o rvo ) I wr o t e an d p ai nt e d
.

an d p h ot o g r ap h e d ; a s A u st i n W hi te I d e si gne d d e co rat i ons ; a s

Francis E ngl e I did j ou rnalism .

What did he n ot do for a livin g ?

I d esigne d f u rn itu re and fi re i ro ns I d e lineate d s aints an d se ra
,

p hi m an d sinne rs c hi e fly t he f o rm e r a ser i e s o f r ath e r inte r esting

, ,

an d p o ly ony m ou s d ev ils i n a p e r i o d o f d e s p e rat e r e v o l t I sl ave d as .

a p r o f e ssi onal p h ot o g r ap h e r I did j o u rnalism r e p o rt e d i n q u e st s fo r

.
,

e igh te en p enc e I wr o t e fo r maga i ne s I wr o t e b o o ks I i nvent e d a

. z . .

s co re o f thi n gs I was a f o o l a s an g u ine ignorant ab j e ct f o o l ! I

.
, , ,

n eve r l e arne d by e x p e r i ence I st il l k e p t o n a h agg ar d shy p r i e st ly

, , , ,

v isage d i ndividu al I mad e the m istak e o f appe ali n g t o b rains rath e r

.

t h an t o b owe ls t o r e as on r at h e r t h an t o s ent i me nt
, .

H e believed all the while that the salient trait o f his

chara cter the de s ire not to be ungra c iou s the r eadiness
, ,

to be unselfi s h and sel f s acrificin g had done him in cal

-
,
”
c ul abl e inj ury H adrian VII i s the odde s t and perhaps
.

vivide s t Apologia o r Autobiography O f pre s ent time s .

A s he grew older and lonelier Rol fe grew fonder O f

walking only at night and di s gui s ed with wig and painted
face to avoid meeting his c reditor s o r the s unlight Finally .

he withdrew to Veni c e H e had been a beauti ful s wi m m er

.

an d an amateur ya c ht s man but as hi s bodily for c e s failed,

he sank into poverty Rumo r s aid that he had be c ome a n

.

amateur gondolier Certainly hi s private cra ft silken s ailed

.
,
-

and fanta s ti cally p ainted appeared i n the canal s Though

, .

h e had O fte n threatened s uicide there i s no reason to ,

believe that he took the c elebrated B o rgian venom whi c h

he believed he had redi s covered Alone and suddenly he .

died And he died fearle ss and un forgiving but not n eces

.
,

s aril y un forgive n unle s s he r e fu s ed to forgive hi m s el f .

H e wa s a sel f tortured and sel f de feated s oul who might

- -

have done mu c h had he been born into the proper era or

s u r rou n dings The Byro nic pos e would have sui t ed him
.
 I N TROD U CT IO N xxiii
e ve n bette r tha n the B o rgian That o f Os ca r W ilde mo s t
.

o f all I n the c urious ga m e o f applying fi c titious parentage

.

he might have been plac ed a s a fiery cro ss between Gille s de

Retz and Marie Bas hk irt s e ff H e d i ed quite de s erted and
.

there was none to overhear i f he muttered the Neronian

apothegm Q u al is artif ex pereo ! A s he had written o f
“ ”

“
hi s own hero Hadrian V II Pray for the repo s e o f his
,
”
soul H e was s o tired A fte r ten years hi s r emains were
. .

tran s fer r ed from the common fo ss e to a perpetual n iche in

the pre s en c e o f a repre s entative o f the City o f Venice and
o f o ne o f the Capu c i n friars whom he had s o greatly
ridiculed ; but the Catholi c Chur c h i s tolerant to he r o wn
children and he had de clared hi m s el f in H adrian V I I to
be an obedient s on o f the Holy Catholic Apo s toli c Roman
“
See and there fore I s ubmit my s el f and all which I have
”
written to He r Judgme n t W ith which submis s io n we
.

leave him .

S HANE LES LI E.
 P R E FA CE

G REAT Houses win and lose undying f ame i n a ce ntury .

They shoot bud bloom bear fruit — from O bs c urity they

, , ,

ri s e to dominate thei r Age indelibly to write their n ames i n

,

History : and afte r a hundred years gi ving place to others

, ,

who i n tur n shall take the stage they de s cend into the ,

crowd and live o n insignificant r etired u n know n

, , , , .

O nce upo n a time Caesa r s were masters O f the world

,

a n d the genius O f Divus Julius O f Divus Augustus was , ,

worshipped everywhere o n altars There are C e s arini at .

’
this day i n Rome cos a grande ch il s ol e maste r s o f wide
, ,

domains but not o f empires On ce upon a time Buona p art e

,
.
,

held Europ e i n its grip B u o napart e s at this day keep exile

.

in Mu s covy o r Flanders O nce u p on a ti m e t he S fo r za

.
,

we r e sovereign s regnant and O f their daughters were made

-

a n empres s and a queen There are S forza at this day at

.

S an t afi o ra and at Rome ; peer s o f princes only n ot o f ,

kings O nce upo n a time Borgia was s upreme in Christe n

.
,

do m There are Borgia at thi s day peer s o f France ; o r

.
,

patri cians who s e names are written in the Golde n Book o f

Rome .

I n littl e more tha n a century from 14 55 to 1 572 Borgia , ,

sprang to the pedestal O f fame ; lea p ing at a bo und from ,

little bishoprics and ca r dinalates to the terrible altitude o f ,

’
Peter s Throne ; produ cing in those f ew year s t wo Popes , , ,

and a Saint and General o f Jesuits It i s true that ther e .

died i n the nineteenth century another Borgia o f renown

—the Lord Ste fano Borgia Cardinal Pre sbyte r o f the
, , ,

Titl e o f San Clemente—a great and good man admirable

,

by Engli s hmen fo r a ce rtain gracious deed which i s n ot yet

writt en i n English H isto ry ; and who pr e fe rr ed a seco n d
XX V
xxvi PRE FA CE
place to that giddy p re emi n ence o n which hi s kin forme r ly
-

had played their part .

The hi s tory o f the House o f Borgia i s the history o f the

healing o f the Great S c hi s m ; o f the Rena s cen c e o f letters
and the a rt s ; o f the I nvention o f Printing ; O f the Mu sl i m
I nva s ion o f Europe ; o f the con s olidation O f that Pontifical
Sovereignty whi c h endured till 187 0 ; the hi s tory o f the
Di scovery o f a World ; the history o f the Di s c overy by ,

man o f Man
, .

“
To penetrat e the abyss o f any human per s onality is
impo ss ible NO m an truly s ees his living neighbour s
.
’
,
’
— ’ ”
brother s wi fe s nay even his o w n s ou l ( Jo hn A dding
, , , .

t o n S ym o n ds ) Mu c h more O b s c ure mu s t be hi s f riend s ;

’
.

and darker still hi s enemy s — and the s e alive What then

,
’
.
, ,

can be known o f per s ona l itie s who are but di s tant perhap s , ,

unintere s ting m ere name s ? ,

Chroni c le s there are and ch r oni c le r s ; and no more re

,

l ian ce c an be pla c ed i n tho s e than in modern morning and ,

evening new s paper s The same defe ct i s c o m m on to both

.
,

- the per s onal equation the human nature o f the writer , ,

hi s torian j ournali s t
, .

Cardinal Bartolo m eo Sa cc hi ( detto Platina ) was a

heathe n and a bad one He had to s tand his trial o n a
,
.

c harge o f wor s hipping fal s e god s wa s acquitted for wa n t ,

o f eviden c e and departed thi s li fe in the O dour o f Sanc

,

tity Modern di s coveries in the secret re ce ss es o f the cata

.
,

comb s have proved that he was u s ed to c arry o n hi s ne fari

,

o u s practices there with a hand ful o f other extravagant

,

athenians o f like kidney He wrote a Hi s tory o f the Popes .

,

which fairly de s erve s to be c alled veraciou s : but he had a

p er s onal grudge again s t the Lord Pa u l P P II Who had . .
,

put him to trial for pagani s m and grieved him with the
torture c alled The Que s tion ; wherefore he got even with ,

Hi s Holiness when he wrote His li fe and a more singula r ,

exam ple o f truth untruly told wou l d be hard to find Pla .

t ina died in the r eign o f the Lord X y s tu s P P I V ; and . .

xxviii PRE FA CE ,

equatio n : and when he ha s dedu cted that he may arrive

, ,

at least in j uxtapo s itio n with truth Thi s method ha s bee n

attem pted in the pre s ent work—in the absen c e o f imper
.

s onal authorities .

Mi s e ni bra che l a s t oria s i s ia s ervi ta de l l a famigl ia

B o rgia co m e di t e l a s o p ra to q u o te abbia v o l n t o dip i ng ere l e
“
sf e natez z e de i s ec o l i X V X VI
app ears to me that , . It
history ha s made the Hou s e o f Borgia to s erve as a canva s
whereon to depict the unbrid l ed licen c e o f the Fi fteenth
”
and Sixteenth Centuries ( R aggnali s nll a v ita di M arino
.
,

S an n to 20 7 n o t e ) By s o m e hi s torians the Borgia women

,
. .
,
” “
are delineated a s poi s on bearing maenads o r ve ne fi -
,
”
cous ba cc hante s ; the Borgia men as mon s ters utterly
fl agit io u s : both men and women o f a wickednes s per fectly
impo ss ible to human nature per fe ctly improbable even i n ,

nature k ak o daim o n iacal By other hi s torians c hiefly .

, ,

strange to say o f the French S c hool and affl icted with the
, ,

modern it c h fo r rehabilitation the identical Borgia are dis ,

played in the c hara cter o f stainle s s i nnocents who shine in

the light o f in con c eivable virtue .

NO man save O ne s ince Adam has been wholly good

, , ,
.

Not on e ha s been wholly bad The truth about the Borgia .

,

no doubt lie s between the two ext r eme s They are a ccu s ed
, .

O f loose morals and o f having bee n addicted to improper

,

p racti c es and amusements .

Well ; what then ? Doe s anybody want to j udge them ?

Popes and king s and lover s and me n o f inte l l e ct and
, , , ,

me n o f war cannot be j udged by the na rr ow c ode the ,

stunted s tandard O f the j ournali s t and the lodging hou s e

,
-

keeper o r the plu m ber and the haberda s her S O i ndecently

, .

unj u s t a sugge s tion only c ould emanate from person s who

expect to gain i n c ompari s on .

Why should good hour s O f sunlight be wa s ted o n the

j udgment seat by those who pre s ently will have to take
, , ,

their turn i n the dock ? Why n ot l eave the a ffai r s O f Borgi a

to the Rec ording Angel ?
 PRE FA CE
xxix
All about t he Borgia quite truly will be k n own some ,

day ; and in the interim more p rofitable entertainment

, ,

m ay be gained by frankly and openly studying that swi ft

“
vivid violent age when the Pope was an I talian De s pot
,
“
with s undry s ac erdotal addition s when what Mill i n his ,

E ss ay o n Liberty de s ired —what seem s every day more

, ,

unattainable in moder n li fe — wa s enj oyed by the Italian s ; ,

there w as n o c he ck t o the grow th of p e rs o nal ity n o grin d ,

”
in g of m e n do w n t o m atch the av e rage .

A m o r ist ,g nist man th at i nce ssant ly to iling an d str iving

a o , , , ,

S natch e s the gl ory o f l i f e only f rom l ove an d f r om war

that i s the formula in which the Borgia be s t may find ex
pres s ion F o r they al s o were hu m an beings who were
.
, , ,

born struggled through li fe and died

, , .

In thi s I deal Content o f the Hou s e O f Bor gi a there i s ,

matter fo r a s c ore o f spec iali s ts The present writer lays .

no C laim to any s pe c ial knowledge whatever ; although hi s

s tudie s obviou s ly have led him more i n o n e direction tha n
in anothe r Curbed by hi s limitations he make s n o pre
.
,

tensions to the di s c overy O f n ew o r striking facts : but he

humbly t r u s t s that he has bee n enabled to throw new and
n atural light o n myt hs and legend s and to t e arrange ,
-

causes and events in a hu m anly probable s eque n ce .

I n dealing with circum s tantial c alu m ny he has adopted ,

a n unwor n sy s tem ; e g in the ca s e o f person s s aid to have

. .
,

been raised to the purpl e i n reward fo r criminal s ervices .

Here he fur ni s hes complete li s ts o f the per s ons rai s ed to

,

the purple ; and when the name s o f tho s e ac c used O f c rime

,

do not appear therein he take s the fact as direct and posi

,

tive r e futation o f the calumny .

Touching the matte r o f names and s tyles he has made ,

a n attempt to corre ct the s lip s hod and corrupt translation s

of the same whi c h at p r esent are the vogue To allude
, , , .
XXX t P R E F A C E

to Pe r so n ages i n terms which are a p p rop r iate enough fo r

’ ’
one s terrier o r for one s s lave ; to s peak o f s overeigns as
,

mere John or o f ponti ff s as plain Paul ; are breache s O f

,

etiquette o f unpardonable gros s ne ss The present write r .

ha s tried at least to a ccord to his c haracter s the u s e o f the

, ,

n ames and the cou rtesy o f the s tyle s that they actually
,

bore .

I n thi s manner O f writing he has endeavou r ed to r ush ,

from mood to mood in c on s onance with the s ubj e ct under,

con s ideration with s omething o f the fl ipp ant breathle ss

,

master ful ver s atility whi c h Nature u s es For me n were .

very natural in the B o rgian Era .

I t i s s aid that the s tyle o f a hi s tory should be grave and

s tately ; and s o it s hould be when Hi s tory i s written in ,

epi c form But to write o f men and wo m en — human men

.
,

and women —o u tho s e inhuma n line s is nothing but an

, ,

unnatural c r ime ; and al s o a s ridiculously in c ongr uous and

, ,

i n c on s i s tent a s it wou l d be to s ing the M is er ere m ei D e us

,

to the tune o f the M ars e il lais e For human nature i s n ot .

at all time s grave and s tately ; but has its d re ss ing gown -

and slipper periods the human nature The aim o f thi s

-
,
-
.

work i s to di s play the Borgia alive and picturesque and

un c onventional as indeed they were ; n ot monumentally to
,

freeze them into ideally heroic mould s o r to C hi sel them ,

into conventionally unrecogni s abl e e ffigie s .

The w r iter does not w r ite with the simpl e Ob j ect o f

”
white wa s hing the Hou s e O f Borgia ; hi s pre sent Opinion
-

being that all men are too vile for word s to tell .

Further he does not write i n the Roma n Catholic in

,

fere s t ; no r in the Je s uit i ntere s t ; nor i n the interest o f

any c reed or corporation o r even hu m an being : but solely
, ,

as o ne who has s c ratched together s ome s hred s o f knowl

edge which he per for c e must s ell to live
, , .

It should be unneces s ary to s ay that no pe r suasio n o f ,

and no O ffen c e to any man or any s chool o f thought is

, , ,

i ntended i n the s e pages ; and that the w r ite r i n the absence ,

 PREFACE xxxi
o f de s ired advice has written what he has
,
w r itte n unde r
correction.

He returns thanks to the O ffic e r s o f the O xfo r d Uni

ver s ity Gallerie s o f the B odleian Library and o f the
, ,

B ritish Museum for courteou s and valuable assistance

, .

F REDE RI C K B ARO N CoRvo .

 C O NT E NT S

B OO K I

O F T HE F I RE

BO O K II

TH E LEGEND OF T H E BO RG I A VE N O M

Po N T I FE x M A X I M US A LE X ANDE R V I .

PRI N CE Ps

S PA R K S T H A T D IE

B OO K I II

THE B RI LLI AN T L I GH T

BO O K IV

A F LI C KER FR O M THE E M BE R S
 BO O K T H E F IR S T

TH E K I ND L I NG O F TH E F I RE
“
A fire ,
t ha t is k in dl e d beg in s wi th s m o k e and his s ing whil e
, ,
”
it l ays ho ld o n the fagg o ts

IN the year 14 55 O f Re s tored Salvation Chri s tendom was ,

in a parlous way The Mu s lim I nfidel s war m ed from the

.

dark O rient s worn to plant the Cre s cent o n the ruin o f the
,

Cro ss In resi s ting en c roa c h m ent King Wladi s law o f Hun

.
,

gary and the Apo s tolic Legate the Mo s t I llu s trious Lord
1
,

Giulia n o C e s arini Cardinal Bisho p O f Tus c ulum a Roman -

,

O f Rome and s c i on o f a most splendid family had laid

2
, ,

down li fe at the Battle o f Varna A fter three a n d fi fty .

days O f siege Co ns tantinople fell to the G r eat Turk the

, ,

Sultan Muhammed I I I o an ne s Palaio l ogo s King and

.
,
”
Autocrat o f the Ro m an s wa s dead ; and his su c cesso r ,

Konstantinos D ragas e s X I I I the last Ch r istian Emperor o f ,

the East wa s s lain in defen c e o f hi s capital By the fall o f

, .

the great Byzantine Empire the bulwarks o f Chri s ten ,

do m were broke n down ; the I nfidel wa s raiding on he r

borde r s Alone with no ally Jan H u nniade s de s perately
.
, ,
’
de fended Hungary s frontier The Power s o f Europe o c .

cu p ie d them s elve s with le ss i m portant matters .

At this time Rome was the eye and the brain o f the
, , ,

1 p
The e i th e t M 0s t E m in e n t ( E m i nent issi mo ) w as grante d t o c ar
dinal s by t he Lo r d U
rb an P P V I I I , 163 0 P r i o r t o t h at, th e y we re
. . .

styl e d M 0s t I ll u s trious ( I ll u str issi m o ) o r, i n the case o f t he C ardi

n al - D p
ean an d C ar dinal N e h ews , M o s t H on o u rabl e an d M 0s t War
s hipfu l ( O s s e rv an t is s im o C o l endissi m o )
, .

2T
G
h e y c l ai m d e sc ent f ro m the e n s J u li a T h e i r armor i als sh ow .

t he B ear ( O r si n i ) c h a i ne d t o t he C o l u mn ( C o l onna ) w i t h th e I m
p p
e r i al E ag l e dis l ay e d i n C hi e f .
 H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGIA S
A

world ; and Rome had seen and r eali s ed all that was po r
te n ded .

During many years since the fir s t signs o f Mu s lim ,

activity fugitives f r om By z antium de s cended upon I talia n

,

shore s The glory o f Gree c e had gone to I mperial Rome

. .

The grandeu r o f I mperial Rome had returned to B yz an

tium And n ow the glory and g r andeu r o f B y z antium was
.

going to Christian Rome When dange r menac ed when the .

,

day s o f s tre s s began to dawn scho l ars and cunning art ifi ,

cers experts ski l ful in all knowledge fled we s tward t o

, ,

the open arms o f Italy with their trea s ures O f work Italy .

welcomed all who could enlarge il l uminate her tran s c end , ,

ent geniu s ; learning and culture and s kill found with he r

n ot exile but a home and a market fo r wares S c holar s hip
,
.

“
became the fashion Literary ta s te was the regulative pri n
.

” “
C ip l e .I t was the Age o f Acquisition Tu s can i s hardly .

know n to all I talian s but Latin i s s pread far and wide

,
”
throughout the world ; said Filel fo But to know Greek .

was the real te s t o f a gentlema n o f that day ; and Greek

’
s cholars were I taly s most honoured gue s ts Not content .

with the c odi c es and c la s si c s o f antiquity that the s e brought

with them I talian princes and p atri cian s s ent emba s sie s to
,

falling B y z antium to s ear c h for manus c ript s i n s criptio n s

, , ,

o r carven gem s and bronze and m arbl e Greek in t agl ii

, , .

and c am ei graced the huger ring s the ouche s collar s c aps -

, , , ,

o f Venetian senator s O f the lord s o f Floren c e

, o f the ,

sovereign s o f the Regno O f the barons and c ardinal s and

1
,
“
popes o f Rome They had made the dis covery that the
.

body o f a ma n is a miracle o f beauty eac h li m b a divi ne ,

wonder each mu s c le a j oy as great as s ight o f s tar s o r

,
”
flower s Me ss er Fi l ippo Brune ll e s chi who truly said that
.
,

hi s figure O f Chri s t wa s a c ru cified c ontadino ere cted the ,

marve l lou s dome O f Florence For the Lord Eugeniu s P P . . .

I V Mes s er Antonio F ilare t e c arved the Rape s o f Leda

,

1 T he king doms o f A ragon, N ap l e s , the t wo S ic ilies , and

Jerus al em .
 K I NDLI N G O F T H E F I RE
T H E 5
’
and G anu me de s o n the g r eat b r onze gates O f St Pet er s . .

Messer Lore n zo Ghiberti modelled the marvellou s doors O f

the Bapti s try Messe r Simone Fiorentino ( detto Do na
.

tello ) p l a c ed o n the nort h wal l o f O rs anm iche l e his

, ,

superb St G eorge in m arble ; and ca s t in bronze for Duke

.

Cosmo the nitid David O f the Bargello T o mmasco di Se r .

Giovan n i degli S cheggia called Ma s a cc io ( great hulking

,

T o m ) painted St Peter and St Paul r ai s i n g the dead

, . .
,

with the s kill whi c h he learned from To m ma s o di Cri s to

foro Fini c alled Ma s olino ( pretty little T o m ) Paolo
, .

Doni nickna m ed Ucc ello ( Bird ) put bird s into his pic
, ,

tures a c cording to hi s wont The Ble s sed G iovange l ico da .

Fie s ole filled triptychs with his vi s ions o f the angelic

hierar c hy Fra Filippo Lippi painted the St Gabriel Arch
. .

angel with the argu s eyed wings i n an admirable Annuncia

-

tion Pet r ar c h and B o cc accio hunted c onvent s abbey s and

.
, ,

museums O f By z antium for codices M e ss er Poggio Brac .

c io lin i di s covered manu s cript s o f Lucretius Caru s o f ,

’
Vitruviu s O f Q u inct il l ian and Cicero s O ration F or Cae
, ,
“
cin a. N O s everity o f winte r cold no snow no len gth O f , ,

j ourney n o roughne s s O f road p revented him from b r i n g

, ,
”
ing the monu m ent s o f antiquity to light says Francesco ,

Barbaro No r did he hesitate to steal when theft seemed

.
,

nece ss ary to secure a precious codex Th r ee pupils o f .

Manuel Chrys o lo ras won renown beyond all competito r s

i n the di s tingui s hed r ace : Giovan n i A u ris pa c ollected n o
fewe r tha n two hundred and thi rt y eight valuable manu ~ -

scripts o f antiquity ; Guarino da Vero n a a n d Fra n cesco

Filel fo came back laden from Byzantium .

Drunk with the j oy o f the n ew learning Italy failed t o ,

perceive the t r ue inwardne s s o f her acquisition s She was .

blind to the peril whi c h they mo s t su r ely portended .

But Ro m e saw And during m any year s Rome hadli fted

.
, ,

up he r voice and cried aloud that Italy enj oyed the s e a c ce s

sions to her trea s ure only be cau s e Byzantium was no longe r
a sa fe r eposito ry fo r t hem Duri n g m an y decad e s R o m e
.
,
6 A H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGI A S
proclaimed the danger implied by the advan ce o f the Mus
lim I nfidel But Chri s tendom len t deaf ear s and compared
.
,

Rome to Kas s andra The n I m m ortal Rome wa s lulled into

.

a kind o f apathy : he r voi c e wa s heard le ss frequently ,

s peaking in feebler i n le ss in s i s tent tone And gradually

, .
, ,

the potent spell O f the Rena s cence ma stered Rom e ; and in ,

the re ign o f the Lord Ni c holas P P V S he fell a vi cti m

I
. .
,

to the fa s hionable del irium Churche s and pala c es were .

p lanned and builded and decorated Manuscripts we r e

, , .

colle cted collated copied Libraries and college s were

, , .

form ed Culture at la s t and for once was s upre m e ; and

.
, , ,

the phenomenon o f needy geniu s wa s unknown It was .

a n age when the demand for learni n g and fo r the fine arts , ,

exceeded the s upply .

Then Rome knew that the beauti ful may be p urcha s ed

,

at t o o dear a price ; that its e ss ential evane s c ence n eed s the

sa feguard o f vi rtue and o f heroism o f honour and o f arms ; ,

p re c isely as wo m a n n eed s the prote ction o f man Rome .

perceived that the irruptio n O f the Mu s lim I nfidel wa s a

menace to civili s ation and S he cried o n Christendom to
,

r e s ist the flood o f barbari s m now outpoured .

Hungary alone o f all the O ccidental Powers responded ;

, ,

but then Hungary was a ctually in the Mu s lim clutch .

’
England lately torn by Jack Cade s rebel l ion was enter
, ,

ing upon a conflict bloodier than any A m eri can Civil War
or Boer Revolt The reign o f King Henry V I Plantagenet
. .
,

gentle s t s aint that ever wore an earthly diadem drew near ,

it s c lo s e : from those pale prayer raised hand s— holy hand s -

’
that had li fted to Chri s t s Vicar a petition for the canoni s a
tion o f England s Hero King ZEl fre d the Great —the
’

,
2

s c eptre was about to fall Trum pet s were sounding from .

Northumberland to Kent The clea n ai r O f Y ork s hire .

1 i
P ate r P a tru m ; t he O ff c i al st yl e o f the R oman P o n t ifl
'

2
p
The ro ce ss o f c ano n isat i on o f K
i n g E l fre d, th o u gh in i ti ate d by
a M j
a e st y o f E n gl an d ( hi m se l f a sai nt by acc l am a tio n ) , has n o t y e t
p
b e en co m l ete d by the Court o f Rome af ter f our h undre d and fi f ty
years .
 KI NDLI NG OF TH E FIRE
T H E 7
wolds S a n g with the his s ing o f cloth yard Shafts with the -
,

cla n g o f steel O f lan c e o n s hield England was a n armed .

camp ; and the War o f the Roses was begun .

Ge rmany and Au s tria under the rule o f the Holy Roma n ,

”
Emperor Cae s a r Semper Augu s tus Friedri c h I V ( The
,

Pa cifi c ) seethed with politi c o religiou s dis conte n t Unde r

,
-
.

the gui s e o f a desire for re form political a n d perso n al am ,

bition s strove Caesar Friedri ch I V held the rein s O f gov

.

e rn m e n t but loosely Ex c ellent as a fi gu re head orname n tal .

-
,

as a n emperor he had not hi s empire in the grip o f a mail ed

,

fis t The symbol
.
( A U S T R I A E E S T I M P E RA T O R
O R B I S U N I VE R S I—A LLE E RDE IS T O E S T E RRE I C H S U N TER
T HAN ) which he had invented for hi s motto represented
, ,

his de s i re but n o t hi s potentia l ity Per s onal aggrandiseme n t

, .

employed the feudal sovereigns o f the empire : thei r su z e

’
r ain s influence was n o c he ck upon them .

Italy then de s erved the de s ignation given to it in mod

, ,

er n ti m es by Metternich ; it wa s not a nation but a ,

geographi c al ex p re ss ion I n the north were the Republics .

o f Venice Genoa Floren c e and their s m alle r imitators

, , ,

with the r oyal duchies O f S av o j a Milan and Ferrara , ,

.

Acro s s the c ountry from Rome and the M editerranean to , ,

the Mark O f An cona and the Adriatic in a north easterly ,

-

direction stret ched the Papal States The east and south
, .
,

with Si cily Sardinia and the I s land s were called The

, , ,

Regno ; and were ruled from Naple s by kings o f the Hou s e

o f Aragon And dotted all over the land were s mall semi
.

independent c itie s and territories held as feudal fi e fs by ,

lo cal noble hou s e s who s e baron s bore the harmle s s title,

o f Tyrant and exer ci s ed absolute lord s hip within thei r

,

little state s e g the Man fredi Tyrants o f Faenza ; the Ma

,
. .
, ,

lat e s t a Tyrants O f Rimini ; the S for z a Tyrant s O f Pe s aro

, , ,

Cho t ign u o la S an tafi o ra Imola and Forli ; etc

, , .

France having bu r ned her greatest glo ry The Maid o f

, ,

O rleans was recovering from victories by which from

, ,

14 3 4 to 14 5 0 she had dep r ived E ngland O f all F r en c h ter

,
8 A H I STORY OF TH E BORGIA S
rito ry save Calai s He r feeble da s tard King Charle s V II
. .

wa s dead ; and Lo u i s XI a gentlem an o f plea s ure and .

,

piety o ccupied her throne

, .

Spain united after centurie s O f s tri fe among her divers

, ,

kingdo m s and antagoni s ti c ra c e s by the m arriage O f K ing ,

Don Hernando o f Aragon to Queen D o fi a I sabe l la o f Ca s

tile wa s preparing for an era o f c olonia l expan s ion
, .

Portugal wa s c on s olidating A fri can dis coverie s and ac

q u is it io n s .

Norway and Swe d en a fter brief s eparation on c e more , ,

were united under the s ceptre O f Denmark ; and were learn

ing the le ss on s o f pea c e .

And then in Rome in 14 5 5 on the 2 4th o f Mar c h being

, , , ,

Monday in Pa ss ion week the Lord N icholas P P V wa s -

, . .

dead : and with His death the ti de o f the Italian Rena s

, ,

c en c e s tayed .

The College o f Cardinals assumed the government o f

Rome and o f the Univer s al Chur ch whi l e the Con c lave for ,

the ele ction O f the Su c ce s sor O f St Peter was a ss embling . .

During nine day s the No v e n dialia the quaint ceremonie s ,

connec ted with the O b s equie s o f a Pope were c elebrated ,

.

O n Good Friday the 4t h O f April a fter the Adoration o f

, ,

the Cro ss the Ma ss o f the P re s an ct ifi e d and the E xpo s i

, ,

tion o f the Vern icle ( or True I m age o f o u r Divine R e

deemer vulgarly known a s The Veroni c a ) had been
, ,

p er formed in the Vati can Ba s ili c a the c ard inal s were im ,

mured ; the door s and window s o f the Vati can were

bri c ked up ; Pandol fo Prin c e Savelli Hereditary Mar s hal , ,

O f the Holy Roman Chur c h entered upon the guardian s hip ,

o f the Con c lave ; and the ele c tion wa s beg u n .

The Co l lege o f Cardinal s consisted then o f twenty mem

ber s O f the s e on l y fi fteen a ss i s ted at the Con clave O f
.
,

1 4 5 5 I n the fi fteenth c entury a j ourney a c ro ss Europe

.
, ,

from s o m e di s tant s e e o cc upied a longer time than the ,

’
eleven day s whi ch S houl d elapse betwee n a Po p e s death
IO H I STORY OF T HE BORGIA S
A

Guel f the Lord Latin o O r s ini di Bari Cardinal Presbyt e r

, ,
-

o f the Title o f San Giovanni e San Paolo in M o n te C e l ia ,

r epre s ented the intere s t s o f the Ho u s e O f O r s ini : who O f

fe re d a s an alternative for the su ffrages O f the Sacred
,

College the Venetia n Lord Pietro Barbo Cardinal —

, Pres ,

byte r o f the Title o f San Mar c o and Bi s hop o f Vi c enza , .

The fi r s t three s c rutinie s produc ed no re s ult ; and the

cardinal s conferred regarding the merit s O f the c andidate s ,

and O f the cau s e s that they repre s ented Mu ch wa s said o n .

”
behal f O f Cardinal Capranica H e was Ro m ano di Roma .
,

hi s c hara cter s tood above reproa c h hi s breeding was po l ite ,

and high But Cardinal O r s ini and hi s faction though u n

.
,

able to bring in their own nominee the Cardinal o f Venice ,

were s trong enough to o u t manoeuvre the c andidate o f -

Colonna : and the ele ctors found the m selve s at a deadlo ck .

In thi s e m ergency the College sought and found a

, , , ,

neutral ; a parti z an neither o f Colonna nor o f O r s ini There .

were two By z antine c ardinal s ; the o n e the Lord I o an n e s ,

B es s ario n e Cardinal B i s hop O f Tu s c ulum Monk o f the

,
-
,

Religion o f St Ba s il Ar c hbi s hop o f Trebi z ond ; the othe r

1
.
, ,

the Lord I sidoro O f The ss alonika Cardinal Bi s hop O f S a ,

-

bina M onk O f the Religion O f St B a s il Ar chbi s hop o f

, .
,

Ruthenia O f the s e two Cardinal B e s s ario n e had many

.
,

re co m m endation s He wa s a c onvert from the Greek

.

S chi s m ; he had been a pupil o f G e m is tho s Pl etho n at Con

s tan tin o p l e ; no one wa s o f higher repute i n Chri s tia n piety ,

more ad m irable i n do ctrine more ornate i n generou s man

,

ner s Ciac co n i II
. H e had no ene m y i n the Con clave
. .

At a j un c ture l ike the pre s ent the ele ction O f a By z antine

, ,

Ponti ff who natura l ly s ym pathi s ed with the haple ss B yzan

,

tines wo u ld have s e cured for Chri s tendom a cham pion

,

a gain s t the triumphant M u s lim I nfidel When night c lo s ed .

’
the Con c lave s del iberation s it appeared c ertain that Car ,

dinal B e s s ario n e would a s c end the Throne o f St Pete r o n .

1 R e ligi on —g
th e r ing tog eth er for a p i ou s p ur p o se
a a . I t was th e
fi f te enth century e qu ival ent fo r O r der o r S o c i e ty .
 KI NDLI N G OF T H E FI RE
T H E I I

the morrow ; indeed hi s brother cardinals a s ked favou r s -

o f him as though he were already i n po ss e ss ion o f the

,

Key s Had he c onde s c ended to c anva ss the other fou rteen

.

ele ctors or to make the sl ighte s t exertion o n hi s ow n behal f

, ,

hi s ele ction would have been se c ure .

But in the morning o f that Ea s ter Monday the F r e n ch

, ,

Ar chbi s hop o f Avignon the Lord Alain C o e t ivy Britto , ,

Cardinal Pre s byter O f the Title o f Santa Pra ss ede created

-
,
“
a diversion again s t Cardinal B es s ario n e Shall we Latins .
,
“
he prote s ted s hall we Latin s go to Gree c e for the Head
,

o f the Latin Chur c h ? My Lord o f Trebi z ond has n o t bee n

among us long enough to s have O ff hi s beard ; he is a mer e

1

n eophyte a new c ome r to Italy and to the Holy Roman

,
”
Church and s hall we s e t him over u s ? All day long the
,

cardinal s debated ; but no ele ction wa s a chieved Night .

came bringing no solution o f the di ffi culty

, .

O n the 8 th o f April a c ompromise wa s s ugge s ted It was .

r e s olved to postpone the conte s t by ele cting an old ma n ,

who s e li fe wa s al m o s t at an end There fore a c ardinal was .

cho s en whose age i n the c ourse o f nature would cause

, , ,

a new ele ction in the n ear future ; who s e colourle ss c harac

te r n either would alter nor inter fere with the traditional
poli cy o f the papacy ; who during a long li fe had e s c hewed
pomp and vain glory ; who s e pro found learning wisdom , ,

1 The Lo r d C l e m ent P P V I I ( . . G i li
u o de M di i )
e c 15 23 —
34 ,
ap
p e ar s o u C e l l ini s l o ve ly m e d als i n
’
f u ll b e ar d P ro b ably in H is
a .
,

c as e t h e r e w as n o C h o i c e ; fo r d u r i ng t he S ac k o f R o m e i n 1 5 27
, ,

by t he Lu th e ran G o ths an d C ath o li c C atal ans o f t he E l ect E m p ero r -

,

C ar l o s V H is H o line ss w as h o ldin g the M o l a o f H ad r i an o r C ast l e

.
, ,

o f S ant ang e l o an d end u r i ng t he h ar d p r i vat i ons o f a si e ge A f t er

, .

war ds He did n o t sh ave ; and f u ll b e ards b e cam e the f ashi on fo r t he

C l e rgy Late r t he Lo r d A l ex and e r P P V II ( F l avi o C higi ) mad e
.
,
. .
,

t he V andyk e b e ar d and u ptu rne d m u stac hi o the c l e r i c al m o d e ; an d ,

l ate r s t ill the wh o l e f ace w as sh ave d ac co r ding t o t he p r esent ru l e

,
.

B u t at t he t i me wh e n t he C ar di nal O f A v ignon r e fl e cte d u p o n t h e

,

C ar di nal o f T re bi o n d s b e ar d t h e r e app e ar s t o h ave b e en a dist i nct

’
z ,

p re j u di c e i n f avo u r o f a S h aven i nd e e d o f a sh orn po pe T his may

, , .

be s een i n t he m e d als O f p o p e s an d c ar dinals o f the fi f te ent h centu r y

( wh en c l eanli ness w as a m ar k o f g ent ili t y ) wh e re the l ar ge to n ,

su r e and sh aven f ac e s are v e ry not i ce abl e .

12 H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
A

and moderation had won fo r him hi s high place ; whose

reputation wa s blamele ss ; who s e politi cal capa city was
high ; who was the intimate o f the friend and neighbour o f
Holy Chur c h Don Alon s o de Aragona King O f Naples ;
, ,

lastly o n e who being o f the Spani s h ra c e wa s the heredi

, , ,

tary foe O f I s lam and pre eminently qualified to de fend

,
-

Christendom from the Mu s lim I nfidel The afore s aid Car .

’
dinal O f Avignon and the Lord Ludovico S carampi dell
,

Arena M e z z aru ot a Cardinal Presbyter O f the Title o f Sa n

,
-

Loren z o in D am as a exerted all their influence to thi s end ;

,

and a fter a new s c rutiny the Cardinal Dean the Lord

, ,
-
,

Giorgio F lis co de S av ign an a Cardinal Bishop o f Os tia a n d ,

-

Velletri made pro c lamation O f ele ction

, ,

I announ c e to you great j oy We have fo r a Pope the .

Lord Alon s o de Borj a Bi s hop O f Valen cia Cardinal Pre s

, ,
-

hyter o f the Title o f Santi Quattro Coronati Who will s to ,

” 1
be c a l led Calixtu s the Third .

The Span i s h Hou s e O f Borj a claims to originate i n Ki n g

Do n Ram iro San che z de Aragona A D 103 5 , . . .

Un til the ti m e o f D o n Pedro Count O f Aybar and Lord ,

o f Borj a who died in 1 1 5 2 the family was c onfined to

, ,

Spain Then according to va l id authorities the Junior

.
, ,

B ran ch in the per s on O f Don Ricardo de Borj a migrated

, ,

to the kingdo m o f Naple s and the Two S icilie s and took ,

s ervi c e there This Don Ri cardo i s nam ed in a do cument

.

o f donation i n the r eig n o f the Lord Lu c ius P P I I I 1 1 8 1 . .

,

1 18 5 ( Ri cc hi ) whi ch should go to prove that the Junio r

Branch was n aturali s ed i n I taly I ts lineal descendants u n .

1I n t he A cta C o ns is to rial ia O f the V at i can ecre t A r chive s , t his S

P Op e is c all e d C ali xtu s t he o u rth F
e v id ent ly by t he st u idi t y o f
, p
p S pp
so m e A o sto li c cr ib e , who h a ene d t o kno w t h at o ne J ohn, A bbo t
of S
tru ma, call e d hi m s e l f C alixtu s I II ( h aving g o t hi mse l f sc his
mat ical ly an d u nc anon i c ally e l e cte d i n t he r e ign O f the Lo r d A l e x
and e r P P I II ) . an d who had n o t t he s ense t o know t h at the
. o ly H
R o m an C h u rc h has t he h abi t O f igno r i ng p seu do po nt iffs and o the r
p retenders .
 K I NDLI N G OF T H E FIRE
T H E I3

doubtedly are living there at the beginning o f the twentieth

century ; the latest re corded being Don Ale ss andro Borgia ,

who was born at M ila n in 1 89 7 For purpo s e s O f C lear .

arrange m ent the history o f thi s Junior Bran c h may be rele

,

gated to later page s ; the main intere s t lies in des c endants

o f Don X imene s Garcia de Borj a the eldest s o n o f the ,

a foresaid Don Pedro and founder o f the Senior Branch ; ,

whi c h though tra n splanted to I taly i n the middle O f the

,

fi fteenth c entury and flouri s hing there for some genera

,

tion s must always be regarded as Spani s h and n ot I talian

, .

There is a re cord o f a s on O f Do n X imenes Garcia de

Borj a i n 1 244 called Gon z ale s Gil : hi s s o n Don Raymo n
, ,

de Borj a wa s the father O f D o n Juan Do m ingo de Bor j a ,

Lord O f La Torre de Canal s in the c ity o f Xat iva i n Vale n

cia By hi s wi fe Do ha Franci s ca this Don Juan Do m ingo
had at lea s t two daughter s and a so n—Juana Caterina a n d
.
, ,

, ,

Alon s o .

Do ha Juana married D o n Jo fre de Lan gol ; Doha Cat

erina married Don Juan de Mila Baron o f M az al an e s ; a ,

third daughter who s e name is mis s ing al s o married ; and

, ,

the O ffs pring o f these th r ee became late r o f extreme impo r

tance .

’
The s o n Alon s o wa s born o n St Sylvester s Eve 1 3 78
, , .
, ,

the year o f the Opening o f the Great Schi s m at Xativa , ,

and bapti z ed in the chur c h O f St Mary in that city H e . .

him s el f ha s told us thi s i n two Bulls dated 145 7 Hi s 1

, .

youth was s pent at the Univer s ity o f Lerida whe r e he ,

specialised in j uri s prudence fo r the degree O f Do ctor i n

Civil and Can o n Law and Obtai n ed a pro fe ss o rs hip and ,

1 . q
V ill anueva ( I 18, 18 1 ) u ote s t wo B u lls O f the Lo r d C ali xtu s
P P I II , g i v ing r e li c s to t he c h u r c h at Kat i va O n
. .
5 1, V il l anueva . p .

a ll u de s to him as D o n A l ons o de B orj a n atu ral de l a T orre de

“
,

C anal s bau tie ada en l a I g le s ia C o ll eg ial de Xativa hay S F e l ipe ,

, , .

e l e c to e n 20 de A g o s to de 1 429 po r e l Leg ado de M ar tin V C ans e rva .

e l g abie rn o de e s ta I g l e s ia has ta e l ar i a e n q u e m u ria s ie n do y u ,

Papa C alix t a I I I E n 1 45 7 con cedi a d es ta I g l es ia u n j u bil e o en el

‘
.

dia de l a A s un cion de nu es tr a S e nora imponiendo para l a fabri ca,

l a can tribu cion de diez su e l dos .

14 A H ISTORY OF T HE BORGIAS
Holy O rde r While he was a young prie s t ( 1 3 9 8 1408 ) he
.
-

c hanced to a ss i s t at a sermon preached by the g r eat D O

m in ican Vin c ent Ferrer i n a mis s io n at Valencia At the .

clo s e o f his di s cour s e the fria r singled o u t f rom the c rowd

,

Do n Alonso de Borj a to whom he addre ss ed this remark

,

able predi ction : My so n you o n e day will be c alled to be

,

the orname n t o f you r hou s e and o f your country Y ou will .

be i n ve s ted with the highe s t dign ity that can fall to the
lot O f man A fter my death I S hall be the Obj e ct O f your
.
,
”
spe c ial honour Endeavour to per s evere i n a li fe o f virtue
. .

Don Alonso was impressed by this saying for he repeated ,

it to St John Capistran in 1449 and he tena c iously waited

.
,

for the fulfil m ent A fter Hi s election to the p apacy H e

.
,

per for m ed the solem n cano n isation o f St Vin c ent Ferre r .

on the twenty ninth O f June 145 5

-
, .

Don A lon s o p roceeded from his Univer s ity pro fe s so r

ship to a canonry i n the cathedral o f Lerida ; whi ch was
c on ferred upon him by hi s country m an Don Pedro de

Luna the Ps eu do po n t iff Benedi ct XI I I Later he entered

, .
,

the arena o f politi c s as s e c retary to King D o n Alon s o I

( The Magnani m ou s ) O f Naple s and the Two S icilie s ; and ,

here his diplo m ati c s kill and legal training rai s ed him to
,

the unoffi cial but important p ost O f c onfidential coun s ellor

to the Maj e s ty o f the Regno Now that he wa s dom i c iled in
.

I taly his fortunes moved swi ftly I n 142 9 he won the .

gratitude o f the Lord Marti n P P II I ( o r V ) by winning

. .

f or His Holine s s the support o f Spain and by negotiating ,

the renun c iation O f the Spani s h Ps e u dopontiff Do n G il ,

M u fi o z who called hi m s el f Clement V II I

, .

The s e day s O f the Great S chism whe n the Roman Pon ,

ti ffs had much ado to hold Their O wn again s t irregularly

elected p s e u dop on tiffs mu s t have been utterly horrible A
, .

r eigning s overeign i s uneasy whe n pretender s to or u s urp ,

cm o f hi s c row n appear Republi can Fran c e farci cally

,
.

bani s hes men who s e noble r forefathers r epre s ented other

forms O f gover n ment Engla n d sometimes wakes pr odigally
.
 T H E K I N D L I N G O F T H E F I RE IS

to S pend blood and treasure in support O f her su z erainty I f .

s ecular power s then s trive s truggle for their li fe ; and i n

, , , ,

the s truggle cau s e di s tre ss how many ti m e s more di s tre ss

, ,

ing must have been the rival ry o f the Great S chism whe n ,

the pri c e at stake wa s the Headship o f Chri s tendom Thi s .

con s ideration will m ake it ea s y to understand how great a n

obligatio n the Lo rd Marti n P P I I I lay under to the s kil ful
. .

canon who a ctually pe r suaded His rival peaceably to re

,

n oun c e hi s c laim to the triple c rown terminating the thir ty ,

eighth s c hi s m O f the Holy Roman Chur ch A s a reward .

,

Cano n Alon s o de Borj a r eceived the bishopric o f Valencia ,

his native dio c e s e ; and a fter hi s c onsecration he continued

, ,

to be use ful to King Don Alon s o de Aragona by re organ ,

-

i s i n g the government o f the Regno and by supervi s ing the ,

’
edu cation o f the King s Basta r d a n d subsequent suc ce ss or ,

Do n Ferrando .

The fi fteenth and sixteenth ce n turi es we r e not more

filled with improbable s ituation s than the twentieth The .

situation s were di fferent that is all The situation o f bas

, .

tards was quite curiou s and must be reali s ed by any o n e

,

who de s ires intelligently to understand the ti m e To thi s .

’
intellige n t under s tanding Ludovico Romano s theories wil l
lend aid He argues that it i s fal s e to s ay that ba s tards are
.

in fa m ous and incapable o f ho n ours To the in famous is .

denied the dignity o f Decurio n ( comma n d o f ten men ) But .

ba s tard s may be c o m e D e c u rio n e s There fore ba s tard s are .

’
n eithe r in famou s n o r incapable o f honour Giampiet r o de .

C re sce n z i Romani in I I N abil e R o m an o states the case

, ,

thus : Plebeians are not eligible to the De curionate Basta r ds .

are eligible to the Decurionate Therefore basta r ds are .

,

n ot plebeians but n oble s i f born o f noble s tock Ba s tard s

, .

are c apable O f nobility o f se c ular and civil dignity ; fo r

,
’
I s h m ael was not hunted from hi s fathe r s hou s e o n account
O f hi s bastardy but o n accou n t o f his i n solence
, It is n ot .
16 A H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
’
n ece ss ary to quote Cre s ce n z i s argu m ent a s to the bastard s
o f King David fro m whom de s c ends the Son o f David
, ,

s o n o f Abraham a cc ording to the S cripture and W ho m

, ,

the Father s O f the Chur c h a cc laim as O ne O f royal genera

tion ; nor to give more o f hi s catalogue O f noble ba s tards
than Theodori c King O f the Goth s O f I ta l y and o f Spain
, ,

the E m peror Charlemagne Roberto and Pandol fo Mala ,

testa Tyrant s o f Ri m ini Giovanni S forza Tyrant o f

, , ,

Pesaro Wil l iam ( c alled The Conqueror ) Duke o f Nor

, ,

mandy and King o f England H e continues to s ay that .

n ature doe s not di s tingui s h between ba s tards and l e giti

mates ; that the former are called natural Children be cause

they are true c hildren O f nature Neither does grace di s .

t in gu is h ; and as ba s tard s are capable o f temporal nobi l ity

, ,

s o also they are c apable o f s piritual a s witness St Bridget , .

o f I reland and other natural c hi l dren o f S ignal grace and

,

di s tingui s hed virtue Further he holds that the s on s O f

.
, ,

ba s tard s who lo s e nobility by rebellion are not in fam ous ; ,

’
a n d recove r nobi l ity on their father s death ; that in famy O f
any kind is wa s hed o u t by bapti sm ; a n d that the Pope can
-

free from s ub s equently c ontracted infamy by His dispen s a

tion H e di s tinguishe s between ba stard s only legitimated
.

by prince s or the e m peror who are ineligible to e c cle s ia s

,

ti c al ben e fi ce s ; and ba s tards legiti m ated only by the Pop e ,

who c annot su cc eed to the fi e fs O f other prin c es He con .

e lude s that ba s tardy purge s itsel f at the latest i n the fou rt h

generation .

I n the twentieth century a n inheritance devolves fro m

,
“
the holder to the heirs mal e o f his body law fully begot
“ ”
ten i n the fi fteenth the proviso lawfully begotten did
,

n ot invariably O btain A ba s tard legitimated and rec ogni s ed

.
,

by his father was as valid and capable a s the s o n o f a

,

lawful m arriage The S in o f the father and mother was a

.

s in per s onal to them and none the le s s a Sin : but it wa s

,

n o t allowed to a f fe ct their innocent children The Lord Piu s .

R P 11 on his way to the Con g ress o f Ma n tu a i n 14 5 9

.
, ,
18 A H I ST OR Y OF T H E BORGIA S
would not confirm hi s crown to him But all Chri s tendom .

’
wa s di s appointed King Don Alon s o s se cretary ably ma
.

n oeu v re d i n his ac c u s tomed manner Fir s t Bi s hop Alon s o .

,

de B orj a i n hi s proper per s on re fu s ed to attend that s chi s

matic Synod o f Ba s ilea ; and by thi s act be cam e per s on a , ,

grat is s im a at the Vati c an Second the King O f Naple s in .

,

s tru cted hi s O rators ( a m ba ss ador s ) to play with Ponti ff

and p s eu do po n tiff to find out whi ch would meet him with a
,

satis factory c on c e ss io n Third Do n Fran c e s co S forza Vi s

.
,
-

c onti Duke o f Milan bega n to hara ss the Lord Eugenius

, ,

P P I V And the n the Pop e agreed to receive an embas

. . .
, ,

s age from the King o f Naple s and to hear his cause p leaded ,

by Bishop Alonso de Borj a .

Thi s was the c ause o f King Do n Alonso A ba s tard O f .

the Hou s e O f Arago n he had been adopted by Queen Do ha

,

Juana o f Naple s who lacked a lineal heir in 142 0 He was

, , .

a c knowledged by the people as s overeign o f the Regno and ,

was a ctua l ly in po ss es s ion o f the crown .

The Chri s tian King Loui s XI al s o claimed to have bee n .

adopted by Q u een Doha Juana : but he n ever had been

a cknowledged nor eve r had po ss es s ed the crown
, .

’
Then there was the matter O f King Don Alonso s ba s
tard Don Ferrando The child l e ss Queen believed him t o
, .

be the s on o f D o fi a Margarita de Hij ar o n e o f her ladie s ; ,

and i n j ealou s rage s he smothered her Whereupon the

, , .

King bani s hed hi s wi fe to Aragon and legit imated Do n ,

Ferrando a s hi s hei r .

Let it b e recogn i s ed that in the fi fteenth century Pope s , ,

a cted and were expe cted to act in the letter as we ll a s i n

, , ,

the s pirit O f the momentou s word s whi c h are s aid by the

,

c ardinal archdea c o n to all O f Them at Their coronation

-
,

R e ce iv e t his tiara adorn e d w ith thre e crow ns , an d k n ow

Thys elf t o be the R u l er o f the l Varl d, the Fa ther o f p rin ces
an d o f kings , an d f t he E arthly Vicar o J es u s Chris t o ur

S av io u r The twentieth century i s apt to con c eive O f the

.

Pope a s an uninteresti n g far away semi diplomati c spe c ies ,

-
,
-
 KI NDLI NG OF T H E FIRE
T H E IQ

o f clergyman n ourishing preten s ions o f u tte r ins ign ifi

,

c a n ce I t will be well to r emembe r that once upon a time the

. .

Pope was a Power Who s aw n othing figurative metapho ri

, ,

cal o r extravagant in the exordium j u s t quoted Who was

, ,
’
n ot by any means a négligeable quantity in the world s a i
fairs and Who literally had the unquestioned right O f mak
,

ing o r unmaking princes a n d king s or even emperors .

Here wa s a ca s e in point King Don Alonso was a .

c r ow n ed king ; but he p er fectly was awa r e that he was

powe r less to keep his crown mu c h less to se c u r e the s u c ,

c e ss ion fo r the O f fs pring o f hi s illicit love unle ss he could ,

gain the c o n firm atio n the li c en c e O f the Roman Ponti ff

, ,

i n te chni c al p h r ase a sove r eign found it to be indi s pensable

,

that he S hould be able to add to hi s s tyle o f King By The

Grace O f God A nd B y The Favo u r O f The A p os tolic S e e
, .

H e n c e the embassage to the Lo r d Eugenius P P I V . .

,

headed by B i s hop Alonso de Borj a to whose i n cessant ,

labour and exquisite ma s te r y o f a ffai r s was due the treaty ,

’
r atified in 1444 by which the Pope s Holiness o f the o n e
,

pa rt c onfirmed the c r own o f Naples the Two S icil ie s and , ,

Jerusalem to King Don Alon s o I de Aragona a n d licen s ed

, .
,
’
the legitimation o f Do n Fer r ando ; while the King s M aj
esty O f the othe r pa rt agreed t o de fend the Lo rd Eugenius
P P I V again s t H is enemies and e s pec ially against Duke
. .
,

Frances c o S forza Visconti o f Mila n -

.

As a reward fo r his S kill in the rOl e o f p eacemake r ,

B i s hop Alon s o de Borj a wa s rai s ed to the purple o n the

second o f May 1444 as Cardi n al Pre s byter o f the Title O f
,
-

S anti Quattro Co r onati with curial r ank ; and s o King Don

Alonso the Magnanimou s lo s t hi s mo s t tru s ted coun s ello r
, , .

’
The Bishop s ba s tard Don Fra n ci s c o de Borj a who will , ,

appear later i n this history had been bo rn at Savi n a in , ,

Valenci a in 144 1 , .

The Ca r di nal o f Vale n cia at the C ourt o f Rome g ain ed

20 H I STORY OF T H E B ORGIA S
A

the r eputation o f being ina cce ss ible to flattery in capable o f ,

p a rty feeling impregnable in integrity in con s pi cuou s in

-
, ,

moral s inexhau s tible in capac ity for bu s ine ss and in knowl

,

edge O f c anon —l aw In 144 6 the Lord Eugeniu s P P I V

.
, . .

restored the Ho s pital O f the Con fraternity o f Santo Spirito ,

in the Regi on o f Borge to so m ething o f its pri s tine glory ;

,

and H e undertook to contribute a yearly su m whereby its

usefu l ne ss among the poor and needy might be maintained .

The p o ntifi cal example O f pra c ti cal Chri s tian charity s e t a

fa s hion for the c ardinals O f the c uria The quaint Bull .

’
c ontaining the sub s c riber s name s i s s igned by

I E u gen iu s , The B is ho p
, f o the Catho l ic Chu rch ,

an d by nine c ardinals O f whom the la s t i s ,

I t he Cardinal of Val e n cia P re s by ter of the Titl e

, , o f
S an ti Q u attr o C o ran ati .

Cardinal de Borj a a s si s ted at the ele c tion o f the s ucceed

ing Ponti ff the Lord Ni chola s P P V ; at Who s e death
, . .
,

i n 14 5 5 the p redictio n O f St Vincent Ferrer was fulfilled

,
. .

At the time o f Hi s elevatio n to the Sup r eme Pon tificate ,

the Lo r d Calixtus P P I I I was a feeble O l d ma n O f the

. .

age o f s eventy seven year s Hi s dutie s a s Governo r O f the

-
.
,

Bastard o f Naple s as B i s hop o f Valencia as O rator o f

, ,

King to Pope a s Plenipotentiary between Pope and King

, ,

a s Coun s ellor o f King a s Cardinal Coun s ellor O f Pope and

,
-
,

hi s cea s ele s s s tudie s i n j uri s pruden c e and canon law had -

,

worn away th e bodily strength o f him— the peri s hable thin

s cabbard that hid steel indo m itable and keen .

O ut s ide the Vati c an very diver s e opinions were ente r

fained o f H im Hi s long connection with King Don A l ons o
.

I c au s ed anxiety su s pi c ion and j ealousy among t he

.
, , ,

powers O f Italy They were always disgusted tho s e

.
,

Power s to find the Pope o n easy term s with a te m poral

,

soverei g n with one O f themselves ; an d the Magna n imous

,
 K I N DLI N G OF T H E F I RE
T H E 21

King Do n Alonso was the next door neighbour S 0 to -

,

S peak o f the Lord Calixtus P P I II Suc h a combinatio n

, . . .

i n evitably i n spired di s t r ust The fear was ex pr es s ed that

.

Naples throug h hi s former se c retary would rule the Holy

S ee—and Christendom The O ffi cial despatches o f the O ra
, ,

tors O f Florence Genoa and Veni c e hypoc ritically dis

, , ,

p layed the greatest satis fa ctio n : but their private letters

were in a diametrically Oppo s ing strain A g r eat grievance .

wa s made O f the fa c t that the new Pope wa s a Spaniard

and a foreigner Some thought that a hand ful o f discon
.

tented cardinal s should leave Rome s e t up a p s eu dopo n ,

ti ff i n another City and inaugurate a Fortieth Schi s m O h

, .
,

people kne w o n e anothe r to be properly cantankerous in

the fi fteenth century ! But Rome c onsidered the Lord
Calixtu s P P III a j u s t and right minded ma n The P r o
. .
-
.

c urator — General O f the O rder o f Teutonic Knights wrote

“
to the Grand M a s te r o n the third o f May 14 5 5 : The new
Pope is a n O l d man o f honourable and virtuous li fe and o f
, ,
”
excellent r epute Messe r Bartolomeo Michel e a Sie n e s e
.
, ,

wrote t o hi s native city exhorting the S ie n e s i to s end the

,

mo s t s plendid p o s sible emba ss age to congratulate the Pope ,

selecting for the same only emi n ent and worthy men inas ,

much as that the Lo r d Calixtus P P I I I was exce s sively . .

“
lear n ed and clear Sighted : H e i s a man O f great san ctity
-

and lear n ing a friend and adherent o f King D o n Alon s o

, .

He ha s always s how n Him s el f well di s posed to o u r C ity -

,
”
and by n ature H e i s p eac eable and kindly But the best .

appre c iation O f all i s give n by St A n tonino that gentle .

, ,

brave Ar c hbi s hop o f Florence who s e quality all the world ,

admires a n d loves H e w r ote to Me s se r Giovan n i o f

.

O rvi eto the 24th o f April 14 5 5

, .

The l ti on O f the Lor d C ali xtu s P P III at fi rst g ave l i ttl e

e ec . .

satisfact i o n to the Itali ans I n p rim is h e was V al enc i an o r C atal an ;

.
,

an d t h e y f e ar e d l e st H e sh o u ld tr ansf e r t he P ap al Co u rt t o anot h e r
c ou ntr y A lso
. t h e y f eare d l e st He sh ou ld entr u st t o C at al ans t h e
,

f o rtre s se s o f H o ly C h u rc h whi ch only af te r man y diffi cu l t i es cou ld

, , ,

be r e cove re d B u t no w th ey are reassur e d by m o re m ature re fl ecti on

.
,
22 H I ST ORY OF T H E B ORGIA S
A

an d by the r e pu tat i o n t h at H e be ar s for g oo dness p ene trat i on an d , ,

i m p art i ali t y A nd also I h ave s e en H is so l emn p ro m ise th at He

.
, ,

w ill d evote a l l H is p owe r s aga i nst t he T u r ks an d fo r t he c onq u e st

o f C ons tant i no p l e I t is n o t t o be b e li eve d o r said th at He is attach e d
.

t o o n e nat i on m o r e th an anoth e r bu t r ath e r t h at as a j u st an d p ru , ,

d ent m an He will give t o e ve r y o ne his du e M e anwhil e l e t u s

, .
,

a lways t hi nk we l l o f t he H o ly F at h er and j u dg e H is ac t i o ns m o re ,

f avou rably th an th o se o f any o th e r h u m an b e ing A nd l e t u s n ot be .

f r igh tene d by eve r y li ttl e sh oc k C h r ist g u id e s the Barque o f P ete r .

,

whi ch th e re f ore c an neve r sink

, , .

That lette r contains a conci s e summa ry o f the situation ,

written with the benevolent s i m plicity o f a dignifi ed fine

gentleman and with the unerring s apience o f a saint
, .

The Pope i s the Bi s hop o f Rome The insign ia O f Hi s .

’
Offi c e are the Fi s herman s Ring the Trip l e Crown the , ,

Triple Cros s and the Keys At H is ele ction by the Con

, .

c lave He re c eives the Ring A fterward s the in s ignia are

, .

con ferred with the Pallium that He wears at all ti m e s i n

,

s ign o f univer s al j urisdi ctio n at Hi s coronation by the ,

Cardinal Ar chdeaco n in the Collegiate Basili c a o f St

- -
.

Peter by the Vati can But yet another ceremony await s

- - -
.

per form an c e A S Bisho p o f Rome H e must take for m al

.
,

po s ses s ion o f and be enth r oned in the cathedral o f His

, ,

dioc ese either i n pe rs on o r by proxy That cathedral i s

, .

’ ’
n ot St Peter s : but St John s in L ateran o which con
. .
, ,

s equently bear s on it s faqade the magniloquent titl e

,

M O T H ER A ND M I S T RESS O F A LL C H U R C HES IN TH E CITY

A ND I N T H E W O RL D

Iti s the mo s t i m portant c h u r c h i n Chri stendom .

The Lord Calixtus P P II I was elected o n the eighth . .

o f April 1 4 5 5 O n the twentieth H e was c rowned as

.

“
Ruler o f the World Father O f prin c e s and o f king s and , ,
”
Ea rthly Vicar o f Je s u s Chri s t o u r Saviour ; and the s a m e
day He made a triumphal progre s s through the C ity to take
po s se s sion O f the Latera n I n the p orch O f that cathedral .
 KI NDL I NG OF T H E FI RE
T H E 23

there i s a low marble throne called S ede s Stercorar ia o n , ,

which the Pope S it s to r eceive the ho m age o f the Late r a n

Chapter whil e cantors c hant the a n them
He raise th u p the p oo r out o f t he du st
-

an d li f t e t h t he ne e dy ou t O f t he d ung hill -
.

T h at H e m ay s et him wi t h p r i n c e s
eve n w i t h t he p r i nc e s o f H is p eo p l e .

( Ps . c x iii .
7,

S u s cito ns a te rm i nape m :
e t de s te r co re e ri g e n s pau pe re m .

Ut cal l o ce t c u m cu m
principibu s
cu m prin cipibus popu li S u i .

( V u lg ate P s,
. c xu . 6,

It has been s een that the Lord Calixt u s P P II I was . .

n ot u n naturally popular It will be readily ad m itted that

.

the Roma n baronial house s o f Colonna and O r s ini would

have been more than human had they not felt s ome mo rt ifi
cat ic n at the failure O f thei r co n c l avial m anoeuvre s to

secure the Papacy fo r o n e O f them s elves Still the thing .

,

was done A Catalan— the Roman s o f the fi fteenth century

.

called all Spaniard s Catalan s— a Catalan indubitably had

bee n ele cted ; but He was o l d H e was feeble H e might be , ,

influenced H e might be amenable to intimidation to a show

, ,

o f for c e I t i s S O easy for the twentieth century with it s

.
,

j aded physique and s ophi s ticated brain and the magn ifi ,

cent perspective O i hal f a thou s and years to r ead the mo ,

five s which a ctuated the physical l y strong and inte l lectually

simpl e fi fteenth when the world the du s t whi c h makes -

man s fl e s h—was five centuries younger and fre s he r ; whe n

,
’

c olou r wa s vivid ; light a blaze ; virtue and vi c e extreme ;

, ,

pa s sion primitive and ardent ; li fe violent ; youth inte n se

, , , ,

s upreme ; and sententious petti fogging respectable m e dioc

rity senile and debile o f n o i m portance whatever
, , .

S O while the Lord Calixtu s P P I II was at the Lateran

, . .
,

the baro ns o f Rome took actio n A slight quarre l a r isi n g .

24 A H I STORY O F T H E BORG IA S
i n the c r owd between o n e o f the O rsini and a retainer O f
A nguillara ( hereditary foe s o f O r s ini ) p rovided a pretext .

I n s tantly S hout s a s c ended a n d me n O f ar m s cour s ed

,

through the city r oaring O rs o O rs o ( Bear B ear—war , ,

cry O f O r s ini alluding to their badge ) From every dark

, .

an d n a r row alley o f the Regio ns o f Campo Marzo and

'
’
Ponte from the Albergo dell O r s o ( Bear I n n ) by the
,

Tor r e di Nona from the c astellated fortre s s whi c h O r s i ni

,
’
had made o f Pompey s Theat r e came the clang o f ar m s , ,

with the ru s h O f hurrying feet O f de s perate brigands ,

adherent s and merc enarie s o f O r s ini ; and Don Napoleone

O rsini was at the head o f three thou s and men O ut s ide .

t he cathedral the hum O f a maddened mob s welled into a

,

r aucous roar a s o f bears hungry for hot blood when Count ,

A v ers o o f Anguillara fled into the Lateran Ba s ili c a s eek ,

’
i n g s anctuary in the very pre s en c e O f Ch ri s t s Vi c ar ; and ,

above the roar the voice o f O r s ini pier c ed the holy porta l s
,

o f the Prince o f Pea c e penetrated to the ears o f Pope

,

Calixtus throned a s Bi s hop O f Ro m e among Hi s canon s in

the centre o f the ap s e laun ching a hideou s threat to stor m
,

and s ack the Lateran unle ss the body o f Angui l lara were
give n to him as meat for hi s three thou s and bear s There .

was a move m ent in the er m ine and s carlet college that

stood n ear the papal thro n e and Cardinal Latino O rsini
,

di Bari hurried down the nave to c on fer with his turbulent

brother Do n Napoleone Though di s appointed that he had
,
.

failed to wi n the Triregno for him s el f thi s c ardinal ap

1
,

pears to have had s ome feeling O f de c ency a s to what wa s

due to Holy Church A S a c hur chman he felt bound to
.

stand by his order ; although a s an O r s ini he wou l d have

p re ferred a di fferent s tate O f a ffai r s Still the O bj e ct o f the
.
,

riot had been attained the Lord Calixtu s P P III had re

,
. .

1 The p o n tifi cal di ad em , c onsist ing o f a c on i cal cap woven O f th e

p p
l u mag e o f whi te e aco c ks an d enci rcl e d by th re e c rowns o f go ld .

I t is s o m et i me s c all e d th e T i ara, and mu st be dist ngu ish e d f ro m i

th e M i tre .
26 A H ISTORY OF T HE BORGIAS
El s e S he had made no mark n o S ingular di s tingui s hed
,

mark in hi s tory .

Ha s s he made no mark ?
Ah—what a mark s he ha s made !
The greate s t hi s torian o f thi s period perhaps the mo s t ,

alert and agile writer O f any period Enea Si l vio B arto l o ,

meo de P icco l hu o m in i ( who afterward s be came Pope with

’

the title o f the Lord Piu s P P I I ) s ay s o f the Lord . .

,

Ca l ixtu s P P II I that Hi s attention to the dutie s o f Hi s

. .
,

Of fi c e wa s a m azing ; that Hi s patien c e at audien c e s wa s

a s to u n ding ; that He Hi m s el f di ctated the Apo s toli c B rie f s
and Bull s written to king s and prin c e s nor tru s ted them ,

to the o ffi c ial s cribe s ; that j uri s pruden c e wa s H is rec rea

tion ; that He wa s a s fa m iliar with c anon law a s though H e -

w ere s till pro fe s sor at the University o f Lerida .

Two prob l e m s c on fronted H im at the beginning o f Hi s

reign : the Rena s c en c e o f Learning and the I nfidel in ,

C hri s tendo m Hi s prede c e ss or had been a man O f word s

. .

The Lord Calixtu s P P I I I was a man o f s trenuou s deed s

. . .

H is attitude to Letter s and Art wa s i n s trong c ontra st

to that o f the Lord Ni cho l a s P P V Thi s withered . . .

”
c anoni s t a s a wit s tyled H im wa s not in s ym pathy with
, ,

Culture Whol l y O c c upied in matter s e ccle s ia s ti c al and

.

politi c al He had nor ti m e nor mean s nor in clination to

,

patroni s e the fa s hionable s cholar ship o f H i s day Hi s .

vogue wa s s tri ctly pra cti c al .

O ne o f the s ec ret s o f the s u cc e ss o f the Holy Catholic

Apo s toli c and Ro m an Church i s her c atholi city A l l s ort s .

and c ondit ion s o f m e n c an and do live within her boun

, ,

dari c s The Lord Ni chola s P P V had been a Mae c ena s o f

. . .

Letters and the Art s I n Hi s reign s cho l ar s s cribe s an d

.
, ,

art ifi c e rs had found their golden age The Lord Calixtus .

P P I I I entirely e m ployed Hi m s el f i n the defence O f

. .

Chri s tendo m and the c lient s o f Hi s predece ss or were co n

,

s c iou s o f the c hange Literature and the fine art s have

.

o n e very s orry e f fect upon thei r pro fe s sors I ntelle ctual .

 KI NDLI N G OF T H E FI RE
T H E 27

c ulture avidly pur s ued make s its devotees S how piti fully

by the side o f the manly men who deal with realitie s and
v e rifie s with li fe and death the sailor s soldier s adv e n t u r
, , , ,

er s and e m pire builder s Letters and the A rt s c ultivate -

the ba s er part s o f man—meanness j ealousy c on c eit The

.
,

, , .

touchy nature o f the writers and artists O f 14 5 5 led to

violent denunciation s O f the Spani s h Pope Me ss er Fran .

’
c e s c o Fil e l fo s letter ( 1 02 ) to the Cardinal o f Trebizond

s how s how men o f letter s hated Him Another writer .

charged Him with de s troying the Vati can library Bishop .

Ve s pa s iano da Bi s ti cc i O f Vi c enza s ay s : , ,

W h n P o p e Calixt s b gan H is r ign a d s aw s m ny exc ll ent

e u e e ,
n o a e
b ks fi h ndre d f th m r sp l nd nt i n bin dings o f c r i m s on
oo , ve u O e e e e
v l v t wi th C l s p s f silve r H w nd re d g r t ly ( i t sh o ld be
e e a o , e o e ea u
r memb r d th at p r int i g w s no t i vent d ) f t he O l d can nist
e e e n a n e ,
or o

on ly w s s d t o b ks wr i tt n
a lin n
u e a d st i t c h e d t g t h r
oo e on e n o e e .

Inst d o f ea m m nding t he wisd m o f H is p r d e ss o r H e r i d

co e o e ce , c e ,

o n en e t r ing t he lib rar y S e e n ow whe re the tre as ure of Gods C hu rch

,
’

has g on e S o on H e b e g an t o dis p e r se t he G r ee k b o o ks H e g ave

. .

s eve ral h undre d to the C ardin al O f R u th en i a A s this l atter was i n .

his d otag e the vo l u m e s f e ll i nto his se rvants h ands T hings whi ch

,
’
.

had b een b o u g h t fo r g o ld en fl o rin s 1 we r e s o ld fo r a fe w p enc e .

M any Lat in b ooks came to B arce l ona : so me t h r ou gh the B i sh o p

o f V i ch p owe r f u l D atary O f the P o p e ; so m e as gi f ts t o C atal an
,

n o bl e s .

Calu m ny ( whi ch by the bye ranks as mortal s in i n ,

- -
,

modern c ate chi s m s ) appear s to be habitual to the faith ful , .

I n this particular the fi fteenth c entury meet s the twentieth

o n co mm on ground To spe ak truth in a paradox the p roxi .
,

mate o cc a s ion O i the s in o f calumny i s hatred O f s in Roman .

Catholic s like Bishop Vespasiano are from their c on c ep

, , ,

tion i m bued and S aturated with the idea o f the hideousne s s

,

o f s in not o f it s s tupidity and u n pro fi tabl en e s s It i s thei r

, .

bogey their forbidden fruit the covert stri ctly prese r ved
, ,

and l abel l ed Tre s pa ss er s will be pro s ecuted with the utmos t

,

rigou r O f the Law Con s equently Roman Catholic huma n .

,

1 T he
’
fior in o d aro du c ato d o ro ,
’
, and s cu do we re co ins wo rth
d aro
’

b t h al f a g u ine a whi ch i n the

a ou , , fi f teenth century ha d a p urch asing ,

val u e o f £ 2 to £2 I os .
28 H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGIA S
A

n ature i s violently f as cinated by the bogey ; ha s s ingularly

well infor m ed it s el f O f the nature c olour shape condition , , , ,

and lo cation O f the forbidden f ruit ; has m inutely inve s ti

,

gated every in c h o i gro u nd and every blade o f gra ss and ,

every bird and bu s h in the s tri ctly pre s erved covert s i m ply ,

and solely in order that it may avoid poac hing s am pling ,

the forbidden fruit or be co m ing a prey for the bogey

, .

When one ha s the duty o f avoiding a thing it i s well t o ,

know what the thing i s whi c h o n e must avoid ; but it i s

quite ea s y to know more tha n enough A l l thi s intimate .

r eali s ation O f the hideou s ne ss o f s in thi s s y s tem atic c ata ,

l ogu in g o f its divi s ion s and s u b divi s ion s with elaborate -

,

excur s ions along it s diver s ram ification s c ertainly in s pire s ,

a loathing o f the inten s e s t kind I t also ha s another e ffe ct . .

I t indu c es an exaggerated c on s c iousnes s o f virtue When .

hum an nature know s and i s able to de s c ribe with a wealth

, ,

o f detail ordinarily ina c c e ss ible the horrible thing s whi c h it

,
“ ”
doe s not do it bec o m e s puffed up i n the words o f St
, , .

”
Paul Thi s c ondition o f un ctuou s re ctit u de in s pired e n
.
,

t ire ly by a horror o f s in i s a proximate o c c a s ion o f the s in

,

o f c alumny Roman Catholi c human nature n ot u n co n

.
,

s c ious O f its own integrity when con fronted by an anti

,
~

patheti c per s onality in s tantly c on c eive s O f the latter as a

s inner I am right— you di s agree with me—therefore you
,

are wrong— is the ab s urd s yllogi s m o r logi c al pro c e ss whi c h

it u s e s And drawing upon it s c opiou s catalogue s o f s in s
.
, ,

o n the prin c iple that he who o f fend s in the lea s t i s guilty o f

all Ro m an Catholic human nature will pro c eed to s hew how
,

ex c eedingly s inful it is po ss ible for a n ene m y to be The .

said ene m y or perhap s a m ere opponent in continently finds

, ,

himsel f ac c u s ed O f breaking the Ten Comm and m ents o f

God the various Pre c ept s O f the Church ; O f c om m itting
the Seven Deadly Sin s —Pride Covetou s ne ss Lust Anger
,

, , , ,

Gluttony Envy S l oth ; the Six Sin s against the Holy

, ,

Ghost— Pre s um ption O f God s Mer cy De s pair Impugning ’

, ,
’
the Know n Truth Envy at another s Spiritual Good O b
, ,
 K I N DL I N G OF T H E F I RE
T H E 29

s tinacy i n Sin Final I mpeniten c e ; the Fou r Si n s Crying

to Heaven for Vengean c e —Wil ful Murder Sin O f the

,

Cities o f the Plain O ppre ss ion O f the Poo r Defrauding

, ,

Labourer s o f their Wages ; o r i f he ha s not achieved the ,

guilt O f the s e i n hi s proper per s on at least he has been ,

an accompli c e O f some othe r sinner i n the Nine Ways by ,

’
which a Man may b e Ac c e ss ory to Another s Sin by
coun s el command c onsent provo cation by prai s e o r fl at
, , , ,

t e ry by con c ealment by partaking by S ilence by de fence

, , , ,

o f the ill whi c h i s done That i s ( in the twentieth century

.
,

whe n Catholi c s are r uled by a Pres s o s tentatiou s ly Fenia n

and Anglophobe and was i n the fi fteenth c entury whe n
, ,

Catholi c s were al s o human but not vulgar o r s ophis ti ,

c at e d) the predica m ent o f anybody Pope o r pea s ant who

, , ,

incurs o r in c urred the di s e s teem o f o r who makes o r

, , ,

made himsel f unp l ea s ant to a brothe r i n the Faith By

, .

hi nt s in fe r ence s in s inuation s ill motive s as s igned a n d a

, , ,
-
,

hundred ingenious method s r arely by defined accusations , ,

the s in O f c alumny i s and wa s committed ab s olutely an d

, , ,

utterly be cau s e the calumniator s o hates s in as to have n o

di fficu l ty i n per s uading hi m s el f that the man who fl o u ts
him mu s t be a sinner Fo r be it noted that all the calum n ies
.
,
“
that bespatter the Hou s e o f Borgia all the liability to dis ,
”
e s teem which through five centuries has been their po r
,

tion and has made thei r very n ame a s ynonym o f Turpi

,

tude all the s e have a Roma n Catholic origin Roma n

, .

Catholi c s are the primal c alumniator s who have muddied ,

’
and do muddy God s Vi cege r ents the Lord Calixtus P P
, , . .

I II a n d Hi s nephew the Lo r d Alexander P P V I with

, . .
,

every spec ies O f ordure with a s criptions o f every crime,

know n to casuistry ( the scien c e O f case s o f c onscience ) ,

including tho s e which a r e un s peakable except i n an appe n

dix veiled i n a learned language q u a m in us e ru bes camus .

Bishop Ve s pa s iano da Bi s ti c ci o f Vi c enza was a Roma n

Catholi c ; Me ss ers Ste fano I n fe s s u ra Mon s ign or Ha n s ,

B urchar d M esse r F r a n cesco Gu icciardini Bishop Paol o

, ,
30 A H I ST O RY O F T H E B ORGIA S
G iovio o f No c era Me ss er G ian gio vio Pontano S ann azar
The Chri s tian Vergil Me ss er Benedetto Varchi—they
, ,
“ ”
,

we r e all Ro m an Catholic s who inaugurated the campaign

o f cal u mny again s t the Supre m e Ponti ffs o f the Hou s e O f
Borgia I n dea l ing with calumny the di fficulty i s to Obtai n
.
,

definite evidence o f a definite C harge whi c h i s i ntrinsically

false a n d at the same time derogatory to the per s on against
, ,

whom it i s laid This di fficulty is o n e that c ontinually c on

.

front s the investigator Prelates p r ie s t s prin c es p en m en

.
, , , ,

somet im e s becau s e they had a grieva n ce som etimes c on ,

fe s s e dly wil fully someti m es by way o f wanton babble

, ,

habitually launched again s t thei r enemies o r superiors

accusations o f depravity the most loathsome O f c rime the ,

most odious What they said by word o f mouth cannot

.

surely be k n ow n Until The Books Are O pened What they .

wrote in pa s quinades i n diaries i n o fficial despat c he s in

, , ,

offi cial chronicle s o r fo r the mere aesthetic pleasure o f

recording a s ala ci ous gibe in c urial Tus can o r in golden
Latin— the s e r emai n A few O f the more i m portant i cily
.

will be di s cus s ed here The student o f history know s n o

.

mo r e r efre s hing recreation than that o f n ailing liars like ,

ve r mi n to the wall
, .

The statement o f Bi s hop Vespa s iano da B isticc i o f

Vice n za quoted above is a fai r example o f the le s s foetid
, ,

spec ie s o f calumny : it only amounts to an a c cu s ation o f

“ ”
philistinism H owever it at on c e m ay be des c ribed a s
.
,

being both stupid and improbable With regard to the nai f .

s urprize s aid to have bee n S hown by the Lord Calixtus

,
“ ”
P P I I I o n seeing s o many ex c ellent book s
. .
, i s it likely ,

that as Bi s hop Alo ns o de Borj a A m bassador Pl e n ipo te n

, ,

t iary and Confidential Coun s e l lo r o f the Maj e s ty o f Naples ,

he never had s een fine thing s before ? I s it l ikely that Cardi

n al Alon s o de Borj a eleven years cardinal o f the c uria
,

residing in the Cou rt O f Ro m e had never s een s plendid ,

book s before ? O f what kind then were the mi ss al s and

po n tifi cal s which a s bi s hop he would have used in his
, ,
 K I NDLI N G OF T H E FI RE
T H E 31
d aily mass ? I s it likely that Ca rdinal Alonso de Bor j a
O ne o f the a c tual electors O f the Lo rd Nicholas P P V . .
,

co n stantly at H is side f r om beginning to end o f His r eign ,

i f no t a ss istant to at lea s t cog n i z ant o f His every action

, ,

had never seen had never touched handled ta s ted tho s e

, , , ,

identi c al five hundred book s bound in cri m son velvet with ,

C lasps O f silver with which that augu s t Ponti ff enri c hed

,

the Vati ca n libra r y The assumption i s ridi c ulous ab s urd

.
,
.

The calumny that the Lord Calixtu s P P III gave book s . .

to the Bishop o f Vich in the manner o f a Vandal arose in

thi s way The Lord Co s imo de Mon s errato Bi s ho p o f
.
,

Vich from 1460 to 14 7 1 was ordered by Hi s Holine ss to ,

compile a catalogu e O f the book s in the Vati c an library ,

o n the S ixteenth o f April 14 5 5 four days be fore Hi s coro ,

n ation A copy o f this c atalogue wa s brought to Vich by

.

thi s s ame Lord Co s imo o n hi s appointm ent to the bishopri c

five years late r It wa s mo s t likely made by o n e o f the
.

Vatican scribes and it contains n umerous marginal n otes

1
,
’
i n the bishop s handwriting From these n ote s a p reci s e .
,

list O f the n umbe r o f books actually give n away by the

Lo rd Calixtus P P I I I may be Obtai n ed They we r e fi ve
several hundred — O i n o great value and—duplicate s
. . .

”
n ot , .

Two o f the s e a copy O f the Epi stles o f St A ugustine

, .
,

annotated by Ni c holas o f Lira a n d a Book o n the Truth ,

’
o f the Catholic Faith were pre s ented to the Pope s lat e
,

p atro n King Don Alon s o de Aragona o f Naples the Two

, ,

S icil ie s and Jerusalem The note against them in the cata

, .

“
logue i s S U N dedit hu nc domino regi A rag ( O ur Holy
. . . .

Lo rd gave thi s to the lord king o f No w i f H e ,

o n ly gave two book s to His o l d f r iend and forme r em

p loye r who ( as may be j udged f r om the fact that he em
p loyed the r enow n ed M esseri Loren z o Valla and Giangiovio
Pontano as hi s sec r etarie s ) had a very pretty ta s te for
l ette r s who was a r eig n ing sovereign and an ext r emely
, ,

1 The fi rst p r int i n g p re ss i n I ta ly did n ot arr ive t ill O cto be r 1465

at S u bj aco i n th e S abi ne ills H .
32 A H I ST ORY OF T H E B ORG IA S
s e rviceable and powe r ful ally o f the Holy See i s He likely ,
“ ”
to have given s eve r al hundred to the Cardinal o f Ruthenia
a n d Cata l an nobles ? Finally the heathen Cardinal Platina , ,

who wrote hi s History o f the Pope s in the reign o f the

Lord X y s tus P P I V ( the thi r d i n s uccession from the
1
. .

Lo r d Calixtus P P II I ) expres s ly mention s the magnifi

. .
,

c ence o f the library o f the Lord Nicholas P P V whi c h . .

, ,

certainly he could not have k n ow n i f it had been de

,

st r oyed i n the manne r de s cribe d by t he lying Bi s hop

Ve s pasiano da Bisticc i o f Vicenza .

“ ”
On e philistine act may be admitted o n behal f o f the
Lord Calixtus P P I I I H e sold the s ilve r from the bind
. . .

ings o f those book s He sa c rifi c ed them for the c rusade in .

defen c e o f Chri s tendom He also s old all the Vati ca n plate . .

He insi s ted that the salt cellar o f Hi s O wn table should b e -

O f earthenware not gold ; a n d indeed H e even O ffered His

, , ,

tiara in pledge for the same admirable Obj ect H e was .

blamed .

The Lord Calixtu s P P I II was by no mea n s the enemy . .

o f letter s He made havoc amo ng the decadents the a ffect ed

.
,

literary po s eurs who in fested the B o rgian as well as the

Victorian Era ; but H e cheri s hed genius and to scholar s ,

o f di s tin ction H e was a generous patron The diverting .

case o f M esse r Lo r enzo Valla will s erve fo r an example .

Thi s notable being o ne o f the s ecretaries o f King Do n

,

Alon s o I was well known to the Holine s s o f the Pop e

,
-
.

H e was erudite beyond mo s t o f his conte m porarie s o f a ,

daring temperament and impatient O f bad s cholar s hip , ,

fal s ehood and superstition I n 1440 he i ndited a merc iless

, .

exposure O f the monstrous fiction n ow kn ow n as the

1 The fi r st P ont iff o f t his n ame fi f t h i n su cce ssi on f ro m the Lo rd

S t P e te r P P is name d in t he C anon o f the M ass as XYS TU S

,

. . .
,

! E m cf X anth u s
l s . The sam e f o rm XY S T U S o ccu r s in
t he K al endar i um an d i n f act i n al l O ffi c i ally issu e d li tu r gi e s ; an d is
, , ,

a d o p t e d als o i n t he au th o r ise d E nglish ve r si on o f the L i tu r gy T he .

wor d S I X T U S d oe s n ot app e ar t o b e a Latin wo r d at al l an d is n ot ,

in A n dr ew s Lat in E nglish Lex i c on I t mo st lik e ly is a d e b ase d c o r

’
-
.

ru pti o n f rom X YS TU S wh en Lat i n l ique fi e d into th e Itali an S I S TO

,
.
34 A H I STORY OF T H E BORGI AS
’
leav e hi s Maj e sty s sec r etary alo n e ; and the p rocess e n ded
here But when the n ews o f the ca s e travelled to Rome
.
,

the Lo rd Ni c holas P P V admiring the wit and learning

. .
,

O f Me s ser Lo r enzo Valla being a m u s ed , perhaps at the , ,

way i n which he had taken the wind o u t o f the sail O f the

wily I nqui s it o rs invited the di stinguished scholar to Hi s
,

Court where He n amed him Apostoli c s cribe with magn ifi

, ,

cent appointments O n the death o f that Ponti ff Mes s er

.
,
’
Lo re n zo s sometime colleague the Lord Calixtus P P I II , . .
,

made him Pontifi c al S ecretary and dignified him with ,

s ev er al ca n onri es including o n e at St John in L ate ran o .

,

t h e cathedral c hurch O f Rome S O fi ft e e nth c entury ta ct

-
.
-

a n d m ental limberness made a friend where n ineteenth ,

c e n tury arrogant stu p idity made a ho s t O f s c orn ful foes .

The first year o f the po ntificate o f the Lord Calixtus

P P I II was occupi ed by audience s granted to O rators
. .

O ffering the homage O f the Power s a n d by preparations ,

fo r the Crusade .

G e rmany deserved a n d e n j oyed high consideratio n be

cause the ruler o f Ge r many held the title o f R o man o ru m
I mperator C aes ar S e mp er A ugus tu s M u n di T o tius D ami
n us Un iv e rs is P rincipibus e t P apu lis S e mp e r V e n e ran du s ;

an d an under s tandin g betwee n Pop e and Emperor a ,

f r iend s hip betwee n Pete r and Caesa r wa s de s irable fo r ,

the peace an d p rosperity o f Chri s tendom Thi s friend s hip .

,

however was s ubj ect to frequent breache s Both Papacy

, .

and Empire were exceedingly tena ciou s o f thei r dignity ,

willi n g to conside r themselve s aggrieved o r their r ight s i n ,

danger o f e n croachment Eac h in fact was a p ower o f

.
, ,

dimensions so giganti c that intermittent paroxy s ms o f

megalomania were t he orde r O f the day The violen c e o f .

t hes e attacks was allay ed from time to time by cooling

, ,

loti ons i n the shape o f con c essions There had been a .

s erious relapse n ot ma n y y ear s b e f or e whi ch tem p oraril y ,

 KI N DLI N G OF T H E FIRE
T H E 35
had been ret r ieved by a treaty k n ow n as the Conco r dat o f ,

the Lord Eugenius P P IV . . .

At the beginning O f Hi s r eign while waiting fo r t he ,

formal ho m age O f The Pacific Caesar F r iedrich IV the ,

Lord Calixtus P P I I I observed the terms o f thi s Con

. .

c o rdat When the n ews o f Hi s election in Ap ri l r eached

.

Germany a Diet O f the E m pire was held at Neustadt to

,

appoint O rator s and to c onside r the chances o f squeezing

1
,
“
f re s h c on c e ss ions No w i s the time t o vindi c ate ou r
.

l ibe rty fo r hithe rt o we have only been the handmaid O f

,
”
Holy Chur c h said Ja c ob o f Trie r ; and Caesa r Friedrich
,

I V privately grieved that the Papacy gave him little sup

port in hi s diffi c ulties with turbulent s ub sovereign s and -

’
s ubj ects The celebrated Lo r d Enea Silvio Ba rtolomeo de
.

Picco lhu om in i B i s hop O f Siena poured o il upon the

, ,

troubled waters O f the Diet H e had lived many yea r s i n .

Germany a s poet laureate orato r to Utter Britain ( Scot

,
- 2
,

land ) noveli s t historian and confidential secreta r y to

, , ,

Caesar ; and he knew hi s Germany H e deservedly was .

tru s ted both by Church and State H e soothed C aesar .

,

saying that the mob was always i n consta n t dangerous and , ,

that a r uler did a vain thing when h e tried to please He .

soothed the Diet saying that the i nterests O f Papacy an d

,

Empire were identical and that from a n ew Pope n ew ,

favours might be gained The Diet n amed Bishop E n e a .

Silvio with the j uri s t Hans Hagenbach as orato rs who

, ,

were to Offer to the Lord Calixtus P P I I I the obedie n ce . .

o f the Holy Roma n Empire and t o lay be fo r e Him the ,

grievance s o f Caesa r .

The Lord Ca l ixtus P P I I I was mo re i n dependen t o f . .

Germany than His two p redecessors had been ; and i n a

pos ition to command n ot c ompromi se The L o rd Eugenius , .

1 The b u si ne ss o f t h e s e O r at r s
o ( amb assad or s ) w as cond u ct e d
mo r e by m eans o f fl o r id e l o qu ence th an by th e wr i t ing o f d e s pat ch e s
t h o u gh o f co u r s e t he l ast was no t ne g l ecte d
, , .

“ ”
horribiles que u l timo s qu e B rit anno s C Va l er i us Catul l us
I
. .

X
36 A H I STORY OF T H E B ORGIA S
P P IV being i n need O f temporal support had p urchased
. .
, ,
’
German y s obedien c e by s ecret conces s ion s and promi s es O f
money The Lord Nicholas P P V was privy to these a r
. . .

rangements and feeling bound by them had paid Hi s share ;

, , ,

but there wa s a matter O f twenty five thousand ducats yet -

un p aid The Lord Calixtu s P P I I I had taken n o part i n

. . .

the s e negotiation s During His cardinalate He had had

am m
.
,

e Oppo rtunities o f reckoning up Cae s ar Friedrich I V

as a feeble fe c kles s Old simpleton devoi d O f moral back
, ,

bo n e whom no c on c e s sions ever could s tiffen into any

,
’
semblance O f imperial c apac ity The Po p e s Holine ss felt .

’
that He could do quite well without the Emperor s Augusti
tude .

’
There fore whe n Caesar s O rato r s arrived in Rome o n
, ,

the tenth o f Aug us t 14 55 and prayed for a private audi ,

e n ce ( at whi ch as the cu s tom wa s they would t r y to

, , ,

squeeze the Holy Father making the pro ffer o f thei r ,

’ ’
sovereign s homage dependent upon the Pope s willingn ess
to oblige ) the Lord Calixtus P P I I I re fused to ente rtain
, . .

r equest s until after the Obedience O f Ge r many S hould have

been r e c eived .

The O rator s were con founded so they s aid by this de , ,

mand ; but as loyal son s o f Holy Mother Church ( Bishop

E n ea Silvio was the S poke sm
, ,

an ) and that s candal might ,

be avoided they would give way Be fore a public c o n

, .

s is t o ry o f cardinal s they presented to the Pope the homage

,

O f Cae s ar in a n elaborate oratio n containing no mention

,

o f unpleasant topi c s s uch a s the imperial demand s and the

,

Concordat o f the Lord Euge n ius P P I V but mainly co n . .

,

sisting o f a s tring o f formal compliment s to the Supreme

Ponti ff and de c lamation s again s t the Mu s lim I nfidel
, .

( Pii I I O rat ion e s I

.
,

A fter this the O rator s could n ot in s ist upon the Rights

O f Cae s ar O n hi s behal f they might only approach the
.
,

strenuou s Pope a s s upp l iant s appealing to Hi s c lemen c y ,

’
as children begging a father s favour They had cut the .
 KI N DLI N G OF T H E FI RE
T H E 37
grou n d from unde r their o w n feet ; and as Bishop Enea ,

Silvio knew quite well that was prec i s ely what had bee n,

intended The Lord Calixtu s P P I I di s claimed any O bliga

. . .

’
tion O f paying His p rede c es s or s debt s having othe r u s es ,

fo r fi ve and twenty thou s and ducats ; and the que s tion o f

- -

’
Cae s ar s rights to n ominate to bi s hoprics and to have a ,

share o f the tithe about to be r aised fo r the Cru s ade sho u ld ,

be con side r ed i n due season said the Pope to the Or ators , .

Mea nwhile the Eternal City was engaged i n making

r eady fo r wa r I mmediately afte r Hi s co r onatio n the Lo rd
.
,

Calixtus P P I I I privately proclaimed the Crusade In

. . .

Augu s t H e made the same proclamatio n i n public c o n

,
“
s is to ry and read the fo l lowing vow :
, We Calixtus the ,

Ponti ff swear to God Almighty the Holy a n d Undivid e d

, ,

Trinity that We r elentles s ly will follow the Turks the

, ,

enemies o f the Name o f Chri s t with wa r with mal edic , ,

tion s with interdict s with execratio n s and indeed with

, , ,

every mean s i n O ur power ( Giac coni I I This oath

. .
,
’
i n holograph wa s c on s tantly be fore the Pope s eyes during
,

His po ntificate and was found hanging o n the wall by H is

,

bed s ide as an orname n t o f Hi s Chambe r whe n at length

He di ed .

The in fi rm itie s o f age chained the Ponti ff to Hi s r oom

r ecreation was to H im a thing u n k n ow n fo r the bu s ine ss ,

o f the Crusade co n sumed His ene r gies Hi s firm and u n re .

l enting will s et upon this single aim would brook n o ,

“
cont r ol no I nfluence He knew Him s el f to be the Rule r
, .

O f the World and H e Shut Hi s mouth dow n fa s t again s t

,

all Oppo s ition T O the quarrel s ome sovereign s O f Christen

.

dom He e n vo ye d ablegates cha r ged to r econcile all differ

e nce s
, to u rge the setting aside o f p rivate squabbles o f ,

petty ambition s in favour o f the great er n ecessity r e

, ,

s is t an ce to and annihilation o f the Muslim I nfidel Th r ough .

every Chri s tian country He sent Apostolic Mi ssio n a r ies ,

cur ial bishop s an d p r elates f r ia r s a n d mo nks r e n ow ned

,
38 A H I ST O RY O F T H E B ORGIA S
fo r eloque n ce to pre ac h the sacred duty O f fighting again s t
,

the enemies o f the Chri s tian Faith O n every Chri s tia n .

cou n try He impo s ed tax O f a tithe to meet the co s t o f

the Cru s ade Archbishop St Antonino O f Florence n obly
. .

’
seconded His e fforts r aising the standard o f St George s
, .

r o s e red cro ss and p reaching like a n ew St B ernard The

-
, . .

building s with whi c h the preceding Ponti ff had begun t o

,

ador n the city were stopped and the swarms o f workme n

, ,

dismissed The r eve n ues o f the Papal State s were applied

.

t o the construction o f a fleet o f swi ft galleys for the

harrying O f the Turk Daily the Holy Fathe r de s cended to
.

’
St Peter s with His O wn hand s to fi x the cro s s o n the
.

brea s ts o f recruits enli s ting The papal j ewels were pawned

.
,
’
a n d their price added to the war c he s t The Pope s Holine s s -
.

tru s ted mu c h in Duke Philip O f Burgundy : He tried to

p ersuade the Magnanimous King D o n Alonso de Aragona
to take the cros s .

I n the east O f Eu r op e the black cloud o f the Muslim

,

I nfidel advanced continually S k an de rbeg a C hieftain o f .

,

r omantic pa s t renowned for military deed s oppo s ed them

, , .

The f ame O f his a chievem ents i s the o n e brightne ss in the

holy war Hi s army composed o f divers r a c es naturally
.
,

antagoni sti c only was welded together by the magic o f

,

success or O f hi s p er s o n al influence Such a bond i s but a .

weak o n e A cau s e that r e s ts upon a s ingle man will stand

.
, ,

n o strai n Presently his Albanians revolted at a moment

.
,

whe n the I nfidel pres s ed him hard De feated he withdrew .

,

to mountain fa s tne ss e s ; and s ent courier s to Rome with

an appeal fo r r ein for c eme nt The Lord Calixtu s P P I I I . . .

replied with money wherewith S k ande rbe g bought the

,

allegi an c e o f hi s di s a ffected troop s and retrieved hi s po s i

tion But o n the heel s O f triumph c a m e fre s h di s a s ter To
. .

avenge so m e slight his o wn nephew made cau s e again s t

,

him per s uaded the Albanians to fresh r evolt and deserted

, ,

with t hem to the I nfid el .

 K I N D L I N G O F T H E F I RE
T H E 39
I n the n ature o f human things every man in eve r y r a n k
, ,

o f li fe mu s t s ubmit to s ome a ffliction O f mind o r body Has

, .

any o n e eve r troubled to inquire what may be the special

affl iction p roper to the Pope ? It i s lonelines s—utter l o n el i
nes s—loneliness i n a crowd The Pop e cannot have a .

friend ; for friend s hip po s tulates equality : and who i s the

equal o f the Pope ? The cardinals who surround Him a r e
o f the factio n that Opposed His election o r o f the faction ,

that claim s favour i n r eturn for support H e Who sits .

,

upon the Throne o f Peter looks down from that pinnacle

,

upon the people s the nations and the tongues in Hi s heart

, , ,

knowing them to be enemie s or s uitors What wonde r then .

that though His spirit indeed be willing Hi s huma n ity

, ,

s hall crave huma n sympathy !

Thi s consideration i s o ffered to explain the n e p otism O f
the Popes o f the Rena s c ence They surrounded Themselves
.

with men O f Thei r o wn families ; me n bound t o Them by

ti e s o f bloo d and kinship B eing generally o f mature age
.

them s elve s They cho s e Thei r young r elation s ; and upo n

,

the s e They con ferred the r a n k which qualified them to

ente r the i nne r circle o f the curia This actio n ap p ears to .

have bee n dictated by the n atural de s ire o f human man fo r

O ffs pring Ce rtainly a Pope can alway s create cardinals
.
,

who are to Him as spiritual sons ; but to c reate cardinals

o f those who already are O f one s ow n family i s a thin g
’

nearer a more intimate relatio n S O the human hea rt O f the

, .

Pope would become rej uvenated would renew its strength , ,

would grati fy its natural longing for an entourage o f crea

tures i n whi c h it might place confidence and trust For the .

cardinal nephew s loathed by all other cardinal s Owing

-
, ,

everything to the Pope would be bound to Him and to Hi s

,

interest as by chain s O f iron The sy s tem i s proved to b e

.

liable to abu s e That i s the corollary o f all human systems

. .

I t i s inde fen s ible ; but it i s explicable ; and the foregoing is

a n attempt only i n the directio n o f explanation .

On the t we n tieth o f Februa ry 14 5 6 at th e beginning o f ,

40 A H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGIA S
the se c ond yea r o f His r eig n the Lord Calixtus P P I II
, . .

pro claimed to a s tor m y consi s tory the creation o f three

cardinal s two being Hi s O wn n ephew s and o ne the son o f
, ,

the heir to the crow n o f Po rtugal Let it be r emarked that .

He did nothing for Hi s son Don Franci s co de Bo r j a n ow

, ,

a char m ing and eligible you n g man o f fi ftee n years .

The Sac red College murmured and obj ected : but in thi s ,

matter the will o f the Pope i s law The n ew creatures .

were
( a ) Don Luis Juan de Mila y Borj a o f the age o f ,

twenty year s celebrated for vigorous phy s ical beauty H e

, .

was the so n O f D o fi a Caterina de Borj a ( sister O f the

’
Pope s Holine s s ) by he r husband Don Jua n de Mila Baron ,

o f M az al an e s To him the Ponti ff gave the s carlet hat

.
,

whi ch He had relinquished on His ele ction to the papacy ,

that o f Ca r dinal P r esbyter O f the Title o f S an Quatt r o

-

Coronati .

( fl ) Do n Rodrigo de Lan col y Bo r j a o f the age o f ,

twenty fi v e years distingui s hed by that ma rvellous Spani sh

-
,

courtliness and magnificence O f pe r so n which was the theme

O f admiration until ht died H e was s o n o f Do ha Jua n a d e
.

’
Borj a ( s i ster o f the Pope s Holine ss ) by he r husba n d
, ,

Do n JO fre de Lan co l To him the Ponti ff gave the s carlet

.

hat O f Cardinal Deacon o f San Ni ccolo in Carcere Tu l lian a

-
.

( y ) D o n Jaym e de Portugal Ar chbi s hop o f Li s bon and

,

s o n O f the I n fante Don Pedro de Portugal To him the .

’
Po nti ff gave the s carlet ha t o f C ardinal Deaco n o f Sant -

Eu s ta c hio There appear to have been reasons O f state fo r

.

the elevation o f thi s young ma n ; and it wa s u s ual for the

reigning Hou s es o f Europe to have o n e o f their j unior
s c ions i n the Sacred College The Cardinal o f Portugal
.

lived a retired and saint like li fe di s tingui s hed for hi s

-
,

mode s ty and maide n purity He died in 1 4 59 at the age

.

o f five and twenty year s ; and hi s tomb by Me ss er Antonio ,

Ro ss ellino in S amm iniato al Monte at Florence o ne o f the

, ,
42 A H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGIA S
and fi fty thou s a n d in fide l s against B elgrade Fra Ja n Ca .

pis t ran s eloquen c e and piou s zeal roused the Magyar s to

con s ciou s ne s s O f the imm inent peril ; Cardinal Bernardino
Carav aj al the ablegate inspired their patriotism with hi s
, ,

wi s dom and devotion ; and Jan H u n n iade s the V aivo d O f ,

Hungary re s olved to re s i s t invasion C onfiden c e in prin c es

, .

wa s as always vain The terror s tri cke n King W ladislaw

, , .
-

fled with hi s cou rt and hi s guardian Count d e Cilly from , ,

Buda to Venice ; and along the valley o f the Danube poured

the lo cust swarms o f I n fi del s to inve s t Belgrade The
-
.

V aiv o d Jan H u n n iade s rai s ed an army at his own expen s e ;

whence came the mean s the men i s still unknown fo r , , ,

mo s t important do c u m ent s conne cted with the siege o f

B elgrade yet attend dis c overy : but there was a M agya r
army com m anded by Ja n H u n n iade s ministered to by
, ,

Fra Jan Capi s tran whi c h advanced to re l ieve Belgrade ; ,

and the ab l egate Fra B ernardino C aravaj al re m ained be

, ,
’
hind at Buda by the V aivo d s reque s t to collect and for
, ,

ward reinfor c em ent s O n the fourteenth day O f siege the .

Magyars c o l l ided with the I nfi de l s Already the wall s o f .

Belgrade s orely were shaken : but the arrival O f the V aivod ,

breaking the Mu s li m line and winning a complete victory ,

p ut courage into the hearts o f the beleaguered I n three .

months ti m e on c e more the Mu sl im c oncentrated and o n

, ,

the twenty fi rs t O f July the city s uffered a s e cond s torm

-
.

Jan H u nn iade s and Fra Jan Capi s tran from one o f the ,

tower s directed the de fence At a c ri s i s i n the fray the

,
.
,

heroic fria r ru s hed like a se cond Joshua through the , ,

Christian ho s t waving the crucifix and a banner with the

,

s acred monogram invented by San Bernardino o f Siena .

Behind him c a m e the V aiv o d with aid Through breac he s .

in the wa ll s many time s the I n fi de l s s tream ed in and always ,

the s trea m wa s damm ed and drive n ba c k Fra Jan Capi s .

tran hi m s el f led a s quadron o f Magyar hu s z ars who put

1

1 H us z ar , de r ive d by roundabo ut ro ute f rom I tali an

a cas s aro,
co r sair , re e l an ce (v . M u rray ) .
 KI NDLI NG OF T H E FIRE
T H E 43
to fl igh t the fie r ce j anissaries o f I s lam And at last the .
, ,

day was wo n ; and the air re s ounded with the Mo s t Holy

Name shouted by victo ri ou s Crusader s while Sult a n M a ,

hammed wounded was r etreating in con fusion with the

, ,

r emnant O f his conquered army Belgrade was relieved . .

W hen the news r ea ched Ro m e the Holines s o f the Pope ,

was lying S ick hea rt wor n hea rt sore gazing from His
,
-
,
-
,
’
window at the galley s building i n shipwrights yards o n
Ripa Grande The relief o f a beleaguered c ity even as
.
,

late as the la s t c entury whe n decorou s indi fference was the

fashionable po s e used to cau s e deliriou s ly human demo n
,

s t rat io n s M e n were quite as hu m an i n the fi fteenth as i n

.

the nineteenth century le s s c ompound and mu c h more , ,

simple B elgrade was relieved and there was j oy i n Chri s

.
,

t e n do m .

’
In May the Lord Ludovi co S carampi dell Arena M ez
zarota Ar c hbi s hop O f Flore n c e Patriar c h o f Aquileia
, , ,

Ablegate to the Regno Ca r dinal Pre s byter o f the Title O f ,

-

Sa n Lorenzo i n D am as o was appointed Admiral o f the ,

Pontifical Fleet Unde r the Lo rd Eugenius P P I V a s

. . .
,

Co mmander in Chi e f O f the Pontifical A rmy he had used

- -
,

Rome at hi s will Dismissed f r om o ffi c e by the Lor d .

Nicholas P P V he had devoted him s el f to luxurious

. .
,

livi ng and gai n ed the ni ckname o f The L ord Lu cu ll u s His

, .

haggard but voluptuou s profile make s it probable that he

de s erved the n ame Seeing the Lord Calixtus P P I I I to
. . .

b e an Old and feeble man who c onceivably might a fford ,

him n ew p r e fermen t and a fresh fi eld fo r his i n satiable

ambitio n he had come to Rome to O ffe r his service to the
,

Holy Fathe r But the stalwart ca rdi n al nephew s the Lo r d

.
-
,

Luis Jua n de Mila y Borj a Ca r dinal Pre s byte r o f the Titl e ,

-

o f Santi Quattro Coronati and the Lord Rodrigo d e ,

Lan co l y Borj a Cardinal Deaco n o f San Nicc olo i n Carcero

,
-

Tu lliano distru s t ed th e pro fessi on s o f C ardinal S carampi

,
.
44 A H I ST ORY O F T H E B ORGIA S
Su s pecting his bo n afi de s they mentioned thei r su s picion s
,

to thei r Augu s t Un c le with the re s ult that he was forbidde n

,

to approach the Vati can Not to be beaten Cardi n al

.
,

S carampi di s covered a fervent zeal for the Crusade There .

’
could be no surer way into the Pope s favour Hi s Holine s s .

c on s idered that this prelate might devote his enormous

fortune to the war — fund ; and H e lost no time i n receiving

him in audien c e and naming him Pontifi c al Ad m iral The
, .

Cardinal Nephew s urged the advi s ability O f flying him with

-

a string ; a n d there fore hi s authority was restri cted A .

man O f hi s fa s hion and quality c ould have put i n a fine

dignified time a s hore But that would n ot have s uited the
.

Cardinal Nephews ; and the Lord Calixtus P P II I per

-
. .

’
c e iv e d no signs O f the unbuckling o f the Cardinal Admiral s -

p ouches S O they gave him banquet s and his sailing order s

.
,
-
.

A fleet o f tran s ports left the Tibe r with five thousand

troops aboard : but the Cardinal Admiral stayed i n Ro m e
-

’
to as s ure the Pope s Holine s s that the s e were in s ufficient
for any practi c al purpo s e ; and that a fleet O f thi rty galley s
was ab s olutely n e c e ss ary .

Then the s trenuous Ponti ff r em embered that King Don

Alon s o had promi s ed to provide Him with s u c h a fleet ; and
it gently and firmly wa s inti m ated to the Cardinal Ad m iral -

that he might go to Naples and c olle c t the sam e : i f he fai l ed

to go he had the alternative o f fa c ing a j udi cial inquiry
,

into hi s doing s a s genera l i ss imo under the Lord Eugeniu s

P P I V Thereo n the Cardinal Ad m iral s c oured away hot
. . .
-

foot fo r Naple s ; where he found that King Do n Alon s o

the Magnanimou s had belied hi s p r omi s e s having sent the
,

ships to s e ttle a little private di s pute in whi ch hi s Maj e s ty

was engaged with the Republi c o f Genoa This was bad .

news for the Pope : but it did n o t alter His determination

by the breadth o f a single hair H e wa s quite well used to
.
-

the vagarie s an d magnanimitie s o f the King o f Naple s ,

whom H e had known for more than fo rty years H e wa s .

equa l ly well re s olved to u s e the servi ces which the Cardi n al

-
 KI NDLI NG OF TH E FIRE
T H E 45
A dmiral had volunteered Me n had thought Him to be a
.

feeble o l d man who c ould be influen c ed with ea s e They .

found o u t their mistake W e are ac c u s tomed to think o f

.

youth as fiery and h eadstrong : but what c an bend the will

o f fiery headstrong age ? His Holine ss s ent i m perative com
mands to the Cardinal Admiral that he must make the be s t
-

o f the ship s in hand and sail for the Z

,
Ege an Sea where at ,

least he could help the Crusade by creating a diversio n

among the i slands that the I nfide l s owned there .

Fre s h troubles were at hand in Hungary Round B el .

grade the putre fying carca s es o f the Mu s lim thou s ands

,

enveno m ed the air The rudi m e n ts O f anti s eptic sanitation

.

were unknown Tho s e who have had to do with B oer s o r

.
,

Cubans or Filipinos will know the un s peakable horror that

,

this i m plies Pe s t de ci m ated the Chri s tian army Plague

. .

s wept away the Magya r ho s t that In fi de l s i n vain had tried

,

to over c o m e Whe n they told him that hi s end was n ear

.
,

that Viati c um was approaching to be hi s strength on that

dark road which man mu s t tread alone the noble V aivo d ,
“
Jan Hu n n iade s said : It i s not fitting that o u r Lord s hould
,
”
visit hi s servant ; and r i s ing from hi s death bed he
,
-
,

dragged him s el f to the neare s t altar where a fter c o n fe s

, ,
’
sion and co mm union i n the prie s t s hand s he fell and
,

yielded up hi s great and splendid s oul the eleventh o f ,

Augu s t 14 5 6 O n the twenty thir d O f O ctobe r Fra Jan

.
-

Capi s trano also died .

From Rome came the voice o f the Pop e strenuousl y

appealing to the Powers Hi s ablegate s preached i n every
.

c ountry The common people heard Him gladly and re

.
,

s po n de d to Hi s Call : but the n obles lent dea f ears Uppe r .

Germany and Nii rnbe rg equipped battalions O f cru s aders ,

whi ch were i n c r eased by contingents from England a n d

France .

I n Novembe r the fai neant you n g Ki n g Wladi s law re

46 A H I ST ORY O F T H E BORGI A S
turned to Hungar y and vi s ited the field O f Belgr ade
, .

Sin c e the death o f Jan Hu n n iade s the Count de Ci ll y had

made him s el f O f s upreme authority over hi s royal ward .

B elgrade s till wa s mourning the m ighty V aivo d; and th e

n obles under Wladi s law C o rvin u s Hu nniade s s s on r e ,
’
,

senting the in s olent a ss umption s and cowardi c e o f De Cilly ,

slew him there The young king con c ealed hi s wrath and
.
,

persuaded the sons o f Jan H u n n iade s to follow him to

Buda All unsuspi c ious O f that treachery o f which cowa r ds
.

are capable they obeyed and o n arrival in the c apital the

, , ,

M aj e s ty o f Hungary had them sei z ed and Wladislaw Cor ,

vin n s H u nn iade s publi cly beheaded as a traitor Hungary .

was n o w in woeful plight Deprived by axe a n d pest o f

.

tho s e strong leaders who had merited he r t r ust her king ,

a venomous child her throne with no legitimate heir s he

, ,

waited in fear and trembling to hear agai n the I nfidel

, ,

thundering at her gate All di s cip l ine wa s at a n end ; the

.

Magyar Hu s zars were di s banded and returned to their ,

homes .

In Germany the que s tion o f the Magyar Su ccession was

,

regarded a s c on fu s ion wor s e c on founded ; and the Electors

o f the E m pire c on s idered the ti m e a s uitab l e o n e for re
applying the s c r ew to feeble n eedy Caesar Fried r ich I V ,

their su z erain .

They invited him to preside at a Diet at Nurnberg on ,

’
St Andrew s Day 14 5 6 ; and indeed their c onduct
.
, , ,

throughout wa s thorough l y Caledonian Their ostensible .

Obj ect was the proj ection O f a new crusade ; and they an
n o u n c e d an intention O f acting independently i f Caesa r

should refuse to co m e In r eali t y they meant to pit Pope

.

against Em peror and Empero r again st Pope ; so that i n

, ,

the con fusion they might grati fy their private ambition s by

,

s nat ching c on c e ss ions from o n e o r other O f tho s e Powers .

By pretending to desire a n ew c ru s ade they would gai n

p o n t ifi c al favour By taking.i n de p endent action they would
 KI NDLI N G OF T H E FIRE
T H E 47
a rouse imperial ire The Pope might be t ru s ted t o grant
.

them what they c al l ed Ec c le s iasti cal Re form in return fo r

thei r a l lian c e to His plan s again s t the I nfidel Caesa r .

might be tru s ted to c oncede exten s ion O f their p olitical

p ower in return for their allegiance to him as suze r ain
, .

I n either ca s e they stood to win something .

Caesar pro m ptly forbade the a ss e m bling o f the Diet at

Nii rnbe rg His command was S lighted ; the Diet sat a n d
.
,

was a ttended by a Papal Ablegate Purely political discus .

sions en s ued ; and the Diet adj ou rn ed before r eaching any

conclusion Then the Ele c tor Albre cht o f B randenberg
.

found it worth his while to form a s trong Caesaria n party ;

and the Elector s O f the papal faction were left in a m inority .

The c ry for Chur c h Reform was r aised The Papa cy was .

th r eatened with what it wa s suppo s ed to dread more tha n

—
a General Coun c il vi z a Pragmati c San ction i e a 1
.
, , . .
,

definite asse r tion O f I mperial Supremacy The Electors kept .

their proceedings se c ret and little n ews was allowed to ,

r ea ch Rome where the cu r ia was determined to r e s i s t in

,

a n y case .

The cry fo r Chu r c h Reform i s a popular o ne The ex .

pr ession o f de s ire for the cultivatio n and con s u m mation o f

the Christia n I deal invariably wins s ympathy I t is perhaps .
, ,

a little un fortunate that the soi di s a n t r e formers o f the -

fi fteenth century attached to the word Re form a base r

meaning than that whi c h it bear s in the twentieth .

Rome had her cham pion ready i n the Lord E n ea Silvio

Bartolomeo de Picco lhu omini Bisho p o f Sie n a to whom , ,

she e n trusted the task O f he r defe n ce ; an d that he might

’
be well a rmed with all authority the Pope s Holines s
-
,

c r eated him Cardi n al Presbyte r o f the Title o f Sa n ta S a

-

1 P ragm at i c S anct i on term

, r i g in w as app l i e d t o
of B y z ant ine o ,

I mpe r i al E di ct s ( T b II p yu é ) c o nt ai n i ng d e c re e s issu e d a s
a
' '
a r uc v

Fund amental Laws T he D e cre e s o f the Council o f B asil ea wer e

.

e m bo di e d i n a P rag m at i c S anct i on by t he D i e t o f M ai n z 143 4 ; bu t ,

at t he C o unc i l o f V i enn a 144 8 m o st o f t he ad vantag e s whi c h i t in

, ,

t end e d to secu re fo r t he C h u rc h i n Ge rman y we re ab and one d .

48 A H I S T ORY O F T H E B ORG I A S
bino NO c ardinal e ver entered the c ollege with greate r
.

di ffi culty than I ; ru s t had s o spread over the hinges ( car

din es spe c i m en O f fi ft e e n th c entury pun ) that the door
,
-

c ould not turn and open Calixtus u s ed battering ram s and

.

”
every kind O f in s trument to for c e it s aid the new Cardi ,

nal o f Siena to the Lord Giovanni Ca s te l leone Bi s hop and ,

Cardinal O f Pavia ( Pii I I E p . The Sac red College

. .

had not forgiven the Lord Ca l ixtu s P P II I for the c rea . .

ti on o f the Cardinal Nephew s ; and it s poli cy wa s to Oppo s e

-

’
God s Vicegerent and all His works Thi s new c reature too .
, ,

was c redited with liberal pro c l ivities ; and the c on s ervati s m

o f the I talian c ardinals wa s up in ar m s The Car dinal o f .

Siena had been S O long a r e s ident in Ger m any that he wa s

looked upon a s more a German than Italian more o f a ,

friend to Cae s ar than to Peter Above all hi s tran s c endent .

,

talent s and ver s atility wer e exce ss ively di s ta s te ful to mere

medio c rity
The adj ourned Diet o f Nurnberg re s umed it s s e ss ion at
F ran k fo rt o n the Main Here it be cam e definitely ho s tile
- - -
.

to Cae s ar ; and by announ c ing it s intention to re s i s t the

,

c olle c tion O f tithe to the Pope al s o It c o m m itted the

, .

s trategi c al error o f uniting it s two enemie s by the bond O f

a S ing l e intere s t The Lord Ca l ixtus P P I I I in s tantly
. . .

appealed to Cae s ar Friedri ch I V o n behal f o f the Cru s ade ;

and S O ended the year o f gra c e 1 4 5 6 .

Let it be c on c eded that Ger m any was aggrieved ; that

there were engage m ents un ful fi l led by Ro m e What then ? .

’
Rom e and a l l the world knew Germany s habit o f C lam
, ,

O u rin g for Re for m wherever S he s aw a C han c e o f being

,

p aid for S i l en c e Ro m e and all the world knew that the s e

.
, ,

c la m our s only or iginated with in s in c ere and venal prelates

and Ele ctors who would be com e O b s equiou s ly du m b o n a

,

s o p being thrown to thei r per s onal intere s t s .

The leader o f the Ele ctors wa s the Lord Han s o f Baden ,

Prin c e Ar chb is hop o f Main z Hi s c han c ellor Martin May r .

, ,

in writing c ongratulations to the Cardinal O f S iena o n hi s

50 H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGIA S
A

in Rome tha n i n Germa n y : when money was O ffered they

naturally took it But the Holy Father mu s t not be blamed
.

for that H e wi s hed to s top the extortions o f his offi cials

. .

He Hi m s el f rec eived n othing but Hi s due Every one thinks .

it a grievan c e to part with money and will think s o always

, .

Bohemia made the same complaint against Germany as

Germany made again s t Rome that money was drained ,

f rom the land : yet Germany owing to her c onnection with

,

the papacy s teadily had grown i n wealth and importance

, ,

and was richer now than at any previou s ti m e de s pite O f ,

her co m plaints To de s c end to per s onal matter s the Cardi

.
,

n al o f Siena thought it very hard that Chan c ellor May r

should Obj e c t to the provi s ion s whi c h had been made in his
favour As poet —
. laureate o f the Em pire and orator o f
Caesar he had lived and laboured in Germany s o long that ,

he now found it hard to be c la s sed as a stranger In c o n .

elu s ion he than k e d the Chan c e ll o r fo r his p ers onal afier of

,

he l p t o r eal is e the s aid p ro vis io n s ; an d w o u l d be gl ad t o

k no w of any e l igibl e be n efic es w hich s ho u l d fal l v acan t .

The sting was i n the tail o f thi s letter I t is evident that

.
,

while Martin Mayr was writing for publi cation hi s pre c ious
list O f grievance s he al s o wa s s ending to the c ardinal i n
,

private a s e c ond letter O ffering hi s o w n servi c e s as r ent

collector In theory he pretended to treat hi s c onne ction
.
,

with the Lord Enea Silvio as having no exi s tence I n p rac .

ti c e he was very anxiou s to be e m ployed a s agent o n co m

,

mis s ion T O s u ch a venal J anu s on l y o n e reply wa s po s sib l e ;

.

and the Cardinal o f Siena exposed the worthle s s in s in c erity

’
o f Ge rmany s s poke s man by answering hi s private and hi s

public letter s together o n the sa m e sheet .

Thi s devi c e as was i ntended p r ovoked a propositio n

, ,

from Chan c ellor M ayr s su p erior the Prince A rchbishop o f

’
,

Mainz ; who s ent his s e c retary to Rome o n the tenth o f

September 14 5 6 with plenary p owers to negotiate with the
, ,

Cardinal o f Siena towards an alliance with the Pope against

’
the Electo r s This r e n egade p r elate s te r ms we r e that he
. ,
 K I N D L I N G O F T H E F I RE
T H E SI
was p r epared to desert the Germa n party o f r e form i f ,

he were conceded the right O f confirming episcopal elec

tions throughout Germany as the price o f hi s treachery ;
a r ight whi c h would enable him to tax candidates fo r
bi s hopric s at hi s will .

The Ca r dinal o f Siena l ashed the P r ince A r chbishop

with cou r teous but stinging pen He r ej oi c ed to hear that .

his High Mighti n es s no longe r cared to be allied with

tho s e malignants who attacked the Holy Father ; but re
g e tte d that he sho u ld as k for that whi c h was a right
r

inhe r ent in the Papacy and which n o n e O f his prede c essors

,

had enj oyed NO bribe no se c ret under s tandi n g wa s meces

.
, ,
’
sary betwee n God s Vi c egerent and His s ubj ec ts All were .

bound to obey H e was sure that the mode s ty o f the Arch

.

bi s hop had been mi s represe n ted by this i m proper r eque s t ,

whi c h he fo r hi s part c ould not dare to lay before a Pope

, ,

s o blameless and S O upright as was the Lord Calixtus .

( Pii I I E p . .

Now that the venal nature O f the c ry for r eform had

been made c lear to all the world the Cardinal O f Siena ,

wrote eloquently and r ea s onably to Caesar Friedri ch I V ,

to the King o f Hungary to the Prin c es and Prelate s o f ,

Ger m any pointing o u t the futility o f quarrelling with the

,

Pope from Whom they derived s o many benefit s ( Pii I I

, . .

E p 3 20 3 44
.
, He al s o expanded hi s lette r to the dis
,

c o m fi t e d Chan c ellor Martin Mayr into a pamphlet c alled D e

ritu s itu
,
co ndi tio n e e t m oribu s G e rm an iae in whi c h he
, , ,

S hewed that Ger m any had re c eived from Rome fa r more

than S he ever had given His wise and i rrefragable r eason .

ing with the diplo m ati c skill O f the papal envoy Lorenzo
,

R o v are ll a made German y pause T O pause was to weaken

, . .

The n came the death O f King Wladislaw O f Hungary o n the

eve o f his mar r iage with Madame Marguerite de Fran c e .

H is dominion s i n Austria Hungary Bohemia were , , ,

claimed by several p r etenders The G erman Power s be .

cam e i n tensely i n te r ested Th e i r atte nti on was diverted .

52 H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGIA S
A
’
from their attempt s to blackmail Chri s t s Vicar And s o the .

end o f the Lord Calixtu s P P II I wa s attained ; the 6 1 15 13

. .

was ave rted without is s ue o f a Prag m atic San ction .

M eanwhile the Cardinal Admi r al was i n the ZE ge an .

B eing n either hero nor enthusia s t he merely crui s ed fro m

pla c e to place making a S how O f a ctivity c apturing a few
, ,

unimportant i s land s from the Mu s lim I nfidel r e l ieving the ,

n e c es s ities o f the Knight s O f Rhode s His sole Obj e ct wa s .

to avoid that j udi c ial inquiry with which the Cardinal

N e phe w s had threatened him ; and hence he S howed him
s el f as but a per fun ctory cru s ader I n fa c t hi s influen c e was
.
,

bad ; for by giving the ZE gean i s lander s the notion that

Ro m e wa s their defender h e lulled them into false se curity
,

and de s troyed thei r sel f relian c e -

.

The plight o f Easter n Christendom be came more hope

le s s O nly the Holine s s O i the Pope o f all the We ster n
.
,

powers took any practical mea s ure s Fran c e promi s ed but

, .
,

failed to keep her word and would n ot p ay the tithe The

, .

Duke o f Burgundy c olle cted the tithe and kept it No r way , .

,

Denmark and Portugal s at s till The Duke o f Milan and

, .

’
the Republic O f Veni c e disregarded the Pope s entreaties .

The Signoria o f Floren c e refu s ed to help Him A few o f .

the I talian baron s tyrant s o f petty fi e fs provided him with

, ,

money and men The Republic o f Genoa was loyal ; and

.
,

in return the s trenuous Lord Calixtus P P I I I p ro

“

. .
, ,

t e ct e d Genoe s e c olonies on the Blac k Sea littoral and ,

c on ferred honours o n her nobles The dark outlook mo

.

m e nt arily wa s lightened by a vi ctory over the Mu s lim fleet ,

in whi c h five and twenty galley s be came a Chri s tian s poil .

I t mu s t be re c orded that it wa s s olely the deter m ination ,

foresight and energy with which the aged Ponti ff in Ro m e

, ,

per s onally directed naval movement s whi c h in s pired His ,

s ail or s to a chieve this triumph Had the Cardinal Ad m iral

.
-

S c aram pi bee n en dowed with the plenary authority whi c h

 K I NDLI NG OF T H E FI RE
T H E 53
he had de s ired very mu ch les s enterpri s ing and succes s ful
,

would have been the poli cy o f the papal fleet .

There can be no doubt but that German c aptiou s ne s s

’
prevented the a c co m pli s hment o f the Pope s de s ign s fo r the
prote ction o f the O riental Chri s tians S k an de rbeg had but
.

a handful O f hu s zars wherewith to Oppo s e the Mu s lim I n

fi de l And there was n o en c ouragement for him ; for the
.

apathy O f Cae s ar and the Powers prevented him from fol

lowing up hi s vi ctories The King O f Nap l es was as a thorn
.

’
in the Pope s eye He had hoped for better things o f His
.

O l d patron who had brought Him to I taly ; and He was

’
bitterly enraged by King Do n Alonso s treachery in send
ing the fleet whi ch though c o n stru cted in the port o f
, ,

Naple s had been paid for with papal gold to carry o n

, ,

a private quarrel with a Chri s tian Power the Republic ,

o f Genoa at the very moment whe n Christendom was in the

,

dire s t peril from the I nfidel .

The forbearan c e o f the Lord C alixtu s P P I I I ended . .

there as fa r as Naples was c on c erned Henceforward He

, .

relentlessly O pposed the policy o f King Do n Alon s o e s pe ,

c ially his s c heme for an allian c e with Milan by whi c h he

hoped to make doubly s ure the su cce ss ion o f the Bastard

Ferrando whose legitimatio n had been r e c ogni s ed by two
,

pre c eding Ponti ffs .

At the beginning o f 1 4 5 8 Gyorgy Po diebrad renounced

,

the Hu s site here s y o n hi s ele ction to the throne o f Bohemia .

Ki n g GyOrgy made no di fficulty about swearing allegiance

t o the Holy See ; and he al s o promi s ed to take the c ro ss o f
the Cru s ade Con s idering that hi s dominion s i m mediately
.

were menaced by the I nfidel hi s poli cy would appear to ,

have been di ctated by reaso ns o f s tate r ather than by

religious zeal .

The Holine s s o f the Pope was co n soled by this a cc es

sion to the thinned ranks o f His a l lies He hoped that the .

exa m ple O f King Gyorgy would be o f good effect to the

Bohemian heretics ; for spiritual matte r s are n ot uninte r es t
54 A H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGIA S
ing to a Ro m an Pontiff It seemed that the o ccasion might .

be u s ed to bring the power s into line ; and He s u mmoned

a congre s s to meet in Ro m e who s e O bj e ct was the Unity ,

o f Chri s tendom Piou s m e n have pur s ued that Obj e ct eve r

sin ce —the religiou s unity In the day s o f the Lord Calix

.

tus P P I II politi cal unity wa s the aim desired and

. .
, ,

striven fo r again in vain

-
, .

’
A fte r the Cru s ade the work n eare s t to the Pope s heart
,
’
was the promotion o f Hi s nephews intere s ts Why He .

should never have done anything for Hi s o wn most c harm

ing son remain s a hi s tori cal m y s tery The elevation to the .

c ardinalate O f Don Lui s Juan de Mi l a y Borj a and O f Don ,

Rodrigo de Lan gol y B orj a already ha s been re corded , .

There was a younger brother o f Cardinal Rodrigo younge r ,

by a year and a hal f Don Pedro Lui s de Lan gol y Borj a , ,

a gorgeou s ly beauti ful sneak and coward to whom the ,

Pope extended the envious admiration that feeble age must

feel fo r youth and s trength ; and for whom nothing had
been done The Lord Calixtu s P P I I I though quite inde
. . .
,

pendent O f the good Opinion o f the Sa c red College did not ,

c au s e a se c ond storm by rai s ing thi s young man al s o to , ,

the p urple He hi m s el f pre ferred a sec ular career and it

.
,

was thought that the hot blood O f Borj a s uited him to

c u t a m il itary figure O n that a cc ount hi s Un cle in the
.
, ,

capa city o f an Italia n de s pot nam ed him Duke O f Spoleto , ,

Gon faloniere O f the Holy Ro m a n Chur ch Ca stellan o f all ,

o o n t ifi c al fortre ss e s and Governor o f the citie s O f Terni

, ,

Narni Todi Riet i O rvieto Spoleto Foligno No c era A S

, , , , , , ,

s i s i A m elia Civita Ca s tellana Nepi and o f the Patrimony

, , , ,

of St Peter in Tu s cany —an extravagan c e O f generosity

.
,

whi ch i s j u s tifiab l e s olely o n the s core o f good will toward s -

His family whi c h a fter long year s an o ctogenarian was

, , ,

ab l e to put into e ffe ct O f c ourse there aro s e the u s ual.

uproar o f protest f r om the Sac red Colleg e led by the ,

 KI NDLI NG OF T H E FI RE
T H E 55
Lord Domeni co Caprani c a Cardinal Pre s byter O f the Title ,
-

o f Santa Croce in G e ru s al e m m e ; and s o m ething akin to a

riot among the citizens o f Ro m e who alway s hated fo r ,

eigner s and e s pecially Catalans For the idea had got abroad
, .

i n Spain that in Ro m e prefer m ent awaited Spaniards and ,

thither they flo c ked to receive the good gi fts whi c h they ,

imagined a Spani s h Pope would have in store Rome was

, .

furious at thi s im m igration ; but Borgia made overtures O f

friend s hip to Colonna and treated the Roman s to a dis
,

play O f Spani s h arrogance A s for the strenuou s Lord

Calixtus P P I I I He announ c ed His defian c e o f public
. .
,

Opinion by installing Don Pedro Lui s de Lan col y Borj a

i n the Pre fe cture O f the City an act whi ch involved the ,

s urrende r into B orj a hand s O f the Mola o f Hadria n o r ,

Ca s tle o f Santangelo the impregnable fortre s s o n Tibe r

,

whi c h dominates Rome Don Pedro Luis was looked u po n .

by O r s ini a s a mortal foe on acc ount o f hi s di s pl a cing Do n

,

G io van t o n io O r s ini in thi s Pre fe cture Thu s the ini m i cal .

relations O f Borj a with O r s ini very naturally qualified them

’
for an allian c e with Colonna in a si m ple age when a man s ,
’
friends were hi s friend s friend s and hi s enemies his ,
’
f r iend s enemies ; and C olonna was the mo s t power ful
house in Rome A n ursery ditty o f the p e r iod will S how i n
.

what esteem Colon n a wa s held :

Che p o ssa av re C inq ue fig l i maschi

e ,

E t t t i q u an t i di C s C l onna
u a a o ,

U o P ap a l l t rdi l
’
n ,
a ro ca na e ,
E d u n o arc i ve s co vo di C o l on i a,
p
E d u n o o ss a ave r tanta o ssan z a p
“
D a l evar l a c o ro n a al re di r anz a F
p
E l al t rO o ss a ave r tanto val o re
’

D a l evar l a co rona all i m e ratore

’
p .

S O fo r
,
a brie f space the Eternal City became absolutely
,

a n appanage o f the House o f Borj a Catalan s p e r vaded the .

s treets e n gaged in robbery and murder The intimidated

, .

Con s e rvators ( equivalen t to a mode rn mu n i cipal cou n cil )

56 A H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
s ervilely thanked the Pope fo r the appoint m e n t o f His
.

nephew and even sugge s ted that Don Pedro Lui s S hould
,

be made King O f Ro m e .

O n the twenty seventh o f June 14 5 8 died King Don

-
, ,

de Alon s o Aragona The Magnani m ou s O f Naple s the Two

, , ,

S ic il ie s and Jeru s alem The Lord Calixtu s P P III at

, . . .

on c e re fu s ed to ac knowledge His quondam pupil the Bas ,

tard Ferrando a s su c ce ss or ; and impetuou s ly threatened

,

to plunge I taly into war by dec laring on Hi s O wn account

,

a claim to the Regno as a fi e f o f the Holy See .

A favourite poli cy O f e ccle s iasti cal per s ons o f all r anks ,

and in all ages appears correctly to be s ummari s ed by

,

Patriz z i in this formula z—A dvance p re te nsi ons an d p r es

’
en tly they wil l be c o m e real itie s The Pope s Holiness de .

s ired to benefit Do n Pedro Lui s I f His claim as su z e r ain .

,

O f the Regn o could be substantiated then He would be able

, ,

to crown Don Pedro Luis as its King I t was a n exten s ive .

and impo r tant domain in c luding the whole o f Souther n

,

I taly the Abru z z i Apulia and Calabria with th e Three

, , , ,

Tongued I s land O f Sicily From a commer cial standpoint

1
.
,
’
the Pope s a ctio n was distinctly smart and bu s ines s like .

And there wa s thi s further consideration — Suppo s ing that

the Ba s tard Ferrando were strong enough to make r e s i s t
an c e at lea s t so m e pa rt O f the Regno woul d have to be
,

sa c rifi c ed a s a c on ce s sio n fo r the sake O f pea c e ; and S O a

fi e f c ould be c reated fo r Don Pedro Luis who i n any c ase , , ,

’
s tood to win Failing the Regno it was the Pope s intention
.
,

s trenuou s ly to pre ss the re conque s t o f Con s tantinople and ,

to c rown Hi s nephew King o f Cypru s and Em peror o f

Byzantium As an ea r ne s t O f His good will He lo s t n o time
.
-

in naming him Lieutenant O f B enevento and T arrac ina

1 —Gr
S ik e l ian ee k—Latin .
5 8 A H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGIAS
brother King Don Jua n o f Navarre : but fo r the c row n
,

o f Naple s and the Sovereignty o f the O rder O f the Stola ,

which his father had founded he was prepared to fight , .

Further i n de fen c e o f his r ight he appealed fro m the

,
‘

Pope to a General Coun cil a s tupid enough pro c eeding -

,

but o n e o f the c u s tom s pe c uliar to aggrieved per s onage s

o f the B o rgian Era I n c identa l ly it may be mentioned that
.
,

the Lord Calixtus P P I II was not the o n ly di s putant o f

. .
,

Don Fe rran do s claim Even sup p osin g that the r ight o f

’
.

King Rén é o f An j ou were s et aside he had a third rival ,

i n the shape O f hi s cou s in Do n Carlos O f Biana so n o f Ki ng ,

D on Jua n O f Navarre .

The Pope knew well that though He might disturb the ,

p eace o f Italy He single handed could not hope t o triumph

, ,
-
,

in a war with Naples ; and He there fore t r ied to win over , ,

Don France s c o S forza Visconti Duke o f Milan who -

, , ,

afte r the Cardinal o f Siena was the greate s t and mo s t fa r ,

seeing state s man o f his time Duke France s co an s wered .

shortly and s harply that the Neapolitan Succe ss ion had

,

bee n settled by the Lord Ni cholas P P V to the s at is fac . .

tion o f all I talian prin c es and that he intended to fight for ,

King Don Ferrando I soone r tha n see his cou ntry deva s
tat e d by c ivil war .

This la s t bitter di s appointme n t cau s ed the collapse o f

’
the Pope s health With the sum m er heat plague appeared
.

i n Rome The Lord Calixtus P P III lay in the throe s

. . .

o f fever ; and O r s ini took up arms again s t all Catalan s i n

O pe n war O f the Pontifi c al Nephews the laym an showed

.

the white feather ; the s talwart cardinal s were staunch .

Don Pedro Lui s de Lan col y Borj a a s Prefe ct o f Rome , ,

s old the Mola O f Hadrian to the Sa c red College fo r two and

twenty thou s and du cat s and fled fro m the city e s corted by ,

hi s Catalan s The Cardinal O f Veni c e helped him to a boat

.

on Tiber by whi ch means owing to the darkne ss o f the

, ,

night he r eached Civita Vecchia in safety having avoided

, ,
 T H E K I N DLI N G O F T H E FIRE 59
Or sini who wat ched for him at the gate s o f Rome On the .

26 th O f S epte m ber says LO S po n dan o suddenly he died

, , .

On e o f th e claims o f th e chu r ch i s that o f a Divine

P r omise o f Her Maintenan c e until the end o f the world It .

i s interesting to the s tudent O f hi story to noti c e that fro m ,

time to time Her re s ponsible authorities comport them

,

selves as though they had no faith in the validity o f that

prediction They s eem to think that it s fulfilment s olely
.

depends upo n their own exertion s The s trange c onvi ction.

o f the nece ss ity o f hi s pre s ent exi s ten c e whi ch i s innate in

,

the ordinary man i s perhaps the explanation o f the e xt rao r

,

dinary expenditure O f energy to avert death to invalidate ,

the mo s t fervent and frequent pro fes s ions O f belief in T he

Li fe O f The World T O Come to consolidate hum an in s ti
,
o

t ut io n s and human plans whi c h Obtain s o n s uch o c ca s ions

,

as the close o f a prelacy o r the end O f a p on tificate I f it .

be true tha t actions speak louder than words then the ,

’
c on fusion attendant on a Pope s death mu s t tell a s orry tale .

O n the S ixth o f Augu s t 14 5 8 the Lord Calixtu s P P I II

, , . .

lay dying in the Vati ca n Rome was in a turmoil C olonna

. .

and O rsini were S harpening thei r swords The bani s hed .

car dinals were hurrying back for the ensuing Con clave .

The four loyal cardinals were fo rtified in their palac e s .

’
On ly the Cardinal Nephews attended at the Pope s bed s ide
-
.

The curious p rivilege which was a ccorded to these la s t ,

at thi s period could not be exerci s ed in the pre s ent case

, .

By the very conditions o f thei r j u n io rity i n the Sacred Col ~

lege added t o the p ower ful influence whi ch they wer e

,

sup p osed to hol d over the r eigning Ponti ff the Cardinal ,

Nephews were the Ob j e cts o f i n tense dislike ( to put i t

mildly ) o n the pa rt o f their colleagues Thei r elevation was.

a n O ffence ; thei r enrichment a matter for envy ; their in

,
~

di ffe r e n ce to opinio n a matter for positive hat r ed The onl y

, .
60 A H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
c on s olation to the other c ardinal s c reature s o f previou s ,

Pontiff s whi c h their S ituation he l d wa s that it mu s t end

, ,

with the demi s e o f their creator When thei r Pontifi cal .

Un c le c ea s ed to live in this world the Cardinal N ephew s

‘

,
-

sank at on c e to their proper pla c e i n the Sac red College .

Under the s e C ir c um s tances the said Cardina l Nephews,

-

were u s ed to make thei r hay while yet the s u n wa s shining ,

to avail them s elves O f thei r opportunitie s for se curing a

sati s fa ctory future a s j unior c ardinal s by the a c qui s ition
, ,

o f property real e s tate be n e fi c e s j ewels o r money at the

, , , , ,

plea s ure o f the Pope And whe n their time wa s drawing

.

n ear it s close when their Augu s t Un c le wa s entering Hi s

,

la s t agony it wa s the c u s tom for the Cardinal Nephew s to

,
-

plunder the apostolic palace O f any valuables whi ch already

had not pa ss ed into their hands Thi s privilege was their .

’
la s t chance ; for at the instant o f the Ponti ff s death the
, ,

Cardinal Chamberlai n assume s p o s ses s ion as representative

-

o f the c uria ; a n d in an age when s el f aggrandisement wa s

,
-

not le ss a ruling pas s ion than at the pre s ent hour the p rac ,

ti c e wa s at least co nn ive d at o n the principle that every

'

dog s hould be allowed to have it s day .

But o n the pre s ent oc ca s ion there wa s n o plundering by

, ,

the Cardinal Nephews The fury O f the Romans again s t

-
.

a l l Spaniards made it expedient for them to avoid the ri s k

o f a j ourney a c ro ss the City to their pala c e en c u m bered
,

by the mules whi c h bore their spoil s Thi s would s eem to .

be the human explanation o f their presen c e in the Vatican ,

while the O r s ini fa ction made havo c o f the Catalan s and ,

de s poiled all who bore arm s in the Borgo o r po nt ifi cal

Region o f Rome .

The learned Dr Creighton ha s well said that men o f

.

de c ided O pinion s and e m inent ability who c o m e to thei r

ower late in li fe s pend the a c cumulated pa ss ion o f a li fe
p ,
 T H EK I N DLI NG OF T H E FI RE 61
time in the a cc o m pli s h m ent o f long c herished de s ire s The .

Lord Calixtu s P P III would c ome into that c ategory

. . .

Tho u gh He was unenthu s ia s tic regarding the Rena s c en c e

O f Letter s and the Art s and checked the tremendou s ,

s cheme s o f His p redece ss or yet He wa s by no m ean s in ,

attentive to the duties involved by Hi s po s ition He re s tored .

the pala c e and chur ch o f Santi Quattro Coronati be c au s e ,

He had o ccupied them during H is c ardinalate H e improved .

the c hurc h o f San S abas tian o ex tra m u ro s above the Cata

co m b O f San Calixto in honour O f the s aint from who m
,

He took Hi s papal name He repai r ed the chur ch o f Santa .

Pri s ca and bega n the new roo f o f the Liberian Basilica

,

o n the E s quiline He em ployed the painter s who did not

.
,

leave Ro m e o n His ele ction in painting banners for the ,

Cru s ade The Vatican s chool o f ar r as weaver s founded

.
-
,

by the Lord Ni c hola s P P V wa s continued and flouri s hed

. .
, ,

ex ceedingly unde r Hi s benevolence H e c reated nine cardi .

n al s in the cour s e o f Hi s S hort p o n t ifi c at e The Porporati .

o f the Con s i s tory o f the twentieth O f February 1 4 5 6 were , ,

na m ed on p 40 At the Con s istory at Chri s tma s the same

. .

year He elevated to the purple

,

The lord Rainaldo Pis cis ce l l o the virtuous and ,

learned Ar chbi s hop O f Naple s a s Cardinal Pres ,

-

hyter o f the Title o f Sant a Ce cilia :

Do n Juan de Mella brother o f the c elebrated ,
’
Franci s can Frat Alon s o de Me l la and a noble o f ,

Spain Auditor o f the Ruota to the Lord Martin

,

P P I I I a s Cardinal Pre s byter O f the Title o f

. .
,
-

’
Sant Aquila e Santa Pris c a :
The Lord Giovan n i Ca s telleone patrician o f ,

Milan Legate to Cae s ar Friedri c h IV and Bi s hop

, ,

o f Pavia as Cardinal Pre s byter O f the Title o f

,
-

San Clemente :
62 A H I ST ORY OF TH E BORGIA S
The Lord Gia c omo di Colle s cipoli T e obal di a ,

Rom an citi z en a s Cardinal Pre s byter o f the Title

,
-

o f Santa Anasta s ia :
1

The Lord Ri chart de Longueil O livier Bi s hop o f ,

Con s tance Ar chprie s t o f the Va ti c a n Ba s ilica

, ,

o n e o f the j udge s at the Rehabi l itation o f Ma

dame Je hann e de Li s the Maid O f O rlean s a s , ,

’
Cardinal Pre s byter O f the Title o f Sant Eu s ebio
-

’
The Lord Enea Silvio B artolom eo de Picc o lhu o
mini a s Cardinal Presbyter O f the Title o f Santa
,
-

Sabina .

The Lord Calixtu s P P I I I ha s no S hare in the evil

. .

r eputation whi c h ha s been c a s t upon Hi s Hou s e The wor s t .

that ha s been s aid O f H im i s that H e was ob s tinate irri , ,

table a n d in s pired no a ffe ction They were di s appointed

,
.

’
suitors who S O s poke The Pope s Ho l ine ss u s ed Him s el f
.

ever gently t o the poo r and needy who found i n Him 3 , .

good samaritan His benefaction s to the ho s pital o f S an tO

.

Spirito have been recorded I n His will He le ft five thou .

sa n d du cats to found a ho s pital in His cardinalitial pala c e

O f Santo Quatt ro Coronati His private li fe was o ne o f .

rigid piety s imple s t habit s apo s tolic fervour H e left o n e

, , .

hundred and fi fty thou s and du cats in the Pontifical Trea s

u ry which H e had collected for the Holy War
,
.

But the whole force O f His r esource ful and maste r ful
character was con c entrated upo n the Crusade and the ,

s ettleme n t in li fe o f His beloved nephews O n those two .

p oint s He would brook no oppositio n W ith the violent im .

p e tu o s ity O f age O f Spanish blood He was inflexible

, , ,

o verbearing in c on s iderate o n all matters co nn ected with

, ,

1 N o te his e p it ap h i n the C h urch o f S anta M ar i a s opra M ine rva ,

r ec o rde d by Gi accon i .

Cardineo D ivu s H ono re D ecoravit Calixtu s

“
.

O bv i o u sly the fi f t eenth centu r y u s e d D i vu s as T ac i tus als o u se d

“ ”

i t o f J u li u s an d A u gu stus ; an d as the twent i eth c entu r y wou ld say

“
t he l at e
 K I N DL I N G O F T H E F I RE
T H E 63
these p r oj e cts All the ardour and all the zeal whi ch H e
.
, ,

devoted to the delivery o f Chri s tendom from the Mu s lim

I nfidel wa s doomed to fail The Musli m I nfidel de fil e s
, .

Constantinop l e now B ut His dealings with H is n ephews

.

pr oduced more permanent r esult s .

“
Y et it mu s t alway s be a n honour to the Papacy that i n ,

a great cri s is o f European a ffairs it a ss e rted the i m por ,

tan c e o f a policy whi c h was fo r the inte r est O f Europe a s a

whole Calixtus and hi s s uccessor de s erve as state s men
.
1
, ,

c redit whi c h c an be given to no other politi c ian s o f the time .

The Pa p a cy by s um m oning Chri s tendom to defend the lim

,

its o f Chri s tian civili s atio n against the a s saults o f

heatheni s m was worthily di s chargi n g the chief secular
,
”
duty O f the Offi ce ( Creighton ) . .

The Lord Calixtus P P III died o n t he sixth O f Augu s t

. .

14 5 8 i n the fourth year o f His reig n ; and w as buried by

,

four prie s t s i n the c rypt O f the old Basilica O f St Peter by .

-

the Vatican
-
.

1 T he Lo r d P i u s P P II . .
( Ene a S il vi o ) .
 K I NDL I NG
IT has bee n said that the j unior bran ch o f the House o f
Borj a ( whi ch originated in Don Ri c ardo de Borj a S e cond ,

s o n o f D o n Pedro Count O f Aybar Lord o f Borj a w ho

, , ,

died in e m igrated to the kingdom O f Naple s where ,

it be c am e n aturali s ed and so ftened it s nam e to the I talian

,

Borgi a Fro m Don Fortunio the s on o f the a fore s aid Don

.
,

Ricardo de s cend s Don Rodrigo who had two s o n s

,

’
( a ) Don Ro m ano Borgia Monk o f Vall O m bro s a ,

and B i s hop O f V e n afri A D 1 3 00 ( R ic chi ),

. . .

(3 ) Don X i m ene s Borgia Captain in the Ar m

,
y o f
Naple s who s e s on Don Antonio Borgia mar
, , ,

ried Madonna Giro l ama R u ffo l a O f Naple s and ,

had i ss ue :
( a ) Don Ni c c olo B orgia fam iliar o f King Don ,

Alon s o I The M agnani m ou s Regent O f

, ,

Velletri 14 1 7 married the Noble Madonn a

, ,

Giovanna Lam berti o f Naple s and had ,

i ss u e
Don Girolamo B orgia ( detto Seniore )
Reverting to the Senior B ran ch :

The career o f Don Fran ci s c o de B orj a ba s tard o f ,

Bi s hop A l on s o de B orj a o f Va l en c ia ( afterward s the Lord

Calixtu s P P I II ) i s an un s olved m y s tery from hi s birth
. .
,

in 1 44 1 unti l 1 49 7 .

O f the five c h ildren o f Do ha Juana de B orj a by her hu s

band Don Jo fre de Lan co l :
Do a Fran c i s ca married Don X i m enez Perez de
( )
a h
Arena s
66 A H I STORY OF T H E B ORGIA S
His position was a precarious o n e ; and it i s per fe ctly
amazing that he was not for c ed to follow his c ou s in the ,

Cardinal de Mila into permanent retirement That he was

, .

able n ot only to remain i n Rome but to carve out fo r him

,

s el f a unique caree r there u n doubtedly i s due to tho s e

,

superb talent s and alert vigo r O f c hara cte r which have made
him such a prominent figure in hi s tory .

He had only two friends in Rome the Cardinal Enea ,

Silvio o f Siena and the Cardinal Archdea co n Pro s pero

.
-

Colonna Quite unmoved by the hatred o f the othe r Purpled

.

O nes he entered the Con clave O f 14 5 8 f or the election o f

,

the n ew Pope with no s u ch stupid thing a s a pla n o f actio n ;

,

but with a determinatio n to comport himsel f S O acc ording ,

as opportunities arose as to improve hi s po s ition and hi s

,

p ro s pe cts It wa s impo ss ible to know be forehand what

.

steps he would have to take : he could be guided only by

c ircumstan c e s To a young man o f su ch te m per the gods
.

s end opportunitie s There arrived a deadlo ck in the Con

.

clave ; a n d o f tha t deadlock Ca r di n al Rodrigo seized the

k ey .

The r e a r e five ways by which a Pope may be elected :

By Compromis e whe n the cardinals appoint a

committee o f themselves with power to n ame the
Pope :
By I n s pi r atio n —ie whe n a n umbe r O f c a r dinals
.
,

p ut them s elves to shout the na m e o f some cardinal ,

”
as The Cardinal Prio r Pre s byter i s Pope
- - or ,

“
The Cardinal Archdeaco n is Po p e
-
by which
method O f s houting othe r voi ces a r e attra cted and ,

the minimum ma j o r ity ( o f two thi r ds p lus one ) -

attained
By A do r atio n whe n the minimum ma j ority
( o f two thirds p lus o ne ) O f the ca r di n als go a n d
-

ado r e a ce r tai n car di nal :

 KI NDLI N G OF T H E FI RE
T H E 67
By S c rutiny whe n ea c h c ar dinal S e c retly t e
cord s a vote :
By Acces s ion whe n the s crutiny havi n g failed ,

to give the mini m um maj ority ( O f two third s plus -

o n e ) to any cardinal the opponents O f that cardi,

n al whose tally i s the highe s t shall accede to him

, , .

In the Conclave o f 14 5 8 the method O f Compromise was

n ot u s ed and no c ardinals were moved to pro c eed by In
,

spiration o r to Adoration Votes were taken by the Sc r utiny

.
,

which r evealed a n extraordinary state O f things The .

’
French Cardinal d E s t o u tevil l e had a certain n umbe r o f
vote s ; the Cardinal Enea Silvio o f Siena had a highe r
n umber ; but neithe r had the minimu m maj ority The cardi .

n al s s at upo n thei r green o r purple throne s beneath thei r ,

gree n o r purple ca n opie s wat c hing and waiting for a S ign

, .

The n the young Cardinal Vicechancellor Rodrigo de -

“
Lan co l y Borj a ro s e up and proclai m ed : I a c cede to the
”
Lord Cardinal o f Siena Hi s f riend a n d ally the Cardi
.
,
“
n al Archdea c on Pro s pero Colonna followed him : I ac ,
”
cede to the Lord Cardinal O f Siena Cardinal T e o bal di .
,
“
who as a Roman c iti z en followed Colonna said also : I
, , ,
”
ac c ede to the Lord Cardinal o f Siena The three lowered .

thei r green and purple canopies They were in the pre s en c e .

o f the Pope in Whom all authority resides before Who m

, ,

n one may remain c overed The minimu m maj ority had been
.

’
attained The Lord Enea Silvio Bartolomeo de Picc ol
.

“ ’
hu o m in i s ometi m e Cae s ar s ambassador in the horrible
,
”
and ultimate B ritain s ( Scotland ) s ometime poet laureate ,
-
,

n oveli s t ,
hi s torian bi s hop and cardinal had beco m e the
, , ,

Lo r d Pius P P II . . .

By thi s act whi c h pra cti c ally gave the proud triregno
,

to hi s f r iend the Cardinal Vi c e c hancellor put him s el f into

,
-

high favour with the new Ponti ff Who s e en chanting tem ,

pe ram en t delighted in the brilliance and aptitude o f the

Borgia a n d made his future the Ob j e ct o f especial interest
,
.
68 A H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
Material s for the hi s tory O f Cardinal Rodrigo during
this reign are but s canty in the ab s en c e o f opportunities for
,

original re s ear c h I n 14 5 9 he went a ho l iday m aking with

.
,
- -

the Lord Piu s o n a triu m phal progre ss through

Floren c e ; where the Holy Father chatted with a lovely boy

o f s eve n years c alled Leonardo da Vin c i
,
bastard o f a ,

Florentine notary and a c ontadina They vi s ited Siena ; and .

’
C o rs ign an o where the Pope s Holiness wa s born which
, ,

H e was plea s ed to rename Pien z a in honour O f Hi s papal ,

name and to build there a cathedral an epi s c opal palace

, , ,

and the Picco l hu om in i palac e for Hi s O wn fam ily o n the

three side s o f the publi c s quare By way O f S howing Hi s .

co n fidence i n the Vicechan c ellor Cardin al A rchde aco n - ~

( A r chdea co n vice Ca r dinal Pro s pero Colonna ) perhaps , ,

also to curb with useful employme n t the exuberan c e o f

, , ,

m anlihood whi ch had been giving eviden c e o f revolt agains t

the convenances the Lord Piu s P P I I le ft the s uperintend
, . .

ence O f these building s in the hands O f Cardinal Rodrigo ,

who has not s c rupled to ador n their fa cades with the

armorials O f the Hou s e O f Borgia O r a bu ll p as s an t gu l es .
,

an a fi el d fl o ry v er t wi thin a bo rdu re gu l es s em e e of flam

’

m el s , or .

Vicechancello r Cardinal Ar chdeaco n Rodrigo had lived

- -

the li fe o f a gallant hand s ome prin c e and man o f the world

o f the fi fteenth c entury in no wi s e differing from hi s anti
,

type O f the twentieth The Renascen c e had brought about

.

a n age whe n sensuousne s s deg enerati n g into se n sualis m

was found in prominent places I t is diffi cult to s e e what .

“
else was to be expected Y e c an not serve God and Mam.

”
mon Learning and art essentially r adi cally and n e ces
.
, , ,

s aril y are antagoni s tic to Christianity hard though that ,

’
saying may be found Toward s them the Church s policy
.

“
always has bee n a policy o f c ompromise Y o u may lea rn .

the wisdom o f the world but yo u may n ot learn all S he , ,

says ; trying to serve God palter ing the while with Mam ,

“ ”
mo n ; Nudus Nudum Christ um s eque n s we n t Beato
,
70 A H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
should approach his ta s k He will read all and h ea r all sides
.
, ,

and form hi s o wn con clu s ion whi ch at be s t mu s t be a , , ,

faulty one until the se c rets O f all hearts are known

, .

The Vi ce c han c ell or Cardinal Ar chdeacon wa s a human

- -

being I f he were a s Ga s par V e ro n en s is describes him at

.
,
“
a later date a c o m ely m an o f C heer ful c ountenan c e and
, ,

honeyed di s course who gains the a ffe ctions o f all the

,

wo m e n he ad m ires and attracts them as the load s tone at

,
”
tra cts iron what mu s t he have been i n the glow o f his
,

superb youth ? Thi s i s not by any means a suitable r eputa

tio n for a c hur ch m an ; an d only its non S ingularity prevent s -

it from being a di s grac eful one Viewed f rom a theologi cal .

’
s tand point Cardinal Rodrigo s carnal lu s t s are O f c our s e
-
, , ,

wholly indefensible : but thi s work is an atte m pt at the

s tudy o f certai n human being s prominent in hi s tory ; and
not a theologi cal treati s e nor an act O f the adv o catus
“
dia bol i The Lord Piu s P P II ha s s aid
. I f there are good
. .
,

rea s on s for enj oining c eliba cy O f the clergy there are bet ,

te r and stronge r argument s for in s i s ting o n their mar

”
riage ; and that Supreme Ponti f f was fa r and away the
wi s e s t and mo s t Ob s erving man o f His O w n ( o r pe r haps o f
any ) ti m e .

Therefore it i s sugge s ted that knowing o f the p roclivi

, ,

tie s o f Cardinal Rodrigo being in truth his firm friend , ,

de s irous that he S hould live up t o the O bligations o f hi s

’
rank and above all actuated by a sen s e o f duty as Chri s t s
, , ,
’
Vica r the Pope s Holiness s et him to supervise the build
ing s at Pienza—to keep him out o f mischief
,

I n 1460 wa s born Don Pedro Lui s de Bor j a bastard o f ,

the said Cardinal A rc hdea co n and a s pin s ter ( s oluta )

-
.

The child was openly a cknowledged and honourably reared .

About thi s time the Lord Pius P P I I wrote a letter t o . .

,

r emonstrate with Cardinal Rodrigo and with the Lord

Gia copo Ammanati Cardinal Pre s byter O f the Title o f Sa n
,
-

C riso go n o con cerning thei r divergence s from e c c le s ia s tical

,

discipline It is a genial a n d p ate rn al letter i n which frank

.
,
 T H E KI NDLI NG OF T H E FI RE 7 1

hatred o f S in i s di s played with a ffe ction fo r the sinne r s .

Cardinal Rodrigo r eplied c orre cting some mi s s tateme nts

,
-

’
o f fac t : but that the Pope s Holiness was n ot satisfied
, ,

appears from a se c ond letter o f a firm e r and more adm on i

tory n ature Much has bee n made o f this c orrespondence by
.

some writers whose po s e is to think ungenerou s ly o f

,

ecclesia s tics I t S hould be n oted howeve r that the Lord

.
, ,

Pius P P I I took exception to ce rtain long vi s its which

. .

those cardi n als pai d to ladi es O f thei r a c quaintance a n d to ,

n othing more Apparently there was n othing more o f whi ch

.

’
to complain ; and the fact that the Pope s Holiness S hould
deem the s e vi s it s to be indi s c retions on the part o f ecclesias
ti c s goes to p rove rathe r the extreme and strict soli c itude
,

o f the Holy Fathe r fo r the spiritual wel fare O f hi s flock ,

tha n any dissolute conduct o f the two cardinal s But the .

defamers o f Cardinal Rodrigo misrepre s ent the said visits

in the wor s t po ss ible light as n octurnal orgies and de
,

baucherie s and long night visits Obviou s ly would constitute

a grave and serious s candal The mi s repre s entatio n very
.

like l y i s due to carele s s ign orance The fact is that t he Italia n

.
,

method o f computing time in the fi fteenth c e n tury i s dece p

tive to the superficial stude n t Something is k n own o f the.

’
dials O f Italy whi c h count the hours up to 24 O clock ; and
when it i s s aid that C a r dinal Rodrigo paid vi s its to ladies
“ ”
i n thei r gardens f r om the 1 7th to the 22n d hour instantly ,

cynical carele ss ness p redicates n o ctu rn al o rgies But whe n .

it is understood that in the fi fteenth century the first hou r

, ,

began at hal f an hou r a fte r su n set and that the vi s it s took ,

plac e in time O f s umme r it will be reali s ed that Cardinal

,

Rodrigo simply wen t to the mid day dinner and left his -
,

friends an hour and a hal f before sun s et : which may hav e

bee n indi s c reet but ce r tainly was n ot es s entially c r iminal
, ,

as s ome would have us believe But when the carele s s o r .

wil ful c alu m niator s et s o u t to ruin a reputation he fi nds ,

it an ea s y thing to twist a fault into a crime .

The Vi cechan cello r C ar dinal A r chdeaco n i s r ecorded to

- -
72 H I S T ORY O F T H E B ORGIA S
A

have a s toni s hed Rome with the s plendour o f the ar m s ‘

adorning the out s ide o f hi s palace o n the Fe s tival o f Corpus

Domini 146 1 The building s at Pien z a o c cupied him
, .

through 1462 O f 1463 there is n o hi s tory with which he

.

is c onnec ted .

“
I n 1 464 a n aged man with head o f s n o w and tremblin g ,
”
limbs took the rose red cro ss i n the Ba s ilica o f St Peter
,
-
.

at Ro m e This was no other tha n the Sovereign Ponti ff

.
,

the Lord Pius P P I I unique i n all hi s to ry Who a s an . .

, , ,

example to the apatheti c potentates o f Chri s tendom went , ,

dying as H e wa s a cru s ader again s t the Mu s lim I nfidel, .

Cardinal Rodrigo wa s i n attendan c e upon His Holine ss i n

that terrible j ourney in par ching summer heat acros s I taly
to the Adriatic ; where while waiting for the fleet at A n , ,

c ona i n Augu s t the Lord Piu s P P I I died Cardinal R O

, , . . .

drigo s tri cken by fever there unable to r eturn to Rome fo r

, ,

the Con c lave wa s obliged to forego hi s o fficial privilege as

,

Cardinal Ar c hdea c on the c rowning o f the Lord Paul P P

-
, . .

I I on the s ixteenth o f Septe m ber .

Thi s Ponti ff ( lately the Lord Pietro Ba rbo Ca r dinal o f ,

Veni c e ) wi s hed o n Hi s ele ctio n to take the n ame For

, ,

m o m s i n allu s ion to Hi s hand s ome person I t was a na iv e

, .

age whe n me n hid neither their vices n o r their vi rtue s ;

,

and the story po ss ibly may be true : but it is very likely to

be one o f the spite ful little di s tortions O f motive which ,

ecc le s ia s ti c s O f all ages are wont to as c ribe to ea ch othe r .

The Pope s after the fir s t S ix c enturie s have neve r s how n

, ,

much originality in choosing Thei r p ontifi cal names an d ,

generally fall ba ck upon the n ame o f o n e o f Their imme

diate prede c e ss ors At present the c hanges are r ung upon .

Piu s Leo and Gregory ; the fi fteenth centu ry had a wide r

, ,

range : but many o f the lovely o l d name s s uch as Ana cletu s , ,

Fabian Felix Silve s ter Hadrian Victor Evari s tus wer e

, , , , , ,

buried in O b l ivion I t i s far m ore kind to s uppo s e that th e

.

Lord Cardinal o f Veni c e had the idea o f reviving the b eau !

ti ful n am e O f t he Lord Fo r mosus P P W ho r ei g ned f r om . .

,
74 H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGIA S
A

t o the rank o f Cardinal Bi s hop o f Albano o n e O f the s even

-
,

s u b urban s ees
-
He c ontinued to hold the Vi c e c han c ellor
.

S hip ; and in thi s capa city he built for him s el f in Rome

, ,

a palac e o n Banchi Ve cchi whi c h even i n that sumptuous , ,

epo c h ex c ited extravagant ad m iration A little le ss tha n

, .

a third O f it is n ow the huge Palaz z o S forza Ce s arin i o n -

Piaz z a S forza Cesarina nearly O ppo s ite to the O ratory

-
, ,

c alled Chie s a Nuova Sin c e the u n ification o f Italy in 1 8 0

.
7 ,

a n ew wide street ( Corso V itto rem anu e l e ) has bee n driven

through the C ity n e c e s sitating the demolition o f more than
,

’
two third s o f Cardinal Rodrigo s building and the co n
-
,

s t r u ctio n o f an undi s tingui s hed modern fa cade o n the mod

ern s treet : but the remaining c ourt s who s e frontage i s still ,

o n B an c hi Ve cc hi are more or le ss i n s ta tu q u a The hi s tory

, .

o f the pa ss ing O f thi s pala c e into the hand s O f S forza

C e s arin i belongs t o a later page .

O n the twenty third o f De c ember 1 47 1 Cardinal R O

-
, ,

drigo was s ent a s Legate a l ate re to Spain to preac h a n e w ,

Cru s ade again s t the Mu s lim I nfidel I t is a curious thing .

that while he was unpopular in Italy o n a ccount o f hi s

Spanish origin he was unpopular al s o in Spain where they
,

c on s idered him an Italian ; a most ridiculou s c on fusion ,

for Do n Rodrigo de Lan eol y Borj a was a p ure Spaniard

by birth de s c ent a s pect chara cter tastes and habit and s o
, , , , , ,
’
c ontinued until hi s li fe s end in no way influen c ed o r modi ,

fi e d by his long re s iden c e in I taly During his ab s ence the .

,

Lord X y s tus P P IV built the Xys t in e Chapel o f the Vati

. .

c an ; and c alled to Rome from the garden s at Flo r en c e o f

,

’
Loren z o de Medi ci hi s patron the viva c ious and bizarre
Me ss er A le ss andro Fil ipe pi ( n i cknamed Botti c elli ) won ,

dro u s pupil o f Fra Lippo Lippi o f Ma s ac cio o f Beato Gio , ,

v an ge l ic o da Fiesole to de c orate it s walls with fre s c oe s i n

,

t e m p era the colours O f whi c h are mixed with the yelk s o f

,

c ountry laid eggs for the deeper tints and o f town laid eggs
-
,
-

for the pale r tints ac co r ding to the r ule s o f Me s ser Cen

,
 KI NDLI N G OF T H E FIRE
T H E 75
nino C e n n in i who wrote i n 14 3 7 I n 14 7 1 the bronze an
.

tique known as I l S pinaria wa s found on the Capitol

, , .

About thi s time the Lord Rodrigo de Lan gol y Borj a ,

now Cardina l Bi s hop o f Porto Vi ce c hancellor o f the Holy

-
,

Ro m an Chur c h and o f the age o f three and forty years

, ,
’
maintained irregular relations with Madonna Giovanna de
C atan e i a Ro m a n lady born the thirteenth o f July 1 44 2
, , , ,

and o f the age o f thirty two year s wi fe to one Don Giorgi o

-
,

de l la Cro c e Whethe r her hu s band wa s u s ed to trade in hi s

.

’
wi fe s favours ( like the c riminal who a s late as 1 780 , ,

was mar c hed through Rome wearing a pa s teboard mitre

labelled c o rn u to v o l u ntario c o n te n ta ) i s a matter fo r co n
,

j e ctu re But in 1474 Madonna Giovanna gave bi rth to a s o n

.
, , ,

Do n Ce s are who i s called Borgia ; and it i s claimed that

,

Cardinal Rod rigo was hi s fathe r As far as hi s torical re .

s ear c h ha s gone n o eviden c e has been found to prove that

,

Cardinal Rodrigo ever directly denied paternity ; and as he ,

wa s undoubtedly deeply in love with Madonna Giovanna ,

and intimate with her during ten sub s equent years it i s ,

probable that his r eti cence wa s actuated by kindly feelings .

But there i s a very strong su s picion that another c ardinal in ,

eve ry way the notoriou s and li fe long rival o f Cardinal -

Rodrigo was the fathe r o f thi s child ; and ma n y my s terious

,

hi s torical incon s isten c ie s would be explained by the estab

l ishm e n t O f the truth O f this suspicio n Howeve r for the .
,

p r esent merely the birth i n 1474 O f Don Cesare ( detto

,

Borgia ) i s recorded and the questio n o f his pate rn ity will

,

be examined at a prope r place .

’
I n 147 5 Madon n a Giovanna de Catan eri bo r e to C ardi n al ,

Rodrigo Don Juan Francisco de Bor j a t o whom ( afte r

, ,

the death i n 148 1 o f Do n Pedro Lui s de B or j a ) hi s fathe r

eve r gave the honours and the a ffe ctio n which are due to
a n elde s t s o n and hei r This is the mo s t impo rtan t ci rcum
.

’
s tan t ial evidence against Do n Cesare s right to the n ame

o f Borgia .

In Janua ry O f the same yea r Ca r di n al Rodrigo was ,

76 A H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
de p uted with a nephew o f the Lord X y s tu s P P I V on e
, . .
,

Cardinal Giu l iano della Rovere who a s a lad had peddled , , ,

onions in a boat between A rbis ol a and Genoa to wel co m e ,

King Don Ferrando I O f Naples at Terracina o n the ,

o cca s io n o f hi s state vi s it to the Holy See Three day s later

-
.
,

Cardinal Rodrigo said mass for his Maj e s ty at San Paol o

’
e x tra m u ro s when the king was leaving for C o l o n n a s fi e f

at Marino where Engli s h envoys f rom King Edward I V

,

Plantagenet who had j u s t c on ferred the Mo s t Noble

,

O rder o f the Garte r upon Duke France s c o S for z a Vi s conti -

o f Milan were waiting with a similar attention for the

,

King o f Naples .

O n the tenth O f June 1476 the plague appeared in , ,

Rome and the Lord X y s tus P P I V attended by Cardinal

, . .
,

Rodrigo removed His court to Vite rbo where coole r air

, ,

le ss ened the danger o f contagion .

In 1 478 was the hideous Con s pira c y o f the Paz z i at

Floren c e whi c h created no sma l l s tir in all I taly Al s o in
, .

’
this year Madonna Giovanna de Cat an ei bore to Cardinal ,

Rodrigo Madonna Lu c rezia Borgia

, .

“
O n the first o f O ctober 1480 X y s tus Bi s hop Servant , , , ,

o f the servants o f God to Hi s beloved s on Cesare ( de

,
” “
Borj a ) a s cholar o f the age O f s ix year s sent greeting
, ,

an d the Apo s tolic B enediction and di s pen s ed him fro m ,

the n e c e ss ity o f proving the legitima cy o f his birth ; a rule

whi c h must be Ob s erved ( in the absen c e O f a di s pensation )
by whoeve r shall wish t o become eligible fo r e cclesiastical
be n e fice s .

In died Don Pedro Luis de Bor j a the elde s t bastard

148 1 ,

o f the Vi c e c hancellor Cardinal Rodrigo He was o f the

-
.

age o f twenty one years and betrothed to a mere C hild

-
, ,

the Prin ce ss Do ha Maria de Aragona Al s o in 148 1 Ma .

, ,

’
donna Giovanna de C atanei bore to Cardinal Rodrigo , ,

Don G io ffre do Borgia .

O n the twenty fourth o f January 1 482 Madonna Gir o

-
, ,

lama Borgia ba s tard O f the Vicechancellor Cardinal by an

,
-
78 A H I STORY OF T H E B ORGIAS
Rodrigo only o n e thing i n all the world r e m ained for him
,

t o do He deliberately set hi m sel f to c apture the triregno

. .

There is no chronicle o f hi s history during the eight

’
year s r eig n O f the Lord I nno c ent P P V II I Evidently he . . .

withdre w him s el f from the p ublic li fe O f the curia f ro m ,

the s plendour O f legation s to nur s e his r evenues t o ingra

, ,

t iate himsel f with tho s e who in the n ext Con c lave would , ,

have the c rowning o r the c rushing o f his hope s W ith the .

wisdom o f the serpent and the harmle s sne s s O f the dove he

was to build hi s hou s e : but fir s t like the p r udent man he
, , ,

counted the c o s t Cardinal Rodrigo was fa r too poli s hed a

.

diplomati s t far too keen a man O f bu s ines s to neglect long

, ,

and meti culous pr eparatio n H e p er fectly knew his cen

tury—indeed as a n organi s er he would have bee n illu s
.

, ,

t rio u s in any c entury and with wi s est ge n eralship he , ,

made r eady hi s for c es again s t the striking o f the hour for

action The smoothne s s with whi ch the machinery r an in the
.

Conclave o f 149 2 makes it plain to the lea s t experienced

, ,

student O f hu m an affairs that a ma s ter mind had designed

,
-

the gear to en s ure a minimum O f frictio n and an exact

,

p er forman c e .

In September 1484 the Lord I nno c ent P P V I I I n amed . .

Don Ce s are ( detto Bo r gia ) who was now O f the age o f,

te n years Trea s ure r O f the Cathedral o f Ca rtagena

,

( Carthago Nova ) .

In 148 5 the yea r O f the sup p osed murde r in England o f

,

Ki n g Edward V Plantagenet and O f his brother Duk e

Ri cha r d o f Y ork there died in Rome Do n Giorgio della
,
’
Cro c e hu s band o f Madonna Giovanna de C atan e i On
,
.

the seventh o f June 1486 S he mar r ied D on Carlo de Canale ,

a noble O f Mantua and from thi s time her irregular r ela

,

tion s with Cardinal Rodrigo cea s ed In a n a g e whe n trade .

was not c onsidered di s grace ful except for patri c ians when , ,
 T H E KI NDL I N G OF T H E F I RE 79
even the greate s t arti s t s kept S hop s ( not s tudios by way o f
c o m pro m i s e but regular s hops bo tteghe like the black
, , ,

smiths o r the cobbler s ) it is not S hocking to know that

,

Madonna Giovanna owned an in n i n the Region o f Ponte .

Thi s does n o t mea n that s he per formed the dutie s o f a

female boni fac e She was a very great lady bien vue in
.
,
-

Roma n s ociety with a lovely villa near San Pietro ad

,

Vin cu l a but s he c ertainly drew a c o m fortable income from

the Lion I nn ( Albergo di Leone ) O ppo s ite the T o rdin o n a
, ,

i n the Via del O rso which wa s then a s treet O f inn s fo r

,

foreigner s The T o rdin o n a from who s e upper window

.
,

dangled a per m anent and generally tenanted noo s e for evil

doers has now di s appeared : but the cavernous ce l lar s O f
,

the Lion I n n for m erly filled with wine o n whi c h by

, ,

p o nt ific al favou r no tax wa s levied r emain exa c tly a s they

, ,
’
were when the Spani s h c ardinal s mi s tre s s wa s thei r owner .

’
Deprived o f the s ociety o f Madonna Giovann a de Ca
ta n ei Cardinal Rodrigo i n the fi fty fi ft h year o f hi s age
, ,
-
,

amu s ed hi m s el f with the high born maiden Madonna -

Giulia Farne s e ni cknamed i n Ro m e L a B ell a who was

, ,

betrothed and a fterward s married to Don O r s o O r s ini ,

hi m s el f o f B o rgian de s c ent A fa ded repre s entment O f her

.

marvellou s ly bri ll iant beauty may be s een in the m annered

fresco by M e ss er Bernardo Betti ( detto Pinturi cc hio ) in
the Borgia Tower o f the Vatican where s he wa s pai nted ,

as Madonna ; or on the tomb O f her brother Ale ss andro

( a fterward s the Lord Paul P P I I I ) i n th e Ba si li c a o f
. .

St Peter where s he wa s sculptured in marble by Me ss er

.
,

Guglielmo della Porta a s a naked Truth ( clum s ily draped ,

a fter an erotomaniac Spani s h s tudent o f theology had

’
take n the s tatue for Lu c ian s godde ss Kuthe re ia ) The .

fruit o f her early intrigue with Cardinal Rodrigo wa s

Madonna Laura detto O r s ini born in 14 89 and adopted
, , ,

by Don O r s o O r s ini the hu s band o f Ma donna Giu l ia

, .

The reign o f the Lord Inno c ent P P V I I I i s notable for . .

the extreme O f lawle ss ness i nto whi ch lax govern m ent had
80 A H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGIA S
le t Rome fall The Sovereign Ponti ff was a family ma n
.
,

who Openly acknowledged the paternity O f seven bastards ,

and Who s e c hie f con c ern appears to have been their settle
ment in li fe A s on D o n F ran cio tto Cibo a s i l ly avaricious
.
, ,

weakling He married to Madonna Maddalena daughte r

, ,
’
o f Loren z o de Medi c i ; His daughte r H e married to Me ss e r

Ghe r aldo Us o dimare a rich merchant o f Genoa the wed

,
’
ding fea s t took pla c e at the Vatican the Pope s H oliness
-
,

pre s iding ; and s o the world was made to lo s e s ight o f the

high ideals o f the Papacy as exe m plified by the Lord ,

Pius P P I I and to r egard the Suprem e Ponti ff i n the

. .
,

light O f a mere monar ch a mere man Cardinal Piero R iaro

, .
,

in 14 73 had bargained with Du ke Galeazzo Maria S forza

,

Vi s conti O f Mi l an to c reate him King o f Lombardy i n ,

retur n fo r money and troops by the aid o f which he him ,

s el f might a s c end the papal throne his un c le the Lord , ,

X y s tus P P I V being willing to abdi cate i n hi s favour :

. .

and but fo r the sudden death o f Cardinal Piero this

, ,

abominable schem e would not have lacked completio n .

Nicholas had bee n a s cholar and a gentleman ; Calixtus ,

a zealous s trenuous c hampion o f an impractical cau s e ;

Pius a gentle saintly genius and skil ful s tate s man ; Paul a
, ,

n oble figu re head X y s tus a plebeia n nepoti s t ; and I nno

-
,

cent was a lethargi c pater fam ilia s Naturally the condition .

o f a kingdom under s uc h a series o f s overeigns ( c on s ider

,

ing the Popes i n thei r temporal and n ot i n thei r spi r itual ,

capacity ) would go from bad t o wor s e

, .

Y et Letters and the A rts were flou r ishing as i n the ,

golde n r eign o f the Lord Nicholas P P V Cano n A ngelo . . .

Ambrogini ( dett o Poliziano ) wa s s howi n g i n hi s fine hymn , ,

I n D ivam Virgin e m t hat it is po ss ible to write Christian

,
’
ve r se i n Latin good as Golden ; and i n his E gco w < br
’
Awn l a n d E gco u x< w n s gi I ov xgvo olcouav that a C lergy
‘

ma n O f the fi f t ee nth cen t u ry whose Greek was n ot learned,

at school o r colle g e could i n dite as dainty ver s es as

,

T heok rit o s Can the twentieth century vi suali se the fi f

.
82 A H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
’
perusing the filthy s atire s o f F il e l fo ( S yin an ds R enas .

c en ce II The workman s hip wa s everything The

. .

civili s ation O f the fi fteenth c entury was as high as that

o f the twentieth in c on c eption and produ c tion o f the beau
,
“
ti ful But clearly let it be rea l i s ed that c ivilisation has
.

” “
n othing to do with morality o r i m morality ; that great
“
re former s generally de s troy the beauti ful that high
”
c ivilisation i s generally i m moral The age o f the Rena s .

cence whi c h found nothing sh ame ful in the pro fe ss ion

,
’
o f the é t a i ga ( i f we may j udge fro m the epitaph o f o n e ,

I mp e ria C o rtis o na R am o na q u ae dig na t an ta n amin e

, , ,

rarae in te r ho mines f o rmae s p ecim e n de dit Vixit a XX VI . . .

d XI I O bj it M D XL die X V
. . though free from
. .

the hypo c ri s y engendered by the Ger m an Re formation o f

“ ”
a later date ( whi c h the maxi m Si non ca s te tame m c aute
so admirably de s c ribe s ) wa s frankly and unblu s hing l y u n
,

moral a s far as a proportion O f its leader s wa s c on c erned

, .

Y et it s unmorality was kept within c ertain bounds and ,

ci rcum s cribed by a for c e whi c h now i s no re straint Print , , .

ing was in it s infan c y Writte n book s were few and very

.
,

c o s tly I n M ilan a c ity o f two hundred thou s and inhabit

.
,

ant s there were only fi fty C opyi st s Not ti l l 146 5 in the

, .
,

r eign o f the Lord Paul P P I I wa s there a printing pre ss

. .
,
-

in I taly at S u bj aco i n the Sabine Hil l s ; while Floren c e

,

had no pre s s till 14 7 1 And at fir s t printed book s were

.
, ,

r egarded with di s favour by rea s on O f their c heapne s s O ne .

ri ch man s aid that he would be a s hamed to have them in

hi s library a s now a ri c h man wo uld be asha m ed to have
,

B rum magem electro in s tead o f hall marked s ilve r Y et by -

.
,

m ean s o f ambulant printers who printed only o n e page at ,

a t im e on a hand press i n a m u le cart ( and who were the

- -

pioneer s O f that cur s e to real c ivili s ation the p rinted book ) , ,

before 1 5 00 no fewer than 4987 works had been printed in

I taly alone Here again the fi ft e e n th c entury p as s ion for
.
-

per fe c t work m an shi p ca m e into play Look at an A l dine .

Cla ss i c and mark its exqui s ite form Mes s er Aldo M an u zio
,
.
 K I N DLI N G OF T H E F I RE
T H E 83
o f Venice s et a great a rti s t Mes s e r F r an c e s co R aibo lin i ,

detto Francia ) who painted the dul c et Piet a i n the

( Il ,

National Gallery to cut a fount o f type a fter the lovely

,

handwriting o f the p oet Petrar c h That i s the Aldine or .

,

original Italic type ; the s c ript o f a fourteenth century -

singe r Can the twentieth century with it s mani fold appl i

.
,
~

a n ecs its labou r s aving ma chinery better that handiwork

,
-
, ,

o r approach that de s ign ; o r would a Royal Academi c ia n

co n descend to cut types for a printer ! Look at the portrait

medals and pi ctures o f the day to s e e o f what fa s hion were
these elaborately s imple men o f the fi fteenth century
The Engli s h type s turdy re condite and s i m p l e the French
, , ,

type s imple and light and vain ; the I talian s ubtle and
sim p le and strong—an E ngliSh Ho s pitaller a Fren ch cardi
, ,

n al a n I talian s cholar c alled The Phoenix o f Geniu s ;

, ,

Joh n Kendal Grand Prior o f the Knight s O f St John

,
.

o f Jeru s alem i n England ; Cardinal Ar c hbi s hop George s -

’
d A mbo is e ; and Me ss er Giovanni Pi c o della Mira n dola ;
o n their medals in the Briti s h and Victoria and Albert , ,

Mu s eums The painter s O f thi s era a fter Giotto had

.
, ,

emancipated them s elve s from the domination o f the

Church They re fu s ed any longer to be bound by that
.

decree o f the Counci l o f Ni caea ( A D which calmly .

,

inexorably and altogether j u stifiably ordained —I t is n o t

.

the i nv e n tio n o f t he p ain te r w hich c reates the p ict u re ; bu t

an i n v io l abl e l aw a traditio n o f the C hu rc h I t is n o t t he
, .

p a in t e r bu t the ho l y fathe rs w ho hav e t o i nv e n t an d dic

, ,

tate . To the m, m an ifes tly be l o ngs the c o mp os itio n ; t o the

,

p ainter ,
the e x e cu t io n
The fi fteenth century wa s the
o nl y .

century o f broken bond s — bond s o f discipline bond s o f ,

morality M en ta s ted liberty had di s covered Man ; and

.
, ,

like schoolboys breaking bounds playing truant dazed in , ,

s ome r ich or c hard they revelled and rolli cked among fruit s
,

hitherto forbidden potentialitie s long dor m ant now alive ,

-
.

Unaccu stomed s ight had yet but im p er fect impre ss ion s .

“ ”
Men s aw me n as trees walki n g ; bu t as far as they went
84 A H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGIA S
the impre s sion s were vivid li fe like true Study the me r ci ,
-
, .

le ss ly preci s e drawing s O f Cava l iere An drea Mantegna the ,

Lombard pupil o f S qu arcion e who p ainted for the Lord

, ,

I nnocent P P V I II that c hapel o n the Belvedere which

. .

was de s t r oyed by the Lord Pius P P V I a n d who won his . .

,

knighthoo d by painting for the Marque s s Don Francesco

de Gonzaga O f Mantua Study the w orks o f Me ss er Luca
'

“
Signorelli the fi r s t and last painte r ex c ept Mi chelangelo
,

t o use t he body without sentime n t without voluptuousne s s , ,

without any secondary intentio n what s oever a s the s u ,

” ’
preme de corative prin ciple ( S ymo nds R e nas ce n ce ) ; who ,

having had killed at Co rtona his young and Splendid son ,

stripped the body naked and with iron nerve painted from
, , ,
“
it during a day and a night that he might be able through , ,

the work o f his o wn hand to contemplate that whi ch nature ,

had give n him but which an adver s e fortune had take n

,
”
away .
( Vas ari ) Above all study Me ss er Alessa n dr o
.
,

F il ip e p i ( detto Bo tti c elli ) who having fini s hed the chapel

, ,

o f the Lord X y s tus P P I V wa s ba c k agai n i n Florence

. .
, ,
’
painting for Lorenzo de Medici How many O f the M edi ci .

he put into hi s pi ctures we n ever s hall know ; but i f ever a

p ainter painted from the li f e Ale ss andro Filipe pi was that
p ainter ; and with a little sympathetic ingenuity o n e ca n
, ,

t r ace at lea s t a s ingle precious portrait through hi s pic

tures and i nto the pi ctures o f anothe r and more c o nven
,

t io n al painter ; and in this way learn what like w as o ne

, ,

very pro m inent per s onality O f the B o rgian Era as n a ig , ,

p e t gaxi or a i de é r ng é cprjfl o g a FSQog Study the angel boy s

-
, , , .

an d San Giambatti s ta i n the r ound M adonna o f the Na

t io nal Gallery and the round Coronation o f Madonna at
t he U ffiz i Study the Hermes Pt en o pe dil o s i n the Prima
.

ve r a that Botti c elli pai nted o n the verses o f Lu c retius Carus

( 7 3 7 7 ) as a setting for a po rt rait o f a n u n known lady
4 0
-

o f the House O f Medi c i And study the limber Sa n Sebas

.

’
tiano at Berlin Then study murde r ed Giuliano s bastard
. ,
’
the Lord Giulio de Medi ci A r chbi s hop o f Flore nce Knight , ,
86 A H I S T OR Y O F T H E B OR GI A S
Care fo r the per s onal appearan c e was extreme Little sig n s .

s how thi s For example the twentieth c entury man co n

.
,
-
,

fe ct io n o f hi s ho s ier and hi s tailor plays with watch c hain ,

-
,

sti ck o r card ca s e ; the writer he s itating ove r the turning

,
-
,

o f a phra s e o r waiting for the j u s t word r oll s a cigarette ; ,

the painter c on s idering an e ffe ct dabb l e s in a toba cc o j ar

, ,
-

and lights a pipe Man has a natural craving to employ his

.

’
hand s I n s i m ilar s ituations Me ss er Lionardo da Vin ci s
.
,

model and s tudio boy the cur l y headed S al ain o would

-
,
-
,
’
bring r o s ewater and towel to refre s h his ma s ter s fingers ;
Cano n Angelo A m brogini ( detto Poli z iano ) would take o ut
an ivory c om b and c o m b hi s long s tranght hair ; and a dandy
anxiou s ly would s tudy hi s i m age in polished metal mirrors
s e t like bos s es o n hi s dagger s heath o r chew c o m fit s o f ,

c oriander s eed s -
steeped in marj oram vinegar and cru s ted
,

with sugar to bring a spe c ial c om m odity to the me m ory

,
.

I n an age when per s onal and private functions were pur

s ued after the methods o f cat s or dog s a cc ording to the

temperament o f the pur s uer when that whi c h is now c alled ,

s an itat o n was unknown great and in c es s ant e f fort s i n the

,

way o f cleanlines s were i m perative ; and he who in s istently

di s p l ayed who publi cly exhibited hi s cleanly habits natu
, , ,

r ally enj oyed the c on s ideration and approval o f his equally

modi s h contemporaries And they were practically pious .

’
too the s e hardy ardent exqui s ites who shed an e n emy s
, ,

blood a s remo r sele ss ly as though murder were a natural

fun ction They would weep real tears o f devotio n over the
.

drama o f the Pa ss io n o f ou r Divine Redeemer enacted i n

the ruined Colos s eo o f Ro m e ; and a fterwa r ds zealou s ly , ,

adj ourn with knive s to the houses o f known Jews o r per ,

fervidly hunt the dark lane s o f the c ity for any o f the
a cc ur s ed race who was s o mi s guided as to show hi s yellow
p at ched j erkin o n the street The Venetian s had a pen chant .

fo r holy reli c s and deemed no sacrifice too great for in

,

crea s ing their c olle ctio n In 145 5 the r epublic made a bid o f
.
,

ten thou s and du cats for the Seamless Coat no w at Treve s , ,

 KI NDLI NG OF T H E F I RE
T H E 87
a n d ordained days o f humiliation when the o ffer was re a

fused The Doge o f Veni c e wa s obliged Offi c ially to as s i s t

.

at twelve p ublic proce ss ions in eac h year To plea s e the .

piety and vanity o f Floren c e Lorenzo de M edi c i perso n ,

’

ally app l ied to the city o f Spoleto for the corpse o f the
painter F ra Lippo Lippi ; but Spoleto an s wered that it had
none too many ornaments as a city e s pecially i n the shape ,

o f the cadave r s o f di s tingu i s hed people and begged to be ,

“
excused The men o f the Renas c en c e were s o c onstituted
.

that to tur n from vice and cruelty and cri m e from the
, , ,

deliberate corruption and en s lavement o f a people by l icen

tious plea s u r es from the per s ecutio n o f an enemy i n s ecret
, ,

with a fervid and impa ss ioned movement o f the soul to

God wa s n owi s e impo s sible Their tempe r adm itted o f thi s
, .

’
anomaly as we may plainly se e from C el l in i s au tobiogra
,
” ’
p hy ( S ym on ds R enas cen ce )
. .

The Lo r d I n noce n t P P V I II made n o imp r ession on

. .

“
His age ; as a despot He was a n accented failure The
, .

Patrimony o f St Pete r would be the most delight ful cou n

.

”
try in the world i f it were n ot for Colonna a n d Or sini said ,

the Sieur Philippe de Comines O rato r o f the Chri s tia n ,

King Loui s XI o f France The States o f the Church be .

came a s eething cauldron o f lawle ss ne s s and licen c e Rome .

“
he r sel f where everything that is s hameful o r horrible c ol
,
”
lects and is practi s ed ( Tacitu s ) swarmed with assassins , ,

pro fe ss ional and amateur Every man who valued hi s per

.

so n al s afety put o n a mail —s hirt when he le ft his naked bed ,

and s et no foot in the s treet s till he had bu ckled a sword or ,

at least a dagger by hi s s ide The very per fection o f these

, .

fi ft e en th century mai l s hirt s which c ould be hidden in two

- -
,

hand s and yet were proo f again s t a thrust or c u t at closest

,

quarters tell s its o wn tale The trade o f an armourer be

, .

cam e a n honourable art and my s tery when me n s taked ,

88 A H I STORY OF T H E B ORGIA S
thei r lives at every tur n as men callously stake money n ow
o n thei r convictio n s o r opinions A whole em ba ss age fro m
.

Maximilian Ki n g o f the Roma n s as the heir o f Caesa r

, ,

Friedrich I V was styled was assailed by brigands a n d

,

stripped to the S hirts i n s ight o f Rome .

I n July 149 2 Lord I nnocent P P V I II showed sign s

. .

o f decay the feeblene s s o f age increased and He wa s on l y

, ,
’
kept alive by women s milk Modern chroniclers o f His last
.

hou r s have falle n into s erious erro r i n relating that the

,

Ope ratio n fo r tra n s fusio n o f blood was pe r formed by a

Hebrew chirurgeon upon the Holi n ess o f the Pope without
accompli s hing its end The erro r arises fro m forgetfulne ss
.

o f the facts : ( a ) tha t the idea o f the ope r atio n fo r trans i n

sion could n o t occur to any o n e to whom the circulation o f
the blood was u n know n ; ( B ) that the p he n omenon o f the
c i r culation o f the blood was not dis c overed by Harvey u n til

the seventeenth century Be fore the c ir c ulation o f the blo od

.

was know n the vi s ible vein s were taken fo r S inews Ver

, .

ro chio thought them to be s inews when he ca rved the m o n

the lean young arm s o f hi s alert David The blo od was co n .

c e ive d o f a s s tagnant in the fle s h ; the hea rtbeats as a puls

ing o f the bowel s I f the i dea o f trans ferring blood fro m a

.

healthy to a feeble body had o ccurred to any o n e o f them ,

the ordinary fi ft ee nth c entury chirurgeo n s would n ot have

-

been contented with a S ingle in c ision but would have filled

,

up the w eak body through n u merous ape rtures to be closed ,

with the red hot cautery as usual ; a n d the patient mo s t ce r

tainly would have died under the ope r ation o f s ynco pe , ,

cau s ed not by lo s s but by a c quisition o f blood Mode rn

, , .

hi s torians have mi s under s tood the words with whi ch In

fe ss u r a and R ayn aldu s de s cribe the death o f this Pope : and
their misunderstanding further i s cau s ed by a ca s ual and
s uperfi c ial knowledge o f the pharma c y o f the fi fteenth ce n

tury I n fe s s u ra and R aynaldu s s ay that a ce rtai n Jewish

.

’
p hysician promi s ed to the Pope s Holine s s the r estoratio n
o f His hea lth ; that h e too k th r e e boys o f t he age o f t en
 B O O K T H E S E CO ND

TH E R O AR I NG BLA ZE
“
A fire that is kin dl e d beg ins with s mo k e an d his s ing whil e ,
“
i t l ays ho l d u po n the fagg o ts ; bu rs ts i n to a ro aring bl az e
“
with rag ing tong u es of fl am e, devo u ring al l in reach

T H E subj ec t o f this book ha s furnished occasion for liar s

O f all ages— re c kle s s liars ve n al liar s r aving liar s careles s
, , ,

lia r s clever lia r s a n d futile lia r s t o p e r fo r m thei r fu n c

, , ,

tio ns .

The Lord In noce n t P P V I I I di ed o n the t we n ty fi ft h

. .
-

o f July 149 2 The Lord Rafaele Galeotti Sa n so n i Riarj o

.
-
,

Cardinal Deacon o f San Giorgio in V e l u m A nren nt Cardi

-
,

n al Chamberlain o f the Holy Roma n Church sent gua r ds

-
,

t o seize and hold the gates o f Rome Cap orio ni prio r s o f .

,

the fou rteen Regions patrolled the city to deal with sedi
,

t io n s a n d di s orde r s Patarina the great bell o n Capitol t ha t

.
, ,

o nly tolls whe n the Pope is dead knelled un c easi ngly , .

At this time the Sacred C ollege co n sisted o f seve n a n d

twenty c ardinals Four o f these we r e absent i n dista n t sees
.
,

an d were unable to rea c h the Ete rn al City i n the n i n e days

at their di s po s al They were .

( a ) The Lord Lui s Juan de Mila y Bor j a C a r di n al ,

Prior Presbyte r o f the Title o f Santi Quattro

-

Coronati ;
( B ) The Lord Pedro Go n s al vo de Mendoza Car
’

dinal Pre s byter o f the Title o f Santa C r oce in

-

G e ru s al e m m e ,
( y) The Lord André S pinay Cardinal P r esbyte r o f ,
-

the Title o f Sa n Ma r tino in M ont e t t E qu itii ; . .

9°
 T H E OARI NG BLAZ E
R 91
( 6 ) F rere Pie rr e d A u bu s s o n Grand M aste r o f th e’
’
,

Knights o f Rhodes Cardinal Deacon o f Sa n t

,
-

Adriano .

Twe n ty o n e cardinal s entered the Conclave They

-
.

vve re :

The Lord Rodrigo de Lan gol y B orj a Cardinal ,

Bishop o f Porto and Santa R u fi n a Dean o f the ,

Sa c red College Vi c echa n c ellor o f the Holy R O

,

man Chur c h etc ; , .

The Lord Giova nn i Michele Ca r di n al -Bisho p o f ,

Prae n e s te Bi s hop o f Verona ;

,

The Lo r d O livie r o C a r a fa Cardinal B i s hop o f

,
-

Sabina Ar chbi s hop o f Naple s ;

,

The Lo r d G iorgi o C osta Cardinal B i s hop o f

,
-

Alba n o ;
The Lord Anton iotto Pallavicini Cardi n al P r e s ,
-

’
hyte r o f the Title o f Sant Ana s ta s ia ;
The Lord G irolamo Ba ss o della Rovere Cardi n al ,

Presbyter o f the Title o f Sa n C riso go n o Bishop ,

o f R e canata ;
The Lord Domenico della Rovere Cardinal Pres ,
-

hyter o f the Title o f Sa n Clemente A r c hbi s hop ,

o f Ta r anto ;
The Lo r d Giuliano della Rovere C ardinal P r es ,
- “

byte r o f the Title o f Sa n Pi etro ad Vincu la ;

The Lord Palo F re go s io Cardinal Pre s byter o f
,
-

the Title o f San Si s to Ar c hbishop o f Genoa ;

The Lord Giovanni de Conti Cardinal Pre s byte r ,
-

o f the Title o f San Vitale A r chbi s hop o f Con

,

s ano ;
The Lo r d G iangiacomo S cl afe n ati Cardinal ,

Presbyte r o f the Tit l e o f San Ste fano in M on te

C e lio Bishop o f Parma ;
,

The Lord A rdicin o della Porta C ardinal P r e s by ,

-

ter o f the Title o f San Giovanni e San Paolo ,

B ishop o f Alba ;
9 2 A H I ST ORY OF T H E B ORGIA S
( )
v The Lord Lore n zo Cibo Ca r dinal
, P r esbyte r o f-

the Titl e O f Santa Cecilia Archbishop o f B ene ,

ve nt o ;
’
C
( ) The Lo r d F r a n cesco de Pic co l huomin i C ardi n al ,

Archdeacon o f Sant Eustachio A rchbishop o f

’
,

S ie na ;
( )
o The Lo r d Ra faele G aleotti S a n so n i Ri ar j o C a r -
,

dinal Dea c on o f San Giorgio in Ve l u m A u reu m

-
,

Cardinal Chambe r lai n o f the Holy Roman

-

C hu r ch ;
( )
71 The Lord G iova nn i C olon n a C a r di n al -D eac on o f
,

Sa n ta Maria in A quiro ;
( g) The Lord G iambatti s ta Or si n i C a r di n a l,
-Deacon

o f Santa Ma r ia N n ow ;
-D eaco n
’
( )
a The Lord Giovanni de M edici C a r d i n al ,

o f Sa n ta Maria in D amnica ;

( z ) The Lo r d G iova nn i Savelli Car d i n al

,
D eaco n o f -

Sa n Niccolo in Carce re T u l lian o ;

( v ) The Lo rd G iambatt ista Zeno Cardi n al Deaco n o f ,
-

Santa Ma r ia i n P ortico ;
The Lo r d Asca n io Ma r ia S fo r za Vi s conti C a r -
,

dinal Deacon o f Sa n Vito e Sa n Modesto in

-

M acell o Ma rtiri
, .

A t the last moment befo re t he Co n clave fi nally was

,

i mmu r ed the r e c ame :

,

( x) Fra Mafe o Gheraldo Ca r di n al P r esbyte r o f the

,
-

’
Title o f San N c r eo e Sant A chilleo Pat ria r ch o f ,

Ve n ice ;
( p)
1 The Lord F ride rico S a n seve r i n i Car di n al ,

Deac o n o f San Teodoro .

On the s ixth o f Augu s t 149 2 this Conclave o f twenty

,

t h r ee cardinals li s tened to the prelimina ry exhortations o f

Fra Be rn a r dino Lopez de Caravaj al a n d the busi n ess o f ,

e lect io n was be gu n .
94 A H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGI A S
attempt o n the part o f the Chri s tian King Charles V I I I o f
Fran c e to s e t up a Po n tifl devoted to Fren ch and not to ,
’
Spani s h intere s t s ; to which end the King s Maj e s ty de
,

po s ited two hundred thou s and ducat s with a Roman bank

fo r the pur c hase o f c ardinalitial vote s .

There was an independent c andidate Cardinal Loren z o ,

Cibo a nephew o f the Lord I nno cent P P V I II to who m

, . .
,

Cardinal Pallavi cini wa s bound by tie s o f gratitude : but he

had no other s upporter and beca m e s ubmerged i n the ma
,

j o rity .

O f the two c onte s tants Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere

,

had the poore r c han c e Hi s o wn cousin Ca r dinal Giro

.
,

lamo and Do m enico della Rovere woul d n ot s upport him , .

’
H i s personality wa s univer s ally antipathetic ; hi s opponent s
was univer s ally sympatheti c The French money whi ch he
.

had taken was but a s a drop in the o c ea n co m pared with

,

the e n ormous wealth and desperate determination o f the

Spaniard A ls o there were no votes for s ale Fou r cardinal s
—the Lord s O liviero Ca ra fa Giorgio Co s ta France s c o de
.
, .

’
, ,

Piccol hu om in i and Giambat ti s ta Zen o— announ c ed that

,

they would vote indepen dently and under n o influen c e ;

while the remnant o f the Sa c red College con s i s ting o f ,

seventeen cardinal s having bee n fierc ely canva s sed by Car

,

dinal A s canio Maria S forza Vi s conti repre s entative o f the

-
,

r eigning Hou s e o f Mi l an and hereditary foe o f France ,

we r e already in the po c ket o f the Vi c e chan cellor Car dinal -

Dean .

The third night o f the C on clave con cluded the pre

liminary di s cussion s ; and at dawn on the eleventh o f A u ,

gu s t 149 2 Cardinal Rodrigo wa s e l e c ted Pope by the large

, ,

maj ority o f twenty two out o f twenty three c on s i s ting o f

- -
,

his o wn vote with tho s e o f the Cardinal Bi s hops Giovanni -

Mi chele O liviero Carafa Giorgio Co s ta the Cardinal

, , ,

Pre s byter s A n to n io tto Pa ll avi cini Lorenzo Cibo Ma teo , ,

Gheraldo Girolamo Bas s o della Rovere Do m eni c o della

, ,
’
Rovere Paola Fre go s io Giova n ni de Conti Giangiacomo
, , ,
 O AR I N G BLA Z E
T H E 95
R

S cl afe nati A rdicin o della Po rta the Cardi n al A r chdeaco n

-
, ,

France s co de Picc o l hu o m in i the Cardinal Dea cons Ra

’
,
-

i aele Galeotti San s oni R iarj o Giovanni Colonna G iambat -

, ,
’
tista O rsini Giovanni de Medi c i Giovanni Savelli
, , ,

F ride rico San s everini Giambatti s ta Zeno and Ascani o , ,

M a ri a S forza Vi s conti - .

Rome was exc iting he r sel f about this election Four mule .

l oads o f silver had been taken from the palace o f Cardinal

Rodrigo t o the house o f C ardinal S fo r za Vis c onti before -

the immuring o f the C onclave most con c eivably to be ,

guarded there more sa fely Rome gue ss ed that the Spaniard .

was so certain o f hi s o wn election as t o be pr eparing for

the pleasant custom which th e citize n s used o f pillaging
, ,

t he palace o f the cardinal who was elected Pope Some o f .

’
the silve r perhaps may have p a s sed into S forza s pos s e s
sion ; but ther e i s n o direct evidence to prove the ab s urd
stateme n t o f M onsignor Burchard that it was the p r i c e o f
his vote I n the fir s t in s tance the security o f the S ilver was
.
,

most p r obably the motive fo r its t ra n s fe r ence A fter the .

e lection the Pope would n aturally wish t o r eward hi s mo s t

useful sup porter ; and n o doubt le ft the silve r with C ar

1

dinal S for z a Vi s conti while bestowing on him o ther and

-

more p roportio n ate ackn owledgme n ts .

I n the C on c lave i f o n e can believe r epo rt s there was

, ,

n o less excitement A ll t he somb r e dignity o f Spain le ft

.

Cardinal Rodrigo at the supre m e moment o f hi s li fe H e .

1 O nly p i ce o f ant ique S il ve r a sal t ce ll ar was po ssesse d by

one e ,
-
,

the H ou se o f S f o r a i n t h l att e r y ears f the l ast c nt r y A ll t h

z e o e u . e
re st was o t r ve red f ro m th at D o M ar i no T l o ia who u surp d
n ec o n or n , e
the S f o r a C e s ri i t i t l e s a d stat s f r m 183 2 t o 183 6 wh en he
z -
a n n e e o ,

was d p r ive d o f th e m by t he R o t
e t he S p r me T r ib nal f the u a, u e u o
H o ly S ee i n f avou r o f D on Lo ren o S f o r a Cesa i i g r ndf ath r
, z z -
r n ,
a e
o f t he p re sent d k e T he li ne o f t he g re t F rance sco S f o r a V i
u . a z - s
co nt i D u k e o f M il an t o whi c h C ar din l A scani o M ar i a b l ong d
, , a e e ,

is o w ext inct T he p re sent H o se f S f r C sa i i de s nds

n u o o z a- e r n ce
f r m D o n B s o S f or a C ount o f S tafio
o o r z 144 1 14 76 b r th r
, an ra, -
, o e
o f t he g r e at F ranc e s o and s econ d so n o f D on G i ovanni M u i o
c , z

A ttendo l o d e tto S f o r a
, z .
 96 A H ISTORY OF T H E B ORGI A S

S howed himsel f a s j u s t a human man succes s ful i n the most ,

daring most i mm en s e o f all ambitions when hi s quondam

, , ,

colleagues lowe r ed their g ree n o r p urple canopi es to his ,

“ ”
as he j oyfully cried : W e are Pope a n d Vica r o f Chri s t !
The c ardinals knelt at His feet and Cardi nal S forza ,

Vi s conti sai d that undoubtedly the electio n wa s the work o f

G od The n the new Pope r ecovered at lea s t de corum o f
.

s p eech r eplying that He was con s cious o f Hi s O wn weak

,

n ess and relied entirely upo n Divine Guidan c e ; but His

,

orde r to Mon s ignor Bur chard the Cae rim o nariu s to writ e , ,

His n ame o n little S lips o f pape r and fling them from a ,

window fo r the sati s faction o f the citizens who swarmed

impatiently outside the Vati c an ; a n d His haste to r etire
behind the alta r fo r the purpo s e o f changing His c ardinal
itial sca r let fo r the papal habit o f white taffetas with cinc
tu r e r ochet o f fai r linen embroidered crim s o n stola
, , ,

hou s e cap almuce a n d S hoes o f ermine and c r im s o n velvet

-
, ,

( o f whi c h ve s tments three si z es are prepared to suit the ,

stature o f any Pope ) this o r de r and thi s ha s te s how that

’
t he Pope s Holiness was most deeply moved as any huma n ,

being well might be .

O ut s ide Rome r e j oiced I nside the cardinals a s ked wha t

, .
,

n ame the Pope would c hoose suggesting Calixtus as a ,

compliment to His dead Un c le and Creator Who had ,

brought Him fi r st to Rome But n ow the Ponti ff had .

,

r egained His magn ifice nt com p osure and He an swered ,

“
m ightily : W e de s ire the n ame o f the I nvi n c ible A lexan
’
der Cardinal Giovann i de Medici a clever serious boy o f
.
, ,

the age o f seventee n yea r s whi s pe r ed to Ca r dinal Cibo

,

“
N o w we are i n the j aws o f a r avening wol f and i f we do ,
”
n o t flee he will devou r us But the giga n tic Cardinal Sa n
.

severini li fted the Lo r d Alexande r P P V I i n hi s stro n g . .

a rms a n d thro n ed Him o n the alta r ; and the Sacred College

paid Him the firs t adoration kis s ing the cross embroidered,

on His sh o e and o n the e n ds o f the stola at His knee and ,

t he Ri n g o f t he Fishe rma n on His ri g h t f or efi n ge r whil e ,

98 H I ST ORY O F T H E BORGIA S
A

thousa n d du cats and t o othe r ca r dinals the r em ai n de r o f

the preferments which He now va cated .

If these gi fts were give n and taken a s the price o f votes ,

the n an enormou s act o f Simony technically wa s committed ,

the buying and selling o f e c cle s ia s ti cal power A fterwards .

,

His enemies continually were charging Him with Simony

but at the time n o serious accusatio n wa s made Eve n
, ,
.

the four cardinals who had announ c ed that they did not
,

inte n d to be bribed voted for the Lo rd Alexa n der P P V I

,
. . .

And here it may be n oti c ed that though Simony by the , ,

Bull o f the Lord Julius P U II D e S im oniaca E l ectio n e is

. .
,

held to invalidate an e ccle s ia s ti cal election ; yet the s aid Bull

was n ot i s sued until a fter the death o f the Lord Alexande r
P P V I and was n ot r etrospe ctive i n e ffe c t although the
. .
, ,

vehement per s onal hatred o f Julius for Alexande r hatred ,

worthy rathe r o f Carthaginian Ha n nibal than o f the Vica r

O f the Prince o f Peace leave s n o doubt whatever o f the
,

intentio n to defile the memory o f the p r e c eding Po n ti ff

with a n in s inuation whi c h n ever has been made valid .

Unde r these circum s tances it perhaps may be permitted to

,

tho s e irrational p er s ons who habitually u s urp the fun ctions

o f the Eternal Judge and who already have condemned the
,

Borgia Ponti ff to remember that i f this electio n was in

, ,

validated and annulled by Simo n y He never was a Pope ,

at all and therefore cannot be blamed attacked condemned

, , , ,

in a papal ca p acity Mu c h satis factio n o f a kind may b e

.

derived f r om that reflectio n At the same time though the .

,

theo ry might be allowed for privat e consumption as a ,

“ ” “ ”
pious Opinion di s tinguished f r om a dogma it would
, ,

be highly inj udi cious to court colli s ion with another Bull
the Bull E xe crabilis O f the Lord Pius P P I I—which pro . .

vides all proclaimed aspe r sions o f the Popes with pains

and penalties But whe n all has bee n con s idered n o evi
.
,

den ce is forthcomi n g to prove that a single car dinal s old

s o l d—hi s vote t o Cardinal Rodrigo buyi ng No n e but a .

pu r chased or u n pu r chased ca r dinal ca n testi fy that he sold ,

 N G BLA Z E
T H E ROARI 99
Or di d n o t sell ; and n o n e o f these have t estified That the .

n ew Pope gave great gi fts is no t denied Popes always do . .

They cannot help Them s elves The Lo r d Alexa n de r P P . . .

V I vacated S O mu c h p refe r ment that H e had much t o g ive , .

To give that preferment was one o f the duties o f His offi ce ;

a n d n aturally He gave it t o His f riends a n d n ot to His
, , ,

S ingle enemy a n d e n vious r ival C ardinal G iulia n o d ell a ,

Rove r e who i n r evenge alleged Simony

, , , .

The Lord I n n ocent P P V III died o n the t we nty fifth o f

. .
-

July 149 2 The Lord Alexande r P P V I bega n to r ei gn

. . .

o n the eleventh o f August Du r ing the seventee n days that .

inte rvened while the city was unde r the r igid rule o f the
,

white faced Cardi n al Ch ambe r lai n R iarj o a matt er o f

- -
,

some two hu n dred and twenty assassi n ations took place : i n

such orde r had the deceased Pope le ft Hi s ca p ital that mo r e
tha n n ine murde r s were committed eve r y day among a
population o f a mere five a n d eighty thousa n d The Lord .

A lexander P P V I acted with deci sio n to e n d this abomi

. .

n able sta t e o f lawless n ess A n assassi n was caugh t r ed

han ded—the r e wa s no di fficulty about that—he and hi s
.

b r othe r we r e forced to look o n while thei r house was r ased

to the ground ( the worst disg r ace pos s ible to a Roman )
a n d then they were c eremoniously hanged among the r uin s .

A commissio n wa s established to decide all qua r rels whi ch , ,

formerly had been settled by cold steel O fficial i n specto r s

, .

o f pr iso n s were appointed ; a rr ears o f o ffi c ial salaries paid

u p t o date ; a n d a bench o f fou r j udges establi s hed fo r
deali n g with capital crimes S O t he fi rs t act o f thi s po n tifi.

cate was the r esto r atio n a t least pr ovi sionally o f public

, ,

o r de r Th e admi r ing Roma n s said that this vigorous admin

.

is t ratio n o f j ustice was due t o the di r ect disposin g o f the

A lmighty .

The coro n ation o n t he ste p s be fo r e t he Basilica o f St

,
.

P et er i n the Vatica n o f the Lor d A l e xa n de r P P V I by

, . .
1 00 H I S T O RY OF T H E BORGI A S
A

the C ardinal Archdeacon o n the twenty sixth o f August

- -

was a s cene o f unlimited magnifi c ence attended by the ,

O rato r s o f the Powers who hailed the Pope with the mo s t

laudatory congratulation s Canon Angelo Ambrogini ( detto
.

Poli z iano ) who s poke for Siena said

, ,

P raestans ani mi magni tu do quae mo rtal e s c re de re s o mne s ante

ce ll e r e—M agna q u ae dam de t e rara ar dua s mg ul aria incredi bil i a
, , , , ,

mau dita, po ll i ce nt u r 1 .

The O rator o f Lucca said

“
Q u id is te t uns divinu s e t mai e state pl enu s as pe ctas ?
, ,

The O rator o f Genoa s aid

A d e o irtu tum gl o r i a e t dis cip l in arum l au d e e t v i tae s an ctimon ia
“
,

de co raris e t ad e o s ing u l arum ac o mn i u m r e ru m o rnam ento dot aris

, ,
“
qu ae tal em s umm am ac v ene ran dam dign itat em p rae be ant u t valde
ab o m n ib u s am big e n du m si t t u ne m agis p o n t ifi c at u i an ill a t ib i
, ,
“
s acratissi m a e t gl o r i o sissi ma Papatu s di gni tas O ffe re nda f uer i t .

The Venetian Senate r ej oi c ed

“
p ro pter di vi nas v irtu te s ac do e s q u ibu s I p sum in s ign itum et o r
n atu m co n s p ic ie bam u s v ide batu r
,
a D i vina P ro vident ia t al em
P asto rem g reg i d o m ini o e t s acro s anct o R om an ae E cc l e si ae V i ca
,

t i u m S u u m f u iss e de l ec tu m et p raeo rdinatum .

Man fredi the Ferra r ese Or ato r at Flore n ce w r ote to his

, ,

Du che ss :
“
D ic e s i che s ara pl o rio s o p o ntifi ce l
Those word s were re echoed fro m M ilan from Na p les
-
, ,
“
eve n from far Germa n y They say that thi s will be a glo
.

riou s Ponti ff All who were p er m itted to approac h H im

were en chanted by Hi s magnifi c ent presen c e and Hi s
honeyed tongue ; every o n e praised Hi s talent s Hi s notable ,

mastery o f a ffair s His active benevolen c e and ben e fi ce n ce

, .

H e wa s admi red be cause Hi s habit s were o f the s implest

ki n d and His magnificence f r ee from p rodigal ostentatio n
,

1 Fo r an English p arall l
r i otou s su p e r l at i ve s c om p are the
e of ,

ins cr i pt i on o n a pi ctu re o f E li z abe t h i n t he H all o f t he P o st Re fo r -

mat i o n J e su s C o ll e g e O x f o r d
, .

“
D iva E li abeth a V i rgo I nv ictis s ima S e mp er A u gu sta Pl u s Q uam
z

C ae sare a A ngli ae F ran c iae e t H ibe rn iae P o te nt issi ma I m p e rat r i x

F ide i C hris t ian ae F o rt iss ima P rO p u gnat rix Lite rarum O mni u m
S c ie n t is s im a Fau t rix I mm e n so O ce an i F e li c issi ma T riumphatrix
Co l l eg ii J es u O xon F un datrix
”
.
102 A H I STORY O F T H E B ORG I A S

because he let his perso n ality ove r r ide his pr inc i p i es -

.

Starting a f ew years be fore to conve rt the sinners o f

, ,

Flore n ce he had preached n aked Chri s tianity When he

, .

had smitten many souls to pe niten c e his conve rts ( in the ,

manner o f conve rts ) leaned upon him H e allowed him s el f .

t o become a director From director it natural ly was but

.

a s tep to dictator : and there i s the human er r or o f F ra

Girolamo Savonarola That i s the p oint f r o m which he
.

went astray A s di ctato r h e brought n ot pea c e but a swo r d

—
.
,

privilege o f n ot a huma n man H e ordained what the .

world calls ecce n trici tie s ; he became impatient o f Opinio n ,

o f r e s i s tance o f control ; his penite n ts were the Salvatio n

,

Army o f the fi fteenth century making singu lar exhibitio n s ,

o f frenetic b e nevolen c e He had made him s el f by p e r fectly

.
,

legal mea n s independe nt o f his l ocal D ominican super io r s ;

,

the A r chbisho p o f the pr ovince had n o j urisdiction ove r

him ; he was subj ect o n ly to the General o f Dominica n s an d
to the Pope in Rome He wa s absolutely S incere ; he was a
.

fe r ve n t Catholic ; o f hi s bo n afi de s there ca n be n o doubt

whateve r H e had n o att r actio n o f ma nn e r ; his pe r so n al
.

aspec t was vu lga r ter rible a p palling Y et there must have

, , .

bee n some charm i n his teaching fo r great and holy me n ,

left all to follow him ; M esse r Ales sa n d r o Filipepi ( dett o

B otticelli ) j oined him A n d n ow he claimed to be the
.

pr ophe t o f the M ost Hi g h p ro p hesyi n g o f evils at the doo r

,
.

M ilan me n ace d the p eace o f I taly By the assassinatio n .

o f Duke Galeazzo M aria S fo r za Vis co nti in 1476 the -

,

duc hy p as sed to his i n fant so n Duke Gia n galeazzo ; whos e

widowed mothe r the D u chess Bo na o f S avoj a ru led as
, ,

Rege n t Fou r brothers o f he r dead husband con s pi r ed

.

against he r ; an d i n 1479 the eldest Do n Ludovico Maria

, ,

S forza Visco n ti ( detto I l Mo r o ) took p ossession o f he r

-
,

c hild and deprived he r o f the r egency Cardinal Asca nio .

Ma r ia brothe r o f I I Moro exe rted himsel f in Rome to

, ,
 T H E OARI N G BLAZ E
R I O3

Obtai n confi rmation o f thi s hea rtless deed Duchess Bo n a .

,

distracted when s he found he r young s o n tor n f rom her

arms kn owing hi s in fant li fe to be the only ba r betwee n
,

his uncle D o n Ludovico Maria and the throne o f Milan ,

made frantic appeal s for the interventio n o f F r ance But .

t he Ch r istian King Louis XI died before he could r eply to

that poor mother : and Don Ludovico Maria as Regent , ,

th r ived kee p i n g the boy duke at Pavia i n a palace that was

,
-
,

in fact a p rison i n conditions n ot c r uel n o r fatal but as

, ,

s u re dly n o t ducal n o r suited to the enj oyment and mai n te

,

n a n ce o f li fe I n 1489 D uke Gia n galeaz z o rea ched the age

.

o f tw en ty yea r s ; and the n it was r emembered that his

mothe r the Duchess Bona had afliance d him in his in
, ,

fancy to Madonna I sabella daughter o f the heir o f Naples

, ,

Duke Do n A lo n so de Aragona o f Calabria The r e appea r ed .

to be no r easo n why Do n Ludovico Maria should e xace r

bate the r oyal House o f Naples by i n ter ference with the
kee p in g o f this co n tract ; the boy was eager the girl was ,

ma rr iag eable ; and the weddin g was celebrated with a p pro

priate pom p The usurping Rege n t insi s ted however that
.
, , ,

a s the you n g D u ke was a mino r he S hould still r emai n in

,

the conditio n o f a wa r d ; a n d the n ewly wedded child r e n re

-

ti r ed to t ry co n j ugal li fe at Pavia A yea r late r 149 2 a s on

.
, ,

was bor n ; and then Duke Giangaleazzo by p ater n ity em ,

’
bolde n ed i n to manlihood be came r estive against hi s uncle s
,

yoke p rotesting that he no lo n ge r would submit t o the treat

,

ment o f a boy But Don Ludovico was well awa r e that long
.

confineme n t Shorte n s li fe ; a n d he had kept hi s nephew a

priso n e r fo r ten years H e was not p r eci s ely o f the s tu ff o f
.

which murdere r s are made ; o r a kni fe blade delicately -

’
p u s hed between the you n gste r s n eck and spine long ago
would have made the sceptre o f M ila n his As Rege n t he .

had absolute power ; and he was well content to wait So he .

’
took n o notice o f Duke G iangal e az zo s remon s trances ; and ,

to pas s the time he pract ised ma rr iage i n his p r ope r perso n

, ,
1 04 A H I STORY O F T H E B ORG I A S
’
wedding the lovely Mado nn a Beatrice d E s te o f Fe rr a r a i n
149 1.
( Don Fran c e s co S for z a s o n o f Don Bo s io S forza ,

and Madonna Ce c ilia A l do bran de s chi heiress o f S antafio ra , ,

the kinsman o f Do n Ludovico Maria who ar r ang ed thi s ,

marriage was the O rator o f Milan at the c oronation o f the

,

Lord Alexande r P P V I in . A fter the nuptial s o f

.

t he u s urping Regent the young Duke Giangaleazzo resigned

,

him s el f to bea r his lo t But his wi fe was furiou s and

.
,
“
thought o f th e interests o f her baby s on In r eal truth .
,
“
c ried Madon n a I s abella to he r feeble s pou s e thou art ,

Duke o f Milan and I thy Duchess But thou art content to

, .

abide in Pavia while that Bla ck Don Ludovico ruleth in , ,

thy du chy and s eat e th Madonna Beatri c e n ear him in my

,

p lace o n thy throne I will have that girl to know that she is
.

”
n o duc hes s and that I I I sabella am Du c hess o f Milan
, , , .

And the lady wrote to he r fathe r Don Alon s o de Aragona , ,

Duke o f Calabria who was heir to the crown o f the Regno

, ,

in c iting him to resent the insult put upon her hi s daughter , ,

to en d the u s urpation o f Don Ludovic o Maria and to re ,

sto r e Duke Giangalea z z o to his duchy .

Duke Don Alon s o was n ot unwilling War was imminent .

between Naples and Milan Then the Pope died ; the Lord .

Alexande r P P V I s ucceeded Him ; and it being a n age

. .
,

when the Pope frankly wa s admitted to be Rule r o f the

W orld Father o f prin c es and o f kings etc all I taly a n d
, , .
,
’
Chri s tendom waited to know the n ew Pope s pleasure .

This was the fir s t o f a s eries o f extremely delicate posi

tions in whi c h the Lo r d Alexander P P V I found Him s el f . .

i nvolved O n the o n e hand the Papacy was at peace with

.
,
’
Naple s O n the other the Pope s Holines s found His b ri l
.
,

liant young Vi c echa n cellor Cardinal A s canio Maria S forza-

Vi s conti to be exceedingly valuabl e ; and he was o wn

brothe r to that Do n Ludovico Maria ( detto Il Mo r o )
against whom Naples was invoked M o mentous co u se .

qu e nce s waited o n His actio n .

106 A H I STORY OF TH E BORGIA S
petitio n to the Lo rd Alexander P P V I was that n o such . .

di sp e n sation should be gra nted to Ki ng Wladislaw a n d that ,

he should be compelled to per form his part o f the ba r gai n .

Nothing was said at this time r egarding the a ffai r o f the

Duche s s I sabella o f M ila n in which the Regn o also w as
intere s ted The cases o f quee ns take pr e cedence o f those O f
.

duches s e s .

The Lo r d Alexander P P V I with the ex p erience o f . .

,

seven and thi rty years o f cu r ial diplomacy behi n d Him r e ,

quired time in which t o refle c t upo n His a n swer ; and would

e n ter into no immediate engagement with t he N eapolita n
p rince Don Federigo who imagi n ed tha t the Regn o had but
.
,

to a s k and have was much aggrieved a n d his host Cardinal

, ,

Guilian o della Rovere inflamed him with sardo ni c sym ,

p athy a n d eyed the Reg n o fo r a pur p ose from tha t day

, , ,

fo r ward A n uncouth pugnacious s cheme r was this Most

.

I llustrious Lord Cardinal As a capt ain o f condottie r i he .

might have c aptured a kingdom : but as a n eccle s iastic he

was at all t imes utterly dise di fying The Lord Alexande r .

P P V I seem s to have treated him with admirable fo r bea r

. .

a n ce with conte m ptuous indi fference tha n which n o at

, ,

t itu de i s more c al c ulated to sting and i rritate a n a n gry

mediocrity He had bee n allowed to p roceed i n his t u rn
.

to the cardinal bi s hopric o f Os tia without l et o r hi n dran ce :

-

he had r ank ri c hes and power B ut he was discontented

, , .
,

j ealou s filled with e n vy hatred malice a n d all u n chari

, , , ,

t abl e n e s s .

Itis imperatively impo rtant to be able to disti ngu ish

betwee n the O ffic e and the Ma n ; and to avoid the e x ce s
s ive l y vulgar error o f c on founding the ge n eral with the

pa rticular The pon tifical acts o f R odrigo W h o i s called

. ,

Alexan de r P P V I will compa r e favourably with those

. .
,

o f any Supreme Ponti ff from Simon Who i s called Pete r , ,

P P to Gioacchino Vi n ce n zo Rafaele Luigi W ho is calle d

. .
, ,
 OARI N G BLAZ E
T H E R 1 07

Le o P P X I I I H is co m portment a s man a n d Italia n

. . .
,

despo t i s another matter The j u s t nece s sity o f the dis

, .
~

ti n ction insi s tently i s laid upo n the student o f Hi s history .

M a n does not yea r n to plea s e a per s on who i s playing

ugly tricks upon him The Lord Alexander P P V I par
. . .

t icu l arly did n ot yearn to plea s e the King o f Naples W hile .

’
the e n voy o f the Reg n o was displaying his r oyal father s
pe ti ti on a t t he fee t o f the Fathe r o f p ri n ces and o f king s ,
’
the Po p e s Holiness was digesting n ews o f a tri c k whi c h
has been played u p o n Him by the intrigues o f King Do n
Fer r ando I .

Don F rancio tto Cibo basta r d o f t he Lord I nno c ent P P

, . .

V I I I had been enriched by his Fathe r with the lord s hips

,

o f C erv e tri and A nguillara These were p o n tifical fi e fs

.
,

held by feudal tenure f r om the Pope Being a silly avari .

cio n s weakling rather frightened o f the r e s po ns ibility o f

,

baronage Don F ran cio tto Cibo sold the s aid lord s hip s to
,

D o n Virginio O r s i n i fo r forty thou s and ducats ; and went

to live at Flore n c e unde r the protection o f his brothe r in -

law Do n Piero de M edici Now D o n Virginio O rsini had

’
.

borrowed t hose forty thousand ducats from the King o f

Naples who was his firm frie n d and p er fe ctly qualified
, ,

to u n der s tand the loa n to be a super ex c ellent inve s tment-

.

The lordships o f C e rv etri and A n guillara lay betwee n the

Regn o an d the territories o f the Republic o f Floren c e ; and
’
thei r t rans fe r en c e into the hands o f O r s ini Naples friend , ,

sign ified the O p ening o f a r oad f r om Naples i nto Tuscany ,

along which a Neapolita n army easily might travel S hould ,

King D on Fe rr a n do be plea sed to campaign i n a n o rtherly

di r ectio n .

It was D o n Ludovico M aria S forza Vi sco n ti ( detto I l -

Mor r o ) the u s urping Regent o f Milan who fi rst saw the

, ,

serious p o rte nt o f this move : but though he communicated

,

his di s covery t o the Holine s s O f the Pope he labou r ed ,

un de r a slight misa ppr ehe n si on ; fo r usu rp e r s a r e t he most

 108 A H ISTORY O F T H E B ORGI A S

tou chy o f mankind and s ee an enemy in every thi ng whi c h

,

they do not under s tand The northern frontier o f Tu s c any

.

impinged upo n the souther n frontier o f Milan Now that .

the souther n frontier o f Tuscany was c onnected by Ce r ,

vetri and Anguillara with the Regno Don Ludovi c o

, ,

Maria s u s pected an allian c e between Don Piero de M edi c i ’

a n d King Do n Ferrando I between Tu s cany and Naples , ,

a n allian c e which mo s t po ss ibly i m plied de s igns detrimental

to the Du chy o f Milan—afte r all the real Du che s s I s a
’
bella was Naple s ba s tard thought Don Ludovi c o Maria
, ,

the U s urper and he e n v oye d swi ft courie r s to hi s

brother the Vi ce c hancellor Cardinal i n Ro m e with in -
,
’
s t ru ct io n s to a dvise the Pope s Ho l ine s s o f the imbroglio .

That wa s the news o f whi c h the Lord Alexander P P . .

V I chewed the cud at the ti m e when H e gave audience t o

the Prince o f Alta m ura With His magnifi c ent talent fo r
.

r e s olving diplo m atic problems into their element s fro m ,

which He could di s c ard those that H e deemed useless while

’
re s erving those posse s si n g salient feature s the Pope s ,

Holine s s con c luded that the p oliti c s o f M ilan o f Tuscany , ,

o f the Regno and the affair s o f their r espe c tive ruler s were
, ,

o f secondary i m portance and altogether n egligible ; but that

the se c ret unauthorised tran s fer o f papal fi e fs into the
hands o f dangerous malcontents o f the very p owe r ful
Hou s e o f O r s ini required p r ompt decisive a s sertion o f the
,

r ights o f the Pontifical Su z erain .

At the beginning o f 149 3 Ca r dinal As c ani o Ma ri a ,

S fo r za Vis c onti was found to be urgi ng the Suprem e

-

Ponti ff to act against the illegal t r ans fer o f Ce rve t ri and

Anguillara Loyalty to hi s brother the u s urping Regent o f
.
,

M ila n a n d hi s duty as Vi c e c hancellor bound to maintain

,

the paramountcy o f the Holy Roma n C hu r ch the s e make -

clear hi s point o f vie w .

A c la s hing o f interests betwee n Papacy and Regn o was

an opportunity whi c h Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere
‘ g r eatly r eli s hed He did n o t hesitate to tak e the pa rt o f
.
1 10 H I ST ORY O F T H E BORGIA S
A

tinction c lai m ing a Ce s arian origin It was already allied

, .

with the Lord Alexander P P V I by the marriage in 148 2 . .

o f His bastard Madonna Girolama B orgia with Do n Gio

van dre a C e s arin i It s representative Don Gabriele Cesa

.
,

rini wa s the Gon faloniere o f Rome who fought the Prior

, ,

o f the Capo rioni fo r preceden c e at the coronation o f the

Lord Alexander P P V I Who i n person a cc orded the

. .
, , ,

fir s t pla c e to C e s arin i Don Giangiorgio C e s arin i the heir

.
, ,

was allied with S forza by marriage with Madonna Mari a

S forza di Guido di S an tafi o ra ; and Don Giuliano C es arin i
held O ffic e in the Apo s toli c Chambe r I t was a hou s e whi c h .
,

during c enturies had been content with s eco n dary r ank

, ,

while acc u m ulating i m mense reserves o f power n o w to be ,

brought into a ction The s e were the two patri c ian Hou s es
.

’
which the Pope s Holine s s found ready to Hi s hand whe n
Colonna leagued with O r s ini again s t His peac e In fact .
,

S forza and Ce s arin i were the right and left hand s o f the
Lord Alexander P P V I as Colonna o r O rsi ni were o f
. .
,

Hi s prede c e ss ors and suc c e ss ors .

Cardinal Giu l iano della Rovere after relievi ng him s el f ,

o f s ome treasonable S pee c he s con s i dered Rome to be u n ,

safe ; and fled down Tibe r to hi s bi s hopri c o f Os tia where ,

he fortified him s el f and adve rti s ed for mercenaries .

The word war to the b l oody men o f valour o f the end

,

o f the fi fteenth c entury signified a game like that o f c hess

,
.

The s ole obj ect o f war wa s profit I t was unde rtaken s i m ply .

to deprive an enemy o f his good s Pri s oner s were captured .

,

and held to ran s om Citie s and fortres s e s were redu c ed by

.

s tarvation o r by a di s play o f overwhelming for c e But

,
.

blood s hed—and thi s i s noteworthy—wa s avoided as fa r a s

po s sible ; and the game chiefly was played by strategi c
marche s counter marches and manoeuvre s I t was a bu s i
,
-
,
.

“
n e ss a pro fe ss ion n ot more hazardous than that o f a
, ,

”
pro fe ss ional football player The super fl uous men o f
-
.

Europe and the temperamental fighter s served as hi red

, ,

merce naries u nde r the ca p tai n s a n d the p ri n ces who could

 T H E ARI N G BLAZ E
RO III

p ay thei r pri ce a n d a fford them a r oyste r ing li fe Patr i otism .

,

the honour o f the fathe r la n d we r e unknow n Except in the

, .

case o f England there was n o natio n al a rmy W hen a posi

, .

tio n had been won a city captured the conquerors satisfied

, ,

themselves with the r ansoms and the ri c hest spoil s I f the .

citizen s wished to avoid the inco n venience o f a sack they ,

collected a s u m s u fficient to p ay o ff the rank and file O ther .

wi se the mercenaries took the women and had licence to ,

r e c oup themselves by pillage Resi s tance meant to rture and

.

death : but bloodshed was a n accident n ot an essential o f ,

war .

The actio n o f Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere was a n

i n vitatio n to the Lord Alexa n der P P V I to engage i n war . . .

He had throw n dow n the gauntlet He had made the fi rs t .

move i n the game ; and hi s gambit was a very fine o n e fo r ,

the fo rtre s s o f O stia dominated Tibe r mouth and enabled ,

him to paraly s e Rome by stoppi n g s e a borne supplies -

.

’
Like all impo rtant cha r acters the Pope s Holine s s was
,

n eu r otic ; n ot by any mea n s a cowa r d but qui ck to scent ,

danger susce p tible o f mome ntary f r ight Early i n the sp r i n g

, .

O f 1493 H e was going to a p icni c at the villa which the ,

Lord I nnocent P P V II I had built fo r po ntifical re fre s h

. .

ment at La Magliana out s ide the walls ; and when a can n on

,

saluted Hi s approach He was stricke n with a sudden pa n ic

‘

an d gallope d back t o the Vatica n amid the f rank ex ec r atio n s

o f His esco rt di s appointed o f thei r din n e r .

Here was the situation The Pope was com fo rtably em

.

b r oiled with C ardinal G iuliano della Rove r e a n d hi s allie s

o f Na p les o f Colo n na o f Or sini To some exte nt His
, , .

inte r ests tied Him to S forza and Mila n Tuscany was u n .

decided be twee n the Po p e a n d Na p les The other Powers .

looked o n .

W hile Do n Ludovi co M aria S forza Vi sconti wa s s ug -

ges ting a n alliance betwee n the Po pe the duchy o f Milan , ,

a n d th e Re p ublic o f Venice to ove r awe the N eapolitan

,

Bo n d Ki n g Do n Fe r rando was i n trigui n g with a vi ew to

,
1 12 H I STORY OF T H E B ORGIA S
A

dis cover whether he could make a better bargain with the

S overeign Pontiff than with Colonna
-
O r s ini de l la
Rovere This wa s not treachery I t was merely the N ea
. .

politan method o f which all Italy wa s fully cognizant The

, .

King s Maj esty s ent envoys to Ro m e to Milan and to

’
, ,

Tu s cany to try to s ettle the C e rve t ri Anguillara a ffair by

,
-

pa cific mean s .

The Lord Alexander P P V I was well aware that n o . .

confidence could be placed i n King Don Ferrando I : but

b y way o f giving him a c han c e H e propo s ed a marriage
betwee n Hi s bastard Don G io ffre do Borgia now o f the
, ,

age o f twelve years and Madonna Lu c re z ia a grand

, ,

daughter o f the Maj e s ty o f Naple s At the s ame time He .

gathered troop s and fortified the Vati c an and the Mola o f

Hadrian with the gallery pa ss age c al l ed Lo Andare which
,
-
, ,

connects them enabling Pope and c ardinal s to run in tim e

, ,

o f da n ger from the A p o s tolic Palace to the impregnable

,

fo rtre ss tomb by Tiber .

The Republic o f Veni c e flung itsel f into the arms O f Don

Ludovico Maria S forza Vi s conti ; for the Doge and Senate
-

were dread ful l y a fraid le s t the i m pa ss ioned appea l s o f the

Duche ss I s abella on behal f o f her husband the pathetic ,

Duke Giangalea z z o s hou l d re c eive the attention o f Naple s

, .

I f the s aid Duke Giangalea z z o s hould c o m e to o w e his

throne to King Don Ferrando I the n Milan would be , ,

to a l l intent s and purpo s e s a fi e f o f the Regno ; and to ,

have Naples lording it in No rthern I taly would by no means

satis fy Veni c e whi ch on this a ccount pre ferred a l liance
, , ,

with the usurping Regent eve n at the cost o f winking at ,

his usurpation o f the Regency o f Milan Now Mila n and .

Ve nice in allian c e were a menace to their o w n neighbour s ;

and acting on the principle that made tho s e two Power s
,

o n e the duchies o f Mantua and Ferrara and the Republic

, ,

o f Siena ha s tened to fall in to line with them Thi s con

,
.

c atenation being superior t o anything that Naples c ould

,

exhibit al s o caused the Lo r d A lexande r P P V I to ar r iv e

,
. .
1 14 H I ST ORY O F T H E B ORGIA S
A

nation whi ch with the Papac y the duchie s and republics

, , , ,

al ready j oined in league wou l d be absolute l y and per m a

,

u ently overwhel m ing and disintegrating to the very Regno

it s el f To turn the flank as it were to give Fran c e occupa

.
, ,

tion in another dire ction h e r esolved o n c ourting an alli ance

,

with Spain .

To this end he indited an inve ctive again s t the Lord

Alexander P P V I adopting all the gratuitou s in s ult s
. .
,

and lying babble foamed o u t o f the malignant Cardinal

Bi s hop Giuliano delle Rovere H e lead s a li fe that i s .

”
abhorred by all without re s pect to the s eat He hold s
, .

!Compare the “
s peeche s o f the O rators and c ontemporary
di s pat che s ] He c are s for nothing save to aggrandi s e His
”
children by fair means o r by fou l !So far He had done .

n othing at all by foul mean s o r by fair for H i s c hildren

, ,

except to deprive Hi s reputed ba s tard Don Ce s are ( dett o

Borgia ) o f the r evenue o f the c athedral o f Cartagen a
in favour o f that very Cardinal Giam batti s ta O r s ini who
“
n ow de s erted H im ] From th e beginning o f Hi s p o nt ifi cat e
.

”
H e has done n othing but di s turb the pea c e !Thi s i s partly .

’
true The Pope s Holine ss wonder fully had done more than
.

any prec eding Ponti ff to re s tore good government and

order and s e curity to Ro m e But H e had behaved in a cer .
,

tai n in s tance in a way that was extremely o ffen s ive to

,

the Span i s h ideal o f pea ce A c c ording to the notion s o f

.

King Do n Ferrando I de Aragona him s el f a Spaniard ,

acc ording to Spani s h n otion s and the Maj esty o f Naples

was a Spaniard writing to Spaniard s —
,

the Lord Alexande r

P P V I wa s indeed a disturber o f the peace But the facts
. . .

a r e these In 1492 the horrible Spanish I nqui s ition that

.
,
-

—
fright ful and diaboli cal atro c ity con s tantly c ondemned by
Rome unde r the guidan c e o f the Grand I nqui s itor Tor
quemada had pro c ured the expul s ion o f the Jew s fro m
,

Spain The Spaniards have muc h o f the Moor a tou c h

.
,

O f the oriental the element o f the huma n devil in thei r

, ,

blood Throughout Chri s tendom the Jews were looked

.
 T H E O AR I N G BLA Z E
R 1 15

upon with horror by no means undeserved M any long

, .

years be fore England had cast them o u t ; a n d now they

,

were for c ed from Spam The su fferings with which the .

,

fiendi s h Spaniard visited them were so fear ful as t o ex ,

cite pity eve n i n Papal I taly whose loathing o f Jew s was ,

a habit o f mi n d an article o f faith not an i n human vice

, , .

M e s ser Giovanni Pico della M i r andola ( detto Fe nice degli

I n gegn i ) s aid

T he s u ffe r ings o f the Jews i n whi c h t he gl o ry o f D iv i ne Ju st i ce

“
,
“
“
d e ligh t s we r e s o extr e m e as to fill u s C h r ist i ans w i th co mm ise ra
,

t i on
.

Sena r ega said

“
The matte r the xp u lsi on o f the Jews ) at fi rst sigh t s ee me d
e
p r ais ewo rt hy a s re g ar di ng t he h onou r d one t o o u r r e ligi on ; y e t i t
“
i nvo lve d so m e amou nt o f c rue l ty i f we l oo k u pon th e m ( the J ews )
,

n ot as b east s bu t a s m e n the h an diwo r k o f God

, .

M any of
this mise r able r ace came t o Rome whe r e , ,

u n der the expre ss ed orde r o f the Lord Alexander P P V I . .

,

they were protected an d allowed to S hare i n that security

,

o f li fe and limb which H e at the begin n ing o f Hi s po ntifi

,

cate had ordained The Roman s did n o t like these Ma

, .

rafi as as the Moorish Jews were c alled any mo r e tha n

, ,

they liked o r like Catalans o r Franks o r Goths o r a n y

, , , , ,

othe r foreig n ers s ave the English speaking r ace ; and -

,

following hereditary instin ct there were o cca s ional at ,

tempts at p er s ec ution the r igorous stamping o u t o f which

, ,

by the j u s tice o f the Pope cau s ed inte r mitte n t r ioting ,

and di s a ffectio n o f the citize ns who o n ly could look upon

the Jews as fai r gam e That wa s the only disturbance o f
.

the peace with whi ch King D o n Ferrando c ould charge

the Holy Fathe r ; and it was an act o f j u s tice and humanity .

But the fi fteenth century i n co m mo n with the nineteenth

,

( the twentieth i s too young yet to be j udged ) was very ,

wont to give a bad name to t he dog tha t it had failed to

han g ]
1 16 A H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
Any s ucc e ss that m ight have attended the rabid calum
n ie s o f the Maj e s ty o f Naples wa s prevented by a n occur

r en c e o f the mo s t startling spe cie s .

A m ariner o f Genoa c alled M e ss er Cri s to foro Colo m bi

, ,

announced to the Spanish Cou rt in Mar c h 149 3 the , ,

a s tounding news o f hi s di s covery o f a c ontinent An ex .

’
p l o re r s ardour ,
c o m bined with religiou s zeal had made ,

him seek to extend the boundaries o f Chri s tendo m He .

had s e t o u t i n the hOp e o f findi ng a few i s lands He re .

turned to Europe s olem nly a ss erting that he had found a

world Universal c urio s ity wa s awakened and a fresh
.
,

expedition planned with whi c h the intrepid mariner s e t

,

forth o n a se c ond voyage to prove and to s e c ure hi s prize , , .

M eanwhi l e Don Hernando and D o fi a I s abella the C atho

, ,

lic King and Queen o f Spain thought it would be prudent ,

to bind thi s new world to their do m ain by a bond that

ea s ily c ould not b e broken The Pope as Ruler o f the .
,

W orld and Earthly Vi c ar o f Je s us Chri s t wa s held to have ,

authority over all heathen lands and to Hi s Holine s s a n ,

envoy went from Spain com m i ss ioned to announ c e the di s

c o ve ry and to pray Him graciou s ly to c onfirm it to the
,

Catholi c King and Queen .

P re cipi te v ol is s im ev o l ni e n t e ( no other word des c ribes the

“ ’
act ) wa s i ss ued a Bull dated At Rome by St Peter s the
,
.
,
’
year o f o u r Lord s I n c arnation 149 3 the fourth day o f the , ,
”
n ones o f May and the first year o f O ur p o n t ifi cat e
,
giv ,

ing to Don Hernando and to D o fi a I sabella and to their ,

heir s and s uc c e s sor s all i s lands and continent s di s covered

,

or yet to be di s covered in the western o cean west and

, ,

south o f a line to be drawn fro m the North Pole to the

South Pole one hundred leagues we s t o f the A core s and
,

Cape Verde I s lands The language o f thi s Bull is ex

.

u is it e ly tou c hing ; s tro n g pregnant earnest and ma j esti c

q , , , ,

a s the Authori s ed Ver s ion o f the Epi s tles o f St Paul . .

The m oti ve undoubtedly i s the motive o f an Apostle to

convert a world to Christ The g ra n t is mad e t o t he Ma j esty
.
1 18 A H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
On the twel fth o f June the Lord Alexa n de r P P V I . .

mar r ied His basta r d Madonna Lu c rezia Borgia o f the age

, ,

o f fi fteen years to the Tyrant o f Pesaro Do n Giovan n i

,

S for z a o f the age o f twenty s ix years w 1th all the mag

,
-
,

n ifi ce n ce due to His secular rank a s a n I talian despot ; and

thereby s et wagging the tongues o f tho s e who lame n ted

the decay o f ec c lesiastical di s cipline and who could not
,

disti n gui s h betwee n the dual and contradictory O ffi ces

which the Pope was expected to reconcile ; as well as the
p ens o f pro fes s io n al manu facturers o f s quibs an d l am
p oo n s The wedding ba n quet took place at the Vatica n i n
.
-
,

the presence o f the Pope ten cardinals and fi ftee n R o

, ,

ma n patri c ians wit h thei r wives The Holy Fathe r pre

.

se nted t o the ladies silver cups filled with sweetmeats ,

throwi n g them i n to thei r bosoms ad hono rem e t lau dem

O mnipo te n tis D ei e t E ccl es iae R oman ae says the golde n
,

mouthed venomous u nt r ustwo rthy histo r ia n M esse r Ste

, , ,

fan o In fe s su ra In the eve n in g the r e was danci n g with

.
,

comedies o f the co n ve n tional coarse but commo n ty pe .

This eve n t is o n e o f th e bases from which dis gusti ng

cha r ges have bee n levelled against the Lord Alexande r
P P V I I t summarily may be stated that those cha r ges
. . .

consist e ntirely o f the unprintable g o s sip o f enemies o r

in ferio r s and that n ot one o f them sati s facto r ily can be
,

pr oved That the Vicar o f Chri s t should h ave conde

.

scended s o far is impo ss ible ; that a tempo ral soverei gn

s hould have co n desce n ded so far is probable and perha p s , , ,

r egrettable ; but the statu s o f the guests the ten ca r dinals

, ,

a n d the fi ftee n Roman pat r icia n s with thei r wives gu a r ,

’
an tee s the utter r e s pectability o f the Despot s little pr ivat e

pa rty from a contem p o r a ry p oint o f view .

June also ar r ived in Rome Do n Diego Lopez de

In , ,

Ha r o to o ffe r to t he Holin ess o f th e Po p e the homage a n d

 T H E ARI N G BLAZ E
RO 1 19

obedie n ce o f S pai n These having been a c ce p ted th e O ra

.
,

to r p r oceeded to remonstrate with th e Pope i n the n am e ,

o f the Catholic King and Queen r egarding the asylum,

exte n ded to the M arafi as who we r e fled from the Spanish

I nquisition to Rome Thousand s o f these u n fo rtu n ates
.

we r e e n camped among the to m b s o n the Appian W ay and ,

had brought the plague with them Spain execrated the .

Papal tolera n ce and wondered that the Holy Fathe r as

, ,

the Head o f Chri stianity should protect those whom Spai n

,

had drive n away as being enemie s o f the Chri s tia n Faith .

Fu rther the Spa n i s h O rator s aid that the Chri s tia n King
,

Charles V I II o f F r a n ce was threatening to i n vade I taly

a n d to take advantage o f the quar r els o f the I talia n Pow
e rs ; where fore he urged the n ece ss ity o f p eace and an ,

ag re eme nt amo n g the sove r eign s o f whom the Pope was

chie f By way o f S howin g t hat concessions would e n sur e
.

the u n animity o f Italy he se t forth a list o f ecclesiastical

,
“
g r ievan ces that n eeded r emedies ; grievan ces which si n c e ,

the days o f t he C oun cil o f C o n st a n ce had bee n sta n din g

,

com p lai nt s agai n st the Pa p acy to be u r ged i n all n ego t ia

,
”
ti on s fo r o t he r p u rp oses ( Creighton i v
. .

Publicly D o n Ludovico Ma r ia S forza -Visco n ti h arpe d

upo n the league between Ve nice M ila n a n d the Papacy
, , .

P r ivately he e n tered into a sec r et tr eaty with the Christia n

Kin g C harles V I I I through B elgio s o O rat or o f M ila n
, .

Being a n usur p e r he t r usted n ot even his allies : pre fer r i n g

t o have t wo stri n gs to his bow he believed that he could
,

consolidate his p ositio n on ly by dist u r bi n g the pe ace o f

Italy.

Publicly f ro m his fo rt r ess o f O st ia t ha t p sychic e p i

, ,

l ept ic Cardi n al Giulia n o della Rove r e co n tinued to shout

, ,

for a G e n e r al Cou n cil to depose his Rival The abominabl e .

cha r act e r o f thi s car dinal well may be ex p osed by statin g

1 20 A H I STORY OF T H E B ORGIA S
that he was endeavouring to rend the Church and Ch r is
t en do m with a Fortieth Schism i n order to s atiate his ,

p erso n al revenge .

’
And like Gallio the Po p e s Holi n ess ca r ed fo r n o n e o f
, ,

the s e things— for Spain fo r M ilan fo r the contemptible

, ,

cardi n al He believed in Himsel f and in His O wn power

.
,

to rule At lea s t H e offi cially had bee n saluted as Ruler o f

.
,

the World .

The intrigues a n d i n vectives o f the King o f Naples

de s e r vedly having failed his Maj esty made the e xpe ri
,

ment o f a hostile demon s tration His seco n d s o n Prince .

,

Do n Federigo o f Altamura appeared with eleven galleys

at Os tia on Tiber mouth ; and raptu r ou s ly wa s hailed by
that traitor c ardinal bi s hop with the Colonna and Do n
- -
,

Virginio O rsini .

The Lord Alexander P P VI was willin g to n egotiate

. . .

B o rgian negotiation s invariably meant that Borgia would

give its opponents something but not the s omething that ,

t hey wanted and alway s in su ch a way that it cou l d not

,

be re fused The Naples

. Colo n na O rsini Cardinal
G iuliano della Rovere c onspira cy had demanded C e rvetri
an d Anguillara for O r s ini ( and Naple s ) and the di s grace
O f the Vice c han c ellor Cardinal As c anio Maria S forza Vis
- -

conti to s ati s fy the s pleen o f him o f Os tia O n the twenty .

fourth o f July the cardinal the Neapolitan prin c e and Do n

, ,

Virginio O r s ini came to Rome t o hea r t he po ntifi cal te r ms ,

which were
’
( a ) That the Po p e s Holi n ess would co n fi rm C e r
vetri and A n guillara to Do n Virginio for li fe at
hi s death they would revert to the Holy See : but
he must pay into the pon tific al t r easury thei r
price o f forty thou s and ducat s whi c h he p revi ,

o u s ly had paid to Don F ran c io tt o Cibo :

’
( B ) That the Pope s Holiness wa s wi l ling to fo r give
a n d to S how favou r to Cardinal Giulian o dell a
 122 H I STORY OF TH E BORGIA S
A

To s t r engthen Hi s influe n ce i n the Sac r ed Colleg e by

adding c reatures o f Hi s O w n at the Seco n d Co n si s tory o f
,

the twentieth o f September 1493 the Lo r d Alexa n de r ,

P P V I named twelve new cardinals

. . .

The s e were
( a ) The Lo r d John Morto n Archbisho p o f Ca n te r,

bury Lord High Chan c ellor o f England whose

, ,

vi rtues have bee n prai s ed by anothe r Engli s h

Chan c ello r the Ble ss ed Sir Tho m as Mo r e
,

Ca r dinal Presbyt e r o f the Title o f Sa n ta A nas

-

ta s ia ;
(B) The Lo r d G io v an t on io di S an gio rgio ;
—Cardi
n al Presbyter o f the Title o f San Ne r eo e Sa n t
-
’

A chilleo ;
( y) Fr ere Jean Villiers de la G rolaye Lord A bbot o f
Saint De nys by Paris —Cardinal P r esbyter o f
,

the Title o f Santa Sabina

( 6 ) The Lord Bernardino Lopez de C aravaj al Apos ,

toli c Legate to Cae s ar Friedrich I V the eloque n t ,

preacher at the Con c lave o f 1492 —Cardinal

Presbyter o f the Title o f San Ma r cellino e Sa n
Pietro :
( ) The Lord Raymo n d P au ld a F r enchman
1
e e r , ,

A po s toli c Nun c io in G ermany —Cardinal Pre s -

hyter o f the Title o f San Giovanni e San Paolo

( C) The Lo rd Ce s are ( detto Borgia ) reputed bas ,

tard o f the Lord Alexande r P P V I and O f the . .

,

1 p
T h e re is a t al e abo u t this e r sonag e , th at , h av ing all owe d hi mse l f
t o be f r igh tene d by o n e o f t he c al u mni e s o f C ar di nal G
i u li ano d e ll a
p p
R ove re , t o t he e ffe ct t h at t he P o e ex e cte d t o be aid fo r t he red p
hat ( i n addi t i on t o t he S ix h un dr e d d ucats w hi c h e ve r y c ar di nal
o ffe rs i n r e tu rn fo r t he c ar di nali t i al sa pp
hi re r ing ) , he b ecame s o
W
ne rvou s o n A sh e dnesday, wh en i t w as his office t o s catte r ash e s
o n t he h e ad o f t he S o ver e ign P o n t iff, as t o s u bst i t u te fo r t he
f o rmu l a o f adm inistr at i o n,
“
M e m e nto , h o m o , u ia q p
u l v is e s , e t in

p u l ve re m rev ert e ris ,

”
t he wo r ds
”
“
M e mento , h omo , q u i a P a a e s . p
e t e g o p ecu nias n o n habe o .
 T H E OARI N G BLAZ E
R 1 23

age o f eighteen years —Ca r dinal D eaco n o f -

Sa n ta Ma r ia N n ova :
’
The Lo r d I ppolito d E s te o f the age o f fi f t ee n ,

y ears a great athlete and fighter from boyhood

,

to youth and a prince o f the Royal House O f

,
“
Fer r ara ; tall he was o f frame brawny o f ,

si n ew mighty o f limb st r e n gthening his r obusti

, ,

t ude with exer c ises ar che ry and hurling j ave

, ,

lins ; g r ace and charm bloomed on the face o f

him ; his bright eyes beamed with grave t ran
quillity worthy o f all praise ; mo s t r oyal was his
,

whole a s pe ct ; he was an expert swi m mer ; a n d

with whatsoeve r weapons he adr oitly s trove he
inu r ed him s el f to heat a n d cold and night lo n g -

vigils ;— Cardinal D eaco n o f Santa Lucia in

”
-

S il ice, alias in O rf ea :
The Lord Fryde ryk Kas imierz Jagel o ne di Po
lonia s o n o f King K as im ie rz o f Poland Bishop
o f C rac ow ;—Cardi n al —
, ,

Dea c on o f Santa Lucia

in S eptis ol io, i n S eptiz onio :
al ias

The Lord G iuliano Ce s arini ( det t o Giun iore ) ,

Apo s tolic Prothonotary Canon o f the Vatica n
Ba s ilica —Cardi n al Deacon o f San Sergio e Sa n
,

B acco
The Lo rd Dome n ico G rima n i A postolic P r otho n ,

otary — Cardinal Deacon o f San Ni c colo I n ter

-

I m agin es :
The Lo r d A lessa n dro Fa rn ese A post ol ic P ro ,
“
t ho n o tary ( nicknamed Cardinal Petti c oat o n ,
’
account o f the Pope s pa rtiality for hi s si s te r ,

Madon n a Giulia O r s ini n ata Farne s e ) — Cardi

nal Deacon o f Sa n Cosma e Sa n Damiano :
-

The Lo rd Bernardino de Lu n ati A postolic P ro

’
,

t ho n otary f r iend o f the C ardi n al V icechan cel

,
-
 124 AH I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
lor z— Cardinal Deacon o f San Ci r ia co -
al le

T e rm e D i ocl ez ian e .
1

The vigour o f this deed s tru ck

Cardinal Giuliano della
Rove r e and his friend King Don Ferrando into f rantic
S i l en c e By a mere act o f Hi s Sovereign Will the Holine ss
.

o f the Pope immen s ely had in c rea s ed His O wn potential

ity Two o f the n ew c reature s were s c ions o f reigning

.

dyna s ties who s e loyalty thereby was se c ured The virtue

, .

and eloquen c e o f the English c ardinal were as twi n tower s

O f strength The two French creature s were a s a s op to
.

France The m inor dia c onate c on ferred o n Don Ce s are

.

( detto B orgia ) gave him a standing from whi ch the splen ,

dour o f his youth might do great things And the other .

cardinal s were proved adherents who by being made to , ,

o we their pro m otion to the Lord Alexander P P VI . .

,

be c ame bound ( in s o far a s hum an fore s ight went ) to Hi s

interest s by the bond o f gratitude It was a mo s t p aralys .

ing and di s heartening stroke for the enemies o f the

Sovereign Ponti ff ; and the year 1493 ended amid r enewed
demand s for a General Coun cil from Cardinal Giuliano
della Rovere and renewed invective s f rom the Maj esty o f
,

Naple s .

On the twenty fi fth o f January 1494 King Do n Fe r -

,

rando I died in the seventieth year o f hi s age and the thir

,

ty fi fth o f his reig n He was a cautious and experien c ed

-
.

’
politician ; and s ince the Lord Piu s P P I I Lorenzo de
, . .
,

Medici and the g r eat Duke Fran cesco S forza Vis c onti
,
-
,

the greatest se cular state s man o f hi s c entu ry His policy .

was dire cted to the preservation o f Italy from F r ench in

v as io n and to the de s t ru ct o n o f the Papal States H e was
, .

11n fe s s u ra, i n E ccard I I 20 15 A lbe r i , Re l V en S e n I II 3 14

. . . . . . .

R i v ista C r ist i ana I I 2 6 1 go lini , to r i a

.
’
. U
d Urbin o I I D o c 13 S . . .

G i ac co n i V i t ae P o nt ifi cu m , s u b anno G re go ro v iu s Ge s chicht s de
, .
,

Stad t V I I 3 40 . M
atar az z o , C r on di P eru gi a in A r c hi v i o
. to r i co
. S
xvi S e e 1
. t ij 3
. p . . .
126 A H I ST ORY OF T H E B ORGI A S
tor o f Fran c e had made overtures o f friendship o n the p a rt
O f hi s s overeign to Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere .

The Sup r eme Ponti ff finally con cluded that H e would

r athe r have a n ally on His frontier tha n an ally who s e ,

te rr itories were s eparated from His by the do m ains o f

o the r prin c e s He de c ided t o leave France o u t o f the que s
.

tio n ; and to r ecognize the hei r o f the late King Do n F e r

r ando 1 A ccordingly H e c onveyed thi s news to Don
.

Alonso de A ragona Duke o f Calabria adding that H e

, ,

would envoy a Legate to Naples to c on c ede investiture and

to p er form the ceremony o f coronation At the same ti m e .
,
’
the Pope s Holine s s s ent the Golden Ro s e to the Chri s tian
King ; and it is hard to know whether this gi ft symboli zed
con s olatio n o r contempt I f the former then the gi ft Should
.
,

have been a sword ; for the Sword is the po nt ifical gi ft to

ki n gs I f the latter the n it was bitterly appropriate for
.
, ,

t he G olde n Rose is the po n tifi cal gi ft to queens Y et only .

with di fficulty o n e can c on c eive o f the Pope a s delibe r ately

setting himsel f to provoke a reigning sovereign who heads
a mobilized army ; and the act may have been merely o ne
o f tho s e slip s hod per forman c es whi c h the greate s t gen

i u s es f rom time to time provide to remind mankind o f the

, ,

m axim n o n s emp er arcu m te n dit A p o ll o But all the s a m e .

the Lord Alexander P P V I was a ve ry strong man guilty

. .
,

o f hiding n one o f Hi s huma n weakne s ses .

W hen the Pope i s s ued Hi s B ull o n thi s matte r o f the

I nvestiture i n Public Con s i s tory storm s en s ued Cardinal , .

Giuliano della Rovere again diplomatical l y deprived o f hi s

,

Neapolita n friends fl it te d from Rom e to Os tia with the

,

p o n t ifi c al c ondottieri at his heels From Os tia he shipped

.
,

to Genoa and made haste to p resent him s el f to the pink

,

eyed Maj e s ty o f France The Fren ch O rators in Rome .

“ ”
s hrieked We are betrayed in the con s e crated formula ;
and hurried to s afe pla ces And the fortress o f O stia capit.

u l at e d t o the Pope .

I n M ay t he Lo r d Giovanni Borgia Ar c hbishop o f

, ,
 T H E OARI N G BLAZ E
R 127

Mon r eale and Ca r dinal Prie s t o f the Title o f Sa n t a S u

-

sanna received hi s Brie f as Apo s toli c Ablegate a n d went

, ,

to Naples to c rown the new king The fourteen year o l d .

- -

Do n G io ffre do Borgia a ccompanied his Mo s t Wor s hip ful

cou s in ; and was married o n the coronation day the sev -
,

c uth o f May .

Madonna Sa n cia ba s tard o f King Don A lonso 11 who

, ,

confirmed to him the title o f Prin c e o f Squillace with a

r evenue o f forty thou s and ducat s Also a s an earnest o f
.
,

his gratitude to the Pope the King o f Naples con ferred

,

the Prin c ipalities o f Teano a n d Tricari c o o n Don Jua n

Francis co de Lan gol y Borj a eldest surviving ba s tard o f
,

the Lord Alexander P P V I ( who already had procured

. .

for him the Spani s h du chy o f Ga n dia ; ) and enriched Car

dinal Ce s are ( detto Borgia ) with Neapolitan be n e fic e s .

The Papacy and the Regno n o w were a Dual Alliance .

’
In I taly o f the fi ftee n th centu ry men s minds chiefly ,

we r e occupied with the accumulation and di s po s ition o f

matter s connected with the i n tellect and the tastes T he .

Elect Empero r Maximilian who in 1493 succeeded the

-
,

Pa c ific Caesa r Friedri ch I V o n the throne o f Central Eu

r ope ( called the Holy Roma n Empire ) wa s adding o u t
lyi n g ter r itories to the p ossession s o f his dynasty the ,

Habsbur g House o f Au s tria Spain was freeing hersel f

.
,

by means o f steel and faggot from he r brain i e the

, , . .
,

Moors and Jews ; and i n exploiti n g he r New World Eng .

land was e n j oying peace a n d a n e w dyna s ty since the clo s e ,

o f the W a r o f the Ro s es i n 148 5 France had made peace

.
,

at a price with King Henry V II Tudor i n 149 2 ; and with

,

Spain at t he cost o f he r f r ontie r provinces o f Ce rdogn e

,

and Ro u is s ill io n i n 149 3 Lastly the Christia n Kin g

,
.
,

Charle s V III o f F r ance had pacified the r age o f t he

E lect Em p e ro r Maximilian whom he had r obbed o f his
-
,
1 28 A H I ST ORY OF T H E B ORGIA S
betrothed the Du ches s Anne o f Bretagn e by c eding to him ,

the greate r part o f Burgundy For the re s t nearly a l l the .

,

kingdo m s du c hie s and fi e fs o f Fran c e had fallen i nto the

, ,

hand s O f the vaunting Charle s by c onque s t inheritan c e , , ,

lap s e or marriage Finding hi m s el f at the head o f a great

.

ar m y experien c ed i n the art o f war and with a domain ,

s m iling with pro s perity he looked for fre s h field s to c on

,

quer The c hivalri c glamour o f the Cru s ade had by n o

.
‘

means faded : it daz z led the pink eye o f Fran c e ; and at ,

o n e ti m e undoubted l y the Chri s tian King intended t o

,

mar c h on the Mu sl im I nfidel now s ettled in Europe and ,

unmole s ted But with the death o f King Don Ferrando I

.
, ,

the fi ckle Fren chma n r evived an o l d c laim o f the Hou s e o f

Anj ou to the c rown O f Naples intrigued with Cardinal ,

Giuliano della Rovere and brought hi s veteran army south ,

to Lyon s ; where he spent hi s ti m e in lubri city until he ,

sho uld have felt the pul s e s o f the I talian Powers with
r e feren c e to hi s undertaking French envoys reported to .

him that the Papa cy wa s al l ied with Naple s and Naples ,

’
w ith Don Piero de M edi c i o f Tu s cany ; that Don Fili
berto the Fair ( the boy duke o f S av oj a married to the
,
-
,
’
E l e c t E m p eror s daughter Anne ) with Duke Ercole ,

’
d E s t e o f Ferrara the Marques s es o f Monserrat and
,

Saluz z o a n d the Republi c o f Venice were n eutral The

, , .

augurie s were n ot propitious fo r Fran c e ; but the Christia n

King emboldened by the presen c e and attentive to the
, ,

r hodomontades o f Cardinal Giulia n o della Rovere and

, ,

stupidly believing it po ss ible to r edu c e a Pope by fear ,

j oined in the duet and c ried fo r a General Coun cil I ndeed .

,

he plac ed more confidence i n the virtue o f this threat than

in his army ; for he definitely threatened the Lord Alexan
der P P V I with depo s ition and deprivation o f the Apo s
. .

tolic dignity not by for c e o f ar m s but by c anoni cal proo f

, ,

o f His S imoniacal ele c tion —unless He would c oncede to

Fran ce the cr o w n o f Naples ( Corio Storie di Milano I I I .

, .

5 25 )
13 0 H I STORY OF TH E BORGIA S
A

College would have s plit into two o r more faction s ; let u s

say two to keep the argument i n reasonable bounds The
, .

Lord Alexander P P V I would have headed o n e faction ;

. .

the enviou s Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere the othe r Both .

would have gone into Con clave ; the o n e i n Rome the ,

othe r i n Fran c e The Roman Con clave would have a f

.

firmed the Lord Alexander P P V I to be the Ponti ff . .

Regnant The Fren c h c on clave would have elected Cardi

.

n al Giuliano della Rovere who in c ontinently woul d have ,

blo s somed forth as P s eu do po n tiff Juliu s I I Eac h would .

have c reated cardinal s Ea c h would have adm ini s tered as

.

mu c h o f the Church and Chri s tendom a s he c ould have

per s uaded to s ubmit to his admini s tration There would .

have been a Ponti ff in Ro m e a p s e u dopo n tiff i n Fran c e , .

The S heep o f Chri s t s Flo c k would have been n eglected

’
,

while the shepherd s ex changed anathemas I t all had hap

p ened be fore—m any ti m es be fore I t would have been
.

the Fortieth Schi s m In cour s e o f ti m e death would clai m

.
,

the Ponti ff o r the p s e u do p on t iff His party would replac e .

him I n cour s e o f time subdivi s ion would take place a

.
,

s chi s m in a s c hi s m A se ction o f c ardinal s wo u ld se cede

.

from Ponti ff o r from p s e u dopo n tiff ; call them s elves the

,

Sac red College i n Con c lave and ele ct a s ec ond p s e u dOp o n,

ti ff Christendom would have bee n torn a s under The c ri m e

,
.

would have been capable o f infinite develop m ent A l l had .

been s een be fo re m any times be fore—la s t in this i denti cal

,
’
,

Fi fteenth Century—the ce ntu ry o f the Thi rty ninth -

Schi s m o f the Holy Roma n Church the Thirty n inth ,

-

Rending o f the Seamle ss Robe o f Christ .

And that was the atrocious turpitude to whi ch Revenge

was leading Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere and Vanity ,

w as leading the Chri s tia n King Charles V I I I al l light ,

heartedly .

Being n ow in amity with Colonna and O rsi ni th r ough

 OARI N G BLAZ E
T H E R 13 1

the N e opo litan allian c e as well a s with S forza and Cesa

,

rini the Holiness o f the Pope pro c eeded to the Regno fo r

,

the purpose o f con c erting a pla n O f campaig n with Ki n g

Do n Alonso II whom H e met at Vicovaro o n the four
,

t e en th o f July There it was ar ran ged that the Kin g

.

should hol d the Abruzzi provin ces wit h part o f the Nea
p olita n army while his s o n Do n Ferrandino de Aragona
, , ,

with a n other pa rt should make a swi ft advan c e o n M ila n

by way o f the Romag n a sending o u t flying colum n s to ,

sweep the country free f r om r ebels ; and a fter expelling ,

the usurping Regent Don Ludovico Maria S forza Vis ,

-

conti and re s toring Duke Giangalea z zo to the throne o f

,

M ilan he should for c e the French to engage in Lomba r dy

, .

Meanwhile Do n Vi rginio O r s ini with the po n tifical co n

,

dottie ri wa s t o protect the Papal States ; and D on F e de rigo

d e Arago n a brother to King Do n Alon s o I I was to take
, ,

the Neapolita n fleet captu r e Ge n oa and c omma n d the

, ,

n o rthern coast .

No bett e r p la n could have bee n invented fo r a wa r o f

the che ss game S pe cies : but i n t wo plac es it was weak It
-
.

would occupy too long i n per forman c e ; for the French

’
army wa s o n Milan s fro n tie r whi ch hal f the length o f
I taly se p a r ated f r o m Naples It caused the de fection o f .

some S forza ; it alie n ated the Supreme Ponti ff from Hi s

V ice cha n cello r His closest friend fo r the Neapolita n
, ,

scheme involved the expulsio n from M ilan o f the brothe r

o f Cardinal A s c anio Maria S fo r za Vi s conti who thereu p o n -
,

became neutral S forza holdi n g by S forza , .

Be fore the Regn o wa s r eady the French fleet r eached ,

Genoa and the French army cros s ed the Alps to Milan

,
.

Admiral Do n Federigo de Aragona finding Ge n oa in hi s ,

’
e n emy s hand led the Neapolita n galley s to Porto Venere
,

o n the Gul f o f Spezzia only to su s tain a repulse which ,

cau s ed him to r etire to Livorno to repai r his fleet Seeing .

f rom which dire ctio n he might expect atta ck the Chri s tian ,

Ki ng gar r iso n ed Gen oa with Swiss me r cena r ies unde r

13 2 A H I STORY OF TH E BORGIA S
’
Duke Loui s d O rl e an s O n the eighth o f Septembe r the
.
,

Admiral o f Naple s took Rapa l lo a little c ity S ix leagues ,

from Genoa and landed troops The Fren c h co m m ande r

, .

m ade an a cc ipitrine swoop from Genoa cu t up the s quad ,

rons o f Naples and put Rapallo to s a c k and pillage fo r

,

entertaining them All I taly was ama z ed paralyzed with

.
,

horror at wa r c ondu cted o n the s e bloodthir s ty line s T he

, .

i dea o f being killed ex cept perhaps a cc identally by bein g

,

t r ampled under foot i n a r out o r in a si m ple per s onal quar ,

rel wa s terrible to peopl e acc u s tomed to battle s whi ch were

,

pro c e ss ion s and sieges whi c h were de c orative o ccupations

,

for gentlemen o f lei s ure Admiral Do n Federigo led t he .

’
remnant o f his fleet to Naples without a n hour s delay .

Vice c han c e l lor Cardinal A s c anio Maria S forza Vi s

- -

c onti now became aggre s sive and su cc e ss fully deta ched ,

from the Pope the Hou s es o f Colonna and Savelli ; ( the

l ast until their dyna s ty be c a m e extin c t held the O ffi c e o f
, ,

H ereditary Mar s hal o f the Holy Ro m an Chur c h ) Colonna .

an d Save l l i then col l e c ted their retainers and menaced the

Eternal City O n the eighteenth o f Septe m be r Don Fabrizio

.

Colonna re captured Os tia and held it in the name o f its ,

renegade Cardinal Bi s hop Fren ch galleys tran s porting

-
.

troops anchored in the m outh o f Tiber Crippled Naples .

dared not to advan c e on Milan leaving Rome unp r otected .

Then Madonna Caterina S for z a R iario countes s and -

,

wit ch ( daughter o f the great France s co and widow o f the

, ,

in fam ous Count Girolamo R iario o f the Paz z i C onspira cy ) ,

de c lared for France i n her citadel o f Imola and made ,

thing s worse for Naples and the Papacy by showing the m

that an enemy wa s in their midst I n this s trait and having .
,

n o sovereign friend in Europe s ave the Maj e s ty o f Naple s ,

the Lord Alexander P P V I app l ied to the Great Turk t he

. .
,

Sult a n B aj az e t That wily oriental agreed to help o n con

.
,

dition that hi s brother and rival the Sult a n D j im long , ,

year s held ho s tage by the Papacy s hould be delivered t o

'

,
’
his tende r me r cies Thi s th e Po p e s Holiness r efu s ed n ot:
.
.
134 A H I STORY O F T H E B OR GI A S

to the Pope for greater se curity The Sult a n D j 1m was .

a ccorded apartment s in the Vati c an Pa l a c e and kept a ,

c ourt o f hi s own the r e in oriental luxury The cru m pled .

ro s e l e af o f his existence was hi s c on s tant fear le s t his

brother s hould envenom him ; and envoys from the Great

Turk were only allowed to enter his pre s en c e when rigor
o u s and c eremonial pre c autions had been taken for ex -

ample an envoy bringing a letter from B aj az et wa s c om

,
’
p e ll e d to lick it all over out s ide and in s ide under D j 1m s
, ,

o wn eyes be fore the last would touch it The Lord

,
.

I n n o c ent P P V III and His su cc es s or the Lord Alexan

. .

der P P V I r egarded the Sult an D j im as a pr e c ious

. .
,

“
guarantee fo r the good condu ct o f the Great Turk A s .

long as D j im i s in O ur hands B aj az et continually will be

,

unea s y and neither raise armies nor mole s t the Chri s

, ,

tians ; wrote the Lo r d Innocen t P P VI II Late r the . . .

,

Great Turk conceived an alarm le s t his dis contented mame

lukes s hould depose him in favour o f his b r other ; a n d he
propo s ed to pay a hundred and twenty thousa n d ducats
to the Pope fo r the re s toration o f the Sult a n D j im : u n
doubtedly intending to p ut him ou t o f the way accordi n g
to the methods observed by oriental potentates i n r e fer
ence to their r ival s But the Lord I n nocent P P V II I
. . .

r e fused to have a r t o r pa rt i n crime though He would ,

have been very glad o f the money fo r His family ; and

the Sult a n D j im continued to r emain in Rome The same .

poli c y wa s pur s ued by the Lord Alexander P P V I n ot . .

,

with s tanding that the Great Turk had c eased to send the
yearly forty thousand ducats thus making hi s brother the
,

pen s io n er as well as the ward o f the Papacy The n i n

, ,
.

O ctober 1494 when the Eternal City was about to be the

,

’
s cene o f war and tumult the Pope s Holine ss pla ced His
,

ward for safety in the Mola o f Hadria n the fo rtr ess ,

tomb whi ch al s o was His o wn refuge .

 OARI N G BLAZ E
T H E R 13 5

On the same day whe n Admiral Don Federigo de

Aragona fled with the Neapolitan fleet f rom Ra p allo to
Naples the Chri s tian King fo l lowe d hi s a r my a c r oss the
,

Alps Being but a S hallow pated Frenchma n enervated

.
-
,

with the most horrible o f a l l diseases he already was in a ,

quandary : he had no money wherewith to pay his t r oops ;

hi s mar c h for some week s would lie through frie n dly ter
rito ry and until he reached the p o n t ifi cal s tates he could
, , ,

find no citie s to s a c k for the appea s ing and encou r agement

o f hi s mer c enarie s To meet him hurried Don Ludovico
.
,

Ma r ia S forza Vis c onti also in a quandary : he was an

-
,

u s urping r egent with hi s legitimate sovereign unde r lock

,

and key ; and he was going to meet a legitimate sove r eig n

regn ant Whethe r Don Ludovico Maria would complete
.

a little loan was the question agitating the mind o f the

,

Ch r istia n King Whethe r the Maj e s ty o f F r a n ce would

.

want to champio n hi s O rder to release his brother s ove r ,

e ign and pla c e him o n his throne and to behave seve r ely ,

and unpleasantly to a n u s urping r ege nt was the diffi culty ,

o f Don Ludovi c o Maria The two met at Asti The Ch ris . .

tia n King at once broached his trouble ; and Do n Ludovi co

Maria with his c apaciou s S forza brain pan and his dete r
,
-

mined S forza j aw instantly perceived that he could reco m

,

mend him s el f by being use ful H e advised France rapidly .

to advance southward through the Romag n a whe r e rich

spoils awaited him And he fou n d th e means O f the man
. .

who will lend mo n ey at the ve r y moment when it i s

urge n tly required none but the ve ry best Opinion ca n be
formed The Chr i s tian King wa s quite prepared to accept
.

’
D o n Ludovico Maria s o wn estimation o f him s el f n ow , .

I t was eve n sa fe to let him see the pathetic sovereig n o f

Milan in his pri s on .

A fte r being detained a few weeks by that which I talians

call the Fren ch di s ea s e be cause it wa s int r odu c ed into Italy
,

by this Christian King Charle s V I I I dawdled o n to Pavia ;

,

a n d visited Duke Gia n galeazzo S fo r za Visco n ti The co n -

.
136 A H I STORY OF T H E B ORGIA S
dition o f that lu c kless prince wa s s candalous in the
extreme He was o f the age o f five and twenty years He
. .

had been a prisoner du r ing fi ftee n years H e was dec r epit .

o f body helpless a n d dull o f mind Hi s only j oy in li fe

, .

was in hi s Du chess I sabella and in his four year old son - -

,

for who s e protectio n he piteou s ly entreated the Chri stian

King France put o n a s ym pathetic a s pect—it was p erhaps
.

’
the mo s t grac ious moment in the little creature s li fe
the no s trils o f his ham S haped n ose wore an air o f di s gu s t
-

’
at Duke G iangal e az z o s su ffering ; the glare o f his boiled
eye s in their c ongenital flu s h and the severe fat line o f his ,

mouth horrified the u s urping Regent Had the money o f

, .

Don Ludovico Maria been in the c o ffer s o f any o n e j u s t

’
the n except the Chri s tian King s undoubtedly right would ,

have been done by the might o f France But with promises .

,

to return with ex c e l lent intentions to attend to the a ffair s

,

O f Milan when Naples s hould have been redu c ed with Mi

’
lan s money the Chri s tian King wa s per s uaded to hasten
,

o n to Pia cenza .

There o n the twenty fi rs t o f O ctobe r news c ame to him

,
-
,

that the prin c e who m he had left in hi s pri s on Duke Gian ,

galeaz z o S for z a Vi s conti wa s dead ; and that Don Ludo

-
,

vi c o Maria had proclaimed him s el f and had been accepted ,

as Duke O f Milan It was al s o sai d that the uncle had

,
.

envenomed the nephew having ob s erved him to hav e ,

gained the sympathy o f France and fearing lest that ,

sympathy should restore him to hi s throne It may have .

been s o : but there i s no eviden c e whateve r o n the subj ect

beyond the mere a s se rtion But it equally might have bee n .

the effe ct o f c on c entrated despai r at seeing deliveran c e ,

c ome and pass away a cting o n a body naturally weak

, , ,

worn by pa ss ion and i m pri s onment whi ch killed Duke ,

Giangaleaz z o S forza Vi s conti o f M ilan The Fi fteent h

-
.

Century ( and also the fir s t de cade s o f the Sixteenth ) was

s o radi c al l y ignorant o f the art and scien c e as well o f ,

venoms as o f thei r p r actical exhibition that unle s s direct

, , ,
1 38 A H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
imb r oglio Ecclesiastically he wa s a subj e ct o f the Do m ini
. .

ca n Congregat ion o f Lombardy who was led to de s ire ,

independence and a pied a terre in Florence D on Piero .

’
de Medici s eeing n aught amis s supported his applicatio n
, ,

t o Rome fo r the separatio n o f the Tus ca n Domini c ans

f r om allegiance to the Lombard Congregation ; fo r it wa s ,

urged the erectio n o f a separate Congregation fo r Lom

,

bardy would add to the dignity o f Floren c e and would be ,

a slight to Mila n The Lo r d Alexande r P P V I when the

. . .
,

case wa s laid before Him i n 149 3 was in c lined to favour ,

Milan o n a cc ount o f the Vicechan c ellor Cardinal who wa s -

brothe r to the usurping Regent ; but o n the advi c e o f Car ,

dinal O livier o Carafa who o fficially had exa m ined the

,

matte r o n its merits and who r eported i n favour o f Don

,
’ ’
Piero de Medi c i and the weird friar the Pope s Holine s s ,

issued the Bull o f Separation o n the twenty s econd o f May -

that s ame year Fra Girolam o Savonarola the n trans ferred

.

hi m s el f to the new Tu s can Cong r egation was elected Prior ,

o f Sa n Mar c o and Vi c ar General ; and s o be came the abs o

-

lute rule r o f the Domini c an s in Floren c e and s ubj ect only ,

to the General o f the Religio n O f St Dominic a n d t o the .

,

Pope i n Ro m e
, .

H e was a truly pious man o f the ha r d ascetic type a n d

, ,

very ma s ter ful H e u s ed hi s independence rigorously t o

.

r e form his Convent o f San Mar c o with fo r a wonder t he , , ,

c omplete concurren c e o f hi s friars ; and S O he formed a

ce n tre o f the ex c lu s ively r eligious li fe He would make n o .

co m promi s e whatever He would have God entirely s erved ;

.

and c ountenan ce no paltering with Mam m on He utterly .

S pat upon a n d defied the W orld He bur n ed every pretty .

worldly thing Lewd lovely Florenc e exe cuted a qui c k

.

c hange and followed him i n sa ck cloth and a s hes The

, .

’ ’
alluring melody o f Lorenzo de Medici s Canti C arnal e s chi
was drowned in the c hau n ting o f the M is ere re m e i D e u s
and the Seven Penitential Psalms with Litanie s ; while di s
c ip l in e s and scourges in the public st r eets fell like flail s
 OARI N G BLAZ E
T H E R 13 9

o n youth s white flesh Fra Girola m o prea c hed p enance

’
.

i n the Advent o f 1493 I n the Lent o f 1494 he preached .

,
’
f r om the book O f Gene s i s When he arrived at Noah s Ark .
,

he dwel l ed upon it ; hi s s ubj ect fa s c inated him ; each plank ,

each nail be c am e a symbol : but the moral o f his allegory

,
“
was Enter the Ark o f Salvation that ye may es cape the
,
”
wrath to come .

Floren c e w as di s turbed by expe ctatio n o f the French

i nva s ion ; whi c h said Fra Girolamo ( mixing his metaphor s
, ,

i n the only way that the vulgar really under s tand ) was the
Scourge o f God for the Purifi c ation o f the Church In .

September he preached again Vi s ions came to him ; and

, .

he preached o f them i n parable s Hi s su c ce ss his ever .

,

gr owing power produ c ed in him an e ffe ct like inebriation

, .

Not yet having lo s t his s el f c ontrol he wa s able to s ee his -

,

dan ge r H e made a n e ffort and cea s ed to preach Hi s

.
, .

brain wa s i n a ferment ; s leeple s sne s s gnawed the remnant

o f his physical str ength Again he mounted the pulpit O f .

Sa n M arco and thundered like a prophet like a seer n o t

, , ,
“ ”
his o wn words n ow but Thu s s aith The Lord H e , .

claimed s ion vo n— Divi n e A fii at u s l n s piratio n Humanly fi

.

S peaking he had gone o u t o f hi s mind— wa s mad

, .

The ex citement o f Floren c e be c ame a frenzy Behold .

,
“
F r a G irolamo Savo n arola tremendou s ly de claimed B e ,
”
hold I bring a flood o f wate r s o n the earth ! A n d the
French army entered Italy .

Florence was hal f dead with te r ro r te rr o r o f the

-
,

F r ench ter r or o f the Wrath to Come She had exaspe r ated

,
.

the Chri s tian King was di s united in her s el f and s he had n o

, ,

t r oo p s Y et— she might r esi s t O n her f r ontier we r e the

. .

s trong fortre ss es o f S arzan e lla and Pietrasanta A few .

r esolute patriots might hold the mountain pa ss e s o n the -

r oad through Lunigiana ; and an initial check which ruined

Fre n ch p r e s tige would re s tore s el f co n fide n ce to Florence - .

This was the time o f the trial o f the stu ff o f Don Piero
de Medi ci ; who bein g i n th r ee mi n ds failed to stand
'
, ,
.
140 A H I ST ORY O F T H E BORGIA S
First he s ent hi s brother in law Don Paolo O r s i n i t o
,
- -
, ,

gar r i s on S arz an e l l a Se c ondly he quavered be cau s e the

.
, ,

Florentine s appeared sulkily to him Thirdly he da l lied .

,

with the notion o f sub m i ss ion to the Chri s tian King Fro m .

the fortre ss o f Pietra s anta he whined for a safe c ondu ct -

.

Arrived in the French c amp he collapsed : lying prostrat e

at the twelve — toed feet o f the Maj esty o f Fran c e he im ,

p l o re d pardon for his impertinen c e in thinking to defend

his fatherland ; and he O ffered r epa r ation H e as s ented to .

the F r ench dem and for the withdrawal o f the Tu s can army
from the Rom agna ; for the castles o f Sarzana S arz an el la , ,

Pietrasanta Pi s a and Livorno to be held as pledge s until

, , ,

Naple s s hould capitulate ; for a for c ed loan o f two hundred -

thousand duc at s ; the pledges im m ediately to be delivered

and a treaty s igned at Florence The Fren c h had neve r
.

dreamed that the r oad s hould Ope n to them a s though by

miracle ; and by s i m plest I n ductio n they said that God was
on their side .

’
Floren c e was di s mayed D on Piero de Medi c i s tayed
.

with the French : hi s brother s were i n the va s t M edici

Pala c e ( now Pala z z o Ri ccardi ) at the c orner o f Via Larga ,

whi c h M iche l l o z z o b u ilt for mighty Co s m o I t i s time to

“
.

make an end o f thi s government by children and to rec ove r

ou r liberty s aid the grave and s terling Do n Piero Cap
,

po n i ; a n d the Signoria s ent o u t a n emba ss age to undo the

mis c hi ef There were five amba ss ador s in cluding Fra Gir o
.
,

lama Savonarola whom Florence loved and Don Piero ,

Capponi whom she adm ired They left the city o n the
.

sixth o f Novem be r with plenary powers to modi fy the

disgra c e ful c onditions o f surrender O n the s eventh they.
,

found the Chri s tian King at Lu c ca ; and followed him to

Pi s a He rec eived them very c oldly saying that he would
.
,

arrran ge no ter m s ex c ept in Floren c e T O di s eased Fran c e

.

“
the degenerate Fra Girolamo forthwith prophesied Know ,

“
thy s el f for an in s trume n t in the hands o f the Lord ,

W ho hath sent thee t o heal t he woes o f I taly an d t o

142 A H I STORY OF T H E B ORGIA S
mi c ation — , he r isked hi s sacred per s o n among a Flore n
tine mob endeavouring to r ouse them as o f o l d to follow
—
,
“
—
M edici with the wa r cry Palle Palle Pa l le
-
” 1
A l l was .

i n vai n.

The well wor n cry had lost magn etic vi r tue ; a n d n one
-

in Flore n ce now dared to o w n himsel f a friend O f M edi c i .

Do n Pi e r o ru s hed to the Po rta di Sa n Gallo where Medici ,

had n eve r cri ed i n vain None answered him Hi s courage

. .

le ft him the r e H e i n fected with fea r Do n Paolo O r s i n i

.

and his band s ; a n d all fled t o Bologn a At n ight Cardinal .

G iova n ni and hi s sixt een year o l d c ousin Me s se r Giulian o

- -
,

K n ight o f St Jo hn o f Jerusalem o f M alta escaped in the

.
,

f r o c ks o f Friars Minor ; and f r om Bologn a these three

Medici j ourneyed on to Venice where Italia n exi les always
fou n d a home : while Florence sacked the M edici Palace ,

p lunde r ed the priceless Medici Library o f Manuscripts ,

’
and set a pri c e upo n the head o f Lorenzo s so n Do n Piero .

This r evolt was the work o f Fra G i r olamo Savo n a r ola .

F o r sixty years Florence had e nj oyed p ros perity u n de r

Medici She was the ce nt r e o f learning the mediati ng
.
,

p ower o f Italy with i n fluence i n every state ; i n fact as the ,

Lord B oni face P P V I I I said o n r eceivin g the Or ators o f

. .

“
the Powers i n Rome at the Jubilee o f 1 3 00 i fio re n tini ,

s o n o il q u in t o el e m e n t o B ut the D ominica n Fria r had

.

rous ed i n He r those moral a s pirations which M edici had

lull ed to at r ophy ; and the contem p tible blunders o f D o n
Piero had pr oved a fi n al exas p eration The n ewly fo rmed .
-

’
r epublic s et u p D o nate l lo s statue o f Judith with th e Head
o f Holo fernes o n a p edestal be fo r e Palazzo Vecchio with ,

this i n scriptio n fo r the benefit o f budding de s pots E XE M ,

P LU M S A L U T I S P UB LI C AE C IVE s PO S U ERE M CC C CXCV .

A n d o n the day o f the expulsio n o f the Medici littl e Pisa ,

r evolted al s o and th r ew o ff the yoke o f Florence

,
.

1A ll u si on t o the five red b alls an d the lili e d be zan t i n t he Me di ci

armor i als .
 OARI NG BLAZ E
T H E R 14 3

The f ortune o f the Lord Alexander P P V I appeared . .

t o be i n serious danger The Fre n ch u n hi n de r ed we re

.

advancing and s edition w as s own i n Ro m e O ne more

, .

overture the Supre m e Ponti ff ma de s ending Cardinal ,

Raym ond P e rrau l d a creature O f Hi s O wn to t r eat with

, ,

the Chri s tian Ki n g who with no di ffi c u l ty persuaded the

,

Frenc h Cardinal to turn traito r to the Pope A Brie f .

,

appealing to the Ele ct Em pero r Maximilian fo r help p r oved

-

ine ffe c tual The for c es O f Colonna beleaguered the Eternal

.

City Withi n the wall s three di s a ffected cardinal s the Lords

.
, ,

A s canio Mari o S for z a Vi s c onti F ride rico San s everini

-
, ,
’
and Be rn ardino de Lunati we r e interned with the Pope in ,

the Mola for the s ake o f s afety When the po n t ifical citadel.

o f Civita Ve c chia fell the loyalist s be c ame yet more dis

,

heartened O r s ini turned it s coats and j oined the Fre n ch

. .

C e s arin i alone o f all the patricians o f Ro m e continued to be

s taun c h and true Re s istan c e was u s eles s thi n g s being
.
,

a s they were ; and the Lord Alexander P P V I gave leave . .

to the Chri stian King to enter Rome He came H e huma n ly . .

was ma s te r o f the City and o f the situation fa c e to face ,

with the Holine ss o f the Pope p ra cti c ally having Hi s per ,

s o n in hi s powe r The Maj e s ty o f France demanded the

.

’
calli n g o f a General Coun c il ; and God s Vicegerent o p
po s ed him with a blunt and un conditional N o n P o s s u mu s .

Wheneve r the W o r ld has driven the Church agai n st the

wa l l She has beco m e inexorably invin cible
, .

The yea r 149 5 opened with Ro m e i n panic and diso r de r ,

i n the clutch o f a foreig n army bringing de s olatio n a n d a

new di s ea s e The Christia n King who had co m e to aecom
.
,

p lis h the conquest o f the Reg n o by means o f the deposition

o f the Pope found the way completely blocked He had
, .

s trutted o n his twelve toed feet to Rome prepa r ed to crow

-
,

so ve r y gal l ical ly The de c ree o f depo s ition actually was

.

p repa r ed and t u ly r equired confirmation by a com p etent

,

authori t y I n flated with gigantic megalomaniacal illusions

.
,

he had be lieved tha t a n evil con s cience would have mad e

144 A H I STORY OF TH E BORGIAS
the Lord Alexa n der P P V I obedient to him H e t hought
. . .

by the threat o f a General Coun cil ( whi c h he intended to

convoke at Fe rr ara ) to bl ackmail the Po p e into concedi n g
,

the investiture o f Naples H e ine ffectually had battered the

.

de fences o f the Pope with c annon And n ow hi s Fren ch .

me n would fight n o longer as some s ay ; but other s like , ,

Brigo nn et and de Com m ine s as s ert that it was the king ,

who blen ched At la s t with hi s Shallow mind c onge s ted

.
,

with hal f thought thought s and uncompleted facts lik e

-

these he be came aware that a General Coun cil was n ot a

,
’
Ge n eral Council unless it had the Pope s authority whi c h ,

last he was not likely to obtain ; and that without som e ,

means o f bending the po n tifi cal will he could n ot hope to ,

win the crow n o f Naple s Evidently he could n o t depo s e .

,

the Pope H e might howeve r co n que r Naples by for c e o f

.
, ,

arm s ; and perhaps the questio n o f investitu r e by the Rule r

, ,

o f the World the Father o f prin c es and o f kings the

, ,

Earthly Vica r o f Je s us Chri s t our Savi our which he ,

realized to be imperative would wea r a di fferent a s pect ,

when he should ask for it as a conquero r with the Regno i n

his hand .

W hile the Chri stia n King was stumbling to these co n

elusions the invincible Lord Alexander P P V I remained
, . .

with His little cou rt in the Mola o f Hadria n where H e

had H is hostages s ecure viz the S u lté n D j im earne s tly
, .
, ,

de s i r ed by France as a weapon again s t the Great Turk ,

and the r e n egade cardinals friends o f C olonna and th e ,

French Here He was p r actically im p regn able The Papal

.
, .

States might go to wra c k a n d ruin : Rome Hersel f might

be c r u s hed by a n alien heel but from th e Mola o f Hadria n ,

a Pope sur r ounded by Hi s faith ful few could and O fte n

, , ,

did de fy blo ckade a s long a s p r ovi s io n s held out ; could

, ,

a n d o fte n did launch the lightnings o f the Church c e n

, ,

sures e xcommu n i cations i nterdicts ; and force ack n owl

, ,

e dgm e n t a n d reluctant obedience from rebellious s o ve r

, ,

e ign s who a fte r all believed and admitted Him to be Rule r

, ,
1 46 A H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
At Velletri there lived a certain Don Pietro Gregorio
Borgia s o n o f that Don Ni cc olo Borgi a O f the Junior
,

Bran ch Regent o f Velletri and Fa m il iar o f King Don

,

A lon s o V by hi s marriage with the Noble Giovanna Lam

,

berti I n 149 5 thi s Don Piet ro go rio wa s about the age o f

.

twenty one year s ( the age i n fact o f Cardinal Ce s are ; )

-

and when the French king halted fo r the n ight at Velletri

, ,

he found means to ex c hange habit s with the s aid Cardinal

Ce s are ( detto Borgia ) and to help him to di s appear re ,

maining a s ho s tage i n hi s pla c e I t was a daring act and

.
,

soo n di s covered : but the c ardinal was safe in Ro m e c o n

c e rt in g new s c he m es with the Pope The Maj e s ty o f
.

Fran c e gave in s tant orders for the hanging o f Don Pie

t rogo rio and for the firing o f the c ity ; and hurried o n to
’
Naple s But the king s fir s t s e c retary who had been co m
.
,
’
m i ss ioned to exec ute hi s ma s ter s vengeance o u t o f sheer ,
’ ’
admiration for the courage o f V e ll e t ri s Regent s son ,

gave him a s wi ft hor s e and leave to re clai m hi s o w n c l othe s

from Cardinal Ce s are ( detto Borgia ) i n Rome ; n or did he
give Velletri to the flam es .

I mm ediately o n hearing o f the Fren c h approa ch King ,

Do n Alon s o I I abdi cated i n favour o f hi s s on Don Ferran

dino de Aragona Envoys fro m the Catholi c King Do n
.

Hernando o f Spain embarras s ed the Chri s tian King Charle s

V I II o f Fran c e with r emonstran c e s o n hi s inva s ion o f the
territori es o f the House o f Aragon : but the latter wa s
n ot to be rebu ffed The fo rtre s s o f Monte San Giovanni
.

c apitulated to him Hi s march through th e Regno was a

.

s erie s o f victories ; a n d in the capital h e announ c ed hi s

, ,

intention altogether to r elinqui s h the C rusade and to add ,

Naple s as a fi e f to Fran c e .

But three cau s e s pr evented this from becoming more

than a French boast —the action o f the Pope the a ction ,

O f the Power s the action o f Providence Dire ctly a fter the

, .

Fren ch had quitted Ro m e the Lo rd Alexander P P V I

, . .

reti r ed to the p ontifical castle o f Viterbo a mighty fo rtre s s

,
 OARI NG BLAZ E
T H E R 14 7

i n a cool air a n d plea s ant a s a s um m er r eside n ce ; where

,

H e was j oined by Cardinal Ce s are ( detto Borgia ) with

Don Piero Gregario Borgia ( now the la s t Mo s t Wor s hip
ful Lord s lieutenant and standard bearer ) ; and whence
’
-

He c om m en c ed vigorous diplomatic n egotiations dire cted

again s t the French .

The Powers o f Italy had take n alarm It had n ever .

bee n conte m plated that Fran c e would meet s ub m i ss ion all

along the line and a ctually become arbiter o f the whole
,

count ry Milan Florence the Papal State s and now the

.
, , ,

Regn o had fallen : with the F ren c h in Fran c e i n the no rth

, ,

and the Fren c h i n Nap l e s i n the south the s e inter m ediate ,

duchi es states and republic s found them selves in the po s i

,
’
tion o f an uncra c ked n ut in a monkey s j aw : where fore
I taly gave way to fear Al s o Spain was the enemy o f
.
,

Fran c e s o was the Holy Ro m an E m pire ; and the Elect

,

Emperor Maxi m ilian and the Catholi c King realized the

arrival o f a unique Oppo rtunity for i nvading Fran c e by
s outh and ea s t s eeing that the Fren c h ar m y was in Naples
, ,

cut O ff from it s base by the Italian s tates All the s e cir .

c u m s tan ce s and c on s iderations skil fully perceived and e n

,
’
g in ee re d by the Pope s Holines s from His eyrie at
Viterbo quite naturally re s ulted in the conclu s ion o f a Holy
,

League con s i s ting o f the Papac y the Empi re Spain and

, , , ,

the Italian Power s again s t France

, .

His p ositio n having become untenable t he C hri s tia n ,

King r e s olved upon r etreat Hal f hi s army he le ft i n.

Naples ; and marched n orthward with the re s t His coming .

had been a triumphal p r oces s ion His going was a flight .

through ho s tile territory A second time he entered Rome

.

with the hope o f r etrieving hi s lo s t prestige : but the Pope

again retired thi s time to O rvieto and re fu s ed to m eet him
, , .

Enraged by the s light the p olite chivalry o f France to pai n

,

the Pope avenged it s el f o n wome n pillaging the hou s e o f ,

’
Madonna Giovanna de C atan e i and making Madonna ,

Giulia O rsini ( nata Fa rn ese ) a p riso n e r O nward no rth .

,
148 A H I ST ORY O F TH E BORGIA S
ward went the Chri s tian King con ferring with the mattoid
, ,

Fra Girolamo Savonarola at Poggibo n z i ; fighting a de s

perate battle at Fo rn u ov o whe r e he lo s t hi s ar m y s tore s ;
,

rea ching Fran c e with hi s for c es di s grac ed and in di s order ;

,

and he hi m s el f di s abled by the senten c e o f the Greate r

Ex com m uni catio n whi ch the thoroughly angry and tri
u mp hant Pontiff fulminated after him .

In Floren c e Fra Girolam o cea s ed not to labou r o n

,

behal f o f the Chri s tia n King s owing s eed s o f politi c al di s

,

cord and preparing the ger m s o f certain calumnies whi ch

, ,

in later year s were u s ed by Florentine friend s o f Fran c e

, .

His s ermon s were Fren c h mani fe s toe s and denunciations

,

o f Medi ci H e had s tepped from the pulpit o f the pa s to r

.

to the plat form o f the politi c ian His power wa s admirable

.

and ad m ired hi s sincerity unquestionable ; and earnest

,

e ffort s were made to r e c laim him from the doubt ful p rac
ti c es in whi ch he wa s e m barked The Lord Alexander P P
. . .

V I s u m m oned him by a kindly and paternal Brie f to Rome ;

saying that He wi s hed to hear him per s onally and to co n ,

fer with him as t o the methods which he advocated H o w .

revoltingly in consi s tent are the write rs who rail against

the Pope for Hi s treatmen t o f this degenerate friar ! Le av
ing out o f the que s tion matter s o f dogma a rti c le s o f Faith
, ,

i n reference to which the Founde r O f Christianity definitely

prom i s ed to p ermit n o e r ror it must be ad m itted that
, ,

r egarding ordinary a ffairs o f govern m ent and di s cipline a ,

Pope well advi s ed i s s uperior to a Pope ill advi s ed W ell .

,

here i s the Pope having heard many hard things o f

Savonarola definitely and gently offering to hear that
,
’
mad m an s o wn defence definitely trying every mean s
, ,

every mo s t intimate and stringent means to render Hi m s el f

,

well advi s ed before pro c eeding to j udgment I f the sub

-
.

sequent action s o f the Lord Al exan der P P V I de s erve t o . .

15 0 A H I STORY OF T H E BORGIAS
j oi n ed it The Lo r d Alexande r P P V I who with His
. . .
, ,

magnifi c ent ability for doing m any things had been ,

s uperintending the de c oration o f the quire o f Santa Maria

del P op u l o by the Flaminia n Gate whi c h open s o n the
great n orth road ( the nearest gate to England ) went
, , ,

with a solemn caval cade to hold a papal chapel for publi s h

,

ing the Bull o f Alliance with Ki ng Henry V II Tudor .

F r ance had no friend save Florence whe r e the Signoria ,

had taken upon itsel f to r emove the inhibitio n from Fra

Girolamo Savonarola That incontinent friar p rea ched a
.

c our s e o f Lente n sermons de fending himsel f violently de ,

n o u n cing Rome parti c ulari zing certain vices which every

,

where were general His incorrigible attitude appears like

.

“
the r age o f a man who knows that he has chose n the
”
lowe r whe n he might have chose n the highe r H e was in .

ope n r evolt not agai ns t the Catholic Faith but agai ns t the
, ,

law s o f the land and the Rule o f the Religio n o f St

, .

Domini c to which voluntarily unde r n o compulsio n what

, ,

ever he had chosen to swear allegiance o n the Sacrament o f

,
’ ’
the Lord s Body T o make thing s easy fo r him the Pope s
.
,

Holine s s p ropo s ed to erect a new Dominican Congregatio n

w hich he might be willing to obey under Cardinal Ca r afa ,

who already had given eviden ce o f hi s sympathy with the

friar But Fra Girolamo intractably r e fused to hear : a n d
.

it must be s aid that the mina city and violence with whi c h ,

he attacked his s uperio rs form a bitt er contrast to the

,

patience and moderation which the Lord Alexande r P P . .

V I extended to him i n this

,
— and let thi s be noted —the
thi r d yea r o f hi s di sg r ace ful extravagance a n d disloyalty .

At the Fou rth Con s istory o f the twenty fi rst o f Janua ry -

1496 the Lord Alexa n de r P P V I named o n e cardinal

, . . ,

who was
 OARI NG BLAZ E
T H E R 15 1

T he Lo r d Philippe de Lu xembourg ; Cardinal P r es -

byt er o f the Title o f San Marcellino e Sa n Piet r o .

The conditio n o f the cou n try improved as the yea r 1496

expanded An il l advi s ed attempt o f the Elect Empero r
.
- -

Maximilian to revive the waning Impe r ial power by a prog

re s s through the I talian realm s wa s averted by the oppo ,

s itiou o f Veni c e and the remonstran c es o f the Sovereign

Pontiff The Elect Emperor having withdraw n into the
.
-

Tyrol the Lord Alexander P P V I was free to deal with

,
. .

the Pontifi c al State s The Regno flouri s hed under the

.

young King Don Ferra n dino I I and the French occupatio n ,

was becoming a thing o f the past On ly the rebellious vas .

s als o f the Holy See r emained ; and o f these Colonna and , ,

Savelli app ear to have made their s ubmi ss ion ; but the
O rsini were still in a rm s a n d Malate s ta R iario Man fredi
, , , ,

and S forza were fortified at C ese n a I mola and Forli

, , ,

Faenza and Pesa r o .

At the Fi fth Consistory ofthe nineteenth o f Feb r uary

149 6 the Lord Alexander
,
P P V I named four Spani s h
. .

cardina l s who were

,

( a ) The Lord Don Bartolomeo Ma r tino Bi s hop o f ,

Segovia ; Cardina l Presbyter o f the Title o f -

’
Saint Agata i n S u burra :
( B ) The Lord Don Juan de Ca s t r o Prefect o f S a nt ,
’
angelo Bi s hop o f Girgenti ( A xga ya r zi vo g ) in
, ,

Si cily ; Cardinal Pre s byter o f the Title o f Santa

-

Pri s c a :
( y) The Lord Don Juan Lopez Canon o f the Vati ,

can Ba s ili ca Apo s toli c Datary ; Cardinal Pre s by

,
-

ter o f the Title o f Santa Maria in Tras tevere ,

tit Cal l is t o
.
152 H I STORY OF T H E BORGI A S
A

( 6 ) The Lord Giovanni Borgia ( detto Giu nio re ) a ,

Pontifi c al Nephew Bishop o f M el fi ; Cardina l ,

Pre s byter o f the Title O f Santa Maria in Via

Lata .

A ppoi nting His basta r d Don Jua n Fran ci s co de

, Lan co l
y Borj a as Captain General o f the
,
-
po n t ifi cal ar m y , and
as s i s ted by the Maj esty o f Naples the Lord Alexander ,

P P V I pro c eeded to reduce O r s ini At the opening o f

. . .

the campaign Don Virginio O r s ini wa s captured by the

,
’
Neapolitan s ; but when O r s ini s stronghold o f B rac ciano
wa s relieved by Don V it e l l o z z o Vitelli o f Citt a di Ca s te l lo ,

the papal condottieri were for c ed to rai se the s iege And .

before the end o f the year the Pope l o s t Hi s ally King Do n

“
Ferrandino I I who died at the age o f twenty eight worn
,
-

ou t with fatigue and with the plea s ures o f hi s marriage to

”
hi s aunt Joanna whom he loved too p a s sionately ( S y .

mo n d s Renasc ence I
,
The year 1497 began with the
, .

defeat o f the papal troops by O r s ini at the battle o f

S o vian o a reve rs e which was counterbalanced by the suc
,

c e s s o f Don C onsalvo de Cordova Thi s c aptai n was at the .

head o f a band o f mercenarie s sent by Spain i n ai d o f the

Papacy ; he took the fortress o f Os tia from Ca r dinal
Giuliano della Rovere who s e five years o f treachery and
,

recalcitran cy were now p uni s hed by the Holine s s o f the

Pope with deprivation o f hi s ben e fi ces ( which took from
,

“ ”
him the s inews o f wa r ) and the deposition o f hi s brother ,

Don Giovanni della Rovere from the Prefecture o f Rome ,

.

A s for the Fren c h O rators who made protest at thi s

unaccountably long de l ayed act o f p recautionary j u s tice
-
,

unacc ountably long delayed except o n the hypothe s i s o f

-
,
’
t his Pope s s ingular patience long s u ffering and di s like ,
-
,

o f pro c eeding to extremitie s

—the Supreme Ponti ff con ,

t emptuo u sly r ema r ked tha t t hey were come f r om a n Ex

1 54 A H I ST ORY O F T H E B ORGIA S
about 9 R M Be fore midnight then at a generous computa
.
,

tion the Car dinal and the Duke o f Gandia m ounted their
,

hor s e s and rode through Rome together as far a s the palace

O f the Vi c e chancellor a ttended by a s mall e s co rt It i s wo rth .

n oting that the palace o f the Vice c han c ellor wa s n ot the

Can c elleria the p alace o f the Chan c ery at San Loren z o in

,

D amas o perhap s the mo s t beauti ful palace i n the world

, ,

which Me ss e r B ramante La z z ari built for the white fac ed -

Cardi n al Ra faele Galeotto S an z on i Riari : but the n ew -

p alace built by Cardinal Rodrigo d e Lan gol y Borj a and ,

give n by him a fter Hi s election to the Supre m e Po n t ifi cat e ,

to the Vi c echan c ellor Cardinal A s c anio Maria S forza

-

Vi s conti ; ( n ow Pala z zo S for z a C e s arini on Banchi -

Ve cchi ) .

There th e ardent Duke ( he already wa s married to a

,

prince ss o f Spain and the father o f two children ) s aid to

, ,

the Cardinal that be fore going ho m e he wanted to amu s e

, ,

him s el f s omewhere ; and taking leave o f the said Most

,

Wor s hip ful Lord and di s mis s ing hi s suite with the e x cep
,

tio n o f a certai n bully whom he kept took o n his cruppe r ,

an unkno wn man in a ma s k who waited there and who ,

daily during a month had c ome to s e e him a t the Vati can ,

as well a s on this very night during the s upper i n the garden

o f his mother Then he turned his hor s e i n the dire ction
.

’
o f the Jew s Quarter ( there wa s no Ghetto till I 5
,
and
di s appeared in the twilight o f a mid s ummer n ight He .

never agai n was seen alive .

When the City awoke in the morning ( Romans always ,

’
were early ri s er s ) the Duke o f G an dia s bully was found
,

o n Piazza Guidei wounded by the s teel o f an a ss a ss in ; and

,

all e fforts to obtain in for m atio n from him proved futile H e .

died without having s poken .

The n ew s tri ckled into the Vati can and was mentioned ,

t o the Pope ; who thought that perhap s Don Juan wa s

s taying with s om e cou rte s an wi s hing o u t o f c on s ideration
,

for hi s Fathe r to avoid the sca n dal o f bein g seen to issue

 OARI N G BLAZ E
T H E R 1 55

from s uch a hou s e in open day But when n ight came again .
,
’
and the Duke did not appear the Pope s Holine ss took ,

alarm ; and ordered an inqui s ition and the u s ual dragging

o f Tiber The wags o f Ro m e in stantly said that n o t with
.

standing al l that Cardinal Giu l iano della Rovere had

alleged c on c erning the election o f the Lord Alexande r
P P V I as being S i m onia cal it wa s now c ertain that H e
. .
,

was a true Su c cesso r o f St Peter a s a Fi s her o f me n

. .

Among other bearer s o f new s there ca m e to the in ,

u is it o rs a certain Giorgio o f the S c hiavoni a waterman

q , , ,

a ss erting that whil e guarding hi s boat o n Tiber during the

,

n ight he had s een two men who came to the s hore to look
, ,

whether any o n e was there ; behind them c ame two othe r s

making the s ame in s pe ction He the s peaker being i n the .
, ,

s hadow o f his beached boat e s caped all noti c e When the s e .

four had a s sured them s elve s that the pla c e was em pty ,

there c am e o n a white hor s e conveying behind him a ,

dead man who s e feet and arm s hung down held by two
, ,
’
foot m en Having come to the water s edge they turned
-
.
,

the crupper o f the hor s e to the river ; and li fting the corp s e , ,

swung it into the stream The rider looked o n : but seeing

.

a dark Obj ec t whi c h fl o at e d—it was the dead man s c loak ’

—he ordered the others to throw s tones at it until it s ank

, ,

A fter hearing this tale the Pope groaned a n d re , ,

p roache d the water m an i n that he did not give immediate

notice to the bargelli ( poli c e ) o f the cri m e whi c h he had
witne ss ed The ma n impudently a ns wered that h e had
.

see n such s ights a thou s and time s : but n eve r had he know n
o f any o ne who cared to hea r about them .

The Vicechan c ellor Cardinal A s cani o Maria S forza

-

Vis conti w r ote to his brother the Duke o f Milan r elating ,

the deposition o f G io rgio the waterman a n d the di s quietude ,

o f the Po p e .

Later the co r pse was found in Tiber completely clothed

, ,

i n the sum p tuous garments o f the Duke o f Gandia the ,

dagge r i n its sheath the pouch i ntact ado rn ed with j ewel s

,
 156 A H I STORY OF T H E BORGI A S
o f great value Eleven s ome say fourteen—wounds o f
.
-
,

whi c h an enormous one wa s in the throat were the c au s e O f ,

death The unfortunate young Duke wa s buried at Santa

.

Maria del Popolo ( M aric o n t ) That a ctua l ly i s all that

. .
, ,

i s known o f the murder o f the Duke o f Gandia .

The only person ex cept the murdere r or murderer s

, ,

who could give any s alient in formation wa s the bully ; and ,

he expired without uttering a word The m y stery o f the .

unknown man i n a ma s k ha s never been s olved ( nor the

ar chive s o f a Ro m an patrician Hou s e p ubli s hed ) and fo r ,

a time the matter re s ted there

, .

The e ffect upon the Lord Alexander P P V I was ter . .

rible H e had loved Don J u an F ran c i s c o with a very great

.

love Notwith s tanding the fact that Cardinal Cesare ( detto

.

Borgia ) wa s a year o l der than the Duke o f Gandia the ,

Pope had alway s treated the latter as Hi s heir ; and 1

had fore s een i n his vigorou s m anlihood the foundation o f a

dyna s ty o f Grandee s o f Spai n who would r ender more
illu s triou s the Hou s e o f Borj a The founding O f a fam ily
.

has always been an Obj ect very n ear to the hearts o f g r eat
men .

And now the irruption o f hideous and r uthle s s D eath

’
turned the Pope s Holine ss for a moment from a spiritual
, ,

a n d tem poral s overeign and de s pot into a very human ma n .

At s u ch a mo m ent when man mo s t poignantly i s reminded

,

o f the I nevitable Universal waiting in the ba c kgrou n d he ,

feel s hi s utter helple ss ne ss his entire unworthine ss and

, ,

would appea s e make s atis facto n

,
Broken hearted the .
-
,

Lord Alexander P P V I s poke o f abdi c ation and a c hange

. .
,

o f li fe ; a s other fa m ou s men have done whom trouble o r , ,

fear hav e driven to La Trappe He m ade good re s olutions

,
. .

He gave m u n ifi ce n t gi ft s to c hur che s ; for His r evived

1 p
A mo st i m o rtant i n f e ren ce m ay be d rawn f rom this as , t o the
paterni t y o f Car di nal C e sare .
15 8 A H I STORY O F T H E B ORG I A S

p olitical r ea s on s He had r eserved in p e tto s ince the Second

,

Con s i s tory o f September 149 3 who was ,

The Lord Don Luis de Aragona s on o f King Don ,

Ferrando I ; C ardi n al P r esbyter o f the Title o f -

Santa Maria in C o s me div ( He was commonly .

“
cal led The Cardinal o f

At the incoming o f winter arrived a n oppo rtu n ity fo r

t he enemies O f the Lord Alexander P P V I to blaspheme . . .

Madonna Luc r ezia Borgia wa s living i n the Convent o f

Sa n Sisto sepa r ated from her hu sba n d Do n Giova n ni
,

S forza the Tyrant o f Pesaro ; and s e ek mg a d ec r ee o f

n ullity o f marriage alleging a cano n ical impedime nt This
, .

young man was cousin to the D uke o f Mila n ve ry han d ,

some in perso n and intelligent H e already had bee n m ar

, .

r ied to Madon n a Maddalena Gonzaga who i n 1490 had ,

died di cattiv o p arto ( Gre go roviu s ) In 1493 being the n .

,

i n his twe n ty sixth year he had ma r ried Mado nn a Lu

-
,

cre z ia f r om whose Father he held hi s Ty r a n ny o f Pesaro

,

by way o f fi e f con s olidating the allia n ce o f S forza and

,

Borgia He had most o f the advantages o f li fe illu s trious

.
,

birth ra n k youth health a splendid position intimate

, , , , ,

relation s hip with his feudal lord and a wi fe a cknowledged ,

by al l contemporaries a s the most beauti ful woma n o f he r

time : and n ow a fter little more than th r ee years he was to
, ,

be held up to the derision o f all by the annulment o f hi s

marriag e o n the score o f d8fivdy ia
’

Nothing at any time i s more cer t ai n to enrage a ma n

, ,

tha n thi s ; and in the Fi ftee n th Century the Century o f the

, ,

Di s covery o f Man when o e ge l a was prized an d wor

’

s hipped a cha r ge which made him look r idiculous i n t he

,

estimation o f his species whi c h struck at the ve r y r oot o f

,

his manlihood was sure to be furiously r esented W he n

,
.

his wi fe left him to e n te r he r p etitio n Do n Giova n ni S fo r za ,

 OARI N G BLAZ E
T H E R 15 9

sped to M ilan invoking the support o f his ki n the V1ce ,

chancellor Ca r dinal A s canio Maria S forza Visconti and

- -

the Duke Ludovico Maria ( detto Il Moro ) On n ews .

reaching them to the e ffe ct that eviden c e had been give n

before the legal tribunal in Rome whi c h proved the mar ,

r iage to la c k c on s ummation and Madonna Lu c re z ia to be

141 17
n a gdé r o g 6181 he violently prote s ted and with u n
, ,

r e s trained ran c our D o n Beltrando C o s tabili the O rato r

.
,

o f Ferrara writing from Milan to hi s govern m ent a s

, ,

s e rt e d that D o n Giovan n i said to Duke Ludovico Maria ,

“
An z i have rla cono s ciuta infinite volte ma chel Papa non ,
”
gliela tolta per altro s e n o n p er usare c o n lei It is mo s t .

improbable that a reigning sovereig n would admit a fo r eign

a m ba s sado r to a dis cu ss ion o f hi s family a ffairs ; and
unle s s Co s tabili a ctually heard tho s e word s they can only ,

be a c cepted as a pie c e o f gos s ip reported not as legal evi ,

dence Duke Ludovi c o Maria ingenuou s ly propo s ed to Don

.

Giovanni a n ordeal which i n that naive age wa s u s ual, ,

i n similar cases o f s ub m itting formally and publicly to

,

the j udgment o f a j ury o f men O f bo n afi de s and the papal

legate : and o n his re fu s al his o w n relation s the Duke
, , ,

and the thin faced clear witted Vice chan c ellor Cardinal
- - -
,

obtained from him a written c on fe ss ion that Madonna

Lucrezia was j u s tified i n her p etition and advised him to ,

let the law take its c our s e The c a s e O f a man te m porarily

.

’
ozSé r a w g at the age o f Don Giovan ni phy s iologi c ally i s no

uncommo n o n e Much has been made o f the c ircum s tance s

.

under which hi s first wi fe died a n d o f the fact that hi s ,

’
thi r d Madon n a Ginevra de T iepol i bo r e him a s o n
, , ,

Do n C osta n zo S forza eight yea r s later , A s for the

’
in fe r nal calumny against the Pope s Holine ss Don Gio ,

vanni S fo r za was its inventor says the O rator o f Ferrara , ,

and the mo rti fying humiliation o f a libidinous laughing

s tock its proximate occasio n O n the twentieth o f Decem .

ber 149 7 the de c ree o f nullity o f the ma r riage was pub

,
’
l ishe d i n Rome the Ty r an t o f Pesa r o r e fu n ded the lady s
,
160 A H I STORY OF TH E BORGIA S
dowry o f thirty thousa n d ducats a n d Madonna Luc r ezi a
was f r ee .

The c au s e o f the vi s it to Mila n o f the Vice cha n cellor

Cardinal A s canio Maria S forza Vi s c onti at thi s time wa s
-
, ,

that he had c ome under mo s t undeserved su s pi cion o f hav

i n g bee n conne cted with the murde r o f the Duke o f Gandia .

’
B itte r as it mu s t have bee n to the Pope s Holines s to s u s
’
pe et his Oldest friend at lea s t the latter s rece n t trea che ry
,

with Colonna made est r angeme n t unavoidable The Vice .

chancello r retired to Ge nnaz ano by Praeneste ( Pales ,

t r ina ) a fi e f o f C olo n na osten s ibly to wor s hip Madonn a

, ,

o f Good Counsel A n investigation o f his Roman palace

.

during his abse n ce was without fruit ; a n d a n gered at t he ,

su s picion he had retired to Milan where hi s unprej udiced

, ,

and s traight fo r ward actio n in the matter o f the nullity at ,

a time when he n aturally went in di s gust o f Borgia should ,

go a long way in favour not o n ly o f his o wn bo nafi des but

, ,

also O f that o f the Lord Alexa n de r P P V I . . .

’
Savona r ola s attitude toward the se nt ence o f e xcom
mu n icatio n that had bee n launched again s t him wa s in c or ,

rigibl e
. Hi s influence caused the Si gn oria o f Floren c e
’
unsuccess fully to appeal to the Pope s Holine s s fo r the
withdrawal o f the Bri ef ; and the fria r a cco m panied this
appeal with an ope n defian c e On Chri s tmas Day he s ang
.

t he th r ee high masses a t Sa n Ma r co and announ c ed the ,

r esumptio n o f his frenzied discour s e s The physiog n omy .

o f thi s mattoid is the key to the secret o f hi s mi s behaviou r .

H e was cast i n the mould o f the animal — man He had the .

long head with immense hinde r development the g r ea t ,

thick nose the e n ormous lower lip coar s e mouth a n d

, , ,

heavy j owl o f a r am Above all i n him the little late ra l

, .
,

mu s cles o f the n ose root were o f opulent growth a s ig n

-
,

which i s u nmi s takable B ut co nt r a r iwise the n ar r ow tem

.
, ,
162 A H IST ORY OF TH E BORGIA S
military career and to perpetuate the Borgia dyn a s ty It
,
.

was an extraordinary plan : but though it pre s ented advan ,

tages o f h igh politi cal value it wa s Oppo s ed and shelved by ,

the Lord Alexander P P V I who s e behaviou r to Cardi

. .
,

nal Ce s are wa s n ever that o f a father but o f a patron and ,

benefactor who p atroni z ed and be n efited him for the sake , ,

o f another tha n himsel f Y et though the attitude o f the

.
,

Pope to the Cardinal was o n e o f li felong distin ct antipathy ,

He set immense value o n his advancement and incurred ,

peril and made sacrifices to p r omote it What was the .

motive o f conduct which presents such contradictory fea

ture s ? I s it possible that Cardinal Cesa r e was the s on o f
’
Madonna Giovanna de Catan ei not by Cardinal Rodrigo ,

de Lan co l y Bor j a but by the eternal rival o f the last

, ,

Cardinal Giulia n o della Rove r e ? It i s extremely po ss ible

and extremely probable Cardinal Rodrigo undoubtedly .

had loved Madon n a Giovanna very greatly S in c e 14 74 She .

undoubtedly wa s the mother o f Cardinal Ce s are who wa s ,

born in 1474 She had had r elations with Cardinal Giuliano

.

before that And Cardinal Rodrigo never acknowledged

.

the paternity o f Cardinal Cesare although he never denied ,

it The theory which lacks not some proo f ( to be given

.
,

in a proper place ) would explai n the u n conquerable malice

,

o f Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere towards the Lord Alex

ander P P V I Who had deprived him o f hi s m istres s a s
. .
,

well a s o f the triregno the obj e ct o f his ulti m ate ambition ;

,
’ ’
and the loathing o f the Pope s Holine ss for Hi s enemy s
bastard whom He at the s ame time held as a ho s tage to be
, ,

u s ed again s t Cardinal G iuliano in an extremity feared for ,

hi s incorrigible a n d antipathetic disposition and advanced ,

and enri ched for the love whi ch He had borne to his
mother That i s the o n ly rational explanation o f certai n
.

m y s teries whi ch otherwise r emai n i n explicable

, ,
.

The propo s al o f Cardi n al Ce s are ( detto B orgia ) had

m any recommendations The lax a n d feeble gover nment
.
 OARI N G BLAZ E
T H E R 16 3

o f the late Pope the Lord I nnoc ent P P V III had played
, . .
,

havoc with order in the vast domain o f Um bria o f the ,

Mark o f Ancona o f the Romag n a that s plendid r ealm i n

, ,

n o rth eastern Italy vergi ng o n the Adriati c Sea A few

-
.

st r ong men tyrants o f petty fi e fs threw o ff allegiance to

, ,

the Pope as their O ver Lord Don O live rotto da Fe r mo a

-
.
,

brigand o f the worst kind made him s el f Tyra n t o f Fermo ,

by the s imple process o f a s sas s i n ating his uncle Do n Gio ,

va n ni Fogliani and all the chie f citizen s at a banquet

, , .

D o n V it e llo z z o Vitelli garriso n ed Citta di Castello Don ,

Paolo O r s ini was fo rtified at S in igagl ia Madonna Cater ,

ina S forza Riario at Imola a n d Forli the O ddi and Bag

-
,

lioni at Perugia the Man fredi at Fae z na the V arani at

, ,

Cameri n o the B e ntiv ogl i at Bolog n a Sa fe in their s tron g

, .
!

holds the s e Tyrant s paid n o dues n o feudal tribute to their ,

Lord Paramount F r om time to time they s allied forth with

.

armed condottie ri to r epleni s h their stores from the pillage

o f towns and villages The province wa s r avaged from e n d
.

to end by their excesse s In the Library o f Sa n Marco at .

Venice may be r ead letters ( Lat Cl x 1 76 ) which r eport . . .

o n the condition o f Umbria whe n the Lo r d Alexa n der P P . .

V I bega n His reign ; a c ondition o f ho rr o r unsp eakable ,

whi ch He was determined to abolish .

To thi s end H e had s ent C ardinal Ce s are ( detto B o r gia )

,

a s Apostolic Legate into Umbria i n the s umme r o f 149 7 , ,

j ust a month a fter the murder o f the D uke o f Gandia The .

Legate we n t unarmed save by his sacred o ffi c e a n d with ,

t o o s mall a n escort fo r o f fe n ce The idea was to test the .

moral authority o f the Suzerai n o f Umbria the Roman ,

Po n ti ff in a place where the civil power practi cally wa s

,
’
helpless and whe r e a ma n s li fe depended only o n the fear
,

whi c h he in s pired .

O n the day o f hi s arrival at Na r ni the sixteenth o f July , ,

149 7 Cardinal Ce s are al ready had formed an opinio n which

,
’
he c o m muni c ated to the Pope s Holine s s i n the s e word s :
It is very n e cessa ry to pr ovide me with an a rmy a g ai n st
164 A H I STORY O F TH E BORGIA S
these k ak o daim on e s ; for they go not o u t by holy water -
.

’
The brigand Don Bartolomeo d A lviano s eized a tow n
belonging to the Pope i n de s pite o f the Legate and s a cked
.
,

it before his face Cardinal Ce s are s um m oned him to keep

.

the pea c e : he re fused ; and matter s went from bad to

worse .

“
They o ffe n d a s they did at first and will n ot hearke n ,
” 2
unto my com mandm ents ;
he wrote to the Pope eleven days late r .

The i nhabitants o f Todi fled from their town to s ave

thei r live s Brigandage was in it s hey dey Y our Holine s s
.
“ -
.

“
c an well u n dersta n d that the only r emedy for the s e evils

lies i n the coming o f me n o f arms who s e delay has cau s ed ,

Todi to be de s olated and the city from my departure til l ,

” 3
n o w totally derelict a n d le ft empty
, .

At Perugia the Legate took the bull by the hor n s i n a s in

,

gu l arly da r ing ma nn e r and with singula r su cc e s s ; p utting

the more uproariou s o f the ringleaders under the ban o f
ex p ul s ion whi ch thing was done with su ch obedience
,
“ ” 1
and c alm that nothing bette r could be desired .

But he did better than that He caught a murderer in fl a .

grant e deli c to I captured two robbers and murderers ;

.

“
and with no tu m ult but to the delight o f the people they
, ,

were put in gaol—a thing lo n g unknow n i n thi s c ity

” 5
a n d this morning I hanged o n e .

1 “E p
m o l to ne ce ssar i a l a rov isi one de l e g ent i d ar me c ontr o
’

que st i de m o nii c he n o n fug on o p e r ac u a santa xvi fu l 149 7

”
q . . . .

11 “C o mm e n sano n e l r i p
mo mo do o ffenders e e t n on d are l o co a d
m e i c o m man dam e n t i xxv ii , fu l 1497
"
. . .
"

3 “La S a V aL
p o be n c o m ren d p
e r e c he t u ct o l o r e m e di o di qu e sti
m al e in l a venu ta de l a g ente d arm e , l e u ali t ar d ando p iu f o rnis
’
q
c e re e l p
ae s e de T o di da d e so l ar e , e ss end o da l a art i ta m iu l a c i ta p
to tal m ente d ere li cta e t l as s at a vacu a xxx fu l 1497
”
. . . .

4 “ P r o c e d on o l e c o s e
q u i c on t anta obe dien t ia e t u i e ta c he m e gli o
”
q
n o n si p o t rian o d esid e r ar e xxx .fu l 149 7 . . .

“
p
D u be charini ho m ic idi ho f act i igli a, e t s o n stat i s enz a t um u l to
et p p p p
i ace r del o u l o menat i in re si o ne c o sa da bo n t e m o i n q u”a — p
i nso li ta i n qu esta cita, e t quest i mat ina ne e s tato appichiato u no .

I I A ug .
166 A H I S T O RY O F T H E B ORG I A S
that Cardinal Ce s are had killed the Duke in order that h e
’
might tak e his place a s the Pope s s oldier son O n c e started -
.
,

the accu s ation was repeated by Cappello the twenty eighth -

O f September 1 5 00 ; and by Don Silvio Savelli i n Novem

,

be r 1 5 0 1 ; three and four years a fte r the event : nor does

it lack repetition by c heap and s howy panderers to a guile
less publi c fond o f having its fle s h made to c reep at t he
pre s e n t day All that is know n o f the murde r already has
.

bee n s et down here But o n e vital consideration r emains

.

to be stated o n e new point o f view to be de s cr ibed ; and it

,

i s due to the rumour o f O r s ini invention mentioned above .

A c cording to Mon s ign o r Hans Bur chard the Cae rimo

marius Cardinal Cesare and the Duke o f Gandia parted
, ,

o n the night o f the fourteenth o f June 1 49 7 by the Vice , ,

’
chancellor s palace ( Pala z zo S forza Ce s arini ) o n Banchi -

Vec chi ; whence the latter saying that he wa s going t o

,
’
amuse himsel f etc went in the direction o f the Jews
, .
,

Quarte r with hi s two atte n dan ts the bully and the u n , ,

know n ma s k who undeniably had come by a p pointment .

Rome o f 149 7 wa s divided for purpo s es o f govern me n t

into fourteen Region s ( Rioni ) r uled by captains ( capo
’
rioni ) under a prior The Vice chan c ellor s pala ce o n Banchi
.

Ve cchi i s in the Regio n called Ponte which extend s from ,

’
the church o f Sa n Giovanni de Fiorentini to the Regio n
c alled Santangelo after the chu r ch o f that dedi cation in t he

F is hm ark et ( Pescheria ) Now this Region o f Ponte was

.

inhabited chiefly by the O r s ini faction ; a s the regio n o f

Trevi and the Regio n o f Ripa were inhabited by the Co
lonna and Savelli fa ction s re s pectively I n thi s Region o f .

Ponte lived also Jews : it wa s the quarte r o f the bankers

and the money changers as well as o f the pri s ons public
-
, ,

and private torture cham ber s ( no evidence wa s taken from

-
,

c o mm oners ex c ept under torture ) all under the o flfic ial

,

prote ctio n o f the House o f O r s ini Here is Cord La n e .

( Vicolo della Co r da ) where the,

ordinary Que s tion o r
 OARI N G BLAZ E T H E 167 R

To rture o f the Cord was applied Here i s O ld Pillory

1
.

Square ( Pia z za dell a B e rl é n a Ve cchi ) H ere is E xe cu

, .

t io n e r Lane ( Vi c o l o dello Ma s tro ) And here were fou r

, .

O rsini fortre s se s Monte Giordano Tor M illin a Tor San

, , ,

guigna a n d Torre di Nona The Regio n o f Santangelo

, .
,

also almost ex c lu s ively was inhabited by Jews u n der the

,

protectio n o f O r s ini who held yet another palace fortre s s -

here in the Theatr e o f Mar cellus ( formerly the s trong ,

hold o f the great mediaeval Jewi s h House o f Pierl eo ni ) ,

n ear by the s ite o n whi c h the Ghetto w as built i n 1 5 56

u n der the Lord Paul P P I V and abolished i n 1 89 0 unde r . .
,

the Lord Leo P P X I I I . . .

The s e topographi c al facts appea r to poi n t in o n e direc

tion A co n clu s ion may be r eached by the following de
.

g r ee s .

( ) The Duke
a of Gandia took eleven ( o r fourteen )
wound s .

1 T his was qu i t
n to rtu re E ver y p atr i ci an had the r igh t
e a c o mm o .

t o i n fli ct i t o n his p l e b e i ans ; an d eve r y i nvento r y o f p al ac e s b e gi n s

wi t h R o p e s fo r t he Co r d I n many p al ac es and cast l es i ron r ings
“ ”
.
,

th rou gh whi ch the C o r d was p asse d re m ain t o be se en T he witn e ss .

had his h ands t i e d h an gi n g l oo se ly b e hi n d him O ne e nd o f t he l ong

, .

C o r d was att ach e d t o his wr ists ; t he o th e r e nd w as fl u n g ove r a

b e am o r th ro u gh a r ing and h e ld by the o ffi ci a l t o rtu re r T h en t he .

wi tness d e li cat e ly was d rawn u p as high as p ossibl e He h u n g t h e re .

by his wr ists whi c h w ere straine d b ac kwar d and u pward wi t h his ,

sh o u ld ers g ene r ally di s l o cate d T h en wi th a f r igh t f u l j e rk he w as .

,

d ro pp e d t o wi thi n a b racc i a ( 2 f eet 7 i nch e s ) o f t he fl oo r com p l et i n g ,

t he disl ocat i on w i t h a sh o c k A t this m o m ent t he Q u e s t i on w as p u t ;

.
,

his answe r dist i ng u ish e d f ro m his sh r i eks and wr i tte n d own A n y ,

.

stubb o rnne ss o r i nso l ence o r r eti c ence was m e t by attaching

, , ,

we ights to his f e e t and sub j e ct i ng him t o f resh e l evat i o ns and f re sh

,

d ro p s t il l his arm s we re t o rn f ro m t he so ck ets and his si news

,

straine d to the u tte r mo st O r as a var i ant he w as l e f t to h an g until

.
, ,

his q ue st i one r had o b taine d t he in f ormat i on r e qu i re d E vide nce o f .

c o m m o n e r s w i t h o u t t he Q u e st i o n app e ar s t o h ave b een c onsid e r e d

, ,

by the F i f teent h C e ntu r y as val u e l e ss as ev ide nce u nsu pp o rte d by

o at h o r affi d avi t an d u n te st e d by c r o ss exam i n at i on at t he p r e se n t -

day T he ne are st mo d e rn e q u i val e nt t o t he T o rtu re o f t he C o r d

.

wo u ld be t he s me lli ng o f a g reasy te stam ent pl u s t he s tratage ms o f

a cro ss e xami ning c ounse l I t was me r e ly a l egal f orm
- . .
1 68 A H I ST ORY OF T H E B ORGIA S
His pou c h with its pre c ious j ewel s was intact .

He had parted from Cardinal Ce s are befor e .

witnes s e s in Ban chi Ve c chi .

H e s aid that he wa s going to amu s e him s el f .

’
H e went toward s the Jew s Quarter .

Cardinal Ce s are r eturned to the Vatican .

Ban c hi Ve cchi i s i n Ponte the Region O f J ew s ,

and o f O r s ini .

The Je ws Quarter s tricte dicte wa s in San

’

tangelo a Region also do m inated by O r s ini

, .

The O r s ini were i n m ortal stri f e w ith the Lord

Alexander P P V I Who had vi s ited them with
. .
,

appalling d is a s ter Who wa s likely to cau s e them

,

infinite lo ss O f li fe and spoil in the near future ,

Who s e favourite s o n heir an d m ili tary right

, ,

han d wa s the Duke o f Gandia

,
.

I t wa s O r s ini who started the rumour eight ,

month s later that Cardinal Ce s are ( o f whom

,

O r s ini went in horrid fear by rea s o n o f hi s ex

p l o it s in the Romagna ) had murdered t he D u ke
o f Gandia .

The hum an and natural conclusio n would seem to be that

D on Juan Fran c i s co de Lan gol y Borj a D u ke o f Gan dia , ,

Prin c e o f Teano and o f Trica r i co Count O f Chiaramonte ,

o f Lauria o f Ce rign u o la Tyrant o f B enevento o f Ta r

,

r acina Grand Constable o f Naples an d Cap tain Ge neral

, ,
-

of the po n tifical army again s t O rs in i living apart fro m his ,

wi fe D ofi a Maria de Aragona who was with his two chil

dren at hi s duchy in Spain being a hand s ome pleasure
,

loving youth o f twenty two years went to keep a n a ss igna

-
,

tion o n that n ight o f the fourteenth o f June 1497 and fell ,

’
by the furious dagger o f one o f O r s ini s Jew s a rival ? a ,

father ? a n outraged hu s band o r by the vengeful poi

-

’
g rds o f hi s o w n and hi s Father s dead l y foe s the O rsini
n a , .

The g r eat n u mbe r o f hi s wounds the safety o f his valu ,

1 70 H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
A

po s ition illogi c al s c andalous —

,
the po s ition o f a mad man
, , .

To the Signori a o f Floren c e then the Lord Alexande r , ,

P P V I i ss ued a Brief c ommanding the withdrawal o f

. .

s upport from the ex c om m uni cated friar ; threatening

Floren c e with an I nterdi ct ( a hideous la s h that invariably
brought c urs to heel ) i f Hi s commandm ent were dis
obeyed : but at the sam e time o ffering to absolve the
, ,

rebelliou s s o n o f St Domini c upon submi ss ion The Sig

.
, .

’
noria replied de fending Savonarola ; and the Pope s Holi
,

ne s s r eplied that either he mu s t be impri s oned o r be

, ,

s ent to Rome : a deci s io n which was explained at gr eater

length to the Signoria by the Florentine O rator i n Rome ,
’
who al s o de s cribed the Pope s natural feeling s o f embitter
ment at finding Hi s reasonable demands s o S purned and
s et a s ide Hal f mea s ure s only were taken The Lord Alex
. .

ander P P V I j ustly wa s di s sati s fied when the Sign oria

. .

s imply forbade the friar to preach His Holines s co m .

man de d the n the entire vindicatio n o f H is supreme

, ,

authority .

Here Fra Girolamo Savonarola committed hi s final si n

, .

He j oined in the stale howl appealing to the Powers o f

Europe for the convocation o f a General Coun cil ; and he
redoubled his treacherou s intrigues with the Chri s tia n King
Charle s V III : c ompletin g the exas p eratio n o f the Lo rd
Alexander P P V I . . .

Events moved swi ftly then De fying the commands o f .

hi s a cknowledged s uperior the Pope as well a s the inj un c , ,

tion s o f the Signoria he fell on disrepute Hi s influen c e

, .

i n Florence wan ed and withe r ed ; his prophecie s fell thi c k

and fast o n no believers : and the n the Signoria insisted
o n hi s s ub m i ss ion to the Pope .

H e replied by demandi n g the O rdeal O f Fire ; o ffering

to walk through a bla z ing furna c e with o n e o f the many
who oppo s ed him the person who s hould take no hurt from
,

that O rdeal to be adj udged i n no c ent and u n der the s pe c ial

p rotection o f God .
 OARI N G BLAZ E
T H E R 17 1

Fra F r an c e s c o o f Apulia a Friar Minor ( a Religio n

alway s bitterly antipathetic to the Religio n o f St Dominic ) .

a c c epted the c ha l lenge thus thrown down H e s aid that he .

knew that both partie s to the O rdeal would be burned to

death : but it would be bette r so than that one here s iarch ,
’
s hould be left free to carry o n hi s t r ea s ons to Christ s
Chur c h and State .

Again Fra Gi rolamo Savonarola put forth a n eva s ion .

He re fu s ed a fter c hallenging— he re fused the O rdeal in

,

his proper per s on : but he o ffered o n e o f hi s friars o f Sa n

Ma r co on e Fra Domenico a s hi s representative
, , .

’
From Rome the practi cal c ommon se n se o f the Pope s
Holine s s fulminated disapproval : but the O rdeal we n t o n .

Faggots were piled in the great square o f Flore n c e and s et ,

in fla m e The skin o f the fa c es o f the c r owd grew hot and

.

scarlet and c ra ckled in the gla r e The Friar Minor came .

forward in readine ss to die for the good o f the people Fra

Gi r olamo made delays—delay s—he s aid that Fra Domeni co
.

mu s t bea r our Lord in the Sacra m ent the Sa c red Host

- - -
, ,

G es u S agram en tato in an o s tensorium th r ough the raging

,

flame s The pious simple souls o f the Signoria k n ew thi s

.

fo r irreverence fo r sa c rilege ; r etired to di s cuss the point ;

,

retur n ed ; r e fused pe r mission Fra Girolamo per s i sted .

while the fi r e bu r ned lower The lo n g slo w day was passing

. .

Already hi s dictatorship the day when he r uled Florence

,

with a word had passed The fire was dying a n d then

, .
, ,

finally except upon hi s o wn mad terms Fra Girolamo re

, ,

fused the O rdeal which h e had challe nged evaded de , ,

~

layed denied
,
.

All faith in him was g one O b j u rgat ed by a thou s a n d .

r aucous throats torn at by a thou s and furious hands the

, ,
’
people s broken idol sought re fuge i n his Convent o f Sa n
Mar c o Florence r o s e in riot blood was shed the blood o f
.
, ,

France s c o Valori in cold murder The Convent o f Sa n .

Marco s u ffered storm ; and the friars with thei r mattoid

Prio r w e r e cast in p rison .
1 72 A H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGIAS
’
I n the interests o f j ustice a n d o f me r cy the Pope s Hol i ,

n e s s strove to have their trial held in Rome : but events had

r oused the Signoria to vi n dicate the honour O f Flore n ce
“
to s ati s fy the people who s o long had been duped and
”
trained in sa crilege and rebellion Where fore from Rome .
,

c ame Com m is s ioner s for the trial o f Fra Girola m o Savona

rola and hi s a ccompli c es Put to the legal to rture he con .

,

fe s sed hi m s el f c harlatan and criminal H e and hi s lie u te n .

ant s Frati Domeni c o and Silvestro were found guilty as

, ,

heretic s s chi s mati c s and rebel s again s t the Holy See o f

, , ,

political fanati ci s m a m ounting to high trea s on and mutiny

against hi s law fu l ruler s Handed to the s ecular j udges .

fo r s enten c e he was c ondemned with the two friar s to

, , ,

death by hanging and the burning o f their bodie s a fter

death Handed ba ck to the ec cle s iasti cal power t he three
.

were degraded from thei r prie s thood to enable them to ,

undergo the death penalty avoiding the sac rilege o f vio ,

lence to the per s on s o f tho s e ton s ured and anointed At .

the very la s t by the expre ss c om m andment o f the Lord

,

Alexander P P V I there was O ffered to the condemned a

. .

Plenary In du lgen ce in the arti cle o i death with release

~ - - - -
,

from all Canoni cal Cen s ure s and Ex c o m munications .

Gratefully thankfully it wa s acc epted ; and the pri s o n er s

, ,

paid the legal retribution o f thei r c rimes .

Had he been an Engli s hma n o f the Twentieth Ce n tu ry ,

in s tead o f a Florentine o f the Fi fteenth Fra Girolamo ,

Savonarola would not have been hanged o r burned ; but

cen s ured ; s u s pended from the exer c ise o f s acerdotal func
,

tion s by e ccle s ia s ti cal authority ; and at la s t by medical

, , ,

authority interned at B road m oo r during the Pleasu r e o f

,
’
the King s Maj e s ty as a c r imi n al lu n atic , .

This yea r 1498 was bor n D on Giovanni B o rgia call ed

, , ,
”
I n fa ns Romanu s ; who was said to be a bastard o f C a r
“ “
di n al Cesare ( detto Borgi a ) by a Rom an s p i n ster .
 ?
37 A H I STORY O F T H E B O R G I A S

A ma rr iage was propo s ed for him with Do ha Carlotta de

A ragona P ri n c e s s o f Naple s ; but rej e cted by King Don
,

Federigo who at the same ti m e favoured the marriage

,

which took place between Madonna Lu cre z ia Borgia and

Don A l on s o de Aragona Prin c e o f Bi s c eglia The plan o f
,
.

Cardinal Ce sare w as aided by fre s h outbreaks at the pon

t ifi cal baronage especially by a new league o f Colonna and
,

O rsini on behal f o f Cardinal G iuliano della Rovere Now .

,

n o more time was lo s t Don Cesare ( detto Borgia ) re

.

n o u n ce d hi s cardinalate in full consi s to ry ; and j ourneyed

into Fra n c e to c ultivate the friend s hip o f the Chri stian

King o n behal f o f the Papacy New allian ces were in the .

air King Louis XI I saw no reason why he S hould r emai n

.

i n the ridiculous a n d paralysing i s olation which the brag

’
gado cio o f his p redece s so r had won The Pope s Holine s s .

was by n o means s ecure with Naples who s e King D o n

Fede r igo though owing all to Him w
, as inclined to be ,

obstreperous and t o show contempt and to whose domi n ,

ions the Catholi c King and Queen were r eaching A n alli .

ance with the Papacy would suit the plans o f France An .

alliance with Fran ce would be o f eminent service to the

Papacy at this moment when C olonna and O rsini were o n
,

the war path and the M u s lim I nfidel s tirri n g the East
-
, .

So the mi s sion o f Don Ce s are ( detto Borgia ) met with

,

great su cc ess ; a working unde r standing was arranged by

his diplo m acy ; a n d the Christia n Kin g con fe r red on him
the French Duchy o f V al e nt in o is .

It became evident that Mila n must cede to France the ,

new ally o f the Lord Alexander P P V I ; and thi s sigui . .

fl ed the final rupture o f the allian c e o f B orgi a and S forza .

Fir s t firm friend s ; next s trong s upporter s o f the Hou s e

, ,

o f Borgia ; the n indi fferent n eutral s ; later declared trai

, ,

tors ; last n egligible quantities ; the conduct o f the Hou s e

,

o f S forza was influenced by on e id ea—loyalty to thei r

name It was the head o f the House who wa s r e s po nsible
.
,
 T H E OARI N G BLAZ E
R 17 5

Duke Ludovi c o M aria S forza Visconti a coward a s cou n -

, ,

drel a traitor a murderer in i ntention the wret ch who

, , ,

brought invading Fren c h m en into Italy to ai d his u s urpa

t io n o f the throne o f Milan—to him be all t he bla m e The
'

Vice chan cellor Cardinal A s canio Maria S forza Vi s conti

- - -

an d all the S forza o f Pe s aro S an tafi o ra C ho tignu o la , , ,

I mola and Forli fo l l owed the head o f their Hou s e ; and

, ,

as he led them a s tray s o he mu s t be de c ried S forza has

, .

produ c ed cardinal s a many ; but never a Pope S for z a wa s .

n ever nearer to the p o n tifi cat e than in thi s reign A s canio .

wa s m ore than likely to su cc eed the Lord Alexander— far

more likely than the diaboli cal plebeian who did s u cc eed .

But S for z a fol l owed the head o f its Hou s e ; co mm itting

po l itical s ui c ide Loyalty in any age is r are : under all cir
.

c u m s t an c e s it i s heroi c admirab l e
, .

From the Catholi c King and Queen o f Spain Don Her ,

n ando and D ofi a I s abella c a m e the s ometime p o nt ifical

,

captai n Don G o n s alvo de Cordoba charged to s cold the ,

Holines s o f the Pope becau s e o f His n ew alliance with

France A very o ld weapon agai n was re furbi s hed and
.
,

Catholic Spain in fear o r envy mena ced a Spani s h Pon

, ,

ti ff Who had given her the New World with Cardinal

, ,
’
Giuliano della R ove re s stupid General Council So in the .
,

s hu ffling o f the card s mi s ery made strange bed fellow s

,
-

ac quainted .

The n the Or ient blazed with sudde n war and the Mu s li m ,

I nfidel began ho s ti l itie s with Veni c e Christendom had lo st .

Lepanto ; the Turk s were intoxi cated with su cc es s ; and

1

i n Rome the Lord Alexande r was deep in the scheme o f a

n e w C rusade whe n the yea r 1498 died .

Naples looked with sallo w eyes o n the amicable r elation s

O f the Papacy and Fran c e The Christian King Louis XII.

1 Bu t
S he won a signal and d e c isi ve v i cto ry th e re wi th t he aid o f ,

O ur Lady o f V i cto ry ( c j P o li z i ano wo u ld h ave s aid ) i n 15 72

‘
t , , .
17 6 A H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
married Duke Cesare de V al e ntin o is to Madame Cha r lotte ,
’
daughter o f Sieu r Alain d A lbret and si s ter o f King Jea n
o f Navarre ; and then entered into a treaty with the Vene

tia n Senate for the partitio n o f the du chy o f Milan Thes e .

a cts were dis co mfi tin g to the Regno whi ch could only re ,

gard the triumph o f its ene m y and the r uin o f it s friend a s

auguries o f evil fortune For Duke Ce s are de V al e nt in ois .

undoubtedly was the enemy o f Naple s now after the re j ec

tion o f his s uit to Do ha Carlotta de Aragona and in de s pite ,
’
o f the fa c t that hi s mother s daughter Madonna Lu c rezia ,

Borgia was allied by marriage to the Neapolitan Prin c e

,

Do n Alon s o o f Bi s ceglia The fruit O f thi s la s t union was .

a so n bor n i n Novembe r 1 499 bapti z ed in the Xys tine

, , ,

Chapel by the name Roderico after the August Father o f

Madon n a Lu c re z ia .

Troubles were brewing fo r the S forza The Vice .

chan c ellor Cardinal left Rome and the Fren c h invaded

-
,
’
hi s brother s du chy o f Milan driving Duke Ludovi c o ,

Maria S forza Vi s c onti ( detto Il Moro ) to ignominious

-

flight Eve r r eady to take advantage o f the weakne s s o f

.

anothe r Power a l s o ever ready to be j ealou s o f another

,
’
Power s s u c ces s Europe eyed the triu m ph o f Fran c e with
,

apprehen s ion and di s gust And when the Lord Alexande r .

P P V I S hewed plea s ure at the fa l l o f M ilan Spain and

. . ,

Portugal in their chagrin sent O rator s to annoy Hi s Holi

n e ss with invectives again s t His moral s ( as Satan so m e
1
,

time s denoun ces Sin ) and the validity o f Hi s ele ction ,

2
,

demanding i m po ss ible r e for m s and a General Coun cil at ,

the Lateran The s e petty incide n ts met the fate whi c h they
.

1 “ M r s ss
o e ep ro fl ig at o s p ie tat is
e u u m res t inc tu m , fl ag it io rum st di
l icen t iam s o l u tam , s anct iss imas p re tio indig n is s im is a c — em u e ddi i r q
e sse in extremu m p o ene dis c rim e n adduc t am .
— ( O s o riu s
”
De r eb u s
ge s t is E m anu e l is , O p 1 . .

2 “I tali a t u tta av ie bbe di m o strat o l u i n on e ss e r ve r o

p o n t ifi c e .

( Mar i no S an u to in D e Leva, Q u e e r an n oto r i as l as f o rmas

“

q
q u e s e tuv i e ron e n s e e l e cc io n , y u an g rave s c o s as s e i ntentaron, y
”
quan escandal o sas .
- Zur i ta,
1 78 H I S T O RY O F T H E B ORGI A S
A

be : but ab s olutely a formal wiping o f the S late a ce r e

, , ,

monial enab l ing O f the s oul to s tart anew The Jubi l ee be .

gin s on Chri s tma s Day with the open ing by the Suprem e ,

Ponti ff o f a c ertain door in the Vati can B a s il ica which

, ,

remain s an ingre s s until the Chri s tmas Day o f the c entury

end ; and va s t pilgrimage s are u s ed to floc k into the City
at s u c h ti m e s The year 1499 s aw erected accommodation
.

for vi s itor s in the Borgo Nuovo and nu m erous i m prove ,

ment s on the Vati can s ide o f Tiber Churches were restored .

and furbi s hed the Mola o f Hadrian s trengthened ; and the

,

new wing o f the Apo s toli c Palace o f the Vati can called the
Borgia Tower which the Lo rd Alexander P P V I had
, . .

b u i l t wa s de c orated in fre s c o by the bru s h o f Me s ser Ber

,

nardino Betti ( detto I l Pinturicchio ) .

I n hi s book o n the lives o f arti s t s whi ch Giovanni Va s ari

wrote hal f a c entury later it i s s aid that I l Pinturicchio
.

painted o n a wall o f the Borgia Tower a picture o f the

Ble ss ed Virgin Mary be fore whom the Borgia Pontiff
kneel s in adoration Va s ari also s ay s that the painter u s ed
.
,

a s hi s m odel for Deipara M adonna Giulia O r s ini ( nata ,

’
Farne s e ) who was the Pope s mi s tre ss : and thi s s tatement
i s r epeated by many to this day in cluding the German, ,

hi s torian H err G re go ro v iu s ( who pretends to have been

g u ided by do cuments and by do cu m ents alone ) a s an ex ,

ample o f the fl agit io u s p ro fl igacy and pro fanity o f the Lord

Alexander P P V I . . .

Painter s o f the Fi fteenth Century in the manner o f ,

painter s o f the Twentieth took their models a s they found ,

’
them I f the per p etuatio n o f the world s loveliness be n o
sin —and o n that point there are diver s itie s o f hu m an
.

opinion and o n e Law —the n the person who i s grac ed

, ,

with n atural beauty incurs n ot di sgra ce but honour in , ,

allowing it to be pre s erved by painting o r by s culpture .

Per fe ct beauty does not s eek con c ealment but si m ply ad ,

mits the world to share its j oy without em otio n o f va ni ty ,

 OARI NG BLAZ E
T H E R 1 79

o r S ham e without r egard to rank o r dignity Pauline

, .

’
Buonaparte Prin c e ss Borghe s e was the mode l for Canova s
Venus Berni ni modelled hi s David ( in Villa B orghe s e )
.

'
from hi s ow n yvur o n j g while Ca r dinal Barberini ( a fter
,

ward s the Lord Urba n P P V I I I ) held the mirror That . . .

a miable rake Me s ser Rafael San z io da Urbino painted hi s

’
baker s daughter as Madon n a Me ss er Jacopo San s ovino .

s c ulptured hi s D io n u s o s from a lad called Lippo Fabri ,

who from long po s ing bare took c old and died o f feve r ;
, ,

a n d i n hi s la s t delirium c ontinually leaped from hi s bed

, ,

to po s e as the god to whom his li fe wa s s acrifi c ed Me s se r .

Michelangelo Buonarroti lost in admiration o f his model ,

the s o n o f Messer Francesco R aibo lin i o f Bologna ( detto

Il Francia ) with hi s nai f and c u s to m ary depre c iation o f
,

hi s brother painter s told the boy that hi s father made

-
,

better men by night than by day M esser Andrea Verro c chio .

did hi s S lim lean David from o ne o f hi s alert apprenti c e s .

M es s er Luca Sign orelli painted hi s o w n dead s o n Mes s er .

Ra faele Sanzio him s el f times without nu m ber s at for hi s

, ,

maste r Il Pinturi cchio The beauti ful S imo n e ta o f Flor

.

ence was the Venu s o f M e s ser Ale ss andro Fil ipe pi ( detto
’
Botticel l i ) ; and the s o n s o f Lorenzo a n d Giuliano de
M edici ( two o f whom i n afte r years wore the Trireg n o )
did not di s dain to s it as model s fo r thi s ma s te r All the .

works o f a rt o f the B o rgian Era representing s aints and ,

sin n e r s gods and demigod s e u daim o ne s and k ak adaim o n e s

, , ,

all obviou s ly were portraits ; the ve r y imper fections which ,

the century o f the Di s c overy o f Man was too eager and too
un s ophi sticated to plane away to fit arbitrary convention s ,

show thi s : and vo l ume s might be written o f the models

o f great maste r s who let their youth o r beauty be s et dow n
,

for all time and then a chieved fa m e as Ra faele did or

, ,

’
Mes s er Simone Fio re n tin i s ( detto Donatello ) nitid David
’
o r s uperb Sai nt George o r Messe r Andrea del S arto s ,

wi s t ful Y oung Saint John .

W herefore not only may it b e admitted but defended

, , ,
180 A H I ST O RY O F T H E B ORG I A S
that Madonna Giulia O r s ini ( nata Farnese ) who had ,

c ome to s hare with Madonna Lu c re z ia Borgia the di st in c

tion o f being the faire s t young mother i n Rome s at as ,

model to II Pinturicc hi o fo r the O s ozé xo g o f the Borgi a

Tower .

But in pr oo f o f the gha s tly ignorance o r devili s h malice

,

which ha s s ought to i ntrodu c e an element o f lubricity into

this a ffair it i s nec es s ary that three important fact s s hould
,

n ot go unconsidered They are .

( a ) that the Borgia Tower contained th r ee o r fou r

large hall s :
( )
B that the port r ait o f Madonna Giulia Ors ini ( nata
Farne s e ) detta La B e l la in the c haracter o f the
, ,

Ble ss ed Virgin Mary with her Child i s a round ,

picture over the door o f the third ha l l ; She i s e n

c ir c led by angels and there are no other figures
,

i n the composition :
( 7 ) that the portrait o f the Lord Alexander P P V I . .

i s a s quare pi cture in the s e c ond ha l l ; and the

holines s o f the Pope is pre s ented i n His po n ti fi
cal habit s but bare headed and without the
-

triregno devoutly kneeling before the Apparitio n

,

o f our Divine Redeeme r Who rises from the

tomb .

That i s the little matter o f the c alum ny i n s uppo rt O f

,

whi c h the German hi s torian with other s o f like mind have

solved the problem o f the s quaring o f the c i rcle ! 1

Now that the Fre n ch alliance was secure with the hel p ,

O f the Chri s tian King Loui s XII the Lord Alexande r ,

P P V I pro c eeded with the c onque s t o f the Romagna and

. .

the reductio n o f the rebelliou s va ss als o f the Holy See .

Duke Ce s a r e de V al entinois was n amed G ene r alissimo o f

1 De M ar i cou rt
.
182 A H I ST ORY O F T H E B ORG IA S
re ct ly a fter the fall o f I mola Duke Cesare r eceived lette r s
,
’
from Rome announcing that the Pope s Holine s s n arrowly
had escaped violent death : for Madonna Caterina to save ,

her s el f and he r fi e fs believing that Duke Cesare would be

,

c ompelled to r elinquish his expedition i f the Pope were

dead had tried to slay the Holy Fathe r by mean s o f venom

,
.

To thi s end s he had s ent two O rato r s charged with p ro

,

p osed conditions o f peace ; and al s o she sent a letter ( e n

c losed in a hollo w sti c k s ay some ) which would cause the
,

Supreme Pontiff to fall dead as soo n a s H e s hould ope n

it Whe n the plot was di s covered Tomma s o da Fo r li a
.
, ,

papal chambe r lai n who had brought the mi ss ive admitte d ,

his guilt ; ( unde r the Question guilt wa s commonly ad

m itt e d) and s aid that he hoped by the death o f the Pope
, ,

to r ai se the siege o f I mola and Forli Thi s extraordina ry

.

story i s recorded by seve r al chroni c lers i n cluding Mo n ,

sign o r Hans Burcha r d the Cae rimo n ariu s the dull and ,

s tupid de famer o f the Lord Alexande r P P V I The n ame . . .

o f the chamberlai n gives rise to curious speculations .

Tommaso da Forli presumably might be a bastard o f the

city o f Forli o f insu fficien t birth to war r ant the adoption
o f the appellatio n o f his unknown father o r mother ; and
who might very well have taken the na m e o f hi s native c ity
“ ”
with the prepositio n da ( not be it noted ) a s a
surn ame Papal chamberl ains are n othing more than p on t ifi
.

“ ”
cal flunkey s and Thoma s from Forli being a lackey
, ,

with a c ce s s to the Pontifi cal Per s on might have been em

,

ployed by Madonna Caterina to stab the Pope That i s n ot .

unlikely : but the story o f the envenomed letter obviou s ly

’
i s false ; and inte r esting only as shewing the trend o f men s
m ind s i n 1499 ; and a s a proo f perhap s that i f as has bee n
, , ,

alleged in the purest ignorance the envenoming o f it s foes

,

was a cu stom o f the House o f Borgia at lea s t o n e othe r ,

I talian c ourt indulged i n the same horrible habit u p o n

o cc a s io n
.

’
Mado nn a C ate r i n a s seco n d r eco r ded act o f tr eache ry
 OARI N G BLAZ E
T H E R 1 83

took p lace af t e r s he had s u r rendered the city o f Fo r li to

Duke Ce s a r e She retained pos s e ss io n o f the ca s tle and
.
,

r e fused to give it up A s soo n a s the po nt ifical artillery

.

bega n to bombard her fortre s s o n Chri stmas Day S he fl ew , ,

f r om o n e o f the fortali c e s a banner bearing the Lion o f ,

St Mark to make believe that s he was leagued with Veni c e

.
, ,

a r epublic the n at pea c e with the Holy See It wa s a V e .

h etian attached to the staff o f Duke Ce s are who exposed

the ruse with the a ffirmation that hi s Senate had n o allian c e

,

with Madonna Caterina The day following s he gave sign s .

,

o f weakening ; and reque s ted a parley with her be l eaguerer .

W hen Duke Ce s are approached and j u s t wa s about to pu t ,

his foot o n t he draw bridge ove r the moat by which the

-

cas tle was surrounded s uddenly and without war n ing the
,

machine swung up and in Madonna Caterina indignantly .

disclaimed any p e rfi dio u s intent and threw all blame o n ,

the castellan Don Giovanni Ca s ale : but all beholders we r e

,

aware o f a deliberate attempt to capture and hideously to

kill the Generali ss imo which o n ly had failed through too
,

eage r p recipitancy N O parley took p la c e ; the siege con

.

fi rm ed ; and i n time this audacious war wi fe was com

, ,
-

p e l l e d to capitulate Duke C esare se n t her to Rome as a

.

prisoner o f state with eve r y chivalrou s con s ide r ation fo r

- -
,

he r se x as well as for he r illustrious birth as daughter o f

the great Duke Francesco S forza Vi s c onti o f Mila n : and -

o n her arrival i n the City s he was lodged in the B elvedere

Apartment o f the Vati can whence a fter a futile atte m pt , ,

at escape s he was tran s ferred to honourable captivity in

,

the Mola O f Hadrian .

During the siege o f Forli an event occurred o f secondary ,

importance ex c ept as eviden c e o f the my s tery surrounding

,

the paternity o f Duke Cesare The Mo s t Worship ful Lord .

Giovanni B orgia ( detto G iu nio re ) Cardinal Pre s byter o f -

the Title o f Santa Maria i n Via Lata died at Urbino H e .

was o ne o f the ba s tard s o f that beauti ful splendid s neak

a n d cowa r d Do n Ped r o Lui s de Lan gol y Bo rgia ( Duke o f
1 84 A H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGIA S
Spoleto younge r brother o f the Lord Alexander P P V I
,
. .
,

who had bee n nam ed Pre fect o f Rome and Castellan o f

Santangelo by his Uncle the Lor d Calixtus P P III and
, . .
,

who died i n his flight from Rome in The said Most

W or s hip ful Lord Cardin al Giovanni G iu n iore had bee n
B ishop o f M e l fi sin c e 149 2 I n 1496 he was elevated to the
.
,

Sac r ed College and give n command o f the condottieri

,

which the Lord Al exander P P V I was preparing against . .

France ; and whe n Duke Ce s are renoun c ed hi s scarlet early

,

i n 1499 he had ceded to thi s cardinal his Metropolita n

,

Archbishopric o f Valencia The Lord Giovanni G iu nio re

.

had held Legations to Umbria Bologna Ravenna and , ,

France and was acting a s Legate to Umbria when he died

,

at Urbino Duk e Ce s are himsel f announ c ed this death to

.

the Pope i n a lett e r writte n from Forli and dated the six ,
“
tee nth o f January 1 5 00 i n these words : I have n ews o f
,
“
the death o f Cardinal Borgia my bro ther who died at , ,
”
U rbino Duke Cesare wrote a kind o f Lati n n either Golde n
.

n o r Silver n but particular to himsel f as al so was hi s ,

“ ”
I talia n and there i s no know n instance o f his using f r ater
“ “ ”
o r fratello in the tertiary sen s e o f cou s in I f the dead .

Cardinal and the Duke were uterine brothers the n Do n ,

Pedro Lui s was thei r father ; and Duke Ce s are wa s not the
so n but the n ephew o f the Lord Alexande r P P V I The
, , . . .

death o f the Cardinal however has been alleged by some

, ,

chro n iclers to have bee n caused by venom admi ni ste red by

Duke Ces a r e The c harge i s essentially absurd Ther e was
. .

n o motive ; for Cardinal and Duke were c omrade s br o thers ,

i n arms equally engaged in the reduction o f the rebellious

-
,

R omagn a ; ther e could have been n o j ealou s y fo r they ,

o ccupied separate and independe n t rank s ( o f which Duke ,

Cesare had cho s e n hi s ) the Cardinal Giovanni G iu n io re

,

as Legate being the Older man an d Duke Cesare the

younger ( 2 6 ) as Generali s si m o : no r was the Ca r dinal r i ch
e n ough to make his death de s irable B ut at all eve nts it .
, ,

was im po ssible that Duke Cesare should e n ve n om him fo r

1 86 A H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGIA S
I n July Don Alonso de Aragona Prince o f Bis c eglia
, , ,

Quadrata and Salerno and hu s band O f Madonna Lucre z ia

, ,

Borgia was murdered ; and the O pinion carefully and care

le ssl y has been c ultivated that thi s was o n e o f the crimes
o f Duke Ce s are d e V al e n t in o is and the Lo r d Alexande r

P P VI
. . .

A c cording to th e ac count o f Do n Paolo Cappello the

O rator o f Veni c e a s given by Her r G re go ro viu s Prin c e
, ,
’
Don Alon s o going to the Vatican at eleven o clo ck at n ight
,

o n the fi fteenth o f July was assaulted on the steps o f ,

St Peter s by ma s ked men a rmed with poignard s and

.
’
,

wounded i n the head and arms and thigh s Weak from lo ss .

o f blood he dragged him s el f into the Apostolic Pala c e

, ,

where hi s wi f e Madonna Lucre z ia s wooned at the S ight O f

him H e wa s c arried into one o f the r ooms ; and a cardinal
.
,

believi ng him to be i n the article o f death impa rted the ,

usual absolution But his youth ful vigour enabled him to

.

progre ss o n the r oad to recovery under the nursing o f hi s ,

wi fe and o f his si s ter in law Madonna Sancia who with - -

, ,

their o wn hand s prepared hi s food ( they were r oyal prin

,

ces s e s ) while the Pope s Holine s s provided a body guard

,
’
-

o f men at arm s No o n e knew who had wounded the

- -
.

prince : but go ss ip s aid that it was the same hand that had
s lain the Duke o f Gandia Duke Ce s ar e de V al e nt in o is had .

i ss ued a n edi ct forbidding any o n e bearing arms to p a s s

between the Mola o f Hadria n and the Vatican Do n Paolo .

“
Cappello further re cords that Duke Ce s are had said I did ,

not wound the prin c e : but i f I had done so he had well , ,

de s e r ved it Duke C esare was n ot a s hamed to vi s it the

.

“
i nvalid ; and in coming away he had said That whi ch i s
, , , ,
”
not done a t n o on c an be done at sun s et More than a , .

’
month later at nine o c lo c k o n the n ight o f the eighteenth
,

o f Augu s t Duke Ce s are again vi s ited Prince Do n Alon s o ;

,

and having driven Madonna San c ia and Madonna Lucrezi a

,

from the r oom he i ntrodu c ed his c aptai n D on M ichelo tto

,
 OARI NG BLAZ E
T H E R 1 87

who strangled the wounded ma n A fter this Duke C e s ar e .

,

p ubli c ly declared that he had killed the Prince o f Bis c eglia ,

be cau s e the latter had tried to murder him by setting an

archer to s hoot him silently i n the Vati c a n ga r den — s o
far Don Paol o Cappello .

Mon s ignor Hans Burchard the C ae rimo nariu s s ay s that , ,

’
at eleven o clo c k on the night O f the fi fteenth o f July ,

Prince Don Alonso the hu s band o f Madonna Lucrezia

’
Borgia wa s found o n the steps o f St Peter s wounded by .
,

as s as s in s i n the head the knee and the right arm A fte r

, , .

the a ss ault the a ss as s ins were e s corted by forty k n ight s

,

beyond the City gate c alled Po rta Pertu s a Prince Do n

-
.

Alon s o lived nea r the Vati can in the palac e o f the Cardinal
o f Santa Maria in P ortico but owing to the s eriou s n atur e
,

O f hi s wound s h e was carr1e d into the p o n t ifi c al pala c e and

, ,

lodged in a r oom o f the Borgia Tower Whe n Ki n g Do n .

Federigo heard o f the attempt upon his nephew he se n t ,

Me ss er Galieno his ow n leech to cure him Later the p r in c e .

was strangled ; and the leeches with a certain hunchback

servant were put to the Que s tion i n the Mola o f Hadrian ,

a n d afterwards relea s ed a s inno c ent .

A chroni c le o f Pavia o f mu ch later date say s that Duke

Ce s are killed Prince Don Alon s o at a time when he was i n
bed with his o wn wi fe Madonna Lucrezia .

Be fore examining the divergence s o f thi s evidence it ,

may as well be s aid that the original despatches o f Do n

Paolo Cappello the O rator o f Veni c e are not attainable .

Many years later a lea r ned p atrician o f Venice Do n

, ,

Marino Sa muto wrote the History o f the Venetian Republic

,

from 149 6 to 1 5 3 3 in fi fty s ix folio volumes He c ited the

-
.

state ar c hives de s pat ches o f orator s etc and his work is

-
, , .
,

ma rvellously well done : but when all i s s aid the fact re

, ,

mains t hat t h e de s patche s o f Don Paolo Cappello with ,

t hose o f many othe rs have been edited by a s trange r to

,

the writer s and to the cir c umstances under whi c h they

,

wr ote Monsignor Burcha r d held a n impo rtant O ffice at

.
188 A H I STORY OF TH E BORGIA S
the Vatica n He wa s German and inimi cal t o Bo rgia O n
. , .

matters connected with hi s o ffice o f Cae rimo n ariu s i e the , . .

,

superi ntendence o f public function s he might speak with ,

some authority : but beyond that he i s an inveterate gossip

an d scandalmonger I n his case al s o it i s impo ss ible to
.
, ,

know what he r eally wrote because the original holograph

,

o f his Diarium ( with the Diarium o f In fe s s u ra and othe r

similar work s ) eve n n ow awaits dis covery by students o f
a n cient ar c hives .

What c harges lie against Duke Ce s are de V alentino is ?

It is Cappello who s tate s that he drove away the wo m e n ,

an d cau s ed Prince Don Alonso to be strangled by Don

M ichel o tt o Burchard appears ign o r ant o f these details It

. .

is Cappello who states that Duke Ce s are admitted and d e

f e nded the murder O f thi s Burchard says nothing : he
.

r elate s that the prin c e was s trangled and from hi s mention ,

o f the interrogation o f the lee ches and o f the hun chback it ,

would appear that others beside Duke Cesare were s u s

p ect e d Cappello says that the prince wa s p o ign arded in
.

head a r ms and thigh s ; Bur c hard in head right arm and

, , , , ,

knee Capello s peaks o f a guard appointed by the Pope to

.

watch the wounded man Burchard does not re cord this

. .

There are dis c repancies between the two account s ; some ,

o f rea s onable i m portance : e g Burchard s ac count o f the

. .
,
’

fo rty knight s who e s c orted the assa s sins from the C ity ;
a n d o f the s ending o f the royal lee c h without mentioning
a ny s u s piciou s o n the part o f King Do n Federigo But .

n owhere c an be found a proved a cc u s atio n again s t Duke

Ce s are de V al e n tin o is o r against the Holiness o f the Pope

, .

From a study o f the variou s state m ents ( de ris able ,

though to some extent they be ) and o f know n fac ts a , ,

r ea s onable enou gh hi story o f the a ffair may be compiled ,

an d o n e which happe n s to be ex culpatory o f Borgia .

Don Alon s o de A r ago n a Prince o f Bisceglia Sale rn o , ,

e tc . was a nephew o f King Don Federigo o f Naples At

, .

the age o f nineteen he ma r ried Mado nn a Lucrezia Bo rgi a

, ,
190 H I S T ORY O F T H E BORGIA S
A

which were connected by the fo r tified gallery p assag e -

,

through the Region o f Borgo called Lo Andare and the ,

bearing o f arm s withi n the p re s en c e o f royalty wa s at al l ,

times and i n all courts a c apital c rime Duke Ce s are as

, , .

Generali ss i m o was r e s ponsible fo r the maintenance o f

o r der ; and he was n o laggard in any official capac ity I f .

’
t hen the truth o f the stabbing on the steps o f St Pete r s
,
.

and the strangulation i n the Borgia Tower be gra nted they ,

might be de fended a s an execution o f the death penalty pre -

scribed for a brea c h o f the law such as the fiery Neapolitan

,

pri n ce i s extremely likely to have committed Royal o r pa .

t rician c riminal s were frequently done to death in private ,

by quasi a ss as s ination to avoid the degradation o f the tou c h

-
,

o f the public c arn e fe x .

Again granting the said s tabbing and stra ngling and

, ,

r egarding them a s an act o f private vengea n ce o n the p art

o f Duke Ce s are again s t the prin c e ; it s hould be remembered
that peop l e had the c ustom o f de fending their live s by
slaughtering an enemy who s et archer s to shoot at them i n
the garden .

But during the po n tificat e o f the Lord Julius P P II

, . .

( Giuliano della Rovere ) the eternal enemy o f the Hou s e o f

B orgia ( who s e not mean portrait by Me ss er Rafaele Sanzio
,

da Urbino may be s een at the National Gallery ) the cap ,

tai n Don M iche l o tt o who i s supposed to have strangled the

,

P r in c e o f Bi s c eglia by order o f Duke Ce s are wa s sei z ed ,

and put to the Q ue s tion in the u s ual manner I t wa s at .

temp ted to find o u t by mean s o f thi s rigour the truth about

, ,

the various crimes whi c h he wa s said to have c o mm itted for

his ma s ter ; and parti c ularly the murder O f Prince Don
Alon s o But although he wa s in the hands o f a r uthless
.

de spot who lega l ly could have broiled him alive like a

,

forger o r c ou l d have broke n with iron bars every bone o f

eve r y limb o f his body o n the W heel with none to hinde r , ,

D on Miche lotto soon was s et at liberty as having gi ven no

evidence o f guilt eithe r o n his ow n p a rt o r o f that o f Duke
,
 OARI N G BLAZ E
T H E R 19 1

C esa r e It will appear from thi s fairly convinci n g test t hat

.

t here i s a s trong rea s on fo r regarding the s tory o f s t ran gu

latio n as a piece o f fi ction A S a la s t contribution to t he
.

theory it i s sugge s ted that c ontortion s cau s ed by te tanu s

, ,

whi c h might have s e t in by rea s on o f the poignard wounds ,

may have s imulated to the ignorant and ca s ual ob s erver

, ,

the appearan c e o f s trangulation The bacillu s o f tetanu s i s .

o f earth origin and every one know s the vulgar method o f

,

wiping a dagger O therwi s e the s trangu lation theory may

.

be di s mi ss ed .

’
O f the s tabbing o n the s teps o f St Peter s there i s no .

suc h room for doubt The dis c r e p ancy between Cappello

.

( edited by S an u t o u n der s tood ),

and B ur c hard ( a c o py
,
o f ,

him by an unknown hand also under s tood ) a s to the po s i

, ,

t io n o f the wounds ha s no material signifi c an c e Head .

,

arm s and thigh s says Cappello ; head right arm and knee
, , , , ,

says Bur c hard It i s quite c lear that the un fortunate youth

.

( he was j u s t o f the age o f t w enty one year s ) wore beneath -

hi s doublet o n e o f the fashionable mail s hirts o f the day -

,

strong enough to turn a tem pered blade at clo s e s t quarters

and yet s o fine that it could be hidden in two hand s ; and
which c au s ed him to be wounded anywhere except i n hi s
handsome t runk .

The number o f wou n ds a n d their wide di stribution s peak

o f more than o n e occasio n The fright ful lo s s o f blood
.

( the wo u nd in the thigh ) the delusion s o f Fi fteenth Cen

,

t ury chir u rgeon s the elementary condition o f the pharma

c o poeia the ti m e o f year— Sol in Leon e—
,

, when Ro m e si z z le s
in fever s and in s anitary s ten che s pre c lude po s sibility o f ,

recovery : and it i s only r ea s onab l e to con c eive that Prin c e

’
Don Alon s o died a fte r a month s lingering weakne s s and
,

feve r o f the poignard wound s and the attention s o f the

,

leeches unas s i s ted by a problemati c noo s e or the c o m pre s

, ,

sion o f his wind p ipe by strong thu mbs .

The n who we r e the masked men with p oignard s and ,

who is r espo ns ible for them ?

19 2 H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
A

I n thi s conne ctio n Duke Ce s are de V al e n tin ois has n ot

,
’
been nam ed The Pope s Holine s s did not alter H is be
.

haviour to him H e found him antipathetic a s always : s om e

.

said H e was af r aid o f him But He did not cease t o u s e

1
.

him to allow him a cc e s s to Hi s person to decorate him with

, ,

titles ; and the Lo rd Alexa n der P P V I wa s fa r too ma g . .

n ifi ce n tly invincible and too cons c ious o f His p ower n o t ,

to have re s ented the mu r der o f the beloved hu s ba n d o f His

charming and favourite daughter A Ponti ff Who c ould .
,

a n d did cru s h r eigning sovereigns at H is will wa s not

, ,

l ikely to fear a mere duke The clergy treated Duke Ce s are

as alway s with pro found r e s pe ct And—Madon n a Luc r ezia
.
,

.
,

Borgia until the very end o f his li fe maintained friendly

, ,

r elations with him ; and it was to her that the death o f the
Prince o f Bisceglia brought mo s t grievous trouble Evi .

de ntly the p eople mo s t intimately c on c erned with Duke

Cesare did not look upo n him as a n assas s in : at any rate ,

the legend o f hi s guilt sub s equently ema n ated n ot f rom ,

them but f r om his foes

, .

There was a total abse n ce o f mot ive o n the p a rt o f Duke

Cesare u n less the theory o f legal but private exe c ution o r
, ,

the theo r y o f j u stifiable homicide be maintained And fo r , .

want o f pr oo f o f strangu lation t hese ca n be dismissed with ,

deserved contem p t .

But— the r e was a very s t ron g motive fo r the stabbing

present i n the Neapolitan Hou s e o f San s everini and i n t he ,

Roman House o f Caie tan i who had suffered lo s s o f the ,

princi p a l ity o f Salerno and o f the duchy o f Sermoneta i n , ,

o rder to the enri c hment o f Prince Don Alon s o o f Bi s ceglia

and Salerno a n d hi s in fa nt s o n Duk e Roderico o f Ser

moneta I s it probable that great barons o f the Fi fteenth
.

Century o r o f any other c entury calmly would submit to

, ,

deprivation o f their choice s t fi e fs without at lea s t an ,

P ap a am a ed a g ran p au ra de l figl iuo l o du ca .

—A lb r i e ,

Re l ationi III . iii . 10.

194 A H I ST ORY O F T H E BORGIAS
the Lord Don Juan Vera a Spaniard Archbi s hop
, ,

o f S al it e rn o ; Cardinal Presbyter o f the Title o f

-

Santa Balbina :
the Lord Aloi s Po dachatarios a nobl e o f Cyprus , ,

the Pontifi cal Greek Se c retary ; Cardinal Pres -

’
hyt er o f the Title o f Sant Agata in S u bu rra :
the Lord G io vant o n io Trivulzio a noble o f Milan , ,

elevated to oblige the Chri s tian King Loui s XI I ;

Cardinal Pre s byte r o f the Titl e O f Santa A n
-

a s tasia
the Lord Giambattista Ferrari Bi s hop o f M O ,
~

dena ; Cardinal Presbyter o f the Title o f San

-

Cris o go n o
the Lord G ian ste fano Fe r reri Abbot o f San ,

Stefano di V e rce l lo ; Ca r dinal P r e s byter o f the

-

Title o f San Sergio e San Ba cco :

the Lord Marco Cornaro brothe r o f Madonna ,

Caterina Cornaro Queen o f Cypru s ; Cardinal

,

Deacon o f Santa Maria in P o rtico .

In view o f the danger loom ing in the near East the ,

Lord Alexander P P V I i ss ued a Bull pro c laiming a new

. .

Crusade ; and addre ss ed a Brie f in the s ame s ense to the

Christian King Loui s XII Veni c e being in seriou s and
.

immediate peril r e c eived Hi s help i n the s hape o f money

and troops Neverthele ss though Modon fell to the Mu s lim
.

’
I nfidel even thi s disa s ter giving point to the Pope s ex
, ,

o rdiu m failed to arou s e the Chri s tia n Prin c e s o f Europe

,

from their di s gra c e ful apathy The Lord Alexander P P

. . .

V I now i m po s ed a graduated crusade tax o n the revenues

o f the Sacred College ea ch cardinal being mu l cted o n the
,

value o f his be n e fi ce s Thi s though a righteou s and el evat

.
,

ing en s ample was looked upon with extreme di s gu st ; for

, ,

like other men cardinal s are very sen s itive i n the pou ch
, .

Cardi nal Raymond Pe rau l d fo r given fo r his treachery with

,
 O ARI N G B LA Z E
T H E R 19 5

C ha r les VII I wa s n amed Apostoli c Ablegate to G e r man y

,

charged with authority to r e form the abu s e s whi c h avarice ,

and am bition o n the part o f Germa n prelates were cau s ing ,

to the shame o f all r ight — m inded men But the Elect .

Empe ror Maximilian— ( who i n a picture by Albrecht ,

Dure r i n the B riti s h Mu s eum mode s tly i s styled I mpe rator ,

Cws ar D ivu s M aximilianu s P i us F e l ix A u gus tus ; and in

1
,

anothe r o n vellum i n the same col l e ction bear s a fter the

, , ,

imperial titles the styles o f all sovereigns o f Europe in

, ,

cluding R ex A ngl ice i n de s pite o f King Henry V I I Tudor

,

the n happily r eigning ) the Elect Emperor Maximilia n ,

- -

r emembered t hat i n 1496 hi s ill advised advance i nto V e -

n etia had bee n op p osed and not received with ob s equious

adulation ; and he n ow r e fused to allow the Papal Ablegate
to enter hi s Empire I n s uch pett i n ess did the Holy Roma n
.

Empero r o f the Habsburg House o f Aust r ia have co n tinual

j oy .

This yea r i n Rome was the Holy Y ea r the last o f the ,

Fi fteenth Century the year o f Jubilee The Holy Fathe r

, .

extended the privilege to Christe n dom ; and huge pilgrim

ages O f per s ons o f r ank and distin ction from all Ch r istia n
count r ies save Germany a n d Switze r land flocked to the
1 p
T his t i t l e is h o e l e ssly i rre gu l ar T he P rince ps o f the . o ly H
p
Roman Em i re on ly b eco me s C ae s ar R o m an oru m I m perator S e mper
A u g u s tu s m u n di to tiu s D o m inu s u niv e rs is do m in is u n iv e rs is pr nci i
pibus e t popu l is S e mpe r V e ne ran du s by t he h e rald s ro c l amat i on
’
p
pp
a f te r h e has b e en str i e d , ano i nte d, c l oth ed in the c onse crate d dal
mat i ca, o rd ai ne d d e acon and c rowne d w i t h the I r on C rown o f
,

M on z a and t h e o ld G D
i ad em o f the E m i re by the h ands o f the p
S pu r e me P o nt iff H
i mse l f T he t i tl e at re sent is d o rm ant I f t he
. p .

S H
sove re ign is o f the wabi’an ou se , rece d ent d e m ands th at he mu st p
g o to M onz a o r t o S
ant A mb ro gi o at M
il an fo r the I r on C rown ,
an d t o S an G
i ovann i Late rno at Ro me fo r the o ld i ad e m B u t: G D .

p
I m e r i al c o ronat i ons ( t he s ove r e ign n o t b e ing o f t he
, w abi an S
H o u se , ) at t he P o e s
’
p p
l easu re h ave tak en l ace e lsewh ere C aesar p .

F p
r i e d r i ch IV was the l ast E m e ro r crowne d i n Ro me C ae sar .

F ranc is 11 was t he l ast to we ar t he i m er i al c rown He r e sign e d i t p .

p
in 1806, h av ing tak en the t i t l e o f E m e ro r o f A u str i a in 1804 B e f ore .

c o ronat i o n by t he P o pe t he t i t l e o f
“
T he E l e ct E m e ro r is u sed ;
-
"
p
an d t h at is al l whi c h M
ax i m ili an c an c l ai m .
196 A H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
’
Eternal City throughout the year The pilgrim s alms co n.

s iderabl y added to the papal trea s ury ; and by order o f the ,

Lord Alexander P P V I the s e exclu s ively were s et a s ide

. .
,

fo r the p acifi cat ion o f the State s o f the Church i n the

Rom agna a magnifi c ent example o f the politi c al foresight
which s ec ured the temporal po ss e ss ions o f the Holy See
during three hundred and seventy years till 1870 Befo r e , .

the end o f the year 1 5 00 the splendour o f Duke Cesare de

V al e n tin o is was i n c reased by the titl e o f Gonfaloniere o f
the Holy Roma n Church ; and with the a m ple funds o f the
,

J ubilee h e had enlarged his army by the acqui s itio n o f

,

several s quadrons o f Fren c h mercenaries fo r a n ew ex ,

p e dition into the rebellious provin c e s .

During the first yea r o f the Sixteenth Ce n tu ry A D 1 5 0 1 , . .

,

the Apo s tolic Ablegate Cardinal Raymond P e rau ld cam e

to a n agr ee m ent with the Di et at N ii rn be rg and the proj ect
o f a Crusade was improved by the formation o f a n ew

leagu e o f the Papacy with Venice and Hungary ( the two ,

countries whi c h lay at the mercy o f the Mu s lim I n fide l ; )

a n d by s ome naval s uc c e s se s with the conquest o f Sa nta
M aura by Bishop Giacopo da Pesaro .

In the spring Duke Ce s are marc hed hi s rein forced a r my

,

to beleaguer Faen z a There the c iti z en s had constru cted a

.
,

ba s tion during the wi nter at the convent o f the Friars

Minor o f the O bservance out s ide the walls O n the twel fth
- - -
.

o f April thi s de fen c e was taken by the D u ke Cesare who

, ,

i n stalled a park o f artillery to brea ch the c itadel The brave .

Fae n z e s i made sortie s from their c ity for grain and catt l e
but the e ffe ct o f famine soon began to tell ( Thi s account .

’
O f the s iege is Cano n Sebastiano di Zaccaria s ) The r ich .

shared their bread and wi ne with the poor When money .

fo r paying the s oldie rs failed the prie s t s and m onk s gave

,

t he s acred ves s els Women took pa rt in the de fen c e throw

.
,

ing sto n es from the walls o r stre n gthening the gabi ons
,
198 A H I STORY OF TH E BORGIA S
able r esistance Th r ee days later the end came The co n
.
, .

q f
u e ro rs o f ered mo s t honourable term s : c omplete libe rty

for the Tyrant Don A sto rgio Manfredi and hi s r elations , ,

to go and come at will the integrity o f hi s property and

p ayment o f his debt s ; co n fi rmatio n o f all rights and p rivi
leges for the citizens .

O n the twenty s ixth O f April the municipal o ffi cers came

-
,

to the convent o f the O bservantines where Duke Ce s are

lodged ; and s wore betwee n his hands the feudal oath o f
fidelity to the ove r lord the Holine s s o f the Pope At three
-
, .

’
o c lo ck in the a fternoon came al s o Don A st o rgio Manfredi
,

with hi s kin This un fortunate youth was only o f the age

.

o f sixteen year s the servant O f hi s o wn subj ects a n d a n

, ,

orphan who s e father Don Galeotto Manfredi had been

, ,

murdered by hi s mother Madonna Fran c e s c a B e n tivogli

, .

A Venetian chroni c ler says o f him that he was a si ckly lad

( p u to m al s o n ) but beauti ful fair and rosy obviou s ly
”
,

r otten with struma ; and as such he appear s in his portrait

i n the Palazzo Zauli Naldi o f Faen z a wearing an expres
-
,

s ion o f pro found melan choly The young Tyrant and hi s .

ba s tard brother Don G ian evange l ist a Man fredi ( who was
, ,

o f the age o f fourteen year s and had had a com m and dur ,

ing the s iege ) received s o c ourteous a reception from Duke

,

Ce s are that they de c ided to re m ain with him So far the .

,

behaviour o f the Genera l i ss imo appears to have been in

spired by noble magnani m ity .

And here there i s a la c una The hi story o f Don A s torgio

, .

become s blank Re s earc h s o far has failed to discover any

.

tra c e o f him for month s .

So m e ti m e a fter hi s c apitulation Don A st orgi o and his ,

brother were fo u nd in car c erated in the M ola o f H adrian ,

i n the royal apart m ent whi c h Madonna Caterina S for z a

R iario had va c ated o n going into exi l e in Fran c e : and o f
thi s al s o there ha s been no exp l anation yet di s c overed
, ,
.

It i s permi ss ible to suppo s e that a fter D u ke Ce s are ge n

e ro u s ly had granted thei r unconditional liberty s ome im ,
 OARI NG BLAZ E
T H E R 199

pe riou s political n ecessity intervened ; such a s that Do n

A s t orgio and D on G ian e v ange l is ta held a s ho s tages would
, ,

guarantee the tranquillity o f Faenza preventing furthe r ,

’
rebellion Duke Ce s are s apparent breach o f faith i s n ot
.

without its parallels i n an c ient modern and contempora ry

, ,

history ; a po liti cal crime p erhaps n ecessa ry but fo r which

, ,

t here i s n eithe r exte n uation n or excuse .

But later still the story ends i n tragedy The t wo boys

, .

a r e said to have bee n killed and thei r bodies cast in Tibe r

, .

The only two c hronicles which have the slighte s t value a r e

those o f Don Antonio Giu s tiniani the O rator o f Ve n ic e ,

who w as in Rome ; and o f Mon s ign or Hans Burchard the

Papal Cae rimo nariu s who might have been the r e : thoug h
,

t he originals o f the s e chro n ic l e s be it r emembered a r e ye t

, ,

to seek .

The forme r w r ote to his government ,

“
They s ay that thi s n ight tho s e two you n g lo r ds o f
Fae n za with thei r stewa r d have been slain and throw n
in Tiber .

The latte r r ecords i n hi s j ournal ,

“
The r e were found i n Tiber s u ffocated and dead the
, ,

lord o f Faenza a youth o f about the age o f eightee n

,

yea r s beauti ful and well shaped with a stone at his

,
-
,

neck ; and two youth s bound together by the arms

the one o f fi fteen and the othe r o f twenty fi ve years -

and near them a certain woman and s everal others , .

It i s said al s o that the victims we r e floating i n Tibe r i n

the sight o f all .

The a ffai r i s the occasion o f anothe r o f the calum ni es

which have been ca s t upo n the Hou s e o f Borgia Not o ne .

word i s said by contemporaries implicating Borgia i n thi s

cri m e : yet the modern fi ct io n monger o r quoad hi s toria n
- -

’
who without he s itation did not place it to B o rgia s debi t
would consider himsel f guilty o f derelictio n o f duty .

The s tatement s o f the Venetian and the German quote d ,

above will n ot bea r exa mi natio n i n the light o f c ommo n

,
2 00 H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
A

s en s e A rational and unprej udiced Ob s erver will have

.

n oticed that Giu s tiniani doe s not Speak o f having seen with
hi s own eye s H e i s not i m parting o fficial in for m ation : he
.

’
reports a mere o n dit But Bur c hard s a cc ount is a miracle
.

o f Teutonic c ompletene ss at all costs and la c k o f sense o f ,

the ridiculou s H e does not s ay that he has seen the Show

. .

H e gives no authority for hi s state m ent s But he adds to .

,

Don A st o rgio and Do n Gian ev an ge l ist a a youth o f twenty ,

fi v e a certain woman and several others ! I s any relian c e

, ,

to be placed o n B ur c hard uncorroborated and unashamed ? ,

H e says that the c orp s e o f Do n A s to rgio had a stone at

his neck yet he was floating o n Tiber i n the sight o f all !
,

How can a c adaver float whe n weighted with a stone ? The

den s ity o f Tiber is not like that o f the Dead Sea or D r oit
wich Bri n e Bath s Also Tibe r notoriou s ly i s a s wi ft cu r
.
,

r ent far t o o turbid to per m it a crowd o f c orpses pla c idly

,

t o float i n the S ight O f all Al s o Tiber ex c lusively was used .

,

fo r drinking and hou s ehold purpose s and con s tantly by all ,

Roman s high and low fo r s wimming : the heraklea n Lo rd

, ,

Cardinal Prin c e I ppolito d E s te s wam the r e A l s o the ’

Borgia were pre em inently c lever—cunning their cal u mni

.
,

-
,

a fors s ay Then i s it probable that me n o f any c o m m o n

.
,

sense would o ffer a hec ato m b o f a ss a ss inations to Tibe r ,

’
an d to the s ight o f all weighted only by Burchard s S ingle ,

stone ? Finally how i s it that in the history o f Faenza and

, ,

o f the relations o f the s e young lords there i s not a Single ,

allusion to the manner o f thei r death ? The lea r ned Padre

Leonetti j u s tly contend s that the story o f the murder i s a
mere fabrication ; that the s c r ibes with Burchard and Gius ,

t in ian i have seen no floating bodie s ; but that they have

,

c ontented the m s e l ve s a c cording to their cu s tom with fresh

, ,

v il ifi c at io n s o f the Lord Alexander P P V I and o f Duke . .

Cesare de V al e n t in o is .

Let it be remembered that Do n A sto rgio Man fredi was

”
u n puto mal s an a sickly o r s t r umous lad Let it be re
,
.

‘
membered how ext r emely ea s y it i s to kill st r ong bo ys o fl ,
20 2 H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
A

by t he s p lendid gain s o f Duke Ce s are de V al e ntinois with ,

the intere s ted s upport o f the Ch ri s tian King o f France and

the Catholic King o f Spai n ( for the latter had the s ense
,

to cea s e from annoying a powe r ful ponti ff ) and with H is ,

n eighbour the Regno unde r it s weak King Do n Fede r igo

o f no importance there wa s nothing that He might not do
,

for the enrichment o f the Papacy o r the aggrandi s eme n t o f

the Hou s e o f Borgia His policy was beginning to take
.

shape The enormou s and magnificent p roj ect which ap

.
,

pears to have dictated all Hi s action s was assuming a con,

crete form Di ffi c ultie s o f every kind had beset Him from

.

the beginni n g ; and di ffic ultie s H e doubtles s knew would

, ,

be Hi s c on s tant portion : but by patience agility o f mind , ,

diplomatic ski l l s inglene ss o f purpo s e and His i nvin c ible

, ,

indomitable will H e had beaten down Hi s opponents one

,

by o n e o r had tur n ed their O ppo s ition into suppo rt which

,

now enabled Him to act independently and upon Hi s o wn

i n itiative .

H e made s ho rt work with the rebellious ba r ons o f Rome .

He bla s ted Don Pier fran c e s co Colonna with e xc o m mu nica

tion He confis cated the fi e fs o f the Hou s e s o f Colonna and
.

Savelli both o f the Ghibelline faction who had defied Him

, ,

by s e c e s sio n to Charle s VI I I and the unmitigable Cardinal

Giuliano della Rovere in 149 4 He di stributed the title s and
.

e s tates s o acqui red a m ong member s o f the House o f Borgia .

O n the first o f September 1 5 0 1 H e i s sued a Brief

,

legitimating that ba s tard o f Duke Cesare de V ale nt ino is

and a Roma n s pin s ter who had been born i n 149 8 and
, ,

wa s kn own a s I n fans Romanu s to whom He gave the name

Giovanni a fter His favourite s o n the murdered Duke o f
,

Gandia a s well as the du chy o f N epi But by a second

, .
,

Brie f o f the s ame date ( in the Ar c hives o f Modena ) He

de c lare s thi s Don Giovanni Borgia to be the s on n o t of the
af o r es aid D u k e ( C e s are ) bu t o f US an d t he s aid s p in s t e r
1
.

There exi s t s no explanation o f the c ontradi ction in these

s e d de N OB I S e t di cta mu li e r e s o l u ta
1 “Non d p re f ato d u ca ”
e .
 OARI NG BLAZ E T H E R20 3

two B rie fs It is however c e r tai n that n o huma n t e mpta

.
, ,

t ion c ould induce a Pope to publish s u c h a s tatement as

that o f the second unles s the thing were true ; and in the
, ,

ca s e o f a Pope as power ful a s the Lord Alexander P P V I . .

,

the r e wa s n o superior power whi c h c ould force Him again st

Hi s will A s to one o f the B rief s being truth and the other
.

fal s ehood it may be r emem bered that there i s a general

,
“
law a Ne c e ss ary Propo s ition The le s ser is contained i n
, ,
”
the greate r The thing was true The Lord Alexander P P
. . . .

V I at the age o f s ixty seven years wa s the father o f Don

,
-
,

Giovanni Borgia whom He created Duke o f Nepi i n 1 5 0 1

,
.

The Lord Alexander P P V I was a very great man ; . .

guilty o f hiding none o f his huma n weakne ss : and on thi s

account a Terror to hypo c rite s o f all en s uing age s Nothing .

in the world i s s o unp l easant s o di s c oncerting so utterly , ,

abhorred as the plain and n aked truth

,
.

A fter the s poliation o f the Hou s e s o f Colonna a n d Savelli

- an act whi c h redu c ed them from that o f pre m ier barons

o f the Holy See to a position o f s uch in s ign ifi can ce that they

no m o re appear i n the hi s tory O f this po ntificate —the ,
’
Pope s Holine ss married Madonna Lucrezia Borgia to Don
’
Al fon s o d E s te the heir o f Duke Ercole o f Ferrara Thi s
, .

was after her year o f widowhood She was n ow the wi fe o f .

r oyalty with a near pro s pect o f a throne wo rs hipped by

, ,

the poor for her boundle s s and sympathetic charity by the ,

learned fo r he r intelligen c e by her ki n for her loving ,

loyalty by her husband fo r her per fe ct wi fehood and

,

motherhood by all for her tran s ce n dent beauty and her

,

s potle ss name W hy it ha s pl ea s ed modern writer s and

.

“
painter s t o depict this pearl among wo m e n as a poison
” “ ”
bearing maenad a ve n e fico u s bacc hante s tained with re
vo l t in g and unnatural turpitude i s o n e o f tho s e r iddle s to ,

whi c h there i s no key I f phy s iognomy be an index to char

.

acte r the most su p erficial i n spection o f the e ffigy o f Ma

,
2 04 H I STORY OF TH E BORGIA S
A

donna L ucre z ia Borgia mu s t put her c alu m niators to e n dles s

s hame In that simp l e profile O f feature s c lean cut deli c ate
.
,
-
, ,

refined ; in tho s e c ha s te contours s o gently rounded s o ,

s weetly fre s h and feminine ; in the c arriage o f that flavian

head well poi s ed and nobly frank there c an lurk n o taint
-
,

o f de c adent degenera c y In the Ambro s ian Library at

.

Milan i s a long tre ss o f her beauti ful yellow hair s hining

, ,

and pale ; with her s c holarly letter s to a learned poet and

c ardinal the Lord Pi etro Bembo who had dedi cated to he r
,

a genial Dialogue o n platonics i n I talia n ; an Elegy i n Latin ,

i n praise o f her singing and recitation ,

q u icqu id agis , q u icq u id l o q u e ris , de l e ctat : e t o m n es

“
prae ce du n t C hari te s , s u bs e q u itu rq u e de co r ;

with an Epigram on a gold s e r pent bra c elet that s he wore ,

A R M I LLA A U REA LU CRE T I A E B ORG I A E FE RRA RIA E D U C I S

I N S ER P EN T I S E F F I G I E M FO R M A T A
“
D yps as cram : s u m fac ta Tag o du m pe rl u or au ru m
, ,

t ort il e n ym p haru m m an ibu s de c us ; at m e m or dim

“

“
E ridan i au di taqu e t u a L uc re tia f orma
, ,
“
E liadu m n e t e caperen t cl e ctra tu aru m ,
“
g es tan du m carde flu v iu s tran s m is it al u m nae .

A n other poet o f even greater fa m e the li m pid Ariost o , ,

“
p r ai s ed Madonna Lu c re z ia a s a s e c ond Lu c re c e brighte r ,
”
for he r virtues than the s tar o f regal Rome And even .

a moder n writer o f the e m inence o f John Addingt o n

”
Symonds ( who in hi s Renascence habitually credits
, ,

c alu m nie s again s t B orgia in hi s text hal f heartedly re fu t

,
-

ing the s a m e in footnote s ) —even he s ay s Were they ( the

,
“
,

calum nie s ) t r ue or were they a malevolent lie ? Phy s io

,

logical s pe culation will help but little L u crez ia s hew e d all .

s ign s of a c l e ar c o n s cie n ce Pre c i s ely Then it is right

. .

and r ea s onable to pre s ume that thi s mu ch m aligned lady -

had a c lear con s cien c e ; and to s urcea s e from shouting

any lo n ge r i n the o r du r e which has bee n cast upon and ,
206 A H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGIA S
l ecte dby Colonna and Savelli Pa s quino be came loquacious .
,

bitter Oh and s m art—but s m art ! O ne epigram may be

, ,

quoted as a s pe c i m en o f the railing a cc u s ation s brought

again s t the Holine ss O f the Pope by way o f reflection o n
Hi s alleged S imonia cal elec tion at times whe n He levied ,

taxes or forced loans for the Cru s ade o r gave n o r emis ,

s io n o f the chancery fees o n promotion to fi e fs and bene

fices .

“
A LE X ANDER SE LL S TH E K EYS T H E A LT A R S CH RI S T
, , .

“
HE B O U G H T T HE M ; AND H E HAS T H E R I GH T T o S ELL .

But the mo s t virulent o f all anonymous atta ck s was a ,

pamphlet c alled A L e t te r to S il vi o S av e ll i whi ch pretended

to have c ome from the Spani s h camp at Taranto It pro .

claimed to the Elect Em peror Maxi m ilian and the sove t

-

e ign s o f Europe the c rime s whi c h were said to have been

co mm itted by the Lord Alexander P P V I Duke Cesare . .

,
’
de V al e n tin o is and Madonna Lucre z ia Borgia d E s t e : per
fi dy carnage rapine ad u ltery in cest the here s y o f Bul
, , , , ,

garia S imony as s a s sination Men w ho have n oticed the

, , .

r abid in c on s equen c e the grote s que i m pos s ibility and fi lthi

,

ne ss whi ch characteri s es c ertain fo r eign abu s e o f England

,

at the pre s ent time will under s tand the extent to whi ch
,

e n vious rage will go Men o f the Twenty fi fth Century

.
-
,

who read that degenerate literature may atta ch to it an ,

importan ce a s unde s erved as that whi ch the Twentieth

Century atta che s to the L e tter to S ilvio S av e lli o f the Pif
t e e n t h Humanity with slight external di fference s i s iden
.
, ,

ti cal in all age s The Borgia were only me n and wo m e n

.
,

boy s and girls when all is said ; and the c harges made
,

again s t them are infinitely too mon s trously inhu m an to be

true Nature terrib l y would have avenged Her s el f o n s uch
.

infringem ent s o f Her l aw .

The Lord Alexander P P V I read the L e tter to S il vio. .

S av e ll i It is re c orded that Hi s Holine s s deigned heartily

.

to laugh with His c ourtier s over the exaggerated abs urdity

 T H E OARI N G BLAZ E
R 2 07

O f the sati re A S fo r its c oa r se n ess the Roma n s always -

.

value s implicitas and u rbanitas o f speech i e hideous

gross n e s s and brutal j est As fo r taking o ffe n c e —
.
,

. well ,

Con s ul Caiu s Julius Cae s ar laughed at the c rabbed little

couplet O f Caiu s Valeriu s Catullus and invited him t o ,

supper ; and the Lo rd Alexander P P V I had lived t o o . .

many years in I taly n ot t o have taken the correct mea s ure

o f Milane s e Florentines Ve n etian s Neapolitan s ; and He
, , ,

was well able to apportio n its j ust value to extravagance o f

prai s e o r to extravagan c e o f blame W ith Hi s magnifi c e n t .

dignity o f te m per He said that in Rome there was liberty

,

O f spee c h : and that He c ared nothing for libels against

Hi m sel f ( Co st abili to Duke o f Ferra r a 1 Feb
. ,
.

They am u s ed Him i f they were witty ; they pleased Him

, ,

i f thei r language Shewed di s tin ction : and that was all .

Duke Ce s are de V al ent in o is was n ot O f s o gracious 3 .

humour Toward s the end o f November a fter the publica

.

tio n o f the L e tte r to S ilvio S avel l i a certain Messer Giro ,

lamo Mancian i a Neapolitan was taken i n the Regio n o f

, ,

B orgo o n a charge o f publishing calumnious epigrams

against the Duke which proved him to be the author o f the
fam ous Le tter His right hand and tongue were p romptly
.

cut off and o u t Two other defamers employed by the

.

Aragone s e Dynasty ( as Po n tano had bee n and S an n azar ,

“ ”
the Chri s tian Vergil was ) to flout the Bo r gia underwent
a s imilar mutilation ; and whe n the O rato r o f Ferrar a
spoke o f them to the Pope it i s s aid that He answered , ,
“
What can We do ? The Duke mean s well ; but he does not
know ho w to bear insult s We o fte n have advi s ed him to
.

follow O u r example and to let the mob s ay what it will

,

but he an s wered Us with c hole r that he intended to give

”
tho s e s c ribblers a le ss on in good manners The good hea rt .

o f the Pope s poke there The Duke was only car rying o u t
.

the law by this severity ; law s whi ch it would ill become

, ,
-

the Lawgiver to set a s ide Still the offe n ce being agai ns t

.
,
208 A H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGIA S
the p er s on o f that Lawgiver it wa s open to H im p r ivately
,

to r ec om mend lenien cy : and that H e did N 0 man co u ld .

do more .

Flo r ence having c ast o ff the despoti c rule o f the House

,

o f Medi c i and s ettled her s el f as a true republi c wa s at

, ,

peace with the Holy See A fter the capitulation o f Faen z a

.

Duke Ce s are de V al e n tin o is was created Duke o f the

Romagna King Don F e de rigo o f Naple s apprehensive o f
.
,

danger from the alliance o f the Papa cy and Fran c e s et

abroad the rumour that the Duke intended to c onquer
Florence and add it to the p o n tifical s tate : and to curry ,

favour with the Holine ss o f the Pope he sugge s ted that ,

Tu s c any s hould be erected into a kingdom with Duke ,

Cesare de V al e n t in o is della Ro m agn a a s it s c rowned king .

Thi s attempt to defle ct the wave o f c onque s t into North

I taly and away from hi s o w n dominion s met with no
, ,

s uc ce s s I f Duke Cesare ever had entertained the notion

.

o f pro c eeding again s t Tus c any he made no e f forts what

,

ever in that direction O n the contrary it wa s the Regno

.
,

that was the obj e ct o f atte n tion Chance after chan c e had .

been given alliance s diplo m atic and matrimonial had bee n

,

made with it : but it continued to be as a thorn in the eye

o f the papa cy its sovereign s vi c iou s treacherous it s people
, , ,

dangerous degenerate It wa s c ankered to the c ore ; and it s

, .

time wa s come The Lord Alexander P P VI signed a

. . .

treaty with the Christian and Catholic King s o f Fran c e

.

and Spain for t he divi s ion o f Naple s The three signatorie s .

’
ea ch had a claim o f sort s : the Pope s Holiness a s suzerain
o f c ertain fi e fs and tyrannie s su ch a s B enevento and Tar
,

ra c ina ; the Chri s tian King Louis XI I as repre s entative o f

the Angevin dyna s ty ; the Catholi c King D o n Hernando
a s legiti m ate head o f the House o f Aragon A n d in co n ti .

n e ntly Ki n g Do n Federig o de A r ago n a fled int o exile ,

2 10 H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGIAS
A

tate O f c ourse i n matters o f tea ching Hi s po sition i s

.
, ,

secure ; but as has bee n said in worldly a ffairs the Pope

, ,

well — advi s ed i s s uperior to the Pope ill advised Seeing n o - -

.

pre s ent method o f s e c uring per m anent re form the Lord ,

Alexander P P V I waited The fruit wa s n ot ripe The

. . . .

p s y chologi cal moment had n ot c ome I t was well to wait ; .

and to let the movement shape it s el f : for later when the , ,

hour o f reform sounded there aro s e the maj e s ti c Council

o f Trent To the B orgia the world greatly owes the Tri

dentine Decree s—de c ree s that gover n the Church at this

.

day .

In thi s yea r 1 5 02 D uke C esa r e de V al entinois della

,

Ro m agna e s c orted the Lord Alexander P P V I to Piom . .

bino when he made a s tate progres s through the c onquered -

s tates ; s hewing Him that from that c ity He c ould threaten

the Republi c s o f Veni c e Siena and Floren c e with the , , ,

tyrannies o f Bologna and Ravenna the la s t with it s inter ,

’
minable feud o f the S for z a and the Pa s olini dell O nda 1
.

The chief indepe n dent states p aid tribute to him By hid .

e o u s trea c hery he c aptured the duchie s o f Urbino and

,

Camerino drove the Duke into exile proclai m ed an am

, ,

ne s ty and ob s erved it again s t hi s wor s t enemies : but he

,

hanged all those who betrayed to him loving the treachery , ,

hating the traitors The du chy o f Camerino wa s c on ferred

2
.

upon the four yea r Old Duke Giovanni Borgi a o f Nepi

- -

and Ca m erino .

The Chri s tian King Loui s XI I had a s pa s m o f envy

’
thi s year in con s equen c e o f Duke Ce s are s pheno m enal
,

1 T he p r e s ent wr i t e r once w i tn e sse d t he r e ce pt i o n i n all am i ty by

, ,

t he p r e s ent S f o r a o f t he p re s ent P aso li n i d e l l O n d a who c ame

’
z , ,

pe ace ably to g ai n in f orm at i on fo r his b o ok i n p raise o f M adonna

C ater in a S f o r z a R iario A S ing u l ar e x amp l e o f the o l d o rd e r
-
.

chang e d an d gi v i n g p l ac e t o n e w .

P e r dar ad i n tend e r a t u t t i che l S ig no r o v e r S 1gno r1 han no

2 “ ’

P r1u 11 xxv i J u ly
”
de l tradi m ento ma no n de l t radi to r e
“ . . .

app iace r , . . .

1 5 02.
 OARI NG BLAZ E
T H E R 211

tr ium p hs and Shewed some s igns o f interrupting the policy

o f the Lord Alexander P P V I with c ries for a General . .

Counc il A m odel o f hi s bearing hi s effigy with the lilies

.
,

o f Fran c e and the legend P e rdam B abyl o n is N o m e n made ,

a great s en s ation i n Rome But Fren ch motives neve r are

1
.

di s intere s ted The m o m ent another Power win s a succ ess

.

by expenditure o f blood and treasure that is the time for ,

pretentious in competent Fra n ce can e che abbaia n o n ,

m o rde to clamour fo r a sha r e o f what s he n ever won

n ever c ould hope to win —
, ,

for what with in consequent

, ,
“ ”
impe rtinen c e s he call s c ompen s atio n ! The Holy Ro m an
,

Chur c h wa s not wor s e o ff under the rule o f the Lord Alex ,

ande r P P V I but better o ff than it had been before : but

. .
,

the election o f Hi s Holines s wa s alway s u s e ful as a means

o f blackmail However Duke Ce s are wa s Generali ss imo o f
.
,

a n enormou s ar m y I n addition to the four thousand con

.

dottie ri a n d three hundred la n cer s with which he had begu n

the campaig n he had e n listed the many thou s and merce
,

naries o f the Tyrants whom he had di sp osses s ed and also ,

r ec r uited far a n d wide th r oughout Italy where all the ,

tem p erame n tal fighters g ladly took se r vice under the most
succes s ful general And to the s e he added a foreign bat
.

talion o f three thou s and five hundred fan tas s in i ( in fan

t ry ) pikemen and arbalisters all Fren chme n o f whose
, , ,

quality the Chri stian King wa s well aware ; and there fore , ,

sen s ible enough to r e frai n himsel f be fore a worse thing

happened to him Indeed s uch was hi s anxiety to give evi
.
,

dence o f hi s de s i re fo r pea c e that he actually o ffered —he , ,

the Christian King o f France the repre s entative o f the ,

A ngevin dyna s ty o ffe r ed to r esign hi s claim to the king

,

dom o f Naple s in favour o f Duke Cesare de V al entin o is

della Romagna He was painfully anxious n ot to p ur chase
.

a G e n eral Council at the cost o f the conquest o f Fra n ce ;

a n d pre fe rr ed that a Borgia soverei g n ( i f such a p e r so n ,

1 C os ta bil i t
o D u k e o f Fe rr ar a Ro me x i A ug 15 02 .
, . . .
2 12 H I ST ORY O F T H E BORGIA S
A

age were to be ) s hould reig n i n Naples rathe r tha n i n

,

Pari s .

The Romagna i mm e n sely was benefited by a strong

and decent government where law— martial law c ertainly ; ,

but law—at la s t was observed Duke Ce s are s army was .

’

the only great I talian army He repre s enting the Pope.

, ,

was absolute i n Central Italy where no Pope had had ,

dire ct authority for c enturie s He was hated ; hated by the

.

great baronial Houses which he had ruined whose heir s ,

he had slain : but he was n ot eve n di s liked by the people

whom he r uled It was not extraordinary ; for the m ob
1
.

always adores the s trong bowelle s s man the rigid fearle s s ,

de s pot the c onquering auto c rat who brings peace with

,

s ecurity H e took no di fferent mea s ure s against rebellious

.

va ss al s than those taken by hi s c ontempo rarie s Loui s XI I ,

o f Fran c e Herna n do o f Spain Henry V II Tudor o f Eng

, ,

land H e wa s more preci s e more sy s tematic : that i s all

.
, .

All the sovereign s who were hi s c ontem poraries c o ngratu

lated him The Duke was cruel ; almo s t as c ruel a s his
.

s plendid parallel o f the Nineteenth Century ; and a s fer

ven t ly di s liked and de c ried : but he wa s j ust with a j u s tice ,

a s far above the mawki s h humanitarian s ystem O f c om

promi s e ( which nowadays it is the mode to applaud ) as ,

the s u n 18 above the stars Through the length and breadth

.

o f hi s do m inion s he c ontinually went to over s ee the restor ,

ation o f order to c onsolidate his victories The s lightest

, .

spark o f oppo s ition he relentle ss ly cru s hed out It wa s a .

hundred headed hydra with whi c h he had to deal As he

-
.

pa ss ed from city t o city o f hi s provi nce s he left governo rs ,

in c harge o f ea ch bloody men r uth l e s s giants equal to

, , ,

the work in hand ; for the work was dangerous ; and men ,

whose hea r t s were triply ca s ed i n hardened bronze were

-
,

1 “A veva il d u c a gi ttat e ass ai b u on i f ond am ent i al l a p o t enz a sua

,

avend o tu tta l a R o m agna c o n il d u c at o d Urbin o e g ua dagna t o s i

’
,

tutt i qu e i po pu li p er ave re in co mm inc iato a gu stare il ben e sse re

,
‘
l or o ( M ach i ave lli I l P r inc i p e O p 1
. . . . .
2 14 H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
A

but small a s h s howed where a boy had died ; and t he s mell

o f roa s ted human fle s h ming l ed with the s m ell o f the
’
meat s Again M e ss er Ramiro d O rco c alled for wine
.
, ,

unmoved only in c onvenien c ed H e was the governor o f

,
.

Ce s ena : he had but puni s hed a clum s y s erving boy -

.

That i s the kind o f man who c ould rule in the Romagna

and it easily will be understood that acting in thi s way ,

ar m ed with plenipotentiary authority Me ss er Ramiro ,

’
d O rco froze his district into a state o f c omparative tran
quillity— a s tate whi c h gave him the opportunity o f looking
further afield and s o it happened fatally for hi m s el f A
, , , .

very little c ruelty o f thi s c a l lo s ity goes far Eve n truculent .

Ce s ena grew faint with horror o f thi s fiend .

Duke Ce s are acted upon the prin ciple that it i s better to

be feared than loved—if o n e mu s t choo s e : but he knew
that there i s a point beyond which no wi s e ruler goe s : h e
knew the supreme art o f making an end Murmured ru .

mours o f atro c itie s reached hi s ear s Sooner o r later h e .

wou l d have to bear the odiu m O f the ill deeds o f hi s deputy -

.

He never shirked respon s ibility To shine in the refle cted .

’ ’
glare o f Me ss er Ramiro d O rco s evil fame would not suit
hi s purpose And there were other thing s
. .

O n the twenty s e c ond o f De c e mber when the s etting

-
,

s u n c a s t long blood red light s a c ro s s the s now

-
without ,

warning Duke Ce s are ga l loped into Ce s ena with a n armed

e s cort o f lan c er s The cowed C e s e n e s i turning o ut O f doors
.
,

to do him reveren c e c aught bare gli m p s e s o f fla s hing

,

mail and the b u ll bannerol s o f Borgia pa ss ing over the

-

drawbridge o f the citadel Presently fro m that c itadel .

,
’
came Me ss er Cipriano di Nu m ai the Duke s s e cretary to , ,

the hou s e o f Me ss er Do m eni c o d UgO l ini the trea s urer ; ’

,
’
s eeking the governor in the c ity Me ss er Ram iro d O rco .

was arre s ted and c onducted to the pre s en c e o f hi s c hief

, .

Sur m i s e that night was r i fe a s to the import o f these

act s New vengeance ? Ne w taxes ? New ho rro r ? None
.

c oul d say .
 T H E OARI NG BLAZ E R 2 15

The n ext morning letters pate n t went to all cities o f the

,
-

Romagna proclaiming that Duke Ce s are had arre s ted his

’
governor Me s ser Ramiro d O rco o n the charge o f n um ,
~

be rl e s s frauds illegal cruelties and othe r crime s The

, , .

plaint s o f the oppre ss ed had grieved the Duke natural ,

enemy o f exaction avarice and cruelty who having freed

, , , ,

the citize n s from the an c ient te rr or wi s hed to i m pose n o ,

new c harge s o n them The letter s patent c on c luded

.
-
,
“
for the doing o f j usti c e to O ur s el f and to a l l persons who
have been inj ured and for a s alutary exam ple to all O u r
,
’
s ervants pre s ent and future Me s ser Ramiro d O rco will ,

s tand hi s trial o n depo s itions again s t him colle cted .

The trial wa s not a long o n e Legally pu t to the To rtu r e.

o f the Que s tion that fright ful ru ifi an admitted the truth o f

,

the s aid depo s itions ; and chiefly he a c cu s ed hi m s el f o f

,

having sold the store o f c orn belonging to the provin c e ,

applying the pri c e to hi s o w n purpo s es to su c h an extent ,

that Duke Cesare only averted a famine by importing a

f r esh supply from foreign c ountries Lastly Me ss e r R a .
,
~

’
miro d O rco c on fes s ed that he wa s conspiring with the
O r s ini to betray to them the c ity o f Ce s ena ; and with Do n
V it e llo z z o Vitelli Ty r ant o f Citta di Castello and Do n
, ,

O l iv e o tto da Fermo to po s e an arbali s ter

r ,
1
to a ss a s sinate
Duke Ce s are with a bolt from hi s arbalist Citi z ens o f
2
.

Ce s ena who pa s sed the little square be fore the citadel ,

going to the dawn mass o f Chri s tma s Day s aw a j oyful

- -
,

s ight—the Justi c e o f the Duke They s aw a glittering axe .

,

fixed i n a blo c k upon the s now They s aw on the one s ide a .

headle s s body in rich garments exposed on a blood stained ,

-

mat upon the snow They s aw o n the other side the bodiles s
.

’
head o f Me ss er Ramiro d O rcO o n a pike .

All chroni clers o f the period c ongratulate Duke Ce s are

o n having delivered his subj e cts fro m a tyrannous subal
ter n as cruel as he wa s r apa c ious ; a n d Machiavel li r eco rds
1 A rcubal l is tariu s =cros s -bo w-man .

cu ball is ta = cro s s -bo w

1 Ar
.
2 16 A H I ST ORY O F T H E B ORGIA S
that His Excellen c y wa s plea s ed to s hew that he had the
power to make men—and to mar them Duke Cesare i n .

tea ching m ade u s e o f the s en s e o f s ight He made the peo

.

p le s o f the Romagna s ee hi s power s ee his j u s ti c e s e e hi s

, ,

everpresent indefatigable energy What wonder then that

.

he was looked upon as superhuma n In the c itadel o f .

Ce s ena a m ilder governor reigned .

Leaving Ce s ena o n the Fe s tival o f St Stephen Duke .

,

Cesare rea ched Pe s aro o n the twenty eighth o f De cember

-
,

where he learned that the c on s pirators who m M es s er

’
Ramiro d O rco had betrayed ( ex c ept the Baglioni o f
,

Peru gia and Don Giulio and Don Giovanni O r s ini who
,

were in Ro m e with Cardinal Giambatti s ta O rsini and other

prelate s o f their fa ction ) were at S in igagl ia whi ch pla c e ,
’
they were s uppo s ed to be besieging o n the Duke s behal f ;
and they sent to him to announ c e that they had c aptured
the c ity but that the governor re fused to surrender the
,

citadel s ave to the Generali ss imo i n person D u ke Ce s are .

sent avant courier s hera l ding hi s arrival with a rti llery .

At dawn on the Festival O f St Sylve s ter the thirty

.

fi rs t o f De c ember he appeared be fore S im gaglia Hi s

, .

trusty confidant and c aptain Don M iche l otto l e d the van

with two hundred lan cer s B ehind the s e Duke Ce s are r ode
.
,

accompanied by three and a hal f thou s and Italian co u dot

tieri and a s many foreigner s At the city gate Don M i chel
.
-
,

otto halted hi s c avalry on the bridge and the in fantry ,

de fi l e d between thei r ranks entering the c ity where the

,

forces o f Don O live rotto da Fermo were paraded Don .

Paolo and Don Fran c e s c o O r s ini Duke o f Gravina al s o

, ,

were pre s ent with Don V it e l lo z z o Vitelli who wore an

,

e r mine mantle and rode a mule like any cardinal Duke .

Ce s are appeared to be pleased at seeing them and allowed

them to ki ss hi s hand in the Fren c h s tyle The atro c ious .

character o f the s e brigand s already ha s been de s c ribed .

Duke Ce s are engaged them in c onver s ation s iding with ,

D o n F r ancesco O r s ini a n d Don V ite l loz o Vitelli Whe n .

2 18 A H I STORY O F T H E BORGIA S
red c ord ( whi c h was his baronial privilege ) c u t i n t o hi s
g u llet and s tilled hi s s wollen tongue
, .

An example o f thi s kind ca n leave no doubt in the mind

but that in s pite o f all to the c ontrary the Ponti fex Maxi
, ,

m u s o f Ro m e s i m onia c ally ele c ted or not i m pli c itly and

, ,
’
expli c itly was regarded then a s God s Vi c egerent a s ,

E arthly Vi c ar o f Chri s t by the mo s t fl agitio u s o f men , .

Then what c an be thought o f the good and c lean living -

maj ority ?
The bodie s were buried in the c hapel o f the ho s pice O f
the Mi s ericordia the Brotherhood o f Pity o n e o f who s e
, ,

Obligation s i s the c are o f c riminal s condem ned o n the c api

tal charge .

Thi s account o f the col p o di s tato o f S inigaglia di ffers - -

from that t o whi c h the world i s a cc u s to m ed It i s said that .

,

whe n Me ss er Ni c colo Ma chiavelli returned to Floren c e he ,

wa s induc ed to make a di fferent s tatem ent to the one whi c h

he prev iou s ly had made from per s onal observation in hi s
fir s t dispat ches A ccording to this se cond ver s ion there
.
,

was no con s pira cy ; and the brigands Vitel l i and da Fer m o

were S i m ply ma ss ac red by order o f Duke Cesare It i s the .

exec rab l e Me ss er France s c o G u icciardin i who has pro s ti

t u t e d hi s golden pen to record thi s s o c alled ver s ion o f -

Ma c hiavelli whi c h ha s c ome to be r egarded as vera c iou s

,

history .

D u k e C e sare de V al en tin o is knowl e dg e d s ove re ign o f t he

, ac
Ro magna j u dg e d his s u b j ec t s who we r e g u il t y O f high t re aso n
,

a s c hi e f o f t he S tate he c ond e mne d t he as s as si ns w ho s ou gh t his

,

l i f e : as g ene ralissi mo he p unish e d tre ac h e ro u s and r eb e lli o u s s ub

,

a l te rns I t is known f ro m o th e r so urce s th at th ese two b ar ons we re

.
,

o n ly b r ig an ds stai ne d wi t h mu r d e r s and t h at t h e i r d eat h was a

,

d e live ranc e fo r Italy W i t h ou t insist ing o n t his p o int an d i f i t be

s aid th at t he p roc e du re o f D u k e C e s are was o di o u s —the c aptu re
.
,

by a ru se and the su mm ar y execut i on —it may be p o inte d o u t th at

,

e ve r yw h e r e an d i n a l l ag e s c r i m i nals are t ak en by wh ateve r m et h o d

m ay be po ssibl e an d th at m ili tary tr ib unals h ave n eve r wasted
,

t i m e i n l on g f o r mal i t i e s T h e r e w as accu sat i on t r i al an d e xecu t i on

.
, , ,

all i n r e gu l ar th o u gh r ap id f o r m We we ll m ay c all t he act i o n o f

D u k e C esare a cou p d Etat He i s n ot more bl ameworthy th an the
-
’
-
.
 OARI NG BLAZ E
T H E R 2 19

E m pe ro r N ap o l eo n 111 who i n 185 2 w as l o u dly app l au d e d N e i th e r i s .

i t nece ssary fo r his j u st ifi cat i on t o u r ge t he barbaro u s c u stom s o f

h is ag e ; fo r w e sho u ld be f o rc e d t o re m e mb e r t h at i n t he N ine ,

t e e n t h C en tu r y o u r ( F r e nc h ) n at i onal h e ro i n a t i m e o f p e ace
, , ,

c au se d t o be se i e d o n f o r e ign t e rr i to r y t o be c arr i e d t o V i n cenne s

z , ,

a n d a f t e r t he mo c k e r y o f a t r i al t o be sh o t l ik e a do g i n t he c ast l e
, ,

di tc h an i nno cent man who was a p r ince o f the bl o o d ro yal O f

,
-

F ranc e !D u c d E ng hien P] Y et n o m an has eve r d ar e d to lik en t he

.
’

E m p e ro r N ap o l e o n I t o a B o r gi a ! ( R é n e C o m te de M ari co u rt ) ,
.

The n ews rea ched Rome o n the n ight o f the s ec o n d o f

January The blow had been s tru ck with s uch rapidity a s to
.

put c o m pli c ity o f the Lord Alexander beyond the dim e n

s ions o f ti m e and s pace .

I n the Eternal City the year had opened with the ,

c eremony called L Ubbe die n z a

’
in whi c h the c ardinal s
,

renew their vow o f fidelity t o the Pope as formerly , , ,

Ro m an Senator s vowed fidelity to the Prin c ep s on each

New Y ear s Day A cardinal who would o m it thi s duty
’
.
,

ex c ept fo r a valid rea s on would c au s e preci s ely s uch a ,

s candal as P T hras e a Pae tu s cau s ed to Ta citu s by n egle ct

.

ing to swea r to Nero Notwith s tanding thi s renewal o f .

allegiance o n the fir s t o f Janua ry only three days later ,

’
the Pope s Holine s s found reason to arrest Cardinal Giam
batti s ta O r s ini with Archbi s hop Alviano o f Floren c e
, ,
’
and D o n Gia c o m o Po pl ico l a di Santacroce O rsini s parti ,

s ans being determined on c e for all to c ru s h that House

,

o f incorrigible r ebel s This Don Giaco m o Po pl icola di

.

Santa c roce had only himsel f to blame Hi s Hou s e the most .

,

illu s trious o f all the s ixty con s c ript familie s o f Rome ,

had been outlawed i n 1482 by the Lord X ystu s P P I V by . .

rea s on o f the furiou s feud between Santacroce and Della

vale whi ch had turned the Eternal City for months to
gether into Sha m ble s He should have known better than
.

’
to put hi s head in the lion s m outh Giu s tiniani the O rato r .
,

o f Veni c e received an account o f what had happened

,
’
f r om the Pope s O w n mobile lip s ; and embodied the same
in a di s pat ch to hi s government dated the fourth o f Ja n u
ary 15 03 I t appears to be pe r fe ctly logical o n the p art o f
.
2 20 AH I ST ORY O F T H E B ORGIA S
’
the Pope s Holine ss that i n view o f the c o m ing trial o f
, ,

the two O r s ini who m Duke Ce s are was bringing to Ro m e ,

eviden c e shou l d be sought among the mem bers o f their

fa ction .

The behaviour o f O r s ini wa s impoliti c and s u s pi ciou s t o

,

the la s t degree They were under the s hadow Two o f their

. .

alleged ac co m pli c e s had been exe c uted at S in igaglia The .

c ardinal wa s detained i n the Mola o f Hadrian Don Paolo .

O r s ini and Duke France s c o O r s ini o f Gravina were pris

o n ers o f Duke Ce s are Their c ircu m stan ce s required a
.

patient poli cy o f ina ction pending co m ing trial the re s ult ,

o f whi c h they needed not to fear suppo s ing the m to be

innoc ent o f c on s pira c y O n the c ontrary they gave c lear
.
,

evidence o f guilt de s perately m aintaining an ar m ed re

,

bellion i n po n tifi cal territory ravaging the Viterbo coun

,

try and c ontinuing to m ake leagues with other r ebels

,

whether these were Roman baron s o r c hie f s o f indepe n dent

banditti .

The O rator o f Veni c e wrote to hi s govern m ent on the

“
s eventeenth o f January : The Pontiff i s much disturbed ,

and more than ever o n hi s guard They s ay that Colonna

.

and Savelli and all the dis contented baron s have j oined
O r s ini Thi s night there wa s a panic at the Vatican : no
.

o n e knows the c au s e The captain o f the guard called o u t

.

”
his troops and wat ched all night under arm s .

Prin c e G io ffre do Borgia o f Squillace now in his twenty ,

s econd year and father o f four c hildren raised a squadron ,

’
o f c ondottieri and atta c ked his Augu s t Father s enemie s :

but on the night o f the twentieth o f January the O r s ini ,

cavalry c aptured the Bridge o f Nomentano where a fo rt

res s wa s ; and all the B orgo rose in tumult Me ss e r Fran .

cesco Remolino Bi s hop o f Sorrento and the O rator o f ,

Siena left the City for the camp o f Duke Ce s are c arrying
,

orders that he should leave everything and advance o n

Rome which was in i mm inent peril B u t before the envoys
,
.

r eached him o n the n ight o f the seventeenth o fJa n uary

, ,
222 H I S T O R Y O F T H E B ORG I A S
A

said : I give noti c e that ye s terday a fter the depa rture o f , ,

my courier the Lord Cardinal O r s ini died ; and this eve

,

ning with an honourable e s c ort he wa s taken to the

, ,

church o f San Salvatore and there interred , .

“
B ran catal in i in hi s Diariu m wrote : Thi s day XX I I
, ,

February 1 5 03 Cardinal O rsini left the Ca s tle o f San

,

tangelo dead at a hal f hour o f the n ight ;

,
6 P M ) - -
. .

and Mariano di Ste fa n o with many other Ro m an s a ec om

”
p an ie d him and
,
he was borne to San Salvatore i n L au ra .

S o de rin i O rator o f the Signoria o f F l oren c e in a di s

, ,

p atch dated the twenty third o f February 1 5 03 wrote to -

his government
C ar dinal O r si n i di e d ye ste r day :
b u r i e d at the twenty an d w as
f ourth h o u r ( 5 5 3 O P M ) at S an S al vato re t he c h u rc h o f t he
-
. . .

H o use o f O rsini ; an d by o r d e r o f the P o p e the b ody was e sco rted

, ,

by his r e l ati ons and by the c ar dinals o f t he C u r i a unc o ver e d and

r e sting o n a bi e r dra p e d wi t h c l ot h —o f—
, ,

g o ld ve ste d i n a re d c h asu bl e ,

b rocad e d wi th g o lden fl owe rs o n the h ead w as a whi te m i tr e and , ,

at t he f e e t we r e t w o h at s i n t o k e n o f his c ar di nali t i al r ank The .

monks p e r f o r m e d the f une r al se rv i c e ; and th e r e we re ab out si xt y

o r s event y ligh t e d t o r c h e s M ay he re st i n p e ace .
”
.

O bvi ously the O rator s o f the Power s had no suspi c ion

,

o f venom Giu s tiniani gladly would have r eported su c h a

.

rumour had he found hi m s el f in a po s ition to do s o whi ch

would have been c on s i s tent with his dignity and duty to the
Venetian Senate When He heard what Hi s enemie s were
.

saying the Lord Alexander P P V I took prompt a ction

, . . .

On the day a fte r the ob s equie s H e convoked the phy s i c ians

who had attended the dead Cardinal during hi s illne ss and
agony ; and required them to ce rti fy that death was owed
to n atural causes without any violence due to veno m or
other mean s ; H e made them swear o n the Sa c rament to
the truth o f their depo s ition s whi c h were re corded with ,

the fa cts o f the ca s e i n the u s ual form .

It wa s c u s tomary to c on s ider c ertain sign s a s indi cating

venom ; e g the s pot s the c o l our the O dour o f the c orp s e
. .
, , ,
.

’
The r e i s no mention made o f these The Pope s Ho l iness .
 OARI N G BLAZ E
T H E R 22 3

o r dered a publi c funeral the body was uncovered ; and ,

carried openly through Rome Every o n e might s e e it ; .

and had the O rsini fac tion di s cove r ed a n y signs whi ch

,

p ointed to an unnatural death they surely would have pro

claimed their su s picions The interment o n the day after .

death was and i s the wholesome Roma n custom The hou r

, , .
,

a fte r sun s et wa s and i s the hour o f burial

, , , .

I t ha s been s aid by modern idealists that the Lo r d A lex

a n de r P P V I envenomed C ardinal O r s ini i n order to
. .

inherit hi s r iche s The idea i s absurd and r idiculous ; fo r

.

the O rsini would have been the heirs o f their dead kins
ma n I n fact they we r e The im p utatio n discredits itsel f by
. .

rea s on o f the gro s s ignorance on which it i s ba s ed It i s .

alleged that the Pope i s the hei r at law o f cardinals He - -

.

is But H e was not i n the r eign o f t he Lo rd Alexande r

.
,

P P V I I t wa s the Lo rd Julius P P I I ( 1 5 0 3 1 5 1 3 ) wh o
. . . . .
-

cupidi n ou s ly issued the Bull which n ames the Roman Pon

ti ff heir at law o f all cardinals and o f all clergy dying i n
- -
,

Ro m e ; and thi s Pope ( as Cardinal Giulia n o della Rovere )

was no friend to Borgia And thi s fact ought to dispo s e o f .

all allegatio n s o f cu pidinal motive i n this as i n o the r ,

case s .

The Lord Alexan de r P P V I had the O rsini at His . .

mer cy Duke Cesare had exe c uted two chie f s o f that

.

Hou s e The Cardinal was secure i n the impregnable Mola

.

’
o f Hadrian I f the Pope s Holine s s had wi s hed to ri d
.

Himsel f o f thi s o ne H e wa s quite strong enough to do s o ,

without resort to veno m by a r egular execution in public , ,

o r i n pr ivate i f pre fer r ed and s o de fy the odium whi ch ,

inevitably attends the exhibitio n o f venom But that He .

had n o intention o f vi siting H i s prisoner s with death o r ,

with anything more than incar c eratio n to keep them out o f

mischi ef may be seen from the fact that a few month s
,

later ( Augu s t 1 5 0 3 ) Archbishop Alviano o f Florence was

r elea s ed alive and well from the Mola o f Hadrian .

A s the r e a pp ea r s t o have be e n n o motive and n o nece s

224 H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGIA S
A

s ity fo r the alleged crime so al s o there appears to have

,

bee n no possibility o f its commi ss io n Cardinal G iambat .

ti s ta O r s i n i was visited daily by his p eople and hi s food ,

was brought to him by them H is physicians al s o made

.

depo s ition o n oath that hi s death was n ot cau s ed by venom .

It is o n ly r ea s o n able to conj ecture then that being a

, ,

very old man co ns cius criminis s u i ( c o ns piracy ) alarmed

, ,

by the execution o f his a ccomplices terrified at his o wn ,

p eril he suc cumbed to an enti r ely n atural collapse The

, .

dy s e n te ry which car r ied him o ff g oes to suppo rt this

, ,

theory .

The F r e n ch i n the Regn o we r e n ot p r o s pe r ing ; and

the favour o f the papa cy appeared to be leaning towards
Spain The Cru s ade langui s hed n ot fo r lack o f funds ( fo r
.
,
’
the Pope s Holiness e nvoye d a grant o f money to Hun
gary ) ; but because o f the want o f ma r tial s pirit o n the
part o f and the c u s tomary di s gra c e ful dis s en s ion s a m ong
,

the Ch r i s tia n Powers Venice and Hungary threw up the

.

sponge a n d came to te rm s with the Mu sl im I nfidel The

,
.

co n quest o f Easter n Europe and the settle m ent O f the

T u rks therei n was a n accompli s hed fact .

Duke Cesa r e de V al entin o is della Romagn a o c cu pied

P esaro This was the fi e f o f that young Tyrant Don Gio
.
,

vanni S forza whose marriage with Madonna Lucre z ia

,

Bo rgia had been annulled by a c anoni cal i m pediment The .

spo l iation o f his appanage was a ground o f fresh o ffen c e .

T he rupture betwee n the Houses o f Borgia a n d S fo r za

was i rr emediable People S poke o f Duke Ce s are now as
.
, ,

the Caesa r Augustus o f a n ew Roman Empire in depen d ,

e n t a n d ruled by the sce ptre o f a Prin ceps o f the House

,

o f Borgia A fter the executio n o f the conspirators at Sini

.

gaglia the Ve n etian Ch r o n icle r P ri u li who loathed the ve ry

, ,
226 A H I ST ORY O F T H E B ORGI A S
the fi r st time a mate r ial basis o f independence : while in
, ,

Oppo sition to the Pope he could n ot exist ,

There was the poli cy o f the Lord Alexander P P V I . . .

He planned it with deliberatio n H e S pa r ed n o pai ns to .

p ut it into e ffect He did n ot want to r ui n the C hurch

. ,

because She was the foundatio n upo n whi c h H e would

build His dy n asty Something o f the kind was o f absolute
.

a n d impe r ious necessity The Fo r ged Dec r etals and Dona

.

tio n o f Constantine ( which foist had been put forth i n a

,

Brie f o f the Lord Hadria n P P I to the Emperor Charle . .

“
mag n e ) the magic p illa r s o f the S piritual and temporal
,
”
monarchy o f the Popes seve r ely had bee n criticized as ,

early as the Twel fth Ce n tury I t was left however to .

, ,

M esse r Lorenzo della Valla mercilessly to den ounce the m

as fo r ge r ies i n 1 440 as al r eady has been shew n here W he n
, .

t he Lord Alexande r P P V I a s cended the p ontifi cal thro n e

. .

fi fty two years late r both Decretals a n d Donatio n had been

-
,

th r own overboard f r om the Barque o f Pete r t o lighte n ,

the ship : a n d the Pope had n o title deeds to shew forged -

,

or otherwise fo r Pete r s Pat r imo n y A ny diplomati s t

,
’
.

would see that a r ight o f some kind mo r e i n expu gn able

,

tha n P r escription was desirable The Lord Alexande r

, .

P P V I chose Conque s t and the Fou n ding o f a Borgia

. .
,

Dy n asty The o ffice o f the Chu r ch H e magnified that

.
,

She the better might help the state He intended that His .

descendants members o f the House o f Bo r gia though

, ,

n ominally the vassals sh o uld be the suzerain s o f His S u c

c e s s o rs : that Borgia should wea r the double crow n o f -

Pri n ceps as well as and by mea n s o f the tripl e c row n -

o f Po n ti fex M aximus —that a dynasty o f Borgia should

, ,

oc cu p y both p ont ifi cal a n d impe r ial thrones .

There was r uin i n the scheme : but n ot that r ui n which

v ulgarly might be supposed

It was a n i n tellige n t e n ough policy—o f a worldly so rt

.

On ly—it was n ot i n spi r ed by r eligio n n o r r e s trained by

.

morality W he n it fell to p i e c e s the Lo r d Julius P P I I

.
, . .
 T H E R OARI NG BLAZE 227

was able o f its fragme n ts alone to build the Pa p al States

which lasted mo r e tha n three centuries and a hal f until
18 7 0 .

The p owe r o f the House o f B orgia was so well founded

that the mere death o f the Lor d A lexa n de r P P V I would . .

n o t have a f fe c ted it There was a stro n g p arty o f Spa n ish

.

cardinals i n the Sac r ed College and th r ee o f these we r e o f ,

the House o f B o r gia The Vicege r e nt o f Rome the Lo r d .

,

Jaime Se r ra Ca r di n al Priest o f the Title o f S an Vitale

,
-
,

was a Spa n ia r d also The Roma n ba r ons Colonna O rsini .

, , ,

S avelli Dellavalle were b r oken ; POpl icol a di Santac r oce

,

outlawed ; S fo r za Visconti o f M ilan S forza o f S antafi o ra

-
, ,

S forza o f C hot ign uo la S fo r za o f Pesaro S forza R iario , ,

-

o f I mola and Forli all were exiled The Roma n C e s arini

, .

were loyal to Bo r gia and had their Ca r dinal ( Giuliano ) in ,

the Curia Spai n was friendly and o ccupied i n the New

.
,

W orld F ra n ce was frie n dly and feeble Germa n y was

.
, .

feeble a n d internally distracted England was o n ly a fi fth .

~

r ate powe r And the invincible army o f Duke Cesa r e de

.

V al en tin o is della Romagna was r eady t o carry into e ffect

its leade r s will Bu t c hance molecules Provide n ce —the
’

r eader will choose —disabled Duke C esa r e made him n u

.
, , ,

able to act o r unwilling to act —the r eade r agai n will

, ,

choose —at the very mome nt when hi s actio n was im

, ,

p e rat iv e ly necessary I f o n t he death o f the Lord Alex .

,

ander P P V I he had had his health he easily might have

. .
,

do n e a n ythi n g said Machiavelli 1

, .

“
T he o r ldly W H pe
th e i r H earts u pon M en se t
— i t p ro sp ers ; and anon
o
T u rns A sh e s o r , ,

L ik e S now u pon t he D e se rt s d u st y Face ’

Li g h t ing a li tt l e H our o r t wo —
,

is gone 2 .

At the Ninth C onsi s tory o f the thi rtieth ( o r thirty

fi rs t ) O f May ( o r June ) 1 5 0 3 the Lord Al exande r P P , , . .

1 “ e
S n e l l a mo rte di A l e ssand ro f u sse stato sano o gn i co sta g l i ,

M achie ve l l i P r i nc i pe O p I
”
era f c il e (
a
1"F 1tz e ral
.
, , . .

d s Ru b aiy at o f O mar Khaiyam xvi

’
g , .
2 28 A H I STORY OF TH E BORGIA S
V I n amed n i n e c ardinals ; five o f who m we r e Spa n ia r ds ,

th r e e I talia n s and o n e Germa n They we r e

, .

( a ) the Lord Don Juan de Ca s tella r Bisho p o f O le ,

r o n ; Cardinal Presbyte r o f the Title o f Santa

-

Ma r ia in Tras tev ere tit Calixtus :

.

( B ) the Lord Do n F r ancisco Remoli n o Bishop o f ,

So rr ento a frie n d o f Duke Ce s are ; Cardinal

,

P r esbyte r o f t he Title o f Sa n Giovan n i e Sa n

Paolo
( y ) the Lord Do n F r an cisco de S prata B ishop o f ,

Leon ; Car di n al Presbyter o f the Title O f Sa n

-

Sergio e Sa n Ba cc o
( )
8 the Lo r d F r ancesco S o d e r in i da Volte rr a Can o n ,

o f the Vatica n Basilica ; Cardi n al Presbyte r o f -

t he Title o f Sa nt a Susa nn a in ter D u as D am os

( )
e the Lord Niccol o da Elis co B ishop o f Fo r li
, ,

O rator o f the Republic o f Ge n oa to the Chris

tia n King ; Car di n al P r esbyte r o f t he Title o f
-

Sa nta Pri s ca :
( )
C the Lord A dria n o C ast e ll e n s e di Co rn eto O fato r ,

o f the Lo r d I nnoce nt P P V I II to B r ita n ni a

. .

Ba rba r a ( S c otland ) ; Cardinal P r esbyte r o f the -

Title o f Sa n C riso go no
( n) the Lord Mel c hio r Copis B ishop o f B r ixe n ;
,

C a r din al P r e s byte r o f the Title O f S an Niccol o

-

i n ter I magin es :
( 0) t he Lord D on Jaim e Casan ova , Apostoli c P r o
t ho n ot ary ; Cardinal - Pre s byte r o f the Title o f
San Stefano i n M on te C e lia
( i) the Lor d Don F r ancis c o I lori s Apostolic Treas,

u re r, Ca r dinal - Dea c o n o f Sant a Maria Nuova .

Why a lea r ned Catholic historian s hould go out o f his1

way to call this a S imo n iacal creation and his Engli s h ,

1 P asto rL H is tory of the P opes,

. e dited by Fr Fr eder i ck . An
t robu s o f the O rat or y .
2 30 A HI STORY O F T H E B OR G I A S
’
and Duke Roderi co o f S ermoneta Mado n na Lu cr ezia s ,

s o n o f the age O f four year s

,
.

Whe n the s u n entered the c on s tellatio n o f Le o —Sol i n

Leone the dog day s—the heat be cam e abnor m al ; and
,
-

plague and fevers appeared in Rome The O rator s o f the 1

.

Powers promptly made a r rangements to quit the City ,

for a cool a n d wholesome villegiatura .

Do n Antonio Giusti n iani the O rato r o f Venice sent t o

, ,

hi s Senate a di s patch dated the eleventh o f July 1 5 03 i n ,

“
whi c h he wrote : I went t o the pala c e ; and o n entering ,

Hi s apa r tme n t I found our Lord the Pope i n His habits

,

re clining o n a cou c h H e re c eived me with good humour

.
,

s aying that for three days H e had been in convenienced by

a s light dysentery but that H e hoped it would be u n
,

important .

’
O n the next day Giustiniani wrote : The Pope s Holi
ne ss revi ewed Hi s troop s f rom a bal c ony .

O n the fo u rteenth o f July he wrote again : I went to ,

the pa l ace ; and o n entering I found Hi s Holine ss o n

, ,

Hi s throne i n the Hall o f Ponti ffs He was a little de .

”
pre s sed : but looked well .

M e s ser Fran c e s c o Fo rtu c ci the O rator o f Floren c e , ,

sent to hi s Signoria a di s pat c h dated the twenti eth o f July ,

“
in whi c h he wrote : There a r e many people si ck o f fever s ,

and many have died .

O n the twenty s econd o f July he wrote : I thank the

-
,

Sign oria for lease o f ab s en c e because I my s el f am u m ,

1 A co m i ca l sid e li h t o n t his nai ve a e is gi ven i n t he A nnal e s

-
g g
B o n o n ie ns is ( M u rato r i xx iii 890 ) o n t he oc casi on o f an o u tb re ak
,
.

o f p l agu e . P eni tence f ast ing an d fl age l l at ion we re re sorte d t o

, , .

B utc h e r s c l o s e d th e i r sh o p s fo r e igh t d ays A n d t h at so rr ow fo r .

,

sin was n o t con fine d t o r e s p e ct abl e p e o p l e may be g ath ere d f ro m

the f act th at m e re t r i ce s ad c o n cu bit a nu ll u m ad mitt e ban t E x e is
“
.

q u é dam q u ae c u p idit ate l u cr i ado l e s cen te m adm is e rat de p re he u s i , ,

al iae m e r etr i c e s ita fl l ius nate s nu das c o rrig iis p e rcu s se run t u t
”
s ang u mem e m itte res .
 OARI NG BLAZE
T H E R 23 1

easy and al m ost out o f my mind with fright ; for so man y

,

peopl e are dying o f fever an d there i s al s o somethi ng like

,
”
the Pe s t .

On the evening o f the fi fth o f Augu s t the Lord Alex ,

a n der P P V I rode with Duke Ce s are and several prelates

. .

to a suppe r al fres co at the vill a o f the Cardinal o f San

C ris o go n o outside the wall s Rome and the su rr oundin g
.

country are pa rticularly unwhole s ome though cool during , ,

the hour a fter sun s et I t i s s aid that the Holiness o f the

.

Pope was mu ch heated by the exertio n o f riding there ;

and that while He wa s in thi s condition H e drank a cu p
, ,

o f win e fo r the s ake o f cool n ess No more hazardou s actio n.

ca n be i m agined ; except o n the p art o f o n e desiring to

cou rt a malarial feve r .

Two days later o n the seventh O f A ugu s t the O rato r

, ,

G iu s tiniani wrote to his government : I found the Pope

less chee r ful and mo r e dull tha n u sual H e said to me .
,

S ir O rator, all t hes e s ick p e op l e in R om e all thes e , daily

deaths , ma k e Us f e arfu l , an d p ers u ade Us t o tak e m ore
”
car e of O u r p e rs o n .

Mon s igno r Hans Bu r chard the C aerim on ariu s w r ot e

, ,
“
i n hi s Diarium : O n the twel fth o f Augu s t a fter vespe r s , ,

between the twenty fi rs t and twenty s e cond hour ( 5 6

- -
,
’
R M ) He ( the Pope s Holine s s ) s ho we d s igns o f a feve r
.

”
which doe s n ot abate .

It should be n oted that thi s i s seve n days a fte r the

g arden s upper
-
.

O n the thi rteenth o f Augu s t G iu s tiniani wrote to hi s ,

sovereign the Doge o f Veni c e that the Pope had vomited ,

a fter eating and had been feveri s h all night ; that Duke
,

C e sare al s o was S i c k : and that n o one wa s admitted to the

Vatican H e tells about the supper i n the garden o f the
.

“
Cardinal o f Sa n C ris ogo n o ; and add s : To m orrow morn -

ing I will t ry to have precise in formation to s end to Y ou r

Sublimity .

These di s pat c hes give a n excelle n t idea o f some o f the

23 2 H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
A

duties o f a Sixteenth Century ambas s ador to ha ng about -

,

door s o f palac e s to c hroni cle per formance s o f n atural

,

fun ction s to bribe r oyal fl unk eys and repo rt their gos s ip
,

i n s tate dispat che s

-
.

O n the fou rt eenth o f Augu s t the sam e O rato r w r ote ,

that the Pope had been phlebotomized — s ome speak o f

“
,

fourteen s ome o f sixteen ounce s : perhap s it will be true

,

to s ay ten ; and that i s an enormou s quantity for a man

o f s eventy three year s -
whi c h i s the age o f His Ble ss ed
,
”
n e ss .

( The Lord Alexander P P V I was born i n 1 4 3 1 ; and . .

wa s o f the age o f s eventy two year s in -

“
Still the f ever doe s not abate The Pope has it yet ; .

though le s s violently than ye s terday To day the Duke i s .

-

”
worse .

The same day the fourteenth o f Augu s t Don Beltrando

, ,

C o s t abil i the O rator o f Duke Er c ole o f Ferrara wrote at

, ,

s o m e length no doubt be cau s e Madonna Lu c re z ia Borgia

,
’
the c on s ort o f Ferrara s heir would expe ct detailed in ,

formation whe n the health o f her august and a ffectionate

Father was con cerned H e sai d .

Y st r day
e e m o rn i n g , I w as i n f o rm e d o n goo d auth o r i ty th at is H
H o li ne ss has c o m m an d e d t he att end anc e o f t he B ish o o f V en o s a p
w ho w as si c k at h o m e , an d o f ano t h e r hysi c i an o f t he C i t y ; an d p
t h at th e s e are n ot all o we d t o l e ave him I w as in f o rme d t h at the .

p
P o e had vo m i t ings an d f eve r y e ster d ay ; and t h at th e y h ave t e
l iev e d him o f n i ne o unc e s o f bl o o d u r i ng t he day is o line ss
. D ,
H H
c au se d so m e c ar di na ls t o p
l ay at car ds b e f o re H im whil e H e r e ste d .

I w as i n f o r me d als o th at l ast n igh t H e sl e t f ai r ly we ll B u t t o- day p

b etwe en the e igh t e e nt h an d nine t eenth h ou r, ( 2—
.

3 R M ) t h e r e was .

a c r isis lik e t h at o f S
atu r d ay o f a ki nd whi c h mak e s, is c o u rti e rs H
u ne asy ; an d e ve r y o n e is u nw illi ng t o s eak o f is c ondi t i on I p H .

h ave so u gh t by al l m e ans t o o btain in f orm at i on : bu t t he m o re I

p
s ee k , t he l e ss I l earn ; fo r the hysi c i ans the c hi ru rg eons and t he , ,

p
a o t h e car i e s are n o t a ll owe d to q
u i t t he P r e senc e : f r o m whi c h I
c o n c l u d e t h at the m al ady is g rave T he u k e o f t he Ro m agn a a lso
. D ,

is ve ry si c k wi th f eve r, vo m i t ings, and diso rd er o f the sto mac h I t .

is n o t as ton is hing that H is H o l in es s and H is E x ce ll e n cy s ho u l d be ,

il l ; fo r al l the c o u r tie rs es pe cial ly thos e w ho are in the pal ace are

, ,

i n the s am e s tate by r eas o n o f the u nwho l e s o m e c onditio ns of the

,
”
air, whi ch, there the y bre athe , .
234 A H I STORY O F T H E B ORG I A S

no tim e fo r ce re mo n ies o r fine w o rds

T e l l the O rato r to has ten to .

i nfo rm the S e nate o f Ve nice that the P ope GRA I TER LABORA T A lso V . ,

the s ame in f o rmant s aid th at t he P o e c anno t li ve mu ch l ong e r

”
p
wi th ou t a m i rac l e .

O n the eighteenth o f A ugu s t Giustiniani al s o w r ote a ,

s eco n d dispatch to the Doge o f Venice in which he said : ,

To -day I s ent the l ate st news t o o u r S u bli m i ty

by Lo ren zo da Y
C am e r i no A f te r he was gone
. M e ss e r S p
c i i one , ap hysi c i an f ro m ,

t he p
a l ace , c am e t o t e ll m e t h at y e st er d ay at t he si xteenth h ou r
( noon ) th e P o pe wishin g t o r ise fo r a ce rtai n nee d was tak en
, , ,

wi t h a fi t o f ch o king an d is i n evil p ligh t g o ing f r om bad t o wo r se ;

, ,

an d t h at i n his o p i n i on H is H o li ne ss will die t o n igh t : a n d f r om - -

,

w h at he says I j u dg e the m al ady t o be an ap o p l ex y S u c h a lso i s

. .

the o p in i on o f this p hysi c i an s o e xce l l ent i n his a rt .

The O rato r adds t ha t n ow D uke C esare i s n eglected , ,

an d i s pre p arin g secretly to take r efuge i n the Mola o f

Hadria n .

Mo ns igno r Burchard makes the followi n g ent r y i n hi s

Dia r ium a work o f which the original is undis c overed and
, ,

copies only a c ces s ible to the s tudent H e was per fectly .

qualified to speak o n this subj ect from per s onal kn owledge ;

the demise o f the Pope being a c eremonial funct io n which
he would have to arrange and supe r intend H e says : .

On W
e dne sd ay t he e i gh t e ent h o f A u gu st b e t we en t he twe l f t h
an d t hi rt e ent h h o u r ( 8- 9 A M ) H e ( t he Lo r d A l exand e r P P V I )
. . . .

c o n f e ss e d H
i m se l f to t he Lo r d B ish o Pi etro o f C u l en who said p
mass i n H p
is re senc e ; an d, a f te r his C o m muni on, adm in iste re d the
S ac ram ent o f t he E uc h ar ist t o t he P o e who w as s eate d o n is p , H
be d; an d t h en fi nish e d the m ass ive c ar dinals we re re sent, . F p
d O ris t an O, di C o s en za di M onr e al e 1 C asanu eva, and di C onstan
’
, ,

p
t in o p l e , t o wh o m t he P o e s aid th at H e f e l t ill A t the h ou r o f
!

p p
ve s er s th e said B ish o o f Cu l en adm inistere d the acram ent o f S
E xtrem e U
nct i on t o H i m ; and H e di e d i n t he re sence o f the p
datar y an d th e bish o p .

1 H r is a s p i m n o f Mg
e e ec e his c o p yist s g ross inr . B urc h ar d
’
s or
’

accu rac y H e o ffi c i ally was re s p onsibl e fo r t he c o n d u ct o f this

.

f unct i on He int i mate ly sh ou ld h ave known and di recte d e very

. , ,

m ove ment an d eve r y g e stu r e o f e ve r y as s istant A n d he n am e s . ,

am o n g t he c ar di na ls assistant t he Lo r d G i ovanni B org i a ( d ett o

-
,

S eni o re ) A r chbish o p o f M onreal e Cardinal P resbyt er o f S anta ,

-

S u sanna who had be en dead j us t e ighteen days

, .
 OARI N G BLAZE
T H E R 235

This event took place in the third room o f the Borgi a

Tower oc cupied by the Lib r a r y counti n g from the Library
side .

On the nineteenth o f August Giu s ti n iani an n ounced ,

“
the n ew s to the Senate and added to day He wa s carried
, ,
-

de mara and shew n to the people ; but Hi s c orp s e wa s

1
,

more hideous and mon s t r ous tha n words c an tell a n d ,

without huma n form F o r dece n cy it was kept for some

.
,

time covered ; a n d be fore sun s et they buried i t i n the

prese n ce o f tw o o f the ca r di n al deacons attached to the -

”
palace .

I n r eadi n g this dispatch i t must b e r emembered that ,

G iustiniani hated the Borgia ; a n d that the Lord Alexande r

P P V I was an o l d man o f an obese habit o f body Who
. .
,

had died o f a feve r in the height o f summe r i n a mo s t ,

unwholesome qua r te r o f the City and at a time whe n ,

a n tiseptic t r eatment was unk n ow n .

The Notary o f O rvieto o n his r etu rn f rom Rome fou r ,

days late r publi cly de s cribed to hi s muni c ipality all that he

,

had see n o f the n ovendiali ; and added that he had ki ss ed

’
the feet o f Hi s Holines s i n St Peter s : but said nothing
2
.

o f any hideous o r mon s trous appearan c e o f the corp s e .

S oo n a fte r death a r umou r was hea r d t o the e ffect that

,

the Lo r d A lexande r P P V I a n d Duke C esa r e de Valenti

. .

nois della Romag n a had di ed e n ve n omed .

F or th r ee mo n ths i t was only a r umou r A n ew Po p e

was ele cted—Ca r di n al Fra n cesco de Piccolhu omini o f
.

S ie n a who took the n ame o f the Lord Pius P P I I I o u t

, . .

o f r e s pect to H is U ncl e the Lo r d Pius P P ,

—and . .

’
was dead a fte r a two mo n th s reig n .

1 i i n th e u su al manne r with all the ce remoni e s req u i re d fo r

. e. ,

t he o bseq u i e s o f t he p o n t i fi c al c ad ave r : n o t s u rre pt i t i o u sly o r w i th

m ai me d r it e s as s om e h ave sa id .

2 A d e ad P o p e li e s i n st ate i n t he C h ap e l o f t he T r i n i t y i n S t
0 0

P eter s surround e d by unbl each e d wax t ap er s and w ith t he f eet

’
, ,

p rotru de d t h rough t he scr een fo r the o sc u l at i ons o f t he f ai th f u l .

En ea S il vi o B arto l o me o de P icco lhu om in i 145 8 1464

’
1 -
.
,
23 6 A H I ST ORY OF T H E B ORGIA S
Then Ca r dinal Giulia n o della Rovere irreco n cilable ,

enemy o f B orgia attained the obj ect o f his ambition ; an d

,

was ele cte d Pope by the n ame o f the Lord Julius P P 11 . . .

And then the r umou r took a conc r ete form .

On the tenth o f Novembe r it definitely was said that at ,

the garden s uppe r o f the fi fth o f Augu s t venom had bee n

-

put i nt o some wine by order o f the Lord A l exander P P . .

’
V I ; that by a butler s blunder that enve n o m ed wine had
’
bee n served to the Pope s Holiness and t o Duke Cesare :
that the former being o l d had died there from ; that the
latte r being you n g had endured heroic treatment fo r a
cure Some said that he had bee n plunged into the rip ped
.

u p belly o f a live mule o r bull amid the steaming p alp itat

ing entrail s p ro fu s ely to s weat the venom out o f him

othe rs that he had bee n dipped i n i c ed water and s o c ured
,
-
, .

Writing several years later M es s er Frances c o G u icciar ,

dini and Me s ser Palo G io vio added new detail s G u icciar .

dini definitely settled the falsehood i n the for m i n whi c h it

generally appears H e gave a list o f c ardinals also and
.
, ,

prelate s who were to have been envenomed by the Lo rd

Alexande r P P V I that H e might inherit thei r wealth
. . .

G io vio n am ed and de s c ribed the venom whi c h he s aid the , ,

B orgia c om m only u s ed H e cal l ed it Can tare l l a ; and s aid

1
.

it was a sugared p owde r o r a powde r under the gu i s e o f ,

sugar whi c h was o f a wonder ful whitene s s and o f a

, ,

rathe r p l ea s ant ta s te I t di d n ot overwhel m the vita l

. .

for c es i n the man ne r o f the active veno m s by sudde n and

energetic action : but by penetrating in s en s ibly the vein s
, ,

it s lowly worked with mortal e ffe ct ( Paolo G io v io Hi s t .

, .

I I 4 7 V II I
. . I s there any toxi c ologi c al chym i s t who
.

f r o m this descriptio n c an give the formula o f thi s e x trao r

din ary venom ?
The te s timony o f these two men i s tainted Messe r .

1
Qy A. co nco ct i on o f can th ar id e s ? O r was i t me re ly a name like ,

xavfl ap l r ns ‘
c l u bs ? ( Pl in . I4 .
7 .
2 38 A H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
art o f divinatio n by in s pectio n o f the membrane Amnios
i n which the unborn child i s wrapped—fanta s tic e ffort o f
, ,

a seeker a fte r Truth H e was o n e o f tho s e double fa c ed

.
-

historians who wrote o n e s et o f memoirs fo r the highest

,

bidde r ; ( Popes who m they despi s ed Dukes whom they ,

p rivately r eviled ) and a s econd set o f memoirs fo r the

,

enemies o f the patrons o f the first H i s Li fe o f the Lord .

’
Leo P P X ( Giovanni de Medici ) is a s pecimen Even
. . .

durin g hi s li fe he was considered to be a flagrant liar He

, .

used to s ay with a dog like k n owledge o f his ma s ters the

,
-

“ ” “ ”
people who desire to be de c eived that the centuries ,

would give his written lies the fo r ce O f t r uth He u s ed .

a n affe cted a n d flamboyant r ather tha n a pure style ; and

was the in ferio r o f Gu icc iardin i The Lord Clement P P . . .

’
V I I ( Giulio de Medi c i ) to be r i d o f his i n c essant im ,

p o rt u n ity gave
, him the bishopric o f Nocera and he died
i n 15 52 .

W ho the r e fo r e wi s hes to believe M esse r F r ancesc o

. ,

G u icc iardin i un c orroborated o r c o r roborated by Messe r ,

Paolo G io vi o will do so o n hi s ow n re s pon s ibility

, .

Let it be n oted that both Giov io and Gu icciardin i we r e

Roman Catholi c s Thei r calumnies against the Lord Alex
.

ander P P V I are thei r o wn ; and were not invented by

. .

dissenters from their creed The sai d c alum n ie s very nat u .

rally had bee n adopted by the s e la s t as arti cles o f faith ;

and repeated usque ad n au s eam ; o r resented with the mo s t ,

un c o n vincing and i n ane hal f heartedness by a maj ority -

,

o f modern and s o i di s ant enlightened Roma n Catholics

-
,

who f ear ( positively they shew every S ign o f fear ) to

c redit their o wn learned c ler g y o f the present day Leo n etti , ,

V e l ron Cerri and O llivier to s ay nothing o f the laity e g

, , , , . .
,

Comte R ené de Mari c ourt who have labour ed for j u s tice

’

to the malign ed Bo r gia Will the s e astonishingly inco n .

si stent persons pre fe r to believe the Opinion o f an atheist ,

who was incide ntally a ma n o f commo n sense ? It is Vol

 AZE T H E 239 R OARI N G B L

taire who in s peaking o f G u icc iardin i s statement ( that

,
’
,

the Lord A l exander P P V I wa s the vi ctim o f venom . .

whi c h H e had s e t for his c ardinals that having killed , ,

them H e might take thei r treasure ) s ay s

, , ,

A l l t he e ne m i e s o f t he H
o ly S e e h ave we l c o m e d t his h o rr ibl e

ane c d o t e I m yse l f do n o t b e li eve i t at all ; an d m y c hi e f r e as o n li e s

.

p
i n it s extrem e i m ro b abili ty I t is ev id ent t h at the enve n o m i n g o f
.

pp
a do z en c ardi nals at su e r wo u ld h ave c au s e d the ath er and t he F
s o n 1 t o b e c o m e s o e x e c r abl e t h at no t hi ng c ou ld h ave s av e d t h e m
,

f ro m the f u r y o f t he Ro m an e o l e , and o f the wh o l e o f I taly u chp p . S

a c r i me neve r co u ld h ave b een c on c e al e d E ven su o si n g t h at i t . pp
had n o t b een aveng e d by al l Italy l e ag u e d t o g e t h e r, i t w as di r ect ly
c ontrar y t o t he i nt e r e st s o f C e s ar e ( d e tt o ) B or gi a T he P o e w as . p
o n t he ve r g e o f t he g r ave The B o r gi a f act i on w as . owe r f u l p
e no u gh t o e l e c t o n e o f it s o wn c re at u r e s : w as i t lik e ly t h at t he
vo te s o f c ardinals wo u ld be g aine d by ‘ envenom ing a d o z en o f t h em ?
I m ak e b o l d t o s ay t o Gu ic c ia rdin i, E u ro e has b e en d e ce i ve d by p
y o u an d you h ave b e en d ec e i ve d by y o u r f ee ling s Y o u we r e t he
, .

p
e ne my o f the P o e ; y o u h ave f o ll owe d t he a dvi c e o f y o u r h at r e d .

I t is tru e th at H e had u se d ve n g e anc e c r u e l an d p e rfi diou s ag ai n st ,

f oe s pe rfidiou s and crue l as i mse l f ence you conc l u de th at a H . H

p
P o e o f the age o f s event y- two year s co u ld n o t die a natu r al d e at h .

Y o u m ai ntai n , o n vag ue r um o u r th at an age d s ov er e ign , wh o se ,

c o ffe r s at t h at t i m e co nta i ne d mo r e t h an a m illi on o f g o ld d u cat s 2 ,

d e si r e d t o enveno m s everal car dinals th at H e migh t se i z e th e i r

t r e asu r e s B u t we r e t h es e t re asu r e s s o i m o rtant ? The tre asu r e s o f
. p
c ar dinals n e ar ly al ways we r e r e m o ve d by t h e i r g ent l e m en b e f o r e

p
t he P o e s c o u ld s e i z e t h e m W
hy do yo u think th at s o r u dent a
. p
p
P o e car e d to r isk the d o ing o f s o ve r y in f amou s a d e e d fo r s o ve r y
small a g ain ; a d ee d that cou l d not be d one wi th out acc om li ce s : p
and th at soo ne r o r l ate r mu st h ave b e en disc ove re d ? May I n o t
trust the o ffi ci al acco u nt s o f the P o e s si ck ne ss m or e th an the
’
p ,

m ere r umou r s o f t he mob ? T h at o fli cial account d e cl are s t he P o e p

to h ave di e d o f a d o u bl e -t e rt i an f e ve r T h e r e is n o t t he sligh t e st .

p
ve st ig e o f ro o f i n f avou r o f the accusat ion whi ch y ou h ave b ro ugh t
ag a i nst h is m e m o ry H
is s on B o rgi a 3 h a ene d t o f all si c k at t he
. pp
t i me wh en his F
at h e r di e d T h at is t he s o l e f ound at i on fo r t he s to r y
.

o f t he v en om
’
.

1 M de V o l tai re s p eaks of D u k e C e s ar e ( d etto B o r gi a) as t he

s on .

2 D u cat o d o ro = hal f a gu i ne a w i th f ou r t i m e s its

’
u r c h asing p
pwr
o e . A m ill i o n o f g o ld d u cat s wo u ld e u al £ 2,0oo ,ooo st e r li ng q .

3
M . de V o l tai re s e aks o f p D
u k e C e s ar e ( d e tt o B o rg i a ) a s t he

P o pe s ’
p
s o n ; and o f t he P o e as D u k e C e sar e s
’
ath e r F .
240 A H I STORY OF T H E B ORGIA S
It will a p pear that the death o f the Lord Alexande r
P P V I from venom is improbable I t may al s o be said
. .
, .

that it was im p ossible for r easo n s he r e forthcoming

, .
2 42 H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGIA S
A

u s ed as the cry fo r a Ge n eral Cou n cil by every o ne who ,

“ ”
found O cca s ion to go again s t the government ; a n d it
c ertainly doe s not command respect by rea s on o f it s ab

s u rdly frequent r epetition I t was the fa s hion for thei r

.

enemies to a c cuse the Borgia o f c ompa s sing the death o f

s o m e by venom It was al s o the fashion for the Borgi a to
.

retort upon their enemies in the s ame for m ula There ca n .

be no human doubt that the Borgia and their enemies

would have e n venomed ea c h the other had they know n ,

how to do s o with s e c urity and c ertainty It wa s a habi t .

o f the Latin Ra c es to s ee no distin ction between venom

and steel when the idea wa s to get rid o f a foe Cold .

n orthern nations the Engli s h i n parti cular always have

, ,

had a horror o f venom pre ferring boot s fi s t s bullet o r

, , ,

blade ; indeed one o f the mo s t hideou s penan c e s ordained

by Engli s h and Po s t Reformation law was awarded to
-

c riminal s who had enveno m ed the lieges They were boiled .

“
alive Thi s year the X V II Mar ch wa s bo yl e d in S m ith
.
, ,

fi e l d on e Margaret Davi s a m aiden whi c h had poi s oned

,
” ’
three hou s ehold s that s he dwelled in ( V riot he s l ey s .
V

Chroni c le I ,

Perhap s to thi s habit o f regarding the u s e o f venom as

,
.

s o horrible a crime i s due the fas cination whi c h tho s e

, ,

who are s uppo s ed to have attained high e m inen c e in its

practice have for Eng l i s hmen Undoubted l y Lord Alex
, .
,

ander P P V I and Duke Ce s are de V al e n t in o is della

. .

Ro m agna are regarded a s having been arti s t s in venom ,

po ss es s ing know l edge far surpa ss ing that o f modern al

c hymi s t s They are believed to have enveno m ed their foes
.
,

named and unnamed by the s core ; and at la s t to have

, , ,

fallen into the pit that they have digged for others .

O f the c ases named Cardinal Giovanni Borgia ( dett o

,

G iu n io re ) the Sult a n D j im and Cardinal O r s ini are the

, , ,

mo s t important The improbability in the ca s e o f the fir s t

.

already has been s hown : Duke Cesare and he were

friendly ; their intere s ts were asymptotic ; an d they were
 T H E E G E N D O F T H E B O R G I A V E N O M 2 43
L

apa r t during the seventeen days be fore the c ardinal died .

The improbability i n the ca s e o f the Sult a n D j im lie s i n

the fac t that the Pope lost du c at s annually and the ,

only means o f keeping the Turk s from Christendom by ,

hi s death whi ch was due to natural c au s e s and took place ,

when he wa s in the hands o f the Chri s tian King Charles

V I I I at Naple s some weeks after he had left Rome The
,
.

improbability in the case o f Cardinal O r s ini is proved by

the tainted s ource from whi c h the charge e m anated ; by
the publicity o f all proceedings be fore and a fter hi s death ;
and by the s worn te s ti m ony o f hi s leeche s Ca s e s o f thi s .

kind mu s t be con s idered together ; and rej ected or ac

ce pt e d togethe r ; for rumours do not gain c r edibility f r o m

vo ci ferou s repetition : nor doe s it avail to plead that be

cau s e advantages a cc rue fro m the death o f s uch a o ne ,

there fore the per s on benefited by the death is likely to

,

have enveno m ed the dec ea s ed Death i s alway s advan

.

t age ou s to s o m e o n e living : but in no ca s e n amed did the

Lord Alexander P P V I and Duke Ce s are reap any gain
. .

whatever but contrariwi se lo s s A s for the statement

,
.
,

that the venom o f the Borgia was a slow venom slow i n ,

a ction dirigible in ab s en c e it s afely may be said that n o

, ,

su c h venom exi sted then any more than it doe s n o w .

This s low venom i s an invention o f purveyors o f a

c e rtain c lass o f fiction doing va s t c redit t o their imagina
,

tive power s but po s se ss ing no tangible exi s ten c e The s e

, .

writers o f fi ction are mer c hants who m u s t s upply thei r

cu s to m er s with goods upon de m and The Legend o f the .

Borgia Venom i s a department o f their trade The publi c .

has read it and cried for more a cc ording to the sample .

The public i s plea s ed to a m u s e it s el f At other times the .

publi c ha s the humour to in form it s el f and takes spiritual

pastor s and ma s ter s cunning in all learning in all verities
, , ,

o f past and pre s ent Fro m the s e the truth i s required for
.
,

mental profit ; from the other s invention and i m agination

for mental r ec r eation The publi c p ays and has the right to
.
244 A H I STORY O F T H E B ORGIA S
choo s e what it will buy A gro c er who would venture to .
,

supp l y pi c kle s in s tead o f pepper ordered would encounter ,

'

’
his patron s di s c ontent A tea c her who would venture t o
.
,

purvey fiction in s tead o f fa ct required wo u ld meet with ,

simila r di s a s ter one would think But in sober earne s t

, .
,

the Legend o f the B orgia Veno m s o very indu s triou s ly ha s

bee n propagated that modern s erious writer s have adopted
,

it a s o n e o f the item s whi ch s afely may be in cluded in their

3

seriou s writing s : and the publi c finding it there i n pla c es ,

where truth i s expe cted to be look s upon the fal s e as true ,

be c au s e it c omes with the imprimatur o f authority .

’
Herr Eugene Bur ckhardt s very learned modern work ,

The Civil iz atio n of the R e nais s an ce in I taly o f whi c h a n ,

Engli s h Tran s lation i s a c ce ss ible i s a c a s e in point It pur , .

ports to be gravely written and i s a mine o f a cc urate in ,

for m ation Y et a m ong c ontinuou s ropes o f pearl s o f

.
,

wi s do m o cca s ionally o n e i s s tartled by the di s c overy o f a

,

bead s o ba s e that o n e wonder s how it ha s e s caped dete c

,

tio n and da m nation H ere i s an example . .

S tr i ct ly sp aking e ,
as wedis cu ssing p h ase s o f Itali an
are n ow
c i v ili at i on t his p o n t ifi cat e ( 149 2 1 5 03 ) m igh t be p asse d o ve r si nce
z ,
-
,

the B o r gi a are n o m o re I tali an t h an t he H o u s e o f N ap l e s A l exan d e r .

s p o k e Sp anish i n p u bli c wi th C aes ar ; Lu cr e z i a at he r entr y into

F e rrara wh e re s he wo r e a Spanish c o stume w as sung t o by Sp anish
, ,

B u ffo on s : t h e i r c o n fid e nt i al s e rvant s c onsiste d o f Sp ani ar ds a s ,

did mo st o f the i ll f amed c om p an y o f the t ro o p s o f C ae sar i n the

-

w ar o f 1 5 00 ; an d e ven his H an g m an D o n M ichel o t t o and his ,

”
P o is o n e r S e bas tian P inz o n s e em to h ave b e en o f t he sam e nat i on
, .

That i s a s peci m en o f the s lip s hod way in whi ch serious

writer s are fa l s e to thei r tru s t o f the hal f —
truth s whi c h ,

they make to serve for the truth about the B orgia It is .

ex c eedingly ne c e ss ary to lay great s tre ss upon the Spani s h

origin o f the Borgia le s t odi u m unde s erved s hould light
,

o n their adopted c ountry I taly They were very fine ex .

ample s o f their ra c e : but never let it be forgotten that

their vi c e s ( for being m e n they had their vi c e s ) were
, , ,

Spani s h and n ot I talian vi c es Her r B urckhardt does wel l .

246 A H I ST ORY OF T H E B ORGIA S
give n to hi s se c retary Me ss er Seba stiano P in z o ni ; that thi s
“ ”
la s t beq u e s t was c al l ed the pri c e o f blood for the s ec re
tary had enveno m ed hi s ma ster to have hi s goods ; that ,

the Pope had endowed the s aid s e c retary with a canonry i n

’
Padua the pre fe cture o f Sant Agatha in Cre m ona a bene
, ,

fi c e i n Ro m e another in Mantua valued at five hundred

,

ducats and had re c eived him in ter fam iliares

, .

N o w there i s n o word i n that di s pat c h whi ch i m pli cates

Duke Ce s are We learn that Me ss er Seba s tiano Pin z o n i
.
,

se c retary to the Cardinal o f Modena was s aid by rum our , , ,

to have envenomed hi s master in order to profit thereby

and al s o that the said s ec retary had bee n patronised by the
Lord Alexander P P V I That i s all I t would be n u
. . . .

’
plea s ant to think o f the Pope s Holine ss as the patron o f a
m urderer : yet that would be the obviou s c on c l u s ion i f the ,

matter ended here But it does n ot There is furthe r r ecord

. .

o f Messe r Seba s tiano Pin z o n i whi c h makes it clear that ,

hi s c rime at first was unknow n to the Pope ; and that o n

it s di s covery he was for ced to take re fuge i n flight It i s .

Mon s ignor Bur chard who re c ord s in hi s Diari um under

date Wedne s day the twentieth o f Nove m ber 1 5 04 that the , ,

Ruota ( the supre m e se cular t ribunal o f the Holy Rom an

Chur c h ) delivered s enten c e again s t Seba s tiano P in z o n i ,

Apo s to l ic S c ribe who wa s contu m a cious and absent de

, ,

p riv in g him o f all be n e fi c e s and o ffices for that he had ,

s lain with venom the Lord Cardinal o f Modena hi s patro n

who had rai s ed him from the dunghill Ciacc o n i s ay s that
1
.

the Cardinal o f Mode n a was envenomed by Seba s tian o

Pin z o n i his gentleman o f the bedchambe r ; who bein g
,
- - -
,

i m pri s oned o n another c harge in the reign o f the Lord

1 “
M e rcu rii xx Nov f u i t d ata sentent i a i n Ro ta c o ntra S ebasti
. ,

anu m P in z o n u m , s c rip t oru m apo s t o l icu m abs ent e m o b c o n t u m ac iam

, ,

p riv at o n is o mn i u m bene fi c io ru m e t o fli c io ru m
”
( in te re s ting t o n o ti ce
tha t in the re ig n o f the L ord J u liu s P P I I the e te rn al e ne m y of
, . .
,

B o rg ia, a c o n v ic t o n the c apital charg e w as m e re l y r u in e d a n d n o t ,

s e n te n c e d t o de a th q
p ro u o d e o d o m i nu m c ardin al e m M u t ine n s e m ”
p at ro n u m s uum veneno in teremis se t , q u i cum de s te rco re e xi m e rat .
 T H E L E GE B O R G I A V E N O M 2 47
N D O F T H E

Leo P P X whe n put to the Que s tion c onfes s ed thi s

. .
, ,

c rime whi c h he before had denied

, .

Let it be admitted that Seba s tiano Pin z o n i envenomed

his ma s ter then B ut Herr Burckhardt bring s no evidence
, .

to prove that he was connected with Duke Ce s are ; n or i s

it established that he was employed by His Ex ce l len cy i n
any c apacity private o r o ffic ial But every cri m e o f every
, ,
.

c riminal i n the B o rgian Era i s attributed to B orgia a s a

matter o f cour s e ; and Her r Bur ckhardt writing s eriou s ,

hi s tory introdu c es fi ction and passes o ff Sebastiano Pi n

, ,
’
zoni a s Duke Ce s are s Poisone r !
To turn from the historian to the n ovelist will a fford a
little re c reation in thi s que s t o f the Venom o f the Borgia ;
and al s o the diver s ion will n ot be unprofitable : for the
, ,

n oveli s t i s an ex c eedingly important person by rea s on that

he comman ds a n infinite l y wider audien c e than the hi s

toria n and influen c es form s o r mould s an infinitely
, , , ,

large r se ction o f opinion M Alexandre D umas i n hi s . .

Cri m es Cé l ébre s ha s much to say about the Borgia Know .

ing as a practised hand that the be s t fi ctio n i s that which

, ,

ha s a sub s tratum o f fa ct and an ai r o f truth M Dumas , .

quotes the p reciou s Me s se r Paolo G iovio and his Can

tare l l a which already has been mentioned here Furthe r .
,
“
with a wealth o f corroborative detail calculated to give
verisimilitude t o an otherwi s e bald and u n convincing n a r
”
rative he describe s the p r eparatio n o f a liquid venom
,

whi ch he say s the Borgia used A bear was caught and

, , .

made to swallow a s trong dose o f ar s eni c When thi s began .

to take e ffect the bea r w as su s pended by his hind —

,
leg s
head downward ; and in c ontinent he would fa l l into con
-

v u l s io n s while from hi s throat there poured a c opious

,

deadly stream o f foam whi ch was collected o n a s ilver ,

plate bottled i n vial s hermeti cally sealed ; and thi s wa s

,

the liqui d Venom o f the B o rgias .

There were plenty o f bears in the Apennine s perhap s ,

eve n i n the Alba n Hill s within twenty miles o f Rome ; so

2 48 A H IS TORY OF T H E BORGIA S
the bear i s probable enough Having c aught his bea r .
,

Duke Ce s are would convey him to the Vati can—a large

p alac e truly but rather too full o f people to be de s irable a s
,

a private venom factory O n a dark night in a lonely

-
.

’ ’
c ourtyard the Pope s Holiness and the Duke s Excellen cy
,

would adm ini s ter the ar s enic to the bear The method o f .

ad m ini s tration i s not de s cribed nor the s linging up o f the ,

bea s t prior to hi s convul s ions no r the pi cture o f the aged ,

Ponti ff s kipping round with the silver plate in Hi s s olici

tude that no drop o f the fluid s hou l d be lo st no r the ,

solemn bottling o f the vial s nor their hermetic s ealing ,

with what seal ? The Ring o f the Fisherman ? And

M Dumas care fully omit s to say that the na s ty me ss s o
.

s ecretly a n d arduou s ly obtained would have been far le ss

venomou s than the original do s e o f ar s eni c ; whi ch ad ,

mini s tered neat without the intervention o f an ill u s ed bear

,
-
,

c ertainly would have s lain : but whi c h would be deprived

o f mo s t i f not o f all o f its venomou s poten c y by it s s u b

, , ,
’
mi ss ion to the dige s tive proce ss es o f M Dumas improb .

able and impo ss ible bear .

Undoubtedly there were the s ame venomous sub s tan c e s

,

in and on thi s earth i n the Fi fteenth and Sixteenth Cen

t u rie s a s there are now : some few were known ; but many
,

more and the s e the mo s t sure and deadly were not even
, ,

drea m ed o f e g stryc hnine pru ss i c a cid or the hideou s

, . .
, , ,

ba cilli a cc e ss ible a s du s t to any Twentieth Century medi c o

,
-

who on the s ole c ondition that he i s not in s tigated by

,

cri m inal motives with per fe ct s e c urity to hi m s el f c an e n

,

venom and s lay a s treet a di s tri ct or a c ity I n the yea r

, ,
.

1 1 64 Abd — e l Mumin ben Ali the Moorish King o f Spai n

- - -

c ha s ed from his do m inion s all Jew s and Chri s tian s who

refu s ed the faith o f I sl am A m ong the s e to Egypt went .

,

the c elebrated Mo s es ben Mai m on A l l that wa s known he

-
.
,

knew ; and he k n ew s ixteen venom s ; litharge verdigri s , ,

25 0 A H I STORY OF T H E BORGIAS
Lea rn ing than it had been in the M iddle Ages the s o
, ,

called Dark Ages wh ich had gone before The Dark Age s
, .

were the age s o f Si m ple s The Age o f the Rena s cen c e wa s

.

the age o f Compound s And in tho s e co m pounds virtue

.
, ,

was c hanged o r lo s t by sublimation by distillation o r

, , , ,

a n nulled by heterogeneous admixture The following will .

make thi s plain .

I n the Dark Ages medi c ament s were made from s ingle

,

he r bs exhibited in the for m o f draughts poulti c e s lotions , , ,

o r unguent s The old herbarie s o f D io s k o ride s o r o f

.
,

A ppu l e j u s were u s ed as text book s ; and a fe w extract s

,
-

f r om the s e will be curious perhaps valuable ce rtainly a , ,

hel p to understanding .

The herb B etony o r B is ho pw o rt ( B e to nica ofii

c i nal is ) mu s t be gathered in Augu s t without the

help o f iron the mould shaken f rom the root s

, ,

and dried in the s hade Whe n triturated t wo .

,

dra chm s o f it mixed with hot beer o r wine o r

,

honey i s a n antidote to venom a digestive a

, , ,

cure for hydrophobia constipation tootha che , , ,

and prevent s m on s trous no cturnal vi s itors or ,

fright ful s ights and dreams A lotion made .

,

fro m the herb seethed in fresh water till two

third s are evaporated cures broken head epi s ,
-
,

taxi s fatigue and rupture ; o r the leaves may

, ,

be u s ed a s a poultice ( A s a matter O f fa ct .
,

Betony i s intoxi c ating emeti c and purgative ) , , .

The herb Vervain or A s hthroat ( V e rbe na ofli

cin al is ) mu s t be pounded as a poulti c e f or
wound s and c arbun cle s It i s an antidote to all .

veno m s and dog s may not bark at him who

,

bear s it .

The herb Clovewort ( R an u n cn l is acris ) wreathed

with red thread o n the n e c k during the waning
o f the April o r O ctober moon cures lu n acy , .
 T H E L E G E N D O F T H E B O R G I A V E N O M 25 1
( 8) The herb Mugwort ( A rte m is ia dracu n cu l u s ) ,

pounded to an unguent with we l l boiled olive oil - -

,

will m ake s trained sinew s s upple ( This i s ex .

c ell e nt )
.

The herb R ave n s l e e k ( O rchis Z a rogi ov ) wi ll ’

(e) ,

c ure sore eye s when they are s m eared with its

j uice.

( C) The herb Watercre s s ( N as tu rtiu m ofiicinal e )

wi ll with it s j ui c e stop hair fro m fa l ling .

( 11) The herb Madde r ( R u bia tin c toria) as a poul

tice cures s ciati c a .

( 0) The herb Clover ( Trif oliu m p raten s e ) prevents

him who carries it fro m s u ffering s ore j aws .

(l) The herb Ro s e m ary ( R os e m ari nu s officinalis )

i s good for the teeth .

( x) The herb Rue ( R u ta grav e ol e ns ) eaten green ,

i s a n anti fat ; a twig s top s no s e bleeding ; ma c e -

rated in vinegar and s o u s ed on the brow induce s

forget fulne s s Re c om m ended for priest s who
.

wi s h to ob s erve their vow o f c ontinen c e .

(l ) The herb D warfdwo s tl e o r Pennyroyal ( M en

tha p u l egiu m ) as u n guent cure s s ea s i ckness ;
, ,
-

as a salve o r burned as in cense c ure s fever and

, ,

bellyache .

( y) The herb Sage ( S alvia ) as a lotion cure s it c h

, , .

( v) The herb Marj oram ( O rigan u m v u lgare ) ,

steeped i n vinegar cure s heada che or may be

, ,

c hewed for a cough .

(5) The herb Foxglove ( D igital is p u rp u re a ) a s a ,

p oulti c e cure s s ore s and pi m ple s ggn ng ( It s

, ,
.

venomous prin c iple appear s to be unknown ) .

( 0) The herb W il dt hym e o r S he phe rds pu rs e ( Thy

m u s cam p es tris ) will remove all inwa r d foulness
by the drinking o f its oo z e .

(a) The herb Violet ( Vio l a o dorata ) made into an ,

unguent with lard o r ho n ey cure s wounds , .

25 2 H I STORY OF TH E BORGIA S
A

( o) The herb W il dgou rd ( Cu cu mis col o cyn thu s

’
,

l mfireo g
K O/ o oi
yg i
it s inward neshne ss pounded
a ),
i n lithe beer without the chu rne l s will sti r the ,

inward .

Tho s e are Simp l es i e m edi c ament s derived from s ingle

, . .
,

herbs ea s ily c o m e by within the reac h o f al l ; s uited to

,
-
,

a simple but by no means si l ly ra c e o f m e n c ontent with

, ,

simple thing s gi fted with faith and s en s e and un con c erned

, ,

to dive below the sur fac e and explore o r exper iment with , ,
’
n atu r e s sa c ro s anct arcana .

The Renas c e n c e o f Learning when the work s o f an c ient ,

writers were redis c overed devoured put i n practi c e fi l led , , ,

’
men s m ind s with new ideas and completely changed ,

their point O f view .

T he M os t S al u brio u s P re cep ts of M e dicin e written ,

by Quintus S e re nu s S e rm o n icu s i n the Third Century ;

the Thirty Seven Book s o f N atu ral H is t ory by C Pliniu s
-
, .

Secundus ( Pliny Senior ) whi ch first s aw light i n A D 77 ; . .

the eighty— three Tre atis es o f Claudiu s Galenus ( A D 1 3 0 , . .

the thirty four c hapters o f the A nimal M e dica

-

m e n ts whi c h Sextu s P l acitu s wrote in the Fou rth Century

a fter the I n carnation ; the eight book s o f Alexandro s o f
Tralles in Lydia O n M e dicin e fir s t given t o the world in
, ,

the Sixth Century ;— the s e were the keys that opened the
door o f s pec ulation to the alert an d eager m e n o f the F i f
t ee n th Century already intoxi c ated by the glorious Dis
,

c o ve ry O f Man .

Weird and wonder ful e ffe cts were produ c ed by this

flood o f knowledge Weird and wonder ful were the n ew
.

s ign ifi c an c e s given to natural thing s the c ombination s o f ,

natural O bj e ct s proj ected the doctrine s evolved from O b ,

servation o f natural pheno m ena The s tudy o f nature .

bec ame a sa c red thing re s erved for the reverent and wi se

, .
254 H I STORY OF TH E BORGIA S
A

Thi s being hi s idea it i s n ot s urpri s ing to find him

,

pre s c ribing for the reduction o f an inter m ittent fever the ,

following c har m o f Quintu s S e re n u s S erm o n icu s to be

writte n o n p archment and wor n round the n eck .

a b r a c a d a b r a
a b r a c a d a b r

a b r a c a d a b
a b r a c a d a

a b r a c a d
a b r a c a

a b r a c

a b r a
a b r
a b
a
or a s a prote ctio n again s t evil spirits and dangers o f
,

j ourney water enemy o r ar m s the beginning and end

, , , ,

the fir s t five ver s es o f Gene s i s

"
mm mm
writte n o n virgin parchment o r on mo s t pure gold back , ,

and front with an ink m ade o f the s m oke o f in c en s e o r o f

, , ,

c on s e c rated wax taper s mixed with holy water This

-
,
-
.

char m al s o must be worn round the ne c k and its e ffic a cy i s ,

c onditional upon the belief o f the wearer in God the Cre

ator o f Al l .

Men o f the B o rgian Era knew that the tail o r an ibex ,

dried with it s fle s h and s kin and worn abou t the per s on ,

would ward O ff magi c unle ss the wearer s hould c onsent

’
thereto Thi s they learned from St Hildegard s t reati s e
. .

D e A n im al i bu s They knew that the herb Heliot r ope o r

.

Turn s ole ( H e l io tro pio n E u r o p ae u m ) pla c ed under the ,

pi l low o f a man who ha s been robbed will bring him ,

a vi s ion o f the thief and hi s s poil ; and that when it wa s ,

s t up in a c hur c h un faith ful wives would be unable to go

e
,
 T H EE G E N D O F T H E B O R G I A V E N O M 25 5
L

away until it wa s r emoved Thei r faith i n the virtue o f .

gem s wa s very pre c ious ; and c hiefly derived f ro m the

phy s i cian Alexandro s o f Tralle s A c o c katri c e e n graved .

o n gree n j a s per pre s erved from the Evil Eye A metal .

c ro s s tied on the left arm cured epilep s y A live spide r .

tied in a rag on the same arm c ured ague A metal ring .

,
“
e n graved with the sa cr ed tau T ( the M ark o n the F are
also freed from epilepsy A ring s et with ass .
,

hoo f c ured o mvo ul a A r ing carv ed with a coun c il o f

’

, .
,

r avens fo r Apollo c on ferred c onj ugal j oy and the gi ft o f

,

clear seeing A browni s h yel l ow j a cinth gave s leep An

-
.
-
.

agate carved with St Joh n the Divi ne prote cted fro m

, .
,

venom O riental j a s pe r o r heliotrope ( blood —

. s tone ) e n ,

graved with a youth wearing a ne c klace o f herb s when ,

a n ointed with marigold j uice con ferred invi s ibility A , .

coppe r r ing figured with a lio n a c rescent and a sta r

, , , ,

a n d worn o n the fourth finge r cured c alculu s Amethy s t , .

kept the wearer sobe r a n d a papal bull ordained it fo r ,

epis copal r ings C oral delivered from incubi and suc cubi
. .

Herakles strangling the lion o f Nemea carved o n a honey ,

c oloured sa r d cured colic C ar n elia n ca rved with a Her m es

, .

Ps u c ho po mpo s gave cheer fulnes s and c ourage A ma n .

might live a s long as he liked i f he looked at a pre s entment

o f St Chri s tophe r ( the C hristia n He r akle s ) every day
.
1
.

The toad stone o r bu fo n ite ( the fos s il palatal tooth o f the

-

r ay fi s h Pycn o du s ) whi ch s e t i n a ri n g wa s a most potent

-

periapt against black magic I n the U ni versity Galleries .

at O x fo r d No 69 1 there i s a splendid specime n o f a

, .
,

double toad s tone rin g ; i e the stones are s e t outward o n

- -
. .
,

Oppo s ite sides o f the ring s o that the o ne always touches

the clo s ed ha n d while the othe r i s free to di s may a magi
,

cal enemy .

Chei r omancy was expounded by M esser A n drea C or vo

x “ C hris to
pho ri s an cti facie rn qu icu nqu e tu e tu r
”
I lla ne mpe di e mal a mo rte n o n m orie tu r
o

.
2 56 A H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
da Carpi whose deeply religiou s little treatise ado rn ed
,

with diagrams wa s p u bli s hed at Veni c e in 1 5 00 .

B u t the chie f o f the m e n o f s c ien c e o f the B o rgian Era

wa s Me ss er Giambatti s ta della Porta o f Naples Born i n .

1 44 5 dying in 1 5 1 5 he was an exact contemporary o f

, ,

Borgia What he did not know O f natural s c ien c e no othe r

.
,

man o f hi s epo c h knew Hi s hou s e in Naples wa s a r e s ort

.

o f literary and s c ientific me n o f every natio n He e s tab .

lis he d pub l i c and private a c adem ie s O f s c ien c e in all dirce

tion s the c hief o f whi c h were G l i O z io n i o f Naple s and
,

o n e c alled I ] Se c reti which met in hi s own hou s e and to ,

whi ch no mage was ad m itted unle s s he had made some new

and n otable di s c overy o f natural phenomena Thi s was the .

ac ade m y who s e name and air o f my s tery ex c ited intense

ecc le s ia s ti cal s u s picion at Rom e which by hinting at
,

bla ck magic pro cured the order to close the meetings o f

the mage s .

Me ss er Giambatti s ta della Porta wa s a c opious writer .

He gave to the world a treati s e O n Phy s iognomy in which ,

’
he j udge s men s c hara cter s by comparing their faces to
tho s e o f c ertain bea s ts ; and a diffu s e and learned work o n
c yphers De O c cu lt is Lit e riu m Noti s Hi s great work
, .
,

however wa s The B ook O f Natural Magi c He s ay s that he

, .

began it in 1460 when he barely wa s o f the age O f fi ftee n

,

year s —the s e were the prec o cious ti m es when Messe r

Giovanni de Medi c i was a Lord Cardinal at thirteen and
Prince Gio ffre do — Borgia o f Squillac e a mar r ied man and
captain o f condottieri at fou rteen — a n d thi rty fi ve years -

later in 149 5 by the help o f that l u sty young M ae c enas

,
’
the Lord Cardinal Prin c e I ppolito d E s t e he publi s hed the ,

matured work fro m whi ch the following re c ipe s are taken .

Very few Engli s h people reali z e the do ctrine O f Sym

pathy and Antipathy ; o r admit that Attra ction and R e
“
pul s ion are Pri m ary For c es I do n ot love thee Do ctor
.
,
”
Fell the rea s o n why I cannot tell s ays the Eng l i s h m an
, , ,

an d worries to find that r easo n i n stead o f r ecog n i s in g the

258 A H I STOR Y O F T H E BORGIA S
an d a c herry o n a bay H e advi s es the making o f bread
.

with dates and walnut s ; and o f wine with quinces

H e will make precious stones—a j acinth by p u tting lead
.

i nto an earthen pot and setting it i n a gla s s maker s fur

,
-
’

nac e until the lead i s vitrified : o r an emerald by di ss olving

s ilver in aqua forti s ca s ting in plate s o f copper to whi c h
-
,

the co m positio n will adhere drying the plate s in the su n , ,

s etting them i n an ea r the n pot for some day s in a gla ss

’
maker s furnace .

H e says that green and mer ry dreams may be pro c ured

by eating balm o r buglos s o r bow s o f poplar ; and bla c k
, ,

and melan c holy drea m s by eatin g bean s lentil s o n ion s , , ,

garlic leeks
, .

H e will cur e toothache with roots o f pellitory o r O f

herbane bruised For the care o f the teeth he re c om mend s
, .

a wa s h made o f leave s o f ma s tic rosemary s age and , , ,

bramble mac erated i n Greek wine

, a s trong r i c h wine ,

grown in dry vol canic s oil o r a tooth powder made o f -

barley bread c rumbs browned with s alt B ut his recipe

-
.

for white and p early teeth i s a master — piece .

T ak e t h re e h an df u ls e ach o f fl ower s and l e ave s o f s age , nettl e ,

p
ro se m ary, mall ow, o live , l an tain, and r i n d o f walnut ro ots ; t wo
h andf u ls e ac h o f ro c k -ro se ( xte r os ) , h o re h ound, b rambl e -to s ; a p
p o u n d o f fl owe r an d h al f a p
o und o f see d o f m y rt l e ; t w o h an df u ls
o f ro s e b u ds ; t wo d r ac h m s e ac h o f s an d al -woo d , c or i an d e r, an d
pp
c i tro n- i s ; t h re e d r ac h m s o f c i nnam on ; t en d rach m s Of c y r e ss p
n u ts ; fi v e g r e en p
ine cone s ; t wo d rach m s e ac h O f m asti c an d
A r men i an b o l e o r c l ay R e duce all t h es e t o owd e r In f u s e t h e m i n
. p .

S h arp M
bl ack wi n e ac erate th e m fo r t h ree d ays light ly re ss o u t
. . S p
t he wi ne P u t t h e m i n an a l e m bi c an d dist il t h e m on a g ent l e fi re
. .

B o il t he dist ill at i on t ill t w o o un ce s o f al u m is disso l ve d n i t ee i . K p

i pp
n a c l o se sto ed vi al : and, fo r u s e , fill the mo uth wi”t h t he l oti on,
an d ru b t he t e e t h w i t h a fi ng e r wr a e d i n fi ne li nen pp .

An ex c ellent specimen this O f a Compound a s di sti n ,

gu is he d from a Simple ; o f the s ophi s ti c ation and o f the ,

meti culou s p er s onal c leanline ss o f peop l e o f the Bo rgian ,

Era .

To c u r e a ma n o f En vy s ays this mage kee p him i n the

, ,
 T H E E G E N D O F T H E B O R G I A V E N O M 259
L

fre s h ai r hang carbuncles and j acinths and sap p hires on

,

hi s n eck let him wea r a r ing made O f as s hoo f a n d smell

,
-

to hyssop and s weet lilies .

’
Me ss er Giam battista Po rta s n inth Book teaches how to
make women beauti ful There wa s a fa s hion which co n .

t in u ed th e forehead to the middle o f the skull ; and a

depilatory i s r ecommended made o f quicklime fou r ounces ,
’
and orpiment two ounce s boiled until a hen s feather dipped ,

into it i s bared Thi s frightful compound mu st n ot lo n g

.

remai n o n the s kin ; and the burns should be dre ss ed with

the gum o f a sp en bark ( P o/J u l u s Tre mu l a) and oil O f roses
-

o r O f violets O r hai r may be removed by fo m entation

.
,

with hot water plucking o u t with n ippe rs o n e by o n e and

, ,

anointing the holes with a saturated solution o f saltpetre ,

o r with o il o f brim s tone o r vitriol the proce s s being re ,

p e at e d once a year W here hair i s only thin and downy

.
,

the r oots o f wild hyacinth r ubbed o n will keep it back .

To dye the hai r yellow ( i n imitatio n o f Mado n na Ln ,

c re z ia Borgia whose beauti ful yellow hai r wa s much ad

,

mired ) add enough honey to so ften the lees o f white wine

,

and keep the hai r wet with this all night Then brui s e r oots .

o f celandine and greater clivers madde r mix them with oil - -

,

o f c ummin seed box shaving s and sa f , fron ; and keep this

-
,

o n the head for four and twenty hours when it should be ,

wa s hed o ff with a lye o f cabbage s talks and ashes o f r ye -

s traw.

To make the hai r g r ow it should be washed i n the liquid

that fir s t distil s from honey by the fire : o r it should be
anointed with an ungu ent made o f mar s h mallow bruised -

’
in hog s grea s e boiled long i n wine added to brui s ed
, ,

c um m in s eed ma s ti c yolk o f egg boiled again and st r ai n ed

-
, , , ,

through line n .

To make hai r thick and curly boil maidenhai r with ,

s ma l lage S eed i n wine and o il o r r oo ts O f daffydillie s or ,

dwar f elder boiled with wine and o il

-
, .

Water i n which the bulbous tops o f lilies have bee n

,
260 H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
A

boiled make s the skin fair : and corro s ive sublimate and
,

c e ru s a ( white lead ) make s the face white and shining .

For s unburn white o f egg and sugar candy o n the face

,
-

at night washed o ff in barley water in the morning i s pre

,
-
,

s c ribed : and a c lear S kin i s to be had by rubbing with the

rind o r brui s ed s eed s O f melo ns It will be obvious that .

“ ” “
there we r e plain a s well as coloured women in the
B o rgian Era ; i e tho s e who went about their duty ( o f
. .
,

c ultivating thei r c harm s ) in a wholeso m e way and tho s e

“

who u s ed violent and na s ty method s .

Me ss er Giambatti s ta d ella Porta appea rs to have u s ed

“
his s c ience and m agical a rt t o invent So m e Sports against
Women ; whi c h will S how what the B o rgian Era regarded
”

as perm i ss ible practi c al j oke s H e say s that i f you wi s h .

,

to di s c over pai nt o n a fa c e you mu s t c hew s a ffron be fore ,

breathing o n her and incontinently S he yellow s : o r you

,

may burn bri m s tone near her whi c h wi l l bla cken mercury ,

sublimate and c e ru s a ( white lead ) o r you may chew c u m -

min o r garli c and breathe o n her and he r c e ru s a o r quick ,

s ilver will decay But i f that you yearn to dye a woma n

.

green yo u mu s t de c oct a chameleon in her bath

, .

Hi s tenth book deal s with interminable and elaborat e

proce ss es o f di s tillation a n d s ub l imation ; proving that what
was s aid on a previou s page concerning Letters and Art ,

( viz that the habit O f the ti m e was to think all O f the work
.
,

man s hip and nothing o f the m aterial u s ed ) wa s per fectly

, ,

tru e O f Fi fteenth Century pharmac y al s o These mages s at

-
.

and boiled their alembics and c ru c ibles ; and distilled and ,

distilled and s ublimed and s ublimed till the nature o f

, , ,

their s tu ff was lo s t o r utterly changed i n s tead o f being

, ,

refined and c on c ent rated a s they vainly hoped They were .

j ust like boys eager sen s ib l e ardent i nexperienced They

, , , , .

made the inevitable blunder s o f adventurer s They com .

m itt e d the extravagan c e s o f human nature in unwonted cir

cu m s tan c e s ; and the wi s dom o f the Twentieth Ce n tury i s

the fruit o f the fooling o f the Fi ftee nth .

262 A H I STORY O F T H E B OR G I A S

evade the r oa s ting n or t oo wide le s t the s moke choke her

, ,

o r the fire burn her I nside the r ing o f faggot s o n the

.
,

ground occupi ed by your p lucked and larded goose p lace ,

s everal pots o f water mixed with salt and bea r wort Light .

the faggots slowly W he n the goose begi n s to r oast S he

.

will wa l k about ; but s he ca nn o t escape ; a n d yo u have he r

wi n gs Whe n s he grows wea r y and ve ry hot she que n ches
.
,

her thi rst with the medicated water and cools her hea rt and ,

he r inward pa r t s Y ou conti n ually mu s t moiste n he r head

.

a n d he r hea r t with a spon ge at the end o f a ca ne A t last .

,

you will see he r r u n inconti n e ntly up a n d down ; a n d p res

e n tly stumble The n she i s empty and there i s no more
.
,

m oisture i n he r heart Where fo r e yo u may take he r away

.
,

and s et her o n the table to you r guests : S he will c ry whe n

you pull o ff he r p ieces ; a n d you almost may e a t h er b e fo r e
she has died .

The fi fteenth and last book o f Natural M agic t r eats o f

variou s modes o f conducting secret corres p ondence by in
vi s ible inks writing on eggs or naked ba cks O f dr ugged
,

c ourier s cou n ter feit seal s and w r iti n g messages by p igeo n

, ,

or by arrows .

Those are the things o f which a sober lea rn ed and mo s t

eminent phy s ician o f the Fi fteenth Century s eriously has
written and c alled Natural Magic H e s hew s the innocent
, .

ingenuous mind o f a c hild ram p ant among n ew toys .

’
Having show n somethi n g o f this mage s knowledge it ,

may be said now that s cat tered about his Book o f Natural
, , ,

Magic carele ss ly and in c ide n tally there are allusions to

, ,

c e rtai n venom s He says .

’
I that é é oiyfil wo zg may be procured by exhibiting t he
‘

wine that Pliny c alls P hthoriu m ( (Ddé gt o g ) ( Pl in 4 .

,

16 19 , ,
made f r om the grapes o f a vi n e o n
 E G E N D O F T H E B O R G I A V E N O M 26 3
“

T H E L

whi c h hellebo r e W il dgo u rd a n d s cam ony have bee n

, ,

grafted :
that M an drak es ( M a vdga yé ga g M an dragora ,

( A tro p a O fiicirzalis ) growi n g by a vi n e will make its ,

grapes hypnotic
that o n e drachm o f belladon n a —gen A tro p a) o r .

stramonium ( thor n apple D atu ra s tram o niu m ) i n

-
,

wate r ( whi c h they will in fect without taste o r smell )

, ,
“
will make me n mad without any hu r t S O that it is a ,

mos t plea s ant spectacle to behold such mad whim s ies

an d vi s ions It i s very pleasant to behold P r ay make
. .

”
t rial he lightly s ay s But he add s that o ne ounce o f
, .

these drug s will mak e a ma n s leep four day s

that o ne dra ch m o f Night s hade r ind ( S olan u m u i
gru m ) in wine wi ll give S leep ; a little more madness ; ,

a large do s e death ,

V that He m lock ( C o niu m ma cu latu m ) in wine will cau s e

.

death :
that the drachm dose o f belladon n a brui s ed i n wine , ,

i s good fo r driving away unwelcome guest s .

It will be n oticed t ha t t h r ee o f t hese s ix pr esc ri p tion s

contemplate death .

M e ss er Giambattista della Po rta emphatically states that

“
n o single V e n om will kill all living c r eatures ; fo r what i s
venomous to o ne may serve fo r the p re s ervatio n o f another ,

which comes n ot by rea s on o f the quality but o f the di s tin ct

”
n ature . H e give s a le n gthy li s t o f sub s tan c es with the
animals to which they are fatal e g wo l feban e kill s , . .
,

wolves ; henbane hens ; daffydill ie s mi c e ; bla c k hellebore

, , ,

oxen ; white hellebore pigeons ; ivy bat s ; com frey eagles ;

, , ,

p o n dweed urchin s ; mu s tard seed larks ; vine j u ice cranes ;

,
-
, ,

willow tom tits ; po m egranate chu rn e l s falcon s vulture s

,
- -
, , ,

sea gull s bla ckbird s ; and n ux vomica dog s I n r egard t o

-
, , .

the la s t it s hould be unde r stood that the Fi fteenth Century

,

ca l led fox glove ( D igitalis p u rp urea ) n ux vomica and had

-
2 64 A H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGIAS
n ot succeeded in extra cting the vegetable alkaloid St rych
ni n e in its moder n in s olated form from the Javane s e
, ,

2 1 9 1595110 ; n u x v om ica o f which it i s the a ctive p rin c iple

, .

To c o m plete the expo s ition O f thi s typi cal Fi fteenth

Century man o f s cien c e his chief Antidote to Venom i s ,

appe n ded here .

“
p
T ak e th ree o unds o f O l d O il an d t wo h an df u ls o f t J o hn s S .
’

W o rt, ( B al m o f t he arr i o r s
’
W
o u nd , hy pe ric u m ) W
ac e r ate fo r . M
t w o m onths i n t he s u n S
train o ff t he o l d fl owe rs , and a dd t wo
ounc e s o f f r e sh B o il m B alneo
. ar i ae ( a b ai n-m ar i e ) M
fo r si x
pp
h o u r s P u t in a c l o se -sto e d b o tt l e and k e e i n ’t he s un for fi f teen
. p
D
days u r ing J u ly, add th ree o unc e s o f t J o hn s ort se e d whi c h
. S . W
p
g ent ly has b een stam e d an d stee e d in two gl asse s o f whi te wine p
fo r t h r e e d ays A dd als o t wo d rach m s e ac h o f g ent i an, to rment il
.
,

dittany, z e d o ar y, and car line , ( al l o f whi c h mu st h ave b e en g ath e re d

in A ug ust , ) sandal wo o d an d l ong -ar isto l oc hi e ent ly bo il fo r six
-
. G
M S
h o u r s i n B alne o ar i ae trai n i n a re ss A dd t o t he ex re ssi on
. p . p
o n e o unc e e ac h o f s a ff r on m yrr h , al oe s s ik enar d , an d r h u b ar b al l
, ,
p ,

b ru ise d B o il fo r a day in B alne o ar i ae A dd t wo o unc e s e ach o f

. M .

tre ac l e an d m irthdate B o il fo r S ix h ou r s i n B alneo ar i ae A nd

. M .

se t i t i n t he su n fo r f o rt y d ays .

p p
I n l ag u e , o r su s i c i on o f veno m , ano int t he sto mac h wr st s, an d , i
p
h eart ; an d d ri n k th re e d ro s in w ine I t wil l wo r k wonders, says ”
.

M sser G i
e mb att ista
a d e ll a P orta .

The p ha rm acy o f the Rena s ce n ce t o quote the co n fe s ,

s io n o f the c harlata n Cagliostro c on s isted in her bs and ,

”
w ords i n verbis e t i n herbis
,
.

The practice o f medicine du r ing the B orgian E r a appears

to have bee n entirely empiri c al Phy s icians experimented .

o n the vile body o f thei r patient tru s ting to luck o r chance , , ,

o r faith to work a cure I n contracts it was expressly

, .

stated that p hy s i c ian s must have the reputati on o f being

f ortu nate ( felix ) Chiru ge o n s we r e totally unaware O f t he
.

circulatio n o f the blood So mu c h stre s s he r e is laid u p o n

.

the a rt and c raft and mystery o f medicine an d its expo

n e nt s because from these and from the s e alone the knowl
, , ,

edge and u s e o f venoms could be obtained ; and i f the blind ,

ca n lead the blind without both falli n g i n t o the same ditch ,

266 A H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
A fte r autop s y the chiru ge on s found no ve n om but cer
, ,

tain bloody s pots : wherefore they j udged him to have died

“
o f a s u pe rfl u ity o f blood ; and i f he had be e n phl ebot ,

o m iz e d he would have had no ha rm

, .

The second ca s e i s that o f the Lord C hristo p he r Bai n

bridge Cardinal Presbyter o f the Title o f S an ta Pra s sede
,
-
,

and O rato r o f King Hen r y V I I Tudo r at the Court o f the

Lord Leo P P X H e died i n Rome i n 15 14 ; and s ay s
. . .
, ,
“
Mgr Pari s de Gra s sis th e Caerimo nariu s whe n his death
was asc ribed to venom —this s u re ly o u ght to p rov e that
.
,
“

t he s us p icio n w as habitu al, an d n o m o re pp ro p riate

a t o t he
B orgia t han t o an y o the r
by family of t his p erio d ,
“
c ommand o f the Pope he was evi s c erated and it wa s ,

found that hi s hea rt was di s ea s ed o n the right side .

Now thi s Cardinal Bainbridge who s e death Obviou s ly ,

was due to organic di s ea s e ha s co m e down to posterity a s ,

a victim o f venom ; while Cardinal D e l l aro ve re who s e ,

s al ma p resented far more suspiciou s in fa c t distinctly su s ,

picio u s s y m ptom s i s reputed to have died a n atu r al death !

, ,

O f all the wonder ful and subtile recipe s for venom s

which are believed to have bee n po ss e s sed by Eu r opean
potentates about thi s ti m e only o n e n ow i s accessible : but ,

it is dated 1 5 40 exa ct l y thirty seven year s a fte r the Lord

,
-

Alexander P P V I died o f hi s do u ble tertian fever I t i s

. .
-
.

a Ve n etian r e c ipe and c omes from the Secret Archive s o f

,

the Council o f Ten Ar s enic antimony orpiment and

1
.
, , ,

aconite are to be s ubj e cted to a long long pro c e ss o f

,

preparation similar to those wondrou s s tews i n whi ch

,

M es s e r Giambatti s ta della Po rta i n company with every ,

other respectable m age had hi s continual j oy ; and when , ,

all is done the ignorant inventor o f this horrible venom

,

says that he c annot guarantee its s u cce ss Why ? The do s e .

o f any single one o f those four venomous ingredient s alone

wou l d have been fatal Why shou l d their combination .

bring unce r tainty ? For the simple reason that the boili n g
1 Laman k
s y S ecr ets de l Etat d e V en ise P eter sb urg 1884
’
. . . .
 T H E E G E N D O F T H E B O R G I A V E N O M 2 67
L

and the s u n baking the s ublimation and the di s tillation

-
, ,

which s o p rol o nge dly was practised s e t up c he m ical c hange

, ,

r eaction decompo s ition de s troyed the virtue o r the n ature

, , ,

an d e f fe ctually altered o r annulled the veno m ous properties

ori gi nally po ss e s sed by the subj ect o f s o mu ch e m piricism .

As simples they certainly would have bee n v en e ficou s A s

,
.

compounds they might have caused grave in convenience

,
.

But heterogeneou sl y c ompou n ded with alie n matter boiled

, ,

to di s integration for week s and month s together their e ffect ,

surely c ould not be predicted They might have been da n

.

gero ns ; o r they might not : the r e i s n o knowi n g .

The r e i s n o defined charge agai n st the House o f B o r gia

’
o f having compa ss ed their enemi e s deaths by mean s o f
venomous r ings The vulga r conception o f a venomous
.

ring i s no t u n co n nected with a n eedle p oint ( o r point )

-
, ,

pr o j ecting from the bezel alo n g which a minute drop o f

,

deadly venom can be made to flow ; a n d whi ch pierces the

hand that grasps it i n du c in g synco p e and death O r an
, .

other kind co n ceal s a small box i n th e bezel co n tain i ng a ,

ti n y ca p sule o f glass wherein ve n om i n n ocuously lurks ,

until the glass i s broke n o n the li p s .

A t the Victo ria a n d A lbert M useum O f S outh K e ns ing

to n a n d at the Unive rs ity G alle r ies o f O xford there are
, ,

very splendid collections o f r ings N eithe r colle ctio n co n

.

tai n s a ri n g havi n g the legendary n eedle point ( o r p oi n t

-
,

but ea ch collection has a r ing which may have b e e n a proxi

mate occasio n o i the vulga r belie f .

N 9 1 6 at South Ken s in gton i s a massive r i n g o f brass ,

inches i n diameter ; and has an octagonal bezel ex

te rn all y armed with a quincunx o f s p ikes It belongs to the .

E ighteenth Century and i s o f the kind wor n by Bavaria n

,

p easant lads o n the right middle fi n ge r at the p resent day

-
.

N 3 8 5 at O x ford is a n Italia n ring o f the F o u rt ee n th

°
2 68 A H I STORY OF T H E B ORGIA S
Century o f gold n iell o very beauti ful The bezel p roj ects
, , .
,

and end s in the revo l ving rowel o f a Fiery s pur .

Both o f these rings are weapon s intended hideously to ,

’
s crat c h and tear an adversary s face There i s no hol l ow .

i n them that might harbour venom ; and they are i n no

sense veno mou s rings according to the popular s pe c ifi
catio n : but they are ring s — mean s o f violen c e o f another
,

species and ( m e n being what they are ) the s e ring s

, ,

may have formed the germ o f the tradition .

However at O x ford and South Ken s ington there wer e

, ,

rings labelled P ois on R ings at the clo s e o f the Nineteenth

,

Century .

N 4 79 in the Fo rtn u m Collec tion at O x ford i s an Italian

°
,

ring o f the Sixteenth Century o f go l d and having a tiny , ,

958 9 0153 c arved in c ameo proj e c ting fro m the high go l d

bezel This be z el i s hollow pierc ed by two pinho l es It s
.
, .

c apa c ity is under an eighth o f a cubi c in c h The hollow .

be z el may have been u s ed to c ontain per fu m e introdu c ed ,

through the pinhole s : but it i s more rea s onable to c onj ee

ture that the hollow i s due to a desire to economi s e the
pre c iou s meta l .

N 5 3 3 in the same c ollection i s a German r ing o f the ,

Seventeenth Century o f go l d and having a large rough

, ,

pearl s et in not on it s bezel Minute exa m ination with

, , .

mi c ro s cope and probe proves that there i s ab s o l utely n o

room in thi s ring for any venom whatever ; and that neither
“
thi s nor the foregoing de s erves the de s ignation P ois on
, ,
”
R i ng whi ch however di s c reetly i s queried on the a ctual
, , ,

o ffi c ial label s Apparently the s aid label s purely are a

.
,

concession to the unreasoning vu lgar who expect a s a right ,

to find at lea s t a specime n o f ve n omous r ing s in eve ry

re s pectable mu s eum .

At South Ken s ingto n the r e i s a massive ring o f iron ,

plated and dama s cened with gold I t is Italian o f the .

,

Seventeenth Century o f an in ch in diameter I ts

, .

octagonal bezel i s a tiny box having a hinged lid Thi s .

 70 A H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
in ches re s pectively in diameter The processes o f brewi ng
, , .

and s tew in g s o dear to the mages without any doubt were

, ,

a dire ct dispositio n o f Providence for the security o f

human li fe ; for they e ffe ctually withdrew the sting f rom
venom ou s sub s tan c es and made it pe r fectly impo ss ible for
,

would be murderers ( and they were more than many ) to

-

kill except a c cidentally o r with enormous doses and the

, ,

di s advantage s c oincident thereto .

No doubt the Twentieth Ce ntury still has a little to

lea r n No doubt that wi s dom would wait upon research
.

among the mountains O f do c uments stored i n the archive s

o f the I talia n patriciate and baro n age C olonna ( not , ,

O rsini whose pape r s were de s troyed by fi re i n 1 702 )

,

Savelli Po plico la di Santacro ce S fo r za Ce s arin i Carafa

, ,
-
, ,

C ai etan i Picco lhu o min i Borgia o f Mila n and Velletri etc

, , , .

NO doubt in the Vati c an S e c ret Ar c hive s ( the Lord Alex

ander P P V I le ft one hundred and thirteen volumes in
. .

la rge folio o f His acts ) infinite fields o f in formation are

,

white fo r harve s t There i s nothing to p revent the r eaping

.
,

but the lack o f reaper s No doors are s hut No s e c ret s are

. .

“
r eserved The Popes have need O f n othi n g exc ept the
.

”
t r uth.

Meanwhile thi s only can be said

,

The empirical method s o f the B o rgian Era preclude the

po ssibility o f anything approaching arti s ti c venenation .

Not one o f the definite accu s ation s against the B orgia

have been proved O n the contrary they are s hown to lack
.

valid foundatio n .

There i s no authentic evidence regarding the Ve n om

that the Borgia a r e said to have e m ployed .

I n fact there was n o Ve n om o f the Bo r gia

,
.
 P O NT I F E X MA X I M U S ALE X A ND ER V I ET
PR I N CEP S

IN r eviewing the Po ntificate o f the Lord Alexander P P . .

VI notice mu s t be taken o f the fa s hion whi c h represent s

Him a s having been in c ontinual fear o f depo s ition o n ac
c ount o f the s imony by which He i s alleged to have bought

the papal power It already has been shewn that n o law

.

exi s ted which made s imony a n annulment o f election to

,

e c cle s ia s ti c al be n e fi ce s until the reign o f the Lord Juliu s

,

P P II It r emains to be con s idered whether th e dis t ribu

. . .

tion o f o fli ce s with which the Lord Alexander P P V I

,
. .

s ignali zed his ele ction i n any ca s e would give colou r to

,

the c ha r ge o f si m ony .

The Con c lave for the electio n o f a Pope begi n s with

the Mass o f the Holy Spirit chaunted in the Chapel o f
St Gregory A fterward s the cardi n als go i n processio n
. .
, ,

singing V e ni C re ato r S p irit us to take po s se ss io n o f the ,

cell s which they will have to o ccupy These cells a r e e r ected .

i n a hall o f the Vatica n communi c ating with the Xys tine

,

Chapel They are me r e frameworks o f wood hu n g wit h

.

fringed curtains o f baize gree n i n the ca s es o f c ardi n als

,

who are creature s o f p revious ponti ff s violet i n the cases

o f cardinals who are creatures o f the ponti f f j u s t deceased .

O n the front O f each cell is a curtained doorway over which

the armorial s o f the occupant are shewn s urmounted by a ,

little swinging window Each cardinal has a bed a table

.
, ,

and a chai r His att en da n ts support li fe in dis com fort as

.

be s t they may Three hours a fter avemmaria all doors and

.
,

windows communicating with the outer world are wall ed

up Gua r ds on the out s ide watch every avenue o f access
.
,

under co mma n d o f the He r edita ry Ma r shal o f the Chu r ch ,

27 1
2 72 H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGIA S
A

n ow P r i n ce Chigi then Prince Savelli To eve ry ca r dinal

, .

are allowed two conclavists for hi s attendant s a chaplain ,

and a n e s qui r e A cardinal prince o r o n e aged and infirm

.
-
, ,

may add a third In addition to the cardinals and the co n

.

cl av is t s the r e are enclo s ed a s acri s tan with hi s s u bs ac ris

,

tans a secretary with his under s ecreta r ies five ma s ters o f

, ,

ceremonies a con fessor two physi cian s a c hiru ge on two

, , , ,

barbers an a pothecary with thei r r espective boys a mason

, , , ,

a carpente r and servants for menial work Great care i s

, .

take n that n one o f the s e lay per s ons s hould be agent s o f -

the orators o f the se c ular powe r s ; and they a r e made to

swea r a s tringent oath o f secrecy A s a matte r o f fact they .
,

are n ot allowed to k n ow a nything o f the proceeding s i n

the Xys tin e Chapel Meal s are served at stated hours
.
,

through a r evolving c upboard ( r uota ) i n the outer wall ,

supervised by c ardinal s in s pe ctors Flagons are o f bare

-
.

gla s s lumps o f bread o r meat are cut open that n o me s

, ,

s ages from the oute r world may pa ss i n by these means .

No r may any S ingle thing p as s out Urge n t p rivate letters .

written i n the Con clave are subj e ct to c ardinal s cen s ors -

.

Cardinals who have n eed may s peak to vi s itors but i n

, , ,

pre s ence o f witnesses ; and all communicatio n must be

open and in a language that all c an under s tan d These
, .

intervi ews take place at a window the cardinal being o n ,

the in s ide hi s vi s itor o n the out s ide : but the conclavists

,

and other s a r e forbidde n to app r oach the window o n a n y

pretext whateve r .

I n the Xys tin e Chapel a t the mome nt o f the electio n , ,

the cardinals alone ar e ocular and au r i c ular witnes s e s o f

what take s pla c e Certainly all proceedi ng s are r ec orded
.

i n the A cts o f the Con c lave But the o riginal act s o f the .

Co n clave that elected the Lord A lexande r P P V I are n ot . .

fo rthc oming : they very like l y were lo s t i n the Sack o f

Rome i n 1 5 27 when the Catholic Catalan s a n d Luthera n
,

Goth s o f the Ele ct Empero r Do n Carlos V gambled in the

-

gutt e r s fo r n uns and fo r the wives and daughte r s o f Roma n

274 A H I STORY O F T H E B OR G I A S

the prize for which they are said to s truggle ge n erally

being beneath their n otice the petty advantage which they
,

are thought to de s ire being unworthy even o f their co n

tempt ; fo r c ardinal s are tired men tired o f sp le n dour tired , ,

o f the earthly thing s ; and they are not invariably vile .

W hen there fore the absurd people who wish to prove

, ,

S imonia cal the election o f the Lord Alexander P P V I o r . .

,

t he s tupid craven Catholics who fatuously think to con

ciliate by j oining rabidly in the hue and cry again s t a Pope ,

ca n s how a definite declaration from o n e o r more o f the

cardi n als assi s tant o f the Conclave o f 1492 c ouched in
-
,

some such terms as the r e I ack n owl edge an d co nfes s that

, ,

s e du ce d by the dig nities an d the m on ey that he o f fere d m e ,

( or , i n ti m at e d by t he m e n ac e s of C ardi n al R o dr igo de
La n gol y B o rj a ) I all ow ed mys e lf t o be co rru p te d; an d
, ,

agai ns t m y wil l an d be t ter k n owl e dge, I s o l d my v o t e t o this

u nwo rthy cardin al : o r, I de cl are that I hav e r es is te d al l his
p ro mis es threats and flatteries , an d firmly hav e refu s e d to
, ,

s e ll m y v o te t o Cardin al R o drigo de L e n col y B o rj a : then

and only then can this S illy o r malicious calumny be said

,

to have any foundation in fa ct 1

.

O ne thing is per fe ctly c ertain The Lord Alexande r .

’
P P V I Who r eally wa s the la s t man i n the world (1 S
. .
,

e n canaill e r neve r behaved a s though He had gained the

,

T r iregno by illegitimate mean s Not when all Europe yelped .

around His footstool did H e ble n ch o r quail o r shew a sign

o f fea r The heathe n raged ; and the peo ple imagined a
.

vai n thing The king s o f the earth set themselve s ; and the
.

rulers took counsel together The Monarchs o f Nap l es .

nagged ; the Catholic Ki n g and Quee n denounced ; the

Chri s tia n Kings minced grima c ed and gibbered ; Caesa r
, ,

Semper Augustus protested ; Cardinal Guiliano dell a

Rovere raved and nur s ed sedition ; the barons o f Ro m e
r evolted ; the dukes and tyra n ts and republi c s o f I taly
’
took up arms ; the domi n io n s o f the Pope s Holi n ess we r e
1 C f Mar i cou rt
. .
 PO NTI FEX M AX I M US ALEXA NDER V I 2 75

invaded ; the eternal City su ffered violen ce ; the sacro

s anctity o f the po ntifical per s on wa s in im m inent dange r
but the i n vincible Lord Alexande r P P V I magnificently . .

r etired into the Mola o f Hadrian the only spot in all ,

Christendom where His rule r emained ; and held Hi s O w n ,

in fl exibly implacably with a n enormous dignity impo s

, ,

sible i n o n e who was a mere usurpe r a venal simoniac , .

So much is s ure The demea n our o f the Lord Alexande r

.

P P V I i n dire s t strait s wa s the de m eanour o f a ma n who

. .
,

had no doubt r ega r din g his o wn i n tegrity .

The so called s candals o f His private li fe a r e shew n to

-

have bee n ba s ed upon the malice o r the idle go s sip o f Hi s

“
enemie s H e s at i n the fierce light that beats upon a
.

”
thro n e H e wa s the fathe r o f a family H e wa s n ot the
. .

fir s t o r the la s t Pope Who has been the father o f a family .

H is immediate predece s sor the Lord I nno c ent P P V II I , . .

,

admitted the paternity o f seve n childre n A succes s or the .

,

Lord Paul P P I II also used Him s el f in a s imilar manne r

. .
,

n o r are the s e all I f thi s be V icious it was only vicious i n

.
,

the Lord Alexa n der P P V I be c ause H e wa s the Lord . .

Alexande r P P V I ; for i n other me n the same thi n g was

. .
,

and i s tolerated accepted applauded A p at r icia n o r a

, , ,
.

plebeian may steal a horse : but a Pope may not look over
the wall I l l e cru cem s ce l eris p re tiu m tu lit hic diade ma
.
1
, .

However as a fathe r H e exhibited an illustrious example

, ,

o f paternal V i rtue H e was kind loving a ffectionate to

.
, ,

his children ; soli citous and sel f s acrificing for their wel -

fare and advanceme n t That H e employed Hi s s piritual .

power to build up the temporaliti e s o f Hi s family was a

, ,

temptation to avoid which He would need to have bee n

,

more tha n hu m an It was the c ustom o f the time It was

. .

an imperious n eces s ity o f the S ituatio n .

1 D ec n J uni 1 Juvenal is , S atu ra x iii .

276 H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
A

The murder s and vene natio n s o f whi ch H e has bee n

accused in company with Duke Ce s are fail o f p roo f ; and
, ,

indeed His gui l tlessness as i ns tigator principal o r aecom

,

p l ic e appears
,
i n every case to be beyond que s tion .

The murder o f Don Jua n Francisco de Lan gol y Borj a ,

Duke o f G an dia r emains a my s tery : but what eviden c e

,

there i s di s tin ctly points to a vendetta o f Ors ini directed

again s t the Pope through His Captain General -
.

The murder o f the Prince o f Bisceglia i s r eferable

rathe r to a ve n detta o f San s everini an d Cai etani than to ,

the Pope o r Duke Ce s are ( detto Borgia ) .

The death s o f Don A s to rgio and Don G ian evangel is ta

’
Ma n fredi are sus c eptible o f the Venetian O rator s explana
tion p u to mal s an ; there po s itively i s n othing to connect
,

the Pope or the Duke with them .

The death o f the Sult a n D j im was due to n atu r al cau s e s ,

while he w as i n the hand s o f the Chri s tian King ; and the

’
Pope s Holine s s was a pec uniary loser ( to the extent o f
about a year ) by his death .

The death o f Cardinal O r s ini was due to n atu r al cau s e s ,

according to the s worn te s timony o f physician s provided by

the Hou s e o f O r s ini .

F ra Girola m o Savona r ol a O P was executed o n a

. .

capital charge by due p r ocess o f law ; and the Pope was an

unwilling agent for the admi n ist r atio n o f that law .

( The crime o f F ra Girolamo r eally was that o f int rigu

ing with a foreign power with which hi s country was at
wa r General Booth committing treachery with Mr K r uger
. .
,

or Mr I ra D Sankey with the S o n o f Heaven Kwang S u

. .
,

would be Twentieth Ce ntury pa r allels o f Savonarola and

-

Charles V III ) .

Cardinal Giovanni Borgia ( detto G iu in o re ) died a n at

ural death .

’
Me ss e r Ramiro d O rco Do n V itell o z z o Vitelli and Don
, ,

O live rott o da Fermo had a legal trial by court ma rtial -

,

an d paid the legal p e n alty o f c r ime .

27 8 A H I STORY OF TH E BORGIA S
maitres o f the Engli s h and Keltic bourgeoi s ie n ow ; ) a n d
was employed a s govern m ental courier The Republic o f .

V enice was playing fa s t and loo s e with the Lord Alexander

’
P P V I disliking t o s e e Duke Cesare s ama z ing succe ss i n
. .
,

the Romagna ; and it s O rator Don Antonio Giustiniani ,

carried o n relations o f a doubt ful kind with Messer Fra n

ce s co T rocces in the usual manner o f ambassadors who
,
“ ”
find that they ca n buy state s ecrets from a c rapule Sud -
.

de n ly Messer Francesco fled from Rome to Civita Vecchia

,
.

He had been complaini n g to the Ve n etians about Duke

’
Cesare ; and all his treachery had come to light The Duke s .

steel claw s were far rea ching The t r aito r was captured
-
.

there and bro u ght to Rome strangled and his body hanged
, ,

o n T o r Savelli as a n example t o others o f his ki n d Legally .

s p eaking he wa s executed for the crime o f high t r ea s on ;

and the formal expo s ure o f his corp s e give s the lie to the
idea o f clandestine assa s sination The p r actice o f s ec r et .

tria l s and summa r y executio n s i s odious to the Twe ntieth

Century : but in the Fi fteenth a n d Sixteenth n ot only all
, ,

civilized governments but even ba ro n s who had power o f

,

li fe and death ove r thei r r etainers used these means as a ,

matter o f course ; and that alone should be su fficie nt to

exo n erate the Borgia from blame .

It has been s aid o f the Lord Alexa n de r P P V I t hat . .

He habitually envenomed his cardinal s that He might ,

have their goods The following sto ry i s g iven n ot i n

.

this connection by M r F Marion C rawford and is he r e

, . .
,

in s erted on account o f its freque n t signifi c ance A t the .

corner o f the Via Lata i n the Cor s o o f Rome i s the Palazzo ,

Do r ia Pamphil i a typical Roman pala c e o f the B orgian

,

Era two —
,
thirds the size o f the Vati can Basili ca and able to ,

accommodate a thou s and inhabitant s It was built by Car .

dinal S an t orio who bought the site from the C hapte r

o f Santa Maria M aggio re and expended thou s ands o f gold
,

ducat s in the er ectio n o f a House Beauti ful A ll t hroug h .

 P ONTI FEX M AXI M US ALEXA NDER V I 279

t he r eign s o f the Lo r d Alexa n der P P V I and the Lo r d . .

P ius P P III he r emai n ed in u n mole s ted po s ses s io n : bu t

. .
,

during the pon t ificate o f the Lord Julius P P II ( Giulian o . .

’
della Rovere ) the Pope s Holiness said to him that his
“
p alac e was more suitable fo r a s ecular duke tha n fo r a
”
prince o f the Church ; and fo r ced him to make Him a free
gi ft o f it fo r Hi s O w n nephew Don Frances c o della
Rovere whom H e had created Duke o f Urbino The nu
, .

fo rtu n ate Cardinal S an t o rio died s oon a fter o f a broke n

hea rt It was n ot Borgia who caused his death i n orde r t o
.
,
’
have his p alace : but B o rgia s eternal enemy .

AS a secula r sovereign n o contempora r y o f His eve n

,

deserves to be named in compari s on with the Lord Alex ~

ander P P V I His r eign broke the back o f the turbule nt
. . .

ambitious selfish baronage which had ravaged the papal

states fo r centu r ies He was an inde p ende nt Po p e ; willin g
.
,

to e n te r into allia n ces it is t r ue so long as they se r ved His

, ,

p u r pose : but j ust as willi n g to throw over His allies a n d

sta n d alo n e u p o n occasio n I f His interests leaned more
.

i n o n e di r ectio n tha n a n othe r i t may be t ake n that He was a

,

S fo rza+ Ce s arin i Pope r ather tha n a creatu r e o f C olo nn a

,

o r O ris in as the cu s tom was His p olitical p olicy entirely .

was directed t o the substitutio n o f peace and o r der with

se c u r ity o f li fe and p r ope r ty i n stead o f the a n archy a n d
,

desolatio n which H e s aw o n H is ac c es s ion He fully lived .

u p to His official title o f R U LER O F T H E WO RLD ; and the

sove r eigns o f Europe at all times found Him sternly rigor
o u s ly j u s t amenable neither to fear nor flattery He was
,
.

an admirable F AT HER o r P RI N CES AND O F K I NGS Not .

withstanding all that weakly has been sai d to the co n trary ,

the Holy Roma n Church a n d C hristendom o we a vast

‘

debt o f gratitude to Him He fou n d feeble n ess and war and

.

tu mult at His coming : at His g o in g H e left behind Him

280 A H I STORY OF T H E B ORGIA S
di fferences removed r ebellions quelled and a t radition o f
, ,

consolidated strength He was the Fo s tere r o f Ju stice and

.

o f Peace H e wa s a great and wise P ri nceps

. .

A s Ponti fex Maximus EART H LY VI CAR O F J ESUS ,

C H R I S T O U R S AVI O UR H e merit s reverent admiration Hi s

, .

habits and ta s tes were o f the simple s t kind in an age o f ,

s ingula r luxury H e was temperate i n Hi s diet ; and the

.

O rator s o f the Powers c om mented with disgu s t upon t he

fact that He never had more than o n e di s h upo n Hi s table .

He S lept but little His amusements o c cu pied a mere frac

.

tion O f Hi s time : but during recreation He unbent H is ,

aw ful dign ity and en j oyed Him s el f with the fra n k aba n
,

do n o f a school boy He was a patron o f painters : but me n

-
.

o f letters in continently drove their pen s again s t Him ; for

the Lord Alexander P P V I wa s c onfronted by the problem
. .

’
o f dealing with a new enemy to Christ s flock a n d to c iviliza
tion— H e had to regulate the printing pre s s i n the interest -

o f moral s ; and as a duty o f Hi s O ffi c e He ordained the

, ,

ce ns or s hip o f printed books H e i naugu rated the Im ,

” ’
p rimatu r , He mu z z led the printer s devil .

Y et H e was a gentle a n d kindly a ffectioned Shepherd -

.

I n 149 2 the Jews were expelled from Spai n H e enter

, .

t ain e d them in se c urity i n Rome I n 1494 H e wa s horrified

.
,

by n ews o f the diaboli c al atrocities o f the Grand I nqui s ito r

o f Spain ; and though He Himsel f was a Spaniard He ,

appointed four assessors with equal power to r estrai n the ,

e xces s es o f Torquemada The Spani s h I nqui s ition n ever

.

had the countenance o f Rome but Her bittere s t opposition,

.

The wanton ingeniou s cruelty o f that in famous Tribunal

was due to the fiendi s h strain o f A frican black blood whi c h
tinges and de file s the blue s t blood o f Spai n ; and was com
’
mitte d i n expli c it defia n ce o f the commands o f God s Vi c e
g erent
. I t i s true that H e gave America to Spain and ,
28 2 A H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
infl ue n ce i s ve ry feeble will r ecog n ize the s ingula r co rr ect
,
’
n ess o f M r Rudyard Kipling s theory Men also who
. .
, ,

at first hand have studied moder n recrude s cences o f devil

worship modern flirtatio n s with k ak o daimon iacal agen c ies
, ,

t he Lu ciferian is m o f moder n Fra n ce will not mutte r with ,

’
p atronizing superiority o f supe r stitions a n d old wives
fables ; but pe r fectly well will know that hideous abnormity
’
with which the Pope s Holines s had to deal O nly the wil .

fully ignora n t deny the actuality o f diabolic ma n i festa

tions called witchcraft a n d Black Magic i n the vulga r
,

t ongue The ostrich who buries her head i n sand is like to

.

t hese By the side o f high civili zatio n the r e alway s r u n s the

.

impulse to s avage ry the wei rd a n d radi c al decadence which

,

wa n der s on dark paths H ellas a n d Rome p ri ed into the

.

myste r ies o f I sis ; Chri s tendom ente rtains Turlupins ,

Rosi c rucians I ndia n gu mn o s o phis ts and Mahatmas ; th e

, ,

B o rgian Era played with the Roa r ing Lion ; the Victorian
“ ” “ ”
Era with S athan as and his s orrow s Perhaps a fter all
audi alteram partem —he s itation comp r omi s e want o f
.
, ,
“ ”
, , ,

defined principle lack o f courageous singleness o f mind

, ,

amounting to Emasculation—i s the mental n ote o f the

Twentieth Century The Fi fteenth had not a tithe o f the
.

k n owledge n ow possessed : but it was aw fully convi n ced ,

strong and de c isive within its limitation s The n there

was n o place for the palte r e r—ex c ept again s t the wall
, , .
,

O the r malefa ctors felt the flail which like O siris H e , ,

wielded equally with the crook Notaries o f the Pontifi cal .

B r iefs debau ched by the undisciplined r ule o f previous

Popes had become cor r upt In the absence o f r e s traint
, .

they habitually forged brief s n ominating to be n e fices n ot ,

only i n I taly but i n all Christian c ountries The ambitio n

, .

o f Germa n clergy c r eated the demand The fl agitio u s n o .

taries ma n aged the supply They sold their forged briefs

.

privately to who s o would pay the pri c e and they pocketed ,

the proceeds o f this n e fariou s traffic I n 149 7 the Lo r d .

,

Al e xa n de r P P V I fou n d them out Some p romptly were

. . .
 P O NTI FEX M AX I M US ALE X A NDER V I 28 3

b r oiled o n Campo di Fiori the ni n etee nth o f O ctober ; o ne , ,

the Lo rd A rc hbishop o f Cosen z a and three se c retaries , ,

dep r ived o f their be n e fice s a n d degraded from their c leri

cal estate s olemnly were immured alive in the Mola o f
,

Hadrian These mise r able c r iminal s lived so m e yea r s i n

.

thei r solitary cells as the custom wa s literally feeding o n

, ,

the bread o f tears a n d the wate r o f a ffliction until they

died ( B urchard D iariu m ) O ne has heard fables o f n uns
.
, .

immured H ere is a fairly ge n uine case o f an immu r ed

.

archbi s hop Immuration is the same punishment whi ch the

.

Twe n tieth Ce n tury mete s o u t in c ountries where capital

puni s h m e n t has been aboli s hed —solitary confinement
n othing more The archbishopri c o f Cosenza was c on
.
~

ferred o n Cardinal F r an c i s c o de Bor j a ba s tard o f the Lord ,

C alixtus P P I II . . .

The assiduou s attention to the duties o f His offi ce which

the Lord Al exande r P P V I exhibited i s per fe ctly a s . .

to u n din g and pregna n t with indubitable significatio n .

He r e formed the mona s teries o f Au s tria and the secula r ,

cle rgy o f Portugal He confirmed the Rule o f the Religion

.

o f Friar s Minim fou n ded by San Francisco da Paola H e

, .

approved the Rule o f the Third O rde r o f Friars Mi n or ,

’
founded by San F r a n cesco d A s s is i He p ermitted Madame .

Jean de Valoi s to found he r Religio n I n 1499 H e con .

,

fi rm ed the Rule o f the Jes nat s o f San Girolamo a congre ,

g a t io n o f laymen leading a religious co m m unal li fe under

the Rule o f St Aurelius Augusti n e nur s ing the si ck and
.
, ,

di s tilling aqu avita ( as Ca rthu s ians distil Chartreuse yel

, ,

low and g r een n ow ) He founded and co n firmed in Rome

, .

the O rde r o f Milita ry Knights o f St George for the de .

,

fe n ce o f Chri s tendom against the Muslim I nfidel H e .

g r anted privileges to the College at W indso r : ( Chapte r o f

St G eo rge o r King He n ry V I Plantagenet s Foundatio n
.
,
’

at Eton ? ) He approved the O rder o f Prayin g Knights o f

S t M i chael i n F r an ce H e re fo rmed the Or de r o f Mili ta ry
. .
2 84 A H I ST ORY OF TH E B ORGIA S
K n ights o f Christ in Portugal He canonized n o sai nt s . .

His personal piety wa s s imple diligent and r eal He , , .

greatly revered the Deipara the Blessed Virgi n Ma ry In , .

her honour He ordained the bell whi ch ring s at su n set

, ,

s u n rise and noon fo r the A ngel u s D o m in i in memory o f

, ,
“
The I n carnation O n His death bed He s aid We always
.
-
, ,
“
have had and have a singular a ffe ction for the Mo s t
, ,
”
Holy Virgin .

I n the Secret Archives o f the Vati c an ( merely a te c h ,

n ical te rm fo r they are open to al l the world ) Hi s o r iginal

, ,

a cts are p r eserved ; the veritable B riefs an d B ull s which

He laboured to utter during Hi s r eign They are bound in .

o n e hundred and thirteen large folio volumes each tome -

,

containing about ten thou s and sepa r ate document s To 1

.

under s tan d what kind o f thing i s a Papal Bull o r Brie f the ,

Epistles o f St Peter whi ch are ea s ily acce s sible may be

mentioned as the best examples extant —earn e s t di squisi
.
, ,

tions simple o r s cholarly dealing authoritatively with s u b

, ,

j ects the most vital The Lord Alexander P P V I i s t e

. . .

spo nsible fo r more tha n a millio n o f these ; and He only

r eign ed eleven years .

The day s and nights appreciably were n o t longer the n

than n ow W HE RE T HEN D ID T H E LORD A LE X ANDER P P
.
, , . .

V I F I ND T H E T I M E T O A CC O M P L I SH T H E M U LT I FA RI O US
T U R P I T UDES W I T H W H I C H H E HAS BEEN C HA RGED ?

He was the father o f ba s tard s He was n ot the first o r .

last —plebeian patri cian potentate o r po nti ff

, , , , .

He was inflexible to foes Was eve r p ea c e assured ex .

cept by a stern martinet 7

The Lord Alexander P P V I was a ve ry great Prin c e . .
,

a v e ry faith ful Pa s tor a very human Man , .

By members o f that Church at least which He so ably , ,

r uled He should be r ega r ded as above and beyo n d eriti

,

1 Ré né , Co mte de Mar i court who , qu ote s M .

’
L A bbé M r l in
o e
 S PA RK S THAT D IE
“
A fire tha t is kindl e d beg ins w ith s m o k e and his s ing w hil e i t
, , ,

l ays hol d o n the fagg o ts ; bu rs ts in to a r o aring bl az e w ith ,

rag ing to ng u e s o f fl am e , dev o u ring al l in re ach s pang l e d w ith ,

”
s par k s that die .

O N the death o f the Lord Alexande r P P V I Duke C esa r e . .

,

de V al en tin o is della
Romagna was the mo s t potent p erson
age in Italy Several o f hi s veteran legions under Do n
.

Miche lotto held the Eternal C ity Usually during the No .

,
’
v e n diat i after a Pope s demise armed bands o f Colonna
,

a n d O rsini pe r vaded the s treets to intimidate the Con c lav e

with thei r war c rie s C o l u m n—C o l u m n
,

-
B e ar— B ear
In Augu s t and September 1 5 0 3 the baronial partiza n s
were dum b ; and all Ro m e shouted D u ca—D u ca —
,

D u ca
fo r Duke Cesare He might have done anything that he
.

p leased .

Now i f Duke Ce s are were the ambitious r uthless

,

impious de s pot and villai n whi ch a fa s hio n ha s painted him ,

he must al s o have been a fool ; i n that he did n o t for c e the

’
Sa c r ed College to r aise another Borgia to Pete r s Throne .

There were three Borgia c ardinals ready to his hand all ,

quiet and malleable and ino ffensive and two o f them aged ,

me n ; vi z .
,

The Lord Lui s Juan de Mila y Borj a Cardinal ,

Prio r Pre s byter o f the Title o f Santi Quattro

-

Co ronati and Bi s hop o f Lerida fir s t c ou s in and

contemporary o f the Lord Alexander P P V I : . .

the Lord Franci s co de Borj a Cardinal Presby ,

-

’
t e r o f the Title o f San Nereo e Sant A chilleo ,

Archbi s ho p o f Cosen z a ; basta r d o f the Lo r d

Calixtus P P II I . .

286
 S PAR K S T H AT D IE 2 87

( )
1 the Lo r d Pedro Luis de Bo r j a y Lan gol Ca r di ,

n al Deacon o f Santa Maria i n Via Lata s on o f

-

’
the late Pope s S iste r Do ha Juana de Borj a by
he r marriage with he r cou s in D o n G u illel m o de
La n gol .

The last was a you n g ma n a co n tempo r a ry o f Duke ,

Cesare hi msel f and appears to have bee n o f a modest and

,

r eti r ing disposition Whether his youth would have t aken

.

fi re at being crowned with the Tri r egn o is an open ques ,

tio n He was n o t elected and i s numbered with the Sparks

.
,

that die The Cardinal de Mila had re s ided nearly hal f a

.

c entury at his bi s hopri c in Spain ; and was completely out

o f tou c h with his I talian relatives a s well as with the ,

Sacred College .

But Cardinal F r a n c i s c o de B or j a seems to have bee n

a n ideal n ominee for the purpo s e o f Duke Cesare He owed .

hi s r ank t o the Lord Alexande r P P V I He was o f the . . .

age o f s ixty two yea r s a gentle old gentleman o f plac id

-
,

n ature o f sweet and lovable habits

, ea s ily plastic I f he , .

had bee n elected Pope by the influence o f Duke C esa r e ,

the con s olidation o f the Bor j a Dynasty would have bee n

a n a cc om plished fact Theoretically it matters n ot a j ot
.
,

who may be the Pope Caius o r B albu s Pete r o r Paul I f

, , .

there be any basi s for the claims o f the Holy Roman

’
Church He r mi ss io n goes o n till the world s end as well
, ,

and as inevitably when Borgia as when Pe cc i r eigns ; as , ,

well and as inevitably under Boys o f the age o f twelve and

eightee n years like the Lord Benedi ct P P I X and the
, . .

Lord Joh n P P XII a s unde r Saint s like the Lo rd St

. .
, , .

Sylve s te r P P and the Lord St Fabia n P P ; as well and

. . . . .

as inevitably u n de r a Jew like the Lord St Peter P P as , . . .

unde r a n Englishman like the Lord Hadrian P P I V . . .

’
The personality o f God s Vicegerent i s O f n o co n sequen ce
whateve r to the purity o f the Faith o r to the triumph o f ,

the Holy Roma n C hu r ch These things be i n g so it is hard

.
,
288 A H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGIA S
t o understa n d why Duke Ce s are did not menace with his
unconquerable arm y the Sacred College o r assa ss inat e ,

sample s o f the cardinals who S hould de c line to vote at hi s

dire ction ; until by ultimate inti m i dation he s hould have
, ,

secured the ele ctio n o f his candidate I f he had been the .

godless wretch that his enemies designated he would have ,

a chieved some such c o l p o di s tato as this .

But i n the r é l e o f a n unconscionable villain Duke

Cesare was a failure—an a cc ented failure Contrariwi s e
, ,

.
,

he c omported himsel f as exemplarily as any good and pious

Catholic Mo s t likely his fever o r the murderous r emedies
.
,

o f his physi c ians was respon s ible fo r thi s There i s no

, .

doubt but that the s cheme for a Borgia Dynasty had bee n
adumbrated ; and that this was the p sy chological mom e n t
for giving it concrete expres s io n : but the death o f the Lord
’
Alexander P P V I and Duke Cesare s ow n illness cam e
. .
,

with s obering e ffect to him ; and hi s cou r se o f action may

be translated thus—that he r e s olved not to usurp the pre
r ogative o f the Supreme Di s po s er o f events For a vil l ain .
,

the re s olve was weak : but it was what was to be ex p e cted

o f a splendi d ma n o f sense .

Duke Ce s are knew that he held his riches his suprem ,

acy his titles o f Duke o f Romagna Gon falonier o f the

, ,

Holy Roman Church and Ca s tellan o f Santangelo sole l y

, ,

at the plea s ure o f the Pope ; yet he made n o e ffo rt to secu r e

the ele ction o f a Pope who would confirm his po ss ession o f
them There i s still i n ex iste n ce a r ing o f his ( they call it
.
,
“ ”
a Poison Ring -
but o f that much has bee n said
-

which bears the S plendid motto

FA Y s CE Q UE D O YS A VI E N Q U E P O URRA
D o thy du ty , co m e w hat may .

That principle in formed hi s action now Duke Cesar e di d .

his duty .

He renewed his feudal oath o f allegiance in the presence

o f the Sac r ed College He formally recognized the sup r em
.

acy du r ing the inte rr eg n um

, o f the Car dinal Dea n a n d
,
-
2 90 A H I ST ORY OF TH E B ORGIA S
up their horrid head s and waited till the ultimate li n k
S hould part I f Duke Cesare s army were di s banded thou
.
’
,

sands o f c ondottieri would be at large brigand s ready to ,

take S ervi c e under a new chie f unde r a n y banner Why n ot

, .

under the banners o f the Colum n and the Bear ? Colonna

a n d O rsini in allian c e r einforced by those same u n co n
,

q u e rabl e mercenaries might

, r ecove r their o l d po s ition and ,

on c e more become the s trong right and left ha n ds o f a feebl e

Pope o f their o w n ; and the n the days o f the hated Borgi a
would be numbered Colon n a a n d O rsini like their ant ip
.
,

odes r ighteou s ness and pea c e forgot thei r ancient feud

,

and each ki ss ed other Duke Cesare indeed wa s in evil ca s e

. .

And then suddenly after a p o nt ifi cate o f six and twenty

, ,

days the Lord Piu s P P II I died

, . . .

This moment was the opportunity o f the p s ychic e pil ep

tic the Lord Cardinal B i s hop Giuliano della Rovere eter
,
-
,

nal enemy o f the Hou s e o f Borgia He had e m erged fro m .

the exile whi c h hi s innumerable trea s ons and mal fea s an c e s

,

had merited in ti m e fo r the ele ction o f the Lord Pius P P

,
. .

I II during Whose s hort r eign he had employed himsel f t o

hi s o wn advantage He had n o friend s H e gai n ed the
. .

loathing o f all with whom he had t o do The Sacred Col .

lege to a ma n was inimical to him He was not wealthy . .

He was thoroughly plebeian he had n o lear n ing no diplo

, ,

matic s kill no charm And there o n the other hand was

, .
, ,

the s plendid Duke Cesare feared ; ye s : but adm ired also ;

,

and hi s unconquerable army was within call A second time .

the ele ction appeared likely to depend o n him .

Ca r dinal Giuliano della Rovere was a despe r ate man .

The o n ly advantage that he po ssessed was that at thi s ,

time whe n all the other ca r dinals were in a state o f n ervou s

pertu r bation at the unu s ual oc cu r rence O f the deaths o f two
Popes i n three months he alone preserved his equanimity
,
.

H e alone knew what he wanted His colleague s in the .

Con clave were mentally collap s ed : they showed s ig n s o f a

liability to come u n de r the influence o f to take advice to , ,
 S PAR K S T H AT DIE 29 1

take eve n directio n from any o n e who would tell them what
they wanted ; and c hiefly from him who was the o ne s t r ong
ma n o f I taly the ma n with the veteran army Duke Cesa r e
, ,

de V al entin o is della Romagn a ( detto Borgia ) The st r ong .

est laic i s no mat c h for an u n s c rupulous clerk when it

comes to wit s Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere s aw that he
.

could gai n the Sacred College by g aining Duke Cesa r e He

, .

concentrated al l hi s crude rough de s perate will o n t he on e

po i n t .

The histo ria n Varilla s who writes as a violen t u p holde r

,

o f the Papacy r elate s a n extraordinary story ; which i f

, ,

true is a veritable solutio n o f my s te r ies ; which i n s ho rt i s

, , ,

so st r a n ge that it ve r y likely i s n ot fiction histo r ical or

, ,

othe r wise but the bli n d and n aked Truth emer ging from
, ,

he r well u n abashed luci fe r ous a n d n atu arlly unwelcome

, , , , .

He says that Duke Cesare p r oposed to the Second C on

c lave o f 1 5 0 3 t o elect a ca r dinal whom he should n ame : that

Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere becoming awa r e o f this , ,

’
endeavoured to att r act Duke Cesa r e s influe n ce to himsel f
that to this end the said C ardinal privately annou n c ed to
the said Duke that he wa s hi s father a fter the man n e r o f
me n fu rthe r alleging thi s to have bee n the cause o f hi s ( the
,
’
sai d cardinal s ) enmity against the Lo r d Alexander P P . .

V I deceased : that the said Cardi n al asked the said Duke

to as s i s t him his father to gai n the papal throne promis
, , ,

ing i n r etur n fo r such assistance a fter his coro n ation with

, ,

the T r i r egn o publicly to ack n owledge the said Duke as his

,

so n to confi rm him i n p os s e s sion o f his duchies a n d his

,

conquest s and to retai n him i n all the Offi c es whi c h he

,

then held : that the said Duke believed the s aid Cardinal ,

and by withdrawing f r om Opposition a n d by exe r ting full ,

influence in a filial manne r he had compa ss ed the electio n

,

o f the said Cardi nal Giuliano della Rovere : that a fte r his
e l e c tio n t he sai d Ca r di n al had belied all his pr omises d e ,
29 2 A H ISTORY O F T H E B OR G I A S

p riv e d the s aid Duke , Umbria and the Romag n a a n d

of , ,

all the fi e fs whi ch he had won and o f all the S ituations ,

which he e n j oyed and finally had hara ss ed de s poiled and

, , ,

exiguously perse cuted all who bore the nam e o f o r we r e

, ,

c onnected with The Borgia ,

.

This i s an extremely probabl e tale Ce r tai n ly a pa r t o f .

it is true and perhap s the whole

, . .

The identity o f the fathe r o f Duke C esa r e ( dett o Bor

gia ) i s i n volved in mystery .

The Brief o f the Lor d X ystus P P I V dated the fi r st

1
. .

o f O ctobe r 148 0 whi c h dispense s Me ss er Cesare f rom t he

,
“
ne c e s sity o f proving his legitimacy call s him s o n o f a ,
”
cardinal bishop and a married wom an de e p is co p o cardi ,

n al i g e n i tu s c l co n iu gata .

The Brie f o f the Same dated the sixtee n th o f A u gust

,

148 2 which make s Cardinal Rodrigo de Lan co l y Bor j a

,
“ ’
administrator o f Messe r Ce s are s e s tate c all s the boy s o n ,

”
o f a cardinal bi s hop a n d a married woma n de e p is co p o ,

cardin al i g en itu s e t c o n iu gata .

“
The name o f this ca r di n al bishop is n o t give n i n
either Brief .

Mo s t o f the s cribblers dia r ists chronicle r s orato r s

, , , ,

s peak o f Don Ce s are Cardinal Ce s are and Duke Ce s are

, , ,

as the s on o f Cardinal Rodrigo de Lan gol y B orj a ( the

Lord Alexander P P V I ) Some like Peter Ma rtyr and
. . .
,
“
Fio ram o n do B ru gn o l o c all him nephew o f a brother o f
”
our Lord the Pope I n his autograph lette r to the Pope
.
,

dated the sixteenth o f Janua r y 1 5 00 he him s el f s peaks ,

o f Ca r dinal Giovanni Borgia ( detto Giu n iore ) ( who was ,

the son o f Do n Pedro Luis de Lan col y Borj a o w n ,

“ ”
brother o f the Lord Alexander P P V I ) as my brother . . .

I n no O fficial do cument is he named as the s o n o f Cardi

n al Rodrigo de Lan col y Borj a ( the Lord Alexander P P . .

V I ) : but the Ve n etia n Se n ate i n con ferring on him the ,

1 S ec re t A rchi ve s o f t h e d u ch ess o f O ssuna and In f anta do .

294 . A HI STORY O F T H E B ORG I A S

Popolo ( Forcella I scrizioni delle chie s e di Roma I 33 5 )

. .

shewing her n atural pride at finding hersel f the mother o f

two duke s a prince duke a n d a sovereign du che ss
, , .

F au s t iaeC athanae , C o e s ar e Val e n tide , Johanna e C an diae ,

Ju fre do S c yl at ii, e t Lu c r et i a errariae duc ib fil iis nobil i F .

P ro bitat e i nsign i r e ligi on i exi m i a ar i e t ae tat e e t p

p
P ru de nt iae o ti me de xeno d oc hi o Lat e ran en M e rit ae .

H i eron i mu s Pi cu s fi de i c o mm is ro cu r e X1 t e st ( am ento ) p o s ( u it )
. p . .

V ix ( it ) an n L V I 111 I V ( 1
. XX I I I O bj i t anno
. VIII . X . MDX . . .

XX V I No v
”
.

In the absence o f anything more autho ritative than the

foregoing the s tory o f Varilla s r em ain s the mo s t probable
,

solutio n o f the mystery The Lord Alexa n der P P V I . . .

n eve r nam ed neve r treated Duke Ce s are a s H i s son ; n eve r

, ,

shewed fo r him the p ate r nal love and a ffe ction whi c h H e
S hewed for his bastards D o n Pedro Lui s Madon n a Giro , ,

lama Duke Jua n Franci s co Du che s s Lucrezia Princ e

, , ,

G io ffre do Madonna Laura Duke Giovan n i Y et Duke

, , .

Ce s ar e was splendid and superb ; his abi l ities were im

men s e and pre emine n tly useful to the Pope And the
,
-
.

Pope used him o n all occasions as His most serviceabl e

subj ect r ewarding him with lavi s h genero s ity for the
,

s ervi c e whi ch he r endered B etween the Duke a n d his Sov .

e re ign Patron there wa s a c ertain privileged and fa m iliar

,

c onfiden c e : but n eve r intimate r elatio n ship o r filial o r ,

p ate rn al love .

The statu s o f Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere ; his

furiou s blind in s tin ctive and eternal hatred o f the Lord
, , ,

Alexander P P V I and o f every o n e c onnected with Him

. .
,

is su s c eptible o f a n extremely huma n explanation It bear s .

the s tronge s t po ss ibl e re s emblan c e to that very singular

and very di s tingui s hable passio n o f r evengeful j ealous rage
whi c h c on s u m e s the vulga r ma n in regard to a superior
( in rank breeding
,
o r physique ) who shall ,
have s up ,

planted him in the favours o f a lady .

Ca r di n al Rodrigo a n d Ca r di n al Giuliano bo th were ca r ,

 S PAR KS T H AT DIE 29 5

din al s and bishops at the time o f the birth o f Duke Cesare .

Cardinal Rodrigo had wealth illu s trious an c e s try inc om, ,

parable charm o f manner a s umptuou s a s pect He was

, .

magnificent and i nvin c ible Ca r dinal Giuliano a s a boy

.

had peddled onion s i n a boat between A rbis o la and Genoa ,

he had no money ex c ept the revenues o f a few be n e fi c e s he ,

was o f a satur ni ne habit o f mind repul s ive to his fellow ,

c reature s His portrait s a s cardinal on hi s medal by Sper

.
,

andio a s Pope by I I Carado s s o ( Ambrogio F O ppa ) she w

, ,

him as a hate fully ugly ma n with s atyr brows s unken -

,

and bleared eye s fier c e but haggard mien and the ani m al
, ,

appetites hugely p redom inant i n the lip s the back o f the ,

head and the curiou s little mu s c le s whi ch obliquely tend

,

downward right and le ft i n the regio n o f the roo t o f the

n ose I n the age o f the Di s c overy o f Man
. Cardinal Giuli ,
’
ano della R ove re s phy s ique did not quali fy him to gain or ,

retain the fidelity o f any woma n whom inevitably he

, , ,

would hunge r to p o ss ess .

Nothing i s kn ow n against the character o f Madonna

G iovanna de Catan e i ex cept that S he wa s the mi s tre s s fir s t
’
,

o f Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere second o f Cardinal ,

Rodrigo de Lan co l y Borj a A woman who indulges i n .

s ystematic adultery an d s acril ege i s liable to be a s fal s e to

he r lover s a s s he i s to he r husband and her God at lea s t
, ,

until s he has repented o f he r cri m e s and S in s giving proo f ,

o f her repentan c e by s urcea s ing from tho s e s ame to lead a

godly righteou s and sober li fe a s Madonna Giovanna did ,

during the whole reign O f the Lord Alexander P P V I . .

,

an d e s pecially in and after 1 5 08 when s he wa s converted

, , , ,

together with Madonn a Fia m etta a leman o f Duke ,

’ ’
Ce s are s by hearing Frat Egidio da Viterbo prea c h the
,

Lent i n Rome But hi s tory and ru m ou r agree in thi s that

.
,

with the exception o f the s e two separate intrigue s la s ting

’
f rom 147 3 to 148 1 Madonna Giovanna de Catan e i wa s
“ ”
al io q u in proba mulier as eve n the r a s cally Paulo G io vio
says ( Vita C o n salvi 2 12 ) —otherwi s e an honest woman
, , .
2 96 A H I ST ORY O F TH E BORGIA S
I t i s humanly probable tha t Duke Casare was the s on o f
’
Cardinal Giuliano de l la Rovere by Madonna Giovanna de
“
C atan e i He wa s born in 1474
. s o n o f a cardinal bi s hop
,
”
and a married woman The following year 1475 the lady
.
, ,

bore to Cardinal Rodrigo de Lan gol y Borj a Don Jua n ,

Fran ci s co ; i n 14 78 Madonna Lu crezia ; in 1 48 1 D on

, ,

G io ffre do I t i s as hu m anly natural that afte r t he birth o f

.
,

Duke Ce s are Cardinal Rodrigo should wi n the mothe r

,

from Cardinal Giulian o ; as that i n 149 2 he should win the

Triregn o f rom him in full c on c lave The two prelates were .

antipathetic from heel to crown There was bound to be .

r ivalry between them The los s o f the papal throne in 1492

.

would have e m bittered Cardinal Gui l iano della Rovere :

but by it s el f hardly c ould have imparted that virulent
, ,

vicious sma c k t o hi s r evenge that made him agoni z e dur ,

ing twenty years to dispo s sess and grind to powder the

,

House o f B orgia The introdu ctio n o f the feminine ele

.

ment p rovides a key to the enigma o f that pettiness .

The narratio n o f Varilla s therefore deserves considera

, ,

tion as a contribution to the solving O f the mysteries o f the

u n quen chabl e hatred o f D e l larov e re for Borgia and o f ,
’
Duke Cesare s r elations with the Lo rd Alexander P P V I . . .

Whateve r the truth m ay be it i s cir c um s tantially evident

,

that t o Duke Ce s are de V al e n tin o is della Romagna hi s ,

advo cacy o r n eutrality his influen c e exer c i s ed o r hi s ah

,

s te n t io n fro m oppo s ition Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere

,

owed his election i n the Con c lave o f November 1 5 03 H e .

cho s e to be called the Lord Julius P P II ; and He in . . .

s t an tl y s et about the r ui n o f the House o f Bo rgia .

The three Borgia c ardinal s n atural l y did not vote fo r

Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere Card inal Luis Juan de .

M ila y Borj a did not deign to attend the Conclave : but

r em ained at his bi s hopric o f Lerida in Spain Cardinal .

Pedro Lui s de Lan gol y B o rj a immediately a fter the ,

298 A H I S TORY O F T H E B OR G I A S
'

the Judas wiles o f Cardinal Giuli an o della Rove r e a n d ,

re enli s ted under alien banners

-
.

Whether the Lord Juliu s P P I I had made o r had n ot

. .
,

made promi s e s be fore Hi s election H e was n ow de iu re

, ,

and de facto Ruler o f the World and absolutely de s potic , .

H e arre s ted Duke Cesare in Rom e ; and i m pri s oned him

as a r ebel i n the Borgia Tower The utter and va cuous .

helplessne s s o f the Duke i s in st r iking contrast to the

m aster ful ene r gy o f all hi s pr evious li fe Some enormous .

mental sho c k might produce such degeneration ; the hid

eo n s treac hery o f Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere as re
lated by Varillas for example Duke Ce s are behaved i n
, .
,

hi s mis fo rtu n e like a s on s taggered stru c k breathle ss and

, ,

S peec hle ss by a r evelation o f a father s iniquity A Bull o f ’

.

Deprivatio n despoiled him o f all fi e fs and dignities held

from the Holy See a n d confi s cated all his personal p r op
,

e rt y He literally was stripped naked I n 1 5 04 he es caped

. .
,

f rom Rome to Os tia in di s gui s e and thence to Naples , .

He r e he might have found a pied a terre ; and with the ,

S plendour o f his pa s t ac hievements have w o n an o pportu ,

n ity o f r ecovering hi s lost estates by war : but the Lord

Julius P P I I c on s c ious o f the danger to Hi s peace that

. .
,

such an aggrieved and notable p ersonality would be had ,

’
intrigued with the Catholic King ; and o n Duke Ce s a r e s ,

arrival in the Regno he was re arrested and shipped to a

,
-
,

n ew p rison i n the ca s tle o f Medina del C ampo in S pai n .

The marriage o f Madonna Luc r ezi a Borgi a with Do n

’
Al fonso d E s te was a most happy o n e The s weet young .

bride had made hersel f beloved by all Ferrara from her ,

’
husband s fathe r Duke Ercole to the meane s t o f hi s sub
j e ct s by he r beauty her goodnes s and her wonder fully
, , ,

able versatility three indi s pensable qualities i n the wi fe o f

,
“
the heir to the throne Attired i n a mulberry s atin gown
.

”
emb r oidered with gold fi s h bone s ea ch two fingers b r oad
-
, ,
 SPARK S T H AT DIE 299

with the lace fl o u n ce worth thi rty thou s and du cats ( say
-

whi ch a c cording to Giovanni Lu cido was in he r

, ,

wedding che s t s he would amu s e her s el f i n the du cal palace

-
,

by witnes s ing per forman c es o f the Cas in a o r the M il es

G l orios u s c omedies o f Plautus Sometime s ( a s Sa muto
, .
, ,

the Venetia n O rator at Ferrara in formed hi s gover n ,

ment ) s he would remain all day i n her apartment s writing

, ,

letters and having her head washed : o r s he would s it fo r

,

hours and li s ten to the violin mu s ic o f her adept young -

hu sband O n the Maundy Thur s day o f the first year o f he r

.

marriage s he publicly washed the feet o f o n e hundred and

,

sixty poor men Her Ob s ervance o f religiou s duties was as

.

n otable a s the s pirit o f genuine piety which pervades her

many letters still extant .

O n hearing o f Duke Cesare s dis graz ia M adonna Lu ’

,

c re z ia earnestly wrote to the Marquess o f Mantua and ,

to he r friend s i s ter in law and c onfidante the M archio n

,
- -
, ,

ess I s abella begging them to u s e the influence o f thei r

,

Hou s e o f Gon z aga with the Lord Julius P P I I to pr ocure . .

hi s freedom The times we r e o u t o f j oint for E s te per s on

.

ally to inter fere ; fo r Madonna Lucrezia was stricke n

down with the e ffects o f an d /l coo zg and the Old Duke ,

Erc ole was breathing hi s la s t sigh .

O n the nineteenth o f January 1 5 05 the Lo r d Julius ,

P P II i ss ued Hi s notorious Bull again s t Simony ; st r iking

. .

a new blow at the Hou s e o f Borgia by the a s per s io n cast ,

upo n the memo r y o f the Lord Alexande r P P V I . . .

Duke Al fonso d E s te and his Du chess Lucrezia as

’

c e n de d the throne o f thei r duchy in due course ; and nego

t iat io n s with the Holines s o f the Pope for the e n fran ,

c his e m e n t o f Duke Ce s are might have been and would , ,

have bee n in s tituted : but early i n the s p ring o f the year

,

Ferra r a was th r eatened by famine a n d the hands o f the ,

young sove r eigns were e n ti rely o c cupied Had Duke .

Cesare been o wn brother to the Duche s s Luc r ezia perhaps ,

more urgent s te p s would have been taken ; but she never

3 00 H I STORY O F T H E B ORGIA S
A

seems t o have regarded him otherwise than as a hal f

’
b r othe r who was her Father s most useful s ervant and
, ,

he r mother s shame Duke Al fonso pr oceeded to Venice

’
.

to buy food stuffs in V iew o f the fam ine for the pat t ia r ,

chal rule obtained i n Fer r ara ; and left the Duchess Ln

c re z ia as Regent o f his s tate Her lovely womanly char .

acter may be see n i n a n edi ct which she i ss ued for the

prote ctio n o f Jews who were attacked and pillaged by
,

Chri s tians rioting fo r food ; and in the sweet indign ant

le tter abounding in mis spelt words ( a s do all good and
,
-

’
di s tinguished women s letters ) and e n j oining the Podesta ,

( mayo r ) to be energetic about s ecuring to the Jews pro

t e ct io n o f their lives and property equally with the Ch r is
tia n s .

’
Whe n Duke Al fonso r eturned a fter s ome month s ,

absen c e during which the Duc hes s sent him periodical and
“
frequent a cc ount s o f her regency addre ss ed To the Most ,

I llu s trious and Mo s t Ex c ellent Lord My Mo s t Honour ,

able Lord and Consort The s e with s peed— s peed , ,

speed the summer brought plague on the heel s o f fam

ine The vi s itation wa s m o s t severe The un s elfi s h e x e r
. .

tions o f the Duke and Du che s s were noble and untiring .

The health o f the Duche ss Lucrezia s u ffered ; and befo r e

the yea r was ove r she gave birth to a dead c hild .

I n 1 5 06 Duke Cesare de V al e nt in o is e s caped from his

,

Spani s h pri s on and made his way into the neighbourin g

,
’
realm o f Navarre where the King Jean d A l bre t was
,
’
brother to hi s wi f e Madame Charlotte d A lbret Duche s s o f ,

V al en t in o is The event s o f the last three years had n ot

.

broken hi s splendid s pirit All hi s triu m phs all the re s ults .

,

o f hi s s trenuou s energy and talent had been nullified fo r

him At the age o f thirty three years he was de s poiled o f
.
-

’
his li fe s work and was a ruined man The Romagna fo r
,
.

ever wa s gone fro m him Hi s Fren c h du chy s eem s to have .

been o f small a cc ount Still he wa s not c ru s hed he had

.
, ,

the c ourage to begin again to c arve o u t a career in a n ew

3 02 A H I ST ORY O F T H E B ORGI A S

Julius P P I I Pe ru gi a was the seat o f the Baglio n i

. . . .

Twe n ty years befo r e in 1487 there had bee n a n outbreak

, ,

o f the feud o f Baglioni and O ddi months o f continual ,

r ioting the gutters running blood the c ity like a slaughter

, ,

house ; until O ddi was driven away and Baglioni turned ,

the pla c e int o a fo rtre s s and the churc hes into barra ck s .

I n 149 1 in anothe r outbreak Baglioni hanged a hundred

, ,

and thirty con s pirators fro m the window s o f the Pala z z o

Communale in a single day ; and ( with the qui ck reversion ,

from c arnage to piety whi c h i s a chara cteri sti c o f the age ) ,

i n c ontinently erected five and thi rty altar s i n the public

square and caused c ontinuou s ma s ses to be said and pro
,

cessions to be p er formed to puri fy the city and to procure ,

r epose fo r the soul s o f the slain Duke Ce s are made a .

marked impre ss io n o n the s e brigand s who learned to give ,

him li ttle trouble : but when he was dispossessed and hi s ,

long sword s ealed in its s cabbard Baglioni took the bit ,

betwee n thei r teeth and r eared r e fu s ed tribute to thei r ,

sovereign O ver lord and broke o u t in rebellio n i n the

-
,

cu s tomary manne r The Lord Julius P P I I pro m ptly

. . .

r aised a n army whi c h H e led i n person ; and reduced

Perugia Without pre cautions for Hi s s afety trusting t o
.
,

the moral effe c t o f Hi s pre s en c e for the inviolability o f His

sac r o s anct per s on He adventured Him s el f in the hea rt o f
,

the r ebel c ity and beat Don Giampaolo Baglioni to his

,

knees In a man o f s en s ib ility thi s hardihood would indi

.

cate a very dare devil : i n the ca s e o f the Supreme Ponti ff

-

a distinction must be made betwee n c ourage and mere

p lebeian c allou s ne s s Me ss e r Ni c c olo Ma chiavelli sneered
.

at thi s mi s erable D o n Giampaolo Baglioni because he ,

lacked the boldne s s to strangle hi s unwel come vi s ito r the ,

Lord Julius P P I I and s o crown hi s li fe o f crime with

. .
,
”
a sign al act o f Magnani m it a ! Ce r tainly a man would
n eed s ome boldne s s to strangle the Pope the Rule r o f the ,

W orld the Fathe r O f Prin c e s and o f Kings the Ea r thly

, ,

Vica r o f Jesus Christ o u r Saviou r ! Certainly a man who ,

 SPAR KS T H AT DIE 3 03
would st r a n gle i n cold blood the Sovereign Ponti ff coming
to him as his gue s t unarmed under a flag o f truce would , , ,

win fame o r in famy for endle s s age s But that such a

, , .

“ ”
deed S hould de s erve the epithet m agnanimou s s hould ,

be considered to be indi cative o f greatne s s o f soul is a ,

m atter o f opinion Evidently the Twentieth Century con .

s ide rably has curtailed and straitened the s ignifi c ation and

the appli c ation which the word Magnanimity bore i n the

Fi fteenth Now we call a man magna n imous who at huge
.
, ,

sel f s acrific e does n oble deed s Then Messer Ni ccolo

-
, .
,

Machiavelli thought that s tartlin g a ctions good o r bad , , ,

’
pr oclaimed the greatne s s o f their agent s soul !
The Lord Julius P P II was n o t without Hi s fl att ere rs . . .

NO man i s i f he ca n pay Literary p etits maitre s like

, .

M e ss er B al tas s are Ca s tiglio n i found it profitable to ad

d r e ss the Terrible Ponti ff i n ter m s like these
0 P ate r P asto r p Op ul orum
, O , 0 F ath r O
e , S p
h e h er d o f the
O maxi m e mundi eop pl e, 0 u r e me S p
A rbi te r hu manu m qu i g enu s
, M as te r o f the wo r ld, Who ru l
o mne r e gis ; e s t all t he h u man r ac e ;
I us t it ae p ac is qu e D ato r p l ac id G ive r o f J u st i c e P e ac e , an d ,

ae q ue q u ie t is , tranqu i l E as e ,
C r e di ta Cu i s o li e s t v i ta s al T h ou t o W
h om al one is com
q
u s u e ho m inu m ; mit ted t he li f e an d sal va
t i on o f m en ;
Q uem D eu s I p se E re bi f ec i t W ho m Go d i mse l f has made H
ca e l iq u e p o t e nt e m ,
Lo r d o f h e aven an d h e ll ,
Ut nu tu p ate ant u t raqu e r e gno T h at e ith e r r e al m m igh t o pe n
Tu o , at T hy n o d

Wh n the s p i r i t l auth o r i t y o f the P p s ame t h u s to be e x

e ua o e c
p ress d i Lat in vers i t was i m p ossibl e ot t o tr at th m as d i ti s
e n e, n e e e e .

The t m p tat i on t o pp ly t o th m t he l gu g e f R m n r e ligi n

e a e an a o o a o

w s too great ; th e d ou bl e o ppo rtun i ty o f fl atter in g t h i r v n i t y

a e a as
pont iffs a d th ei r e ar s a s sch o l ars was t o attract ive t o b
,
”1
n , o e

misse d .

The Te rr ibl e Ponti ff howeve r was n o scholar but an , , ,

unadulterated plebeian It i s true that He a s Cardinal .

,

Bishop o f O stia bought that va s tly ove r rated p iece known

,
-

1 S ymonds
J A Renascence I I 493 5 , . .
, .
-
.
3 04 H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
A

a s the Apollo o f the B elvede r e when fir s t it wa s di s cove r ed ,

at Port o d A n z io ( A n tiu m ) I t i s true that He bought i n

’
.

1 5 06 for s ix hundred gold crowns

,
the Lao c oon ,

( which Mes s er Mi chelangelo B uonarroti s aw unearthed “

in
the Baths o f Titu s ) to the suprem e di s gu s t o f his a rt
,
”
adviser who declared that the two sons o f the Thym
braian pri est were not boy s but little me n It i s true that , .

He bought the Ariadne ( which H e c alled Cleopatra ) the ,

Tor s o o f H erakle s a n d the Commodu s unearthed o n

, ,

Campo di Fiori and n ow in the Vati can H e did the s e

, .

things bec ause they were modi s h thing s to do i n 1 5 06 O ne .

gained more x680 g in the po s e o f a Sixteenth Century - -

Maece n a s tha n as Su cc e s so r o f the Galilean Fisherman

, .

The plebeia n ponti ff o f the Sixteenth Century was

a s hamed o f Hi s plebeia n prede cessor o f the First The .

times were changed he argued as the faith ful vainly

, ,

argue to ex c u s e prelati cal vagarie s n ow He preferred com .

“ ”
petitio n with men O f the world to the c ure o f soul s He .

was quite unable to appreciate intellect He was co n gen i .

tally in capable o i appreciating the deli ca cy o r the validity , ,

o f Letter s The plebeian chiefly i s tou c hed by way o f the

.

s en s e o f sight ; and the Lord Juliu s P P II under s tood . .

naked statues thing s which H e c ould s e e : wherefore H e

,

bought Apollo and Lao coon and the rest There is n ot .

the s lighte s t c redit du e to Him for di s criminatio n in His

pu rcha s es o r for a deliberate c hoice o f what was beauti ful
,
.

Me n happened to dig up those marbles in Rom an territory

j ust then Any on e cou l d s e e them to be beyond the ordi
.

nary Any o n e c ould s e e them to be antiques It was the

. .

—
fashio n to buy antiqu e s ; and the Terrible Ponti ff bought
bought as retired gro cer s buy who buy their libraries ,

by the cwt Also H e had Me ss er Mi c helangelo Buonarroti

.
,

at Hi s ankle with who s e advi c e it would have been di fficult

,

for a sardonic goat to c om mit an arti s ti c blunder They .

were a pai r tho s e two the arti st and the ponti ff u omini
, , ,

t erribil i te rr ible men both Messe r Michela n gelo had bee n

, , .
306 A H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGIA S
pittore he r oared to the Terrible Ponti ff who fulminated ,

and thundered in reply They both were terrible men ; and

.

they unre s trainedly s poke with per fe ct frankne s s as be

tween man and man u s ing no s et form whatever
, .

The Terrible Ponti ff like all c lerical patron s wa s a n

, ,

in fernal nui s an c e to the Terrible Painter who wel l nigh ,

-

killed himsel f by year s o f cea s ele ss toil lying o n hi s ba c k ,

upo n a s ca ffold in the filthy air that hang s about a c eiling .

He would have no as s i s tant s ave a boy o r two He lived .

,

and ate and s lept on the scene o f hi s labour Many ti m es

, .

the Terrible Ponti ff came to s e e what was being done ; and

every time the Terrible Painte r in s tru cted Him in the art
and my s tery o f anathema and drove Him away At l ast , .

the Lord Juliu s P P I I threatened to have Me ss er Mi chel

. .

angelo flung down and the s ca ffold pu l led about hi s ears

,

but this wa s when the work wa s done The Te r ribl e .

Painter had the s ca ffold r emoved and invited hi s patron t o ,

view the s umptuou s c eiling The Terrible Ponti ff came ; .

a n d s aw ; and sugge s ted that the s ca ffold should be re

erected S O that the work might be tou ched up with—ultra
marine and gold lea f ! -

In Ferrara the year 1 5 06 wa s marked by o ne o f tho s e

,

tragi c al expo s ition s o f naked human pa s sion whi c h a fflict

humanity i n every age Madonna Angela cle Borj a y
Lan gol a cou s in o f the Du ches s Lucrezia—being the dau gh
.

,
’
ter O f the Lord Alexande r P P V I s S i s ter Do ha Juana by
. .
, ,

her marriage with Don G iu l l el mo de Lan gol and s ister to ,

Cardinal Juan de Borj a y Lan gol ( detto Giovanni Seniore ) ,

Archbi s hop o f Monreale and Cardinal Pedro Luis de ,

Borj a y Lan gol was a maid o f—

,
- honou r atta ched to the -

suite o f the Du ches s o f Fe r rara She wa s very beauti ful . ,

“
and is called i n the chroni c le a mo s t elegant dam s el
dam ig ell a e l egan tis s im a Two younger brother s o f Duke
.

’
Al fonso the athleti c Cardinal I ppo l ito d E s t e and Don
, ,
 S PAR K S T H AT DIE 3 07
Giulio d E s te ( ba sta r d o f the o ld Duke Ercole ) fell i n love
’

with her Madonna Angela favoured the Bastard Giulio

.

who s e lovely eyes S he unre s ervedly admired—con s equently ,

as the man n er wa s hi s rival Cardinal hired four pro

,

fe s s io n al s to put o u t tho s e eyes Nai f u n pal t erin g st r aight

.

forwardne s s o f the Sixteenth Century The operation failed

o f exe cution fo r the Ba s tard Giulio being forewarned
, , ,

escaped with his eye s unharmed But such co n duct does .

n ot make for the pea c e o f a state brawling royalties ai ,

fording dise dificat io n to the mob The laws o f Ferrara .

,

paternal i n chara cter ordained a scale o f penances gradu

,

ated to the r ank o f culprit s : fo r example a working man , ,

who ob s c enely swore would p ay a fine ; a swea r ing burgess

,

paid a doubl e fine and a s wearing n oble was mul cted o f a

t r ipl e fine There fore Duke Al fonso put the ba n o n his
.

brothe r the Lord Ca rdinal I p polito who r etired to Rome

, ,

to n urse his di s content and plan his n ext move again s t the
Bastard Giulio Madonna A n gela who was n o mo r e to be
.
,

blamed tha n any othe r girl who s e cha r m s have i n fla m ed a

lusty pai r o f r ivals to de s peration married the thi r d Do n , ,

Alessandro Pio E s ten s e di S avo j a Count o f Sas s uolo The , .

bandit Ca r dinal Ippolito had not long t o wait i n exile If

1
.

he had bee n the Ma s ter o f Fate he could not have devi s ed ,

a neater o r com pl eter vengeance than that whi c h came to

him It i s o n e thing to attempt to blind a bastard brothe r
.

who is a royal p rin c e It i s another thing to compa ss the

.

death o f a brothe r who i s a reign ing sovereign The r obu st .

young Ca r dinal was equal to the first : but above the second .

’ ’
Duke Al fon s o s b r others Don Ferdinando d E ste and ,

the Bastard Giulio engaged i n a con s pi racy to a ss assinate

,

him New s o f the plot reached Cardinal I ppolito in Rome

. .

H e p romptly war n ed Duke Al fon s o o f his dange r Finding .

them s elve s di s covered the conspirators fled Don Ferdi

,
.

n ando wa s caught : but the Bastard Giulio good at e s c ape s , ,

took re fuge i n sanctuary with his brother in law the Mar - -

1
O ne bandito und e r s entence o r b an o f ex il e
, , , .
3 08 A H I ST ORY or T H E B ORGI A S
’
que s s o f Mantua who r eplied to Duke Al fon s o s demand
,

for extradition that i f evidence o f guilt were s hown the

, ,

criminal should be delivered up to j ustice Evidence was .

s hown in the S hape o f the full confe ss ion o f Don Fer

,

din an do ; and the Bastard Giuli o pa s sed into hi s sovereig n

’
brother s hand s B rought to the c ommon block in the s quare
.

o f Ferrara the two dete cted traitor s were allowed to su f

,

fer all the pangs o i the approach o f death : but at the la s t ,

moment Duke Al fon s o in his mer cy granted a reprieve

, ,

commuting thei r penance to li fe— impri s onment .

Early i n 1 5 07 died Duke Ce s are d e V al e nt in o is ( detto

,

Borgia ) a mean inglorious death for o n e who had bee n

,

i n li fe s o mighty a man While c o mm anding a small s quad .

ro n o n behal f o f the King o f Navarre he wa s killed i n ,

a petty skirmish by the castle o f Viana His co rp s e was .

quietly interred i n the c athedral o f Pampeluna whi ch by , ,

a curious c oin c iden c e had been the fir s t piece o f ecc le

,

s ias t ical pre ferment con ferred o n him by the Lord Alex

ande r P P V I S O ended a pheno m enal personality i n

. . .

which s uperb and tawny beauty o f phy s ique prodigiou s ,

for c e o f chara cter fierce all conquering energy s wi ft u n

,
-
,

erring al m ost feline agility o f a ction and tran s c endent

-
,

splendour o f achievement were blasted and nullified and ,

marred humanly s peaking by o n e s ingl e deli c acy o f re

, ,

s p e ct fu l c ons c ientious s el f s ac rifi ce and s upre m e c onfiden c e

-

i n clerical honour Hi s beauti ful elegy by Erco l e Strozzi

.
,

I ll e diu , q u i du m c ae l e s t ibu s au r is
V is itu r, imp l e t o nu s l andis, c ae l u m q ue me re tu r

i s too well —
known to be quoted at length He l eft th r ee .

children ,

( a ) Madame Eloi s e de V al e n tin o is ; who married ,

first the Sieur Louis de la Tremouille second

, , ,
3 10 A H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
went to the church o f the mona s tery o f Corpu s Domi ni a n d
remained during two day s and n ight s prayi ng for the ,

repo s e O f the s oul o f Duke Ce s are de V al en tin o is A s imple .

ac t ; and pre c i s ely what any good Christian woman would

do in S imilar c ircum s tances .

A yea r late r o n the fou rth o f A p r il 1 5 08 a t the Castl e

, ,

o f Fer r a r a t o the immens e j oy o f all form os u s p u er es t

,

for mos o natus A p rili say s Benedetto Lampridii i n hi s

,

Carmina I nedita the Du che s s Lucre z ia bore to Duke A l

,

fo n s o a s o n and heir who wa s bapti z ed by the name Er c ole

, .

During thi s year a league o f the Powers wa s formed

,

unde r the Elect E m peror M axi m ilian directed against

-

Veni c e ; and Duke Al fon s o whose dominions mar c hed ,

with tho s e o f that Republi c threw i n hi s lot with it s foes

, .

While he wa s engaging the Venetians on the Romagna

frontier the Duc he s s Lucre z ia r uled a s Regent i n Ferrara
,
.

She admini stered govern m ent o f the state with the s ame
s weet womanly thoroughne s s as s he shewed i n the ad
mini s t r ation o f the gover n ment o f he r dome s tic a ffai r s .

Hi s tory i s ri ch i n r e c ord s relating to this lovely lady She .

superintended the hou s ehold matter s o f her palac e s with

a m inute attention to detail which to the modern middle ,

c la s se s would appear a m a z ing i n a Sovereign Duches s To

, .

s et a fashion o f rare liberal mindedne s s s he appointed the

-

Jewe ss Maz z o l ino to the care o f her exten s ive wardrobe ,

and Me ss er Ludovi c o as her phy s i cian Her régime wa s o f .

the s i m p l e patriar c hal ty p e o f the old Duke Er cole who , ,

o n the occ a s ion o f an outbreak o f plagu e i n 1 5 00 i s sued ,

“ ’
an Edi c t which said that Duke Er c ole d E s t e for good ,

rea s ons to him known and be cau s e i t always is w e l l t o be o n

,
”
g o o d te rm s w ith G o d ordained re l igious pro c e ss ions every
,

day throughout Ferrara A s e cond quaint Edi c t o f the same

.

f atherly potentate ( whi c h incidentally S peaks for the

,

m eti c ulou s ly clea nly personal habits o f the B o rgian Era ,

 S PAR K S T H AT D IE 3 11
so st r e n uously maintained o n a previous page o f this b ook ) ,
“
p roclaim s that inasmu ch as bakers ar e kn own to knead
“
their dough with feet that frequently are un c lean su c h , , ,
“
pra cti c e s mu s t not c ontinue except on penalty o f fine o r
“
impri sonment : but the dough must be worked with clean
”
ha n d s an d n ails .

Evildoers all the same had a shockin g time Mario

, , .

E qu ic o l a gives exa c t particulars o f a certain Madonna

Laura ( name suppre ss ed ) who being caught in adultery , ,

was immured alive ; that is to s ay s he wa s publi c ly c onfined ,

i n a c ell a few feet s quare with a little window outside the

, ,

epi s copal pala c e near the entrance o n the right o f the high
,

altar o f the cathedral o f Ferrara Perj urers we n t about .

a fte r their co n viction with their tongue s se c urely n ailed to

littl e logs o f wood The acc ount s fo r the nail s a n d log s
.

’
exi s t Du c he s s Lu c rezia s su mptuary law s were un s uccess
.

ful The s ex o f the legislato r prevented her from manu

.

fact u rin g laws to regulate fa s hio n whi ch could be p ut into ,

pra ctical e ffect That was per fectly n atural ; nor d oes the
.

failure i n any way reflect upon the ex c ellence o f the inten

tio ns o f he r ducal highne s s She ordained that n o woma n .

should wear a gown who s e value was highe r tha n th e sum

o f fi ftee n ducats ( s ay no r j ewellery wo rth more tha n
fi fty ducats ( s ay She fu rn i s hed a spe c ifi c atio n o f the
ge m s whi c h might be worn and o f the fabric s o f whi c h ,

gowns might be made Al s o s he preci s ely specified the

.
,

quantity o f material that migh t be u s ed and the cut and

fa s hio n that was to be adopted Further 1n order to secu r e .
,

the observation o f the s e laws s he ordained a box having a , ,

slit in its lid like a modern letter box to be p la c ed in the -

,

c athedral by the holy water stoup ; so that fathers

-
hus
-
,

band s o r lover s who found themselves outraged by the

, ,

length o r the rotundity o f the s ki rts or the bulk o f the ,

sleeve s or the violence o f the s tyle o f their women folk

,
-
,

and the c o s t o f the s ame — s ecretly might drop i n denuncia

,

tio n s while in the act o f taking holy wate r ; the sai d de n unci
3 12 H I STORY OF T H E B ORGIA S
A

at io n s afterward s to be attended to in a legal m anner by the -

j usticiary Delight fu l ly s olem n and futile e ffort o f a charm

.

ing woman Well it failed ; not on a c count o f the female

.
,

peac ock s o f Ferrara but by rea s on o f the very skewbald

,

harlequins who s e propriety arid pur s e s it had ai m ed to

benefit How many denun c iation s s e c retly were dropped
.

’
i nto Du chess Lu c rezia s p recious box how many s candal ,

i z e d fathers hu s bands and lover s sneaked about their

, , ,

daughters wives and lemans i s n ot known O nly o n e thing

, , .

i s known — ther e was not a j u s ti ciar i n all the duchy o f

,

Ferrara married o r unmarried who dared even to a ll ude

, ,

to mu c h le ss to act upon the said denunciations and e n

, , ,

force the law .

On the twenty fi fth o f Augu s t 1 5 09 the Du che ss Ln

-
,
’
c re z ia gave birth to a s e c ond s on Don I ppolito d E ste , ,

named a fter his un cle the heraklean Cardinal ; and who i n ,

a ft er year s became Archbi s hop and Cardinal o f Mila n

,
.

All through 1 5 08 and 1 5 09 the war went o n I n Decem .

ber o f the latter year a p ower ful Venetian fleet advanced

,

to the mouth o f the Po devastating the count ry o n both ,

banks and invading the du c hy o f Ferrara with fright ful

,

atrocities Duke Al fon s o hurrying to meet the foe wo n a

.
, ,

glorious victory at Pol ice ll a : but the wa r dragged o n till

1 5 1 2 keeping him in c amp away from his capital whi c h
, , ,

almo s t ex clu s ively was governed by the Duche ss Lu c re z ia

’
( s he bo r e Don Ale ss andro d E st e i n ’
assi s ted by
Cardinal I ppolito d E s t e now no longer a ba n dit but , ,

c ompletely i n the co n fidence and favou r o f his sove r eign

brother .

O n the fi fth o f February 1 5 10 died the n oble and

s t renuous knight Don Pietro Gregorio B orgi a o f the Junio r
Branch H e had been high in honour with Duke Ce s are
.

de V al e nt in o is della Ro m agn a S in c e he s aved him from the

c lutches o f the Chri s tian King Charles V I II in 149 5 ; and
3 4
1 A H I ST ORY OF T H E B ORGIA S
were hi s blood relations Not till he wa s o n the verge o f
-
.

his s ixti eth year did he be c ome a per s onage ; a n d then

hi s augu s t cou s in the Lord Alexander P P V I i n admira
, . .
,

tion o f hi s enchanting dispo s ition dign ified him with the,

s carlet hat and the r ank o f Cardinal Pre s byt er o f the Title -

o f Santa Lucia in S il ica ( A tti Co ns is t orial i ) Later h e

, .
,

p r oceeded to the Title o f Santa Ce c elia ( Ciacc o ni and ,

M aro n i ) thence again to the Title o f Sa n N e re o e Sant

’

Achilleo ( A t ti C ans is toriali ) and la s t to the Tit l e o f San

Clemente H e al s o was Trea s urer o f the Holy See Bishop
.
,

o f Teano and Archbi s hop o f Co s enza

,
.

Seeing the exa c erbating mea s ure s which the Terrible

Ponti ff the Lord Julius P P I I wa s u s ing again s t the
, . .

Hou s e o f Borgia and e s pecially the s poliation o f the two

,

little boy s Duke Roderico and Duke Giovanni t his ve r y ,

s ympathetic o l d c ardinal had the indi s c retion to put hi s

’
f ra n k opi ni on o f the Pope s Holines s into c e rtain letters
which he wrote to the O rator o f Ferrara at the Court
o f Rome Thi s opinion c ould not fail to be un favourable
.

and the rever s e o f comp l imentary No doubt the O rato r .

was i n dire c t c ommuni c ation with his sovereign Duke ,

’
Al fon s o d E s te whom he would keep advi s ed o f the trend
,

o f s entiment s and o f event s i n Ro m e These letters came .

,

by means which it would be i m proper to describe into the ,

’
anointed hand s o f God s Vicegerent Hi s Holine s s read .

them ; and vehemently enraged him s el f against the Duke

’
Al fon s o d E s t e o f Ferrara and upo n Cardinal Franci s co
,

de Borj a whom he in continently flung into pri s o n with

,

every s pecies o f indignity The Sacred College tremorous

.
,

for it s o wn se c urity i f such treat m ent o f a Purpled O ne

s hould pass without remonstrance exe rted its influe nc e o n
,

the Holine ss o f the Pope and procured the ungracious

,

liberation o f Cardinal Francisco de Borj a .

But the ill was done The milk o f hum an kindne s s

.

e ffectually had been s oured ; the plac id amiable o l d gentle

man had been changed into a vi olent malcontent breathi n g
 S PAR K S T H AT DIE 3 15
t h r eateni n gs and s laughter and who s e fiery Spa n i s h bl oo d ,

at la s t was boiling ove r Two other ca r dinal s j oined in .

his s avage revolt the Lord B ernardino Lope z d e Caravaj al

,

Ca rdinal Bi s hop o f Sabina and the Lord Guillau m e de

-
,

B ricon n e t Cardinal Bishop o f Praeneste ( Pale s tri n a )

-
.

The s e three dec a m ped from Rome to Pi s a where a , ,

fourth the Lo rd R é n é de Prie Cardinal Pre s byter o f the

,
-

Title o f Santa Sabina havi ng j oined them they con , ,

stituted them s elve s a s a General Coun c il ; and dared to

c ite the Lord Juliu s P P I I to s hew cau s e be fore them
. .

why He s hou l d n ot be declared a Ps eu dOp o nt iff and de ,

’
po s ed from Peter s Throne by r ea s on o f the irregularity
—an
,

o f Hi s election due to Simony and other cri m e s

excellent example o f the sauc e fo r the goose being served

to the gander .

M elpomene i s o wn si s te r to T halia ; and never ha s a

gha s tlier t r agedy been more comi cally played Thi s sel f .

s tyled Council o f Pi s a laboured under the di s advantage o f

being r adically schi s matic O nly the Ro m an Ponti ff c an .

summon o r confirm the decrees o f a General Cou n cil

, , .

The act s o f the Schi s matic Coun cil o f Pi s a there fore , ,

were hopele ss ly and irretrievably invalid The very im po s .

s ibility o f the whole a f fair i s proo f c on c lu s ive that the s e

fou r well intentioned well living patheti c o l d me n had
-
,
-

bee n tri ed beyond their s trength beyond all patien c e goaded , ,

by in s ult and by gro s s inj ustice i nto fre n z y Their c onduct .

was simply f renetic .

The Lord Julius P P II r eplied to Cardinal Franci s c o

. .

de Borj a with short in c isive action By Hi s supre m e au .

tho rity H e i s sued a Bull o f Deposition from the cardinal

ate ; and denoun c ed him to all Chri s tendom a s an heresiar c h

an d s chismatic with whom none might have to do A Bul l .

( Bulla M on ito rii Apo “

s tolici ) was i s sued o n the twenty
eighth o f July 1 5 1 1 co t ra tre s re vere ndis s im os cardin al es
u t re de at ad o be die td S dn S chis m a in e cc l in
'

. . . na .

” “
m eta
sa dei ari e t . This was followed by a second B u lla
3 16 A H I STORY o r T H E B OR G I A S

i n timatiais Gen eral is C o n cil ii ap u d L ateran u m per S d n . . .

l u liu P ap d I I e dita directed with the s c rupulou s po lite

”
, ,
“
n ess o f a cleric about to c r u s h against dil e ctu fil iu n as tru ,
”
F ran cis cu Tit u li S an cti Cl e m e n tis pbyteru m Cardinal e m ;
“
who in s eips is arm is as s u mptis e t pro s acerdo tal ibu s v es tis
in du tis e t gl adiis armati P ap d s e cotu l e rdt
”
Thora ce 1
.

Printed contemporary copie s o f the s e two Bull s are in the

British Mu s eum ; and bound with them but s trange to , ,

s ay un c atalogued ( A O
,
1900 ) ( strange becau s e o f the
. .
-
,

unique per fection o f everything at the British Museum )

i s the momentou s B rief announ cing the i ss ue o f the Bull o f
“
Deposition I t s title i s B ret/ e Ju lii S acu di P an t M ax ad
. . .

“ ”
r eg es , du ces , et p rin cip es chris tian os , e t c . J u l ius P ap a I I
addresses Him s el f to
O ur we l l b e l ove d
-
s on in C h r ist Maxi m ili an E l ect E m pe ro r A l
,
-
,

ways A u gu st ;
Lo u is ( XI I ) o i the F r ench the, ,

M o st C hr ist i an K i ng ;
H e rnando o f A ragon and t he
,

T wo S ic il ies t he C at h o li c ,

K i ng ;
E m an u e l e o f P o rtu ga l the I I
, ,

l u s t rio u s K i ng ;
H enry ( V I I ) o f E ngl and the , ,

I ll u str i o u s K i ng ; 2

J am e s ( V ) o f t he S cots the I l
, ,

l u str i on s K i ng ;
W l adis l af o f H ungar y and B o
,

he m ia t he I ll u str i ou s K i ng ;
,

J ean and K ath e r ine K ing and ,

Q u een o f Navarre
1 Itapp e ar s t o be a littl e inc onsist ent o f a P o pe Who w ish e d ,

M e sse r R af ae l e S anz i o to paint H im wi th a swo r d and n ot a b o o k in

H is h and to o b j e ct t o a C ardinal in a B reast p l at e : for the s w ord
,
-

is the we apo n o f o ffe nce ; bu t the B re as t-pl ate of defe n ce m er e l y ,

.

B u t m an y t e rm s i n t his B u ll are si m ly “
p
c o rr o b o rat i ve d etai l
c al cu l at e d t o l e n d an air o f ve r isi m ili t u d e t o an o t h e rwis e b ald and
u nc onv i nc i ng narr at i ve —si m ly wo r ds, p f u ll o f s ound an d f u ry,
”

signi fying nothing .

”

2
T he Twent i e t h C entu r y m ay be sh o ck e d t o no t i ce t h at , in the
S ixte enth E ngl and rank e d
,
as t he fi f th P owe r i n E u ro p e , a fter
P o r tu g al .
3 18 A H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
the death o f the Supreme Ponti ff he was o n the verge o f ,

r eturning to Ro m e for the Con c lave ; but he was killed by

falling from hi s mule at Naple s where he is buried i n the ,

church o f San Pie rce le s t in o without any memorial .

This year al s o died Don Roderi c o de Aragona e Borgia ,

at the age o f thi rteen years the s o n o f Madonna Lu c rezia

,

by her first le gitimate marriage with Don Alon s o d e Ara

gona Prince o f Bi s ceglia He had been de s poiled o f hi s
.

duchy o f Ser m oneta i n favour o f Cafetani by the Lord

Juliu s P P I I ; and hi s exi s ten c e a s a s tep s on wa s em
. .
-

harra ss ing i n Fe r rara except to his mother who mo s t

, ,

s incerely mourned him .

The Duchess Lucre z ia was to s u ffer much this year .

The Lord Juliu s P P I I put the ban o f Greater E xc om

. .

m u nicatio n upo n her beloved husband Duke Al fonso A S .

the con s o rt o f a B orgia— a Borgia univer s ally adored ,

a sovereig n Borgia a B orgia o f unblemi s hed c hara cter

, ,

the Duke o f Ferrara n aturally was inten s ely antipathetic

to the Holine ss o f the Pope I f that were not enough .
,

the facts remained that Duke A lfon s o was the frien d

’
o f France ( a s the Supre m e Ponti ff s prede c es s or al s o
,

had been ) ; and he wa s c ognizant o f Cardinal Fran

,
’
ci s co s dise s teem for the Lord Julius P P I I Naturally . . .

’ ’
the Pope s Ho l ine ss found the D u ke s Ex c ellency mo s t an
n oying The aw ful i m port o f Ex c o m munication barely
.

ca n be realized at the present time People idly wonder .

why the exc o m muni cated take their case s o s eriou s ly

why they do not turn to find amu s ement o r s atis fa ction i n , ,

another c hannel —why they per s i s t i n lying prone i n the

,

mire where the fulmination s tru c k them And indeed i n .

, ,

modern ti m es the form al s enten c e rarely i s promulgated ,

and only again s t per s onage s o f di s tinction like the Ger ,

man Dr D Ollinge r or the Sabaudo King V itt o re man u e l e I I

.
,

di S av o j a whose very c ircum s tan c e s provided them with

,

the m eans to allay the te m poral irritation o f the b l ow .

“
There are excommunicatio n s g e re n dae sente ntiae and
 SPAR K S T H AT DIE 3 19
“
l atae sente n tiae I n the former excommuni c atio n is
.
,

threatened fo r s ome act : but the o ffender mu s t have se n

tence pa ss ed upon him In the latter the o ffe n der i s ex .
,

com m u n icate the moment he per form s the act forbidden ,

“ “
( ip s o facto This however Operates only in foro
i n terno a n d i n the Eye s o f God To make it e ffectual
,
.

“
in foro e x tern o it i s n ecessary that the guilt be proved
“ ”
and be de c lared to be so by s ome c ompeten t j udge Ex .

communi cation latae s ente n tiae appear s not to have been

un c omm on in the Victoria n Era A Leading Case o cc urred .

in Dec e m be r 1 882 when it wa s en forced against a Scots

,

c lergyman o n the s t r ength o f the following letter

RO M E 6 D e c e mbe r 1882 , .

M S
Y D EAR LORD A RCH BI H OP ( o f ai nt A n d r ews and E dinb u rgh ) , S
— j
I h ave u st rece ive d a me ssag e f ro m the C ar di nal - P r e f ect ( o f
p
P ro ag and a, C ar d al S ime o n i, ) t o te ll y o u r race che il noto
‘
G
sace r d ote il qual e vo l eva c i tare i V e s covi inc o rre re bb e se’nza d u bbi o
p
l a c ensu ra al r i mo atto e ffi ca ce c he one sse o ssi a a l l atto d e ll a p ,

c i taz i one , c o me c og e ns E ccl e s ias ticu m ad tri bu n al l ai cu m S e f o sse .

p
anc o r a i n t e m o sar e bb e b ene c he l A rc ive s c ov o n e avve rt isse i l
’

S ace r d o te p e r dis to g l ie rl o da t al e att o

’
.

Y rs v ry r s p t f u lly
“
ou e e ec ,

F A CA M . . P B ELL ,

( th en Rec t r f th S ts C ll g f R
o o e co o e e o ome .
)

The cen s ure wa s E xco mmun icatio latae sententiae spe ciali
modo re s e rvatae Ro m ano Po ntifi ci Bulla A pas to l icae .

S e dis V II.
1
Seldom doe s a ca s e o f Exco mm uni cation
.

ter m inate i n a perridi c ulou s collap s e a s thi s o n e did , ,

when the Cardinal Prefe ct denied having s ent the quoted

-

mes s age Seldom on the whole i s Excommuni cation latae

.
, ,

s e n t e n tiae made e ffectual by proo f o f guilt and de c laration

o f proo f o f guilt by a competent j udge The e f fect can be .

produ c ed in another and far more exitial way Simple .

secret instruction s o r even hint s can be give n by bi s hops

, ,

1 S e e M e ng hini .
(C Can o n ) O p i n i on
. p on the Q est i n
u u o

wh e t h e r J oh n C armo nt D D i nc u rr e d
. . t he M aj o r E x o m c
m u n ica t io n , e t c J A nde rs o n
. . an d S o n C o u rie r an d H e ral d O fii ce s
.
,

D u mfrie s 1886 : and l e ading

. art i c l e i n S co ts man May 1 1th, 188 6 , .
3 20 H I STORY OF T H E B ORGIA S
A

to clergy o r adverse opinion s ca n be expre ss ed by o ne

,

clerk to another s uggesting that it would be we l l ( that it

,

would tend ad maj o r em Dei gloriam s ome s ay ) to oh , ,

stru ct the world l y we l fare o f s uch and su c h an o ne to ,

r e fu s e him his rites and sacrament s o r at lea s t to o ffe r ,

“ ”
the la s t upo n su c h condition s a s the proper pride i n
human n ature will disdain to a cc ept Thi s mode i s p urely .

devili s h It i s capable o f abu s e by u n worthy clerks for

.

p ersonal ends It ad m its o f no defe n c e o f no appeal o f

.
, ,

n o redre ss by the very reason o f its intangibility I t con

, .

st r i cts a ma n i n phantom fold s It blanches him with .

venomous breath The world ever ready to pity some

.
,

obs c ene dog who m ani fe s ts hi s pain here sees n othing save ,

o n e brui s ed a n d broken ; de s perately di gl adiant struggling ,

with s ome invisible ( and therefore in c redible ) foe The .

“
c ivilized world goe s i n terro r o f the invi s ible ; goes by on

the other side Excommu n ication o f any kind i s a fea r

.

some thing for him to whom the Faith once delivered t o

the saint s i s the only pri z e worth having To the ma n who .
,

i n de fe ct o f s piritual advi c e i s c onvinced o f his o wn in ,

t e grity to who m the sa c ra m ent s are as

, odori fera pana
” 1
ce a , t o whom the s a c raments are the only mean s whi c h
keep him from De s pair their deprivation by the revenge , ,

o f a personal ene m y o f an o ffended vanity aba s ing spiritual

,

power s to s atiate se c ular ambition signifies that for the , ,

excommuni cate the light goes out o f li fe love i s e radi

, ,

cat e d from the heart confidence i n ma n i s kil l ed hope is

, ,

bani s hed from death Sympathy he may have from a l iens .

,

i f he c an humiliate him s el f to expo s e hi s grievous wounds

but he may have it only at a p ri c e which in honour he c an
not pay— the p rice o f insin c erity to his convi ction s—the
pri c e o f apo s ta s y The dire Ba n o f ex c om m uni cation
.
,

formal o r in formal drive s a man wild ; turn s his ha n d

,
’
again s t every man and every man s hand again s t him ; he
,

i s savage ; he is a B andit actually a n d literally Sometimes , .

1
( V e rg A en XI I
. . .
3 22 A H I STORY O F T H E B OR GI A S

superb Engli s h Pope r eto rted as H e bent Caesa r to H is

unconquerable will Arrogant ? A rr ogant—o f any mi s er
,

able mortal ma n who did not believe him s el f to be who had ,

n ot been offi cially crowned and saluted and to whom every ,

emp eror and king and prin c e o f Christe n dom every Chri s ,

tian s overeign and s ubj ect o f Europe had not sworn al ,

“
l egian c e as ,
Ruler o f the World Father o f Prin c e s and ,
”
o f King s Ea r thly Vi c a r o f Je s us Christ o u r Saviou r
, .

Whe n the a ction o f the human mind i s i n s pired by the

prin ciple endeavoured here t o be s e t down the inexpugnable ,

face o f Ex c ommuni cation ( magnified by the a s sent to its

,

validity o f the ex c ommunicated o n e ) perhaps may be , ,

’
realized Duke Al fon s o d E s t e could not hope to sta n d
.

where Cae s ar Se m per Augustus fell Naturally he went .

,

i n de s perate and horrid fear H e kne w that he had not.

de s erved to be gibbeted a s a Bandit be fore the wo r ld : but

he k n ew al s o that before the Holines s o f the Pope he a
, , ,

sovereign regnant was c rushable a s a worm H e lo s t n o

-
, .

time i n omitting to seek release from the hideous ban .

Early i n 1 5 1 3 he cho s e the poet Me ss er Ludovico

,

Ario s to with his beauti ful Greek profile and noble inte l lect
, ,

secretary and laureate o f Cardinal I ppolito and n amed him

as his O rator t o open n egotiatio n s with the Po p e .

The Lord Julius P P I I was per fe ctly implacable H e

. . .

had n o t pardoned the indis c reet criti c i s m s o f Cardinal

Franci s co de Borj a who had pas s ed beyond His power
, .

I t was the c omp l ete ruin o f Borgia that alone would slake
His pa ss ionate thi rst fo r vengean c e and a Borgia was —
Duc he s s o f Ferrara H e did not intend kindne s s to the
.

con s ort o f that Du che ss : and He re s olved to begin in a ,

cleri cal man ne r with intimidation A c cordingly He ad

, .
,

mitt e d M e ss e r Ludovico Ario s to to an audien c e ; and

immediately ordered him to quit the Vatica n by the door
be fore he s hould be thrown from the window A fte r this .

’
r eception o f a pro ffered olive branch the Pop e s Holi n es s
-
,
’
c o olly awaited Duke Al fonso s next move .
 S PAR K S T H AT DIE 3 23
Do n Fab r izi o Colonna flou r ished in the favou r o f th e
Lord Juliu s P P II ; and he also was under many vita l
. .
, ,

obligation s to the Duke o f Ferrara He in hi s turn tried .

, ,

the role o f pea c emaker between ponti ff and sovereign ; and

s o fa r s u c ceeded that the Holy Father farcically permitted
,

the Duke t o c ome t o Rome as s u red o f a favourable re c ep ,

tion to plead hi s cause a n d to arrange the te r ms o f his

,

sub m i ss ion .

H e c ame H e saw the Rule r o f the World He was

. .

conque r ed The Terrible Ponti ff n amed the sole c o n ditions

.

o n which He would con s ent to remit the ba n o f e xco m

m u n icat io n Nothi n g c ould be more enor m ously r adic al

.

and s weeping They were abdication o f his sovereignty

.
,

over the city and whole duchy o f Ferrara with ab s olute ,

r enun c iatio n for him s el f and hi s heirs for ever o f all

right s therein i n favour o f the Holy See ; also his r etire
, ,

ment to voluntary li fe long exile at the little c ity o f Asti in

-

the provin c e o f Lombardy Death a n d obliteratio n o f the .

Borgia n ot by vulga r a s sassinatio n but by c on s titutional

,

withdrawal o f the means to live was the aim o f the Terrible ,

Ponti ff whe r e fore H e would strip n aked Duke Al fonso ,

as a foretime H e had stripped n aked Duke Ce s a r e .

’
Duke Al fonso d E s te r e fu s ed to purchase release fro m
ex c ommuni c atio n o n these di s graceful term s The Lord .

Juliu s P P I I let him have hint s which gave to under s tand

. .

that the said terms might be mitigated By various s u bte r .

fu ges he was detained i n Rome .

The army o f the Ter r ible Pontiff stealthily was advan c

ing o n Ferrara .

There was only a woma n the r e .

Duke Al fonso c hanced to hear o f the p o nt ifical strata

gem O n the in s tant he made hi s plan s for quitting Rome
.
, .

But he found that he wa s in a pri s on The Terrible Pon .

ti ff held him ; a n d would n ot let him go The Lord A lex .

ander P P V I may n ot have bee n a Saint : but He n eve r

. .

di rtied His ho n ou r like this .

3 24 H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
A

Thi s trea chery o f the Holiness o f the Pope disgusted

the Ghibellini s m o f Don Fabrizio Colonna Thi s wa s not .

what he had c ontemplated when he per s uaded Duke A l ,

fon s o to adventure his right hand in the j aw s o f the Wol f

o f Ro m e Co n sidering him s el f to be responsible hi s ow n
.
,

honour at s take he played a counter stratagem upon the

,
-

Lord Julius P P I I By his aid the Duke broke p riso n

. . .
,

and under his prote ction i n hi s fortress o f Marino fi ftee n

, ,

miles from Ro m e a saf e asylum was provided Duke

, .

Al fon s o de s ired to ha s te n to defend his du chy n ow me n

aced by the Pope : and all Colonna acclaimed hi s re s olution .

Don Pro s pero Colon n a undertook to bring him there

where he would be T r avelling by night through ho s tile
.

territory environed by eve r present danger s at length

,
-
,
’
disgui s ed as Don Prospero s cook the royal and du cal ,

Bandit rea c hed Ferrara .

I n the c ity there was j oy I n the du chy the r e was con .

fi de n ce r estored I n the heart o f the Du c he ss Lu c re z ia

.

there was gratitude fo r the s afety o f her mu ch loved lord -

.

Ferrara was fre s h from four years s u cc ess ful war : an

exce ss ively dangerous enemy to a s sault n ow that her ,

l eade r led her The p o n t ifi cal army executed a se c ond

s tr ategic movement at the double—
.

to the r ear .

And before the year 1 5 1 3 was three month s o l d the

, ,

T errible Ponti ff the Lord Juliu s P P I I ( Who a c cording

, , . .
, ,

to Monsigno r Paris de Gra ss is su c ce ss or to Burchard as ,

P apal C ae rim o n ariu s su ffered from the French Di s ease )

, ,
“
died at Ro m e raving in His la s t delirium Fren chm e n
, ,
’
begone from Italy ! Begone from I taly Alphonso d E s t e ,

Dre adful e n d o f a curious r evenge ful di s appointed

plebeian who wa s Rule r o f the World ! The mon s trous
Mo s es o f Michelangelo in San Pietro ad Vin cul a marks , ,

His ambitious unfini s hed tomb .

’
The Most I llu s triou s Lord Giovanni de Medi c i Ca r ,

dinal Deacon o f Santa Ma r i a in D amnica was the so n o f

-
,
326 A H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGIA S
studi es under Canon Angelo Ambrogini ( detto Polizia no )
who i n 1492 wrote to the Pope about his pupil
, ,

“
T his y ou th is so f o r m e d by nat ure an d e du cat i on th at , b e ing in

“
ferio r t o none i n g en i u s, he yi e lds no t t o his e uals i n i n du str y, q
n o r t o his t e ac h e r s i n l e arn in g , no r t o o l d m e n i n g r av i t y o f de
mean o u r H e natu rally is h one st an d i ng enu o u s an d he has be en
.
,
“
so str i ct ly b r e d t h at ne ve r f r o m his m ou t h t h e r e c o me s a l ewd , o r
p
even a ligh t , ex r e s s i o n T h o u gh he be s o y o un g , his
. u d gm ent is j
“
p
s o s e cu re t h at even t he o l d r e s e c t him as a f at h e r H e su c k e d i et y . p
“
an d r e ligi on wi t h his m o t h e r s m ilk ,
’
r p p
e ar i n g hi m se l f fo r his

sacre d offi ce even f ro m his cradl e ( E p v Lib V I II ) . . . .

In
the Publi c Con s i s tory o f the twenty s ec ond o f Mar c h -

1 49 2 he wa s ad m itted to the Sacred College r eceiving the

, ,

s carlet hat a n d the cardinalitial s apphire ri ng ( whose -

value was six hundred zec chini d or o—say

,
’
and ,

he was o f the age o f sixtee n year s three months eleven , ,

days .

During his ca r di n alate hi s mo s t delight ful trait was the

loving kindne ss whi c h he s howed to his young c ou s in
’
Giulio ( Botticelli s m o s t precious model ) the ba s ta r d o f
, ,
’
Do n Giuliano de Medi c i by Madonna Antonia Gorini o f ,

Florence and who e n ded his li fe a s the Lord Clem ent

,

P P V II Cardinal Giovanni got him ennobled as a Knight

. . .

o f St Joh n o f Jeru s alem o f Malta and Prior o f Capua ;

.
,

a n d gave him an honourab l e po s ition i n hi s hou s ehold a s

co n fidential c oun s e l lor ; and indeed it was to Don Giulio , , ,

attending him as esquire i n the Con c lave o f March 1 5 1 3 ,

that Cardinal Giovanni generou s ly s ai d when the resu l t ,

o f the s qu ittin o ( s crutiny ) wa s made known Co m e ,

G iulio let u s enj oy the Papacy since God hath given it t o

, ,
”
Us : and he i m m ediately rai s ed H is c ou s in to the purple ,

giving him Hi s O wn va cated rank o f Cardinal Deac on o f -

Sa n ta Maria in D am nica 1
.

1 T h e se tw o h arm i n g p e rs onag e s u se d a m o st be aut i f u l hand

c
wr i t i ng ne at c l e ar we ll m anne re d d ec isi ve ; as m ay be s e en 1n t he
, , ,
-
,

p r ivate B r i e f o f the Lor d Leo P P X pl ace t e t i ta m otu pro prio

. .
,

mandamu s ; an d i n t he l e tte r o f C ar dinal G i u li o de M e di c i d ate d

’
,

A p r il 15 16 ; whi c h are p re serve d in t he B r i t ish M u seum

 S PAR K S T H AT DIE 3 7
2

Ca r dinal Giovanni like all the Medi c i w as c o nge nitally

, ,

myO pic I n all p r e s entment s o f him there i s the slight

.
,

forw ar d bend o r s e t o f the ne c k which ma r k s the s ho rt

sighted man Me ss er Paolo G iovio s ays that he surveyed
.

the world through a concave crystal and that this a ffected ,

’
his skill as a spo rtsma n Me s ser Rafaele S an z io s p ortrait
.

o f him a n d his c ousin shows him with this co n cave crystal

s py gla ss i n hi s hand No doubt hi s physi cal in complete
-
.

ne ss wonder fully aided in developing hi s enchanting ta s te

and temperament ; fo r it i s well known that the best a rti s t
i s the man who doe s n ot s e e all 1
.

The c rowd waiting out s ide the Conclave o f 1 5 1 3 fo r the

,

an n unciation o f the n ew Pope were c on fronted by a door ,

way builded o f the fragments o f other building s Some o f .

the s tones bore portion s o f mutilated in s cription s ; and the

c r owd amu s ed it s el f by piecing the s e together But there .

wa s o n e large s tone above the lintel whose in s cription ,

ba ffl ed ex p lanation It bore the letters

.

M C C C C X L
. . . . . . .

and presumably had c ome from some edifice dated 144 0 .

Presently the door was flung open ; and the scarlet Ca r di

,

n al Ar chdea con pro claimed I announ c e to you great j oy

-
, .

’
We have for a Pope the Lord Giovanni de M edi c i Ca r di ,

n al Deac on o f Santa Ma r ia in D am nica who will s to be

-
,
”
c alled Leo the Tenth And i n the doorway stood the white
.

figure o f the n ew Suc ce ss or o f St Pete r o f the age o f .

,

thirty eight years His head straining a little forward

-
.
,

pe ering through Hi s hal f clo s ed bright eyes li fting His

-
,

hand i n Apo s tolic Benediction In s tantly a wag in the .

kneeling crowd explained the cryptic ins c riptio n M u l ti

C ae ci Cardin al es Cr eav e ru n t C aecu m X ( de cimu m )
“
L eo n e m ; Many s hort sighted cardinal s c r eated a short
-

1 Wh ist l r
e co unt s his my o p i a as his chi e f tal ent .
3 28 A H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGIA S
sighted one Leo the Tenth Thi s is a spe c imen o f wit i n
.

the yea r 1 5 13 bright quick direct p u n ge n t a n d fini s hed

, , , , , .

The electio n o f the Lord Leo P P X was a n imme n se . .

r elief to the Duke and Duche s s o f Ferrara It meant de .

’
livera n c e from uns c rupulou s per s e cution ; for the Pope s
Holine s s now was patri cian and at lea s t a gentleman , ,

though no enemy to the Hou s e o f Borgia S O Ferrara and .

Bo r gia we n t i n peac e The duchy had been at war fo r

.

n early s ix years almos t without ce ss ation ; he r resour c e s

,

we r e quite exhau s ted ; her exchequer wa s empty S o kee n .

’
was the distress that i n order not to add to his people s
, ,

bu r den by p r es s i n g for his r evenue s Duke Al fon s o ,

pawned his plate an d Duche s s Lucre z ia her j ewels whi c h

,

we r e o f enormous value These were r edee m ed three years

.

later : and it is to the i nvento r y made when they were ,

p aw n ed that moder n k n owledge o f thei r ext r ao r di na ry

,

ra rity and worth i s due .

On the thirteenth o f September 1 5 1 3 was bo rn i n , ,

Rome o f Don Tarquinio Po pl icol a di Santac r oce and

,

Madonna Er s ilia his wi fe the Noble Don Prospero ,

Po pl ico l a di Santacroce a fte r wards Ca r dinal Presbyte r

,
-

o f the Title o f San Gi r olamo degli S chiavoni a n d Nu n cio ,

who introdu c ed Toba cc o into I taly an d gave it the name

E rba S an tacro c e Holyc r o s s H e r b
, .

The li fe o f the Duche s s Luc r ezia duri n g the n ext few ,

years was a li fe o f c alm after storm p os t tat n au fragio s

, ,

t u ta She won f re s h fame by her goodne ss to young girls

. ,

whom she provided with dowrie s to tempt them to keep ,

continen cy by marrying well Delight fully practical age .

,

which went dire ctly to the point o f attempting n o maudlin

“
hal f m easures
- s o sweetly mawkish
, and so smooth l y
3 30 H I STORY O F T H E B ORGIA S
A

On the t we nty sixth o f Novem ber 1 5 17 there died i n

-
, ,
’
Rome Mado n na Giovanna de Catan ei the mother o f the ,

Duche s s Lu c re z ia ; and wa s buried i n Santa Maria del

P op ol o by the Flaminia n Gate Nine o f her letters to he r .

daughter and r ather c rabbed letters too are pre s erved i n

, ,
“
the Archives o f Modena They are s ub s cribed L a felice.
,

e d in fe l ice m adr e ; whi c h seems preci s ely to des c ribe her

co n dition She was a happy mothe r ; happy i n the go rgeous

.

loveli n e s s o f he r child r en ha p py i n thei r g ood fortu n e

, ,

happy i n being t he mother o f two dukes a p rin ce duke ,

-
,

and a sovereign duchess : but u n ha p py i n that huma n law ,

made thei r fathe r n o t her hu s band A n othe r l ette r o f hers .

,

dated from Rome the fi fteenth o f D ecembe r 1 5 1 5 an d , ,

“
signed Perpetua Or atrice Van o zz a has bee n t he m ea n s ,

o f causing some unce rtainty a s to he r r eal n ame The fol .

lowing i s sugge s ted as an explanation .

“ ”
V an o z za o f cou r se
, is a familia r abbreviatio n o f
,
“ ”
G iovan o z z a which is equivalent to Big Jen ny I talians .

a r e deliciou s ly dis r espect fully ino ffen s ive in their u s e o f

universal a n d p ersonal n i c kn ames ; whi ch are taken co n
“ ” 1
ferred without the lea s t aggrievance Perpetua O rat r i c e .

is n ot a n ame at all : but a quasi o fficial s tyle -

.

I n England at t he prese n t day one frequently i s sta rtled ,

by the r e c eipt o f a letter f r om some fe rvent membe r o f

,

that devout female sex ( for which Holy Chur ch knowing ,

n eeds di urnally p ray s )

,
bearing as signature the name s
,
“ ”
o f the writer with the addition E de M I f o ne has
, .

n ot yet seen the lions ( as the Fi ftee n th C entury said o f a

,

n ovice ) o n e look s fo r the university degree knightly

, ,

o r de r municipal o r p arochial ra n k o f which those letter s

, ,
“
are the S ign But whe n on e knows them to s tand fo r E n
.
,
”
fa n t de Marie o n e r emembers that a piou s s odality o f
, ,

1 O ratr i ce ( o ratr i x ) is a rare wo rd=bu t p er f ect ly c l assi cal ; and

1t s us e sh ews t h at t he R enas c ence o f Le arni ng had d one s o m e t hi ng
to i m p rove e cc l e si ast i cal Lati n and by c onse quence I tal 1an a lso
, , , .
 S PAR K S T H AT DIE 33 1
Frenc h o r igin and called The Childre n o f Ma r y is a n ,

ex c e ss ively and universally fashionable o n e among

females ; and doubts are at an end .

I t i s probable that there was some such pious as s o c ia

tion fo r females o f the B orgian Era Madonna Giovanna .

always was a respe ctable well — living character : but we

kn ow tha t she found salvation was c onverted became , ,

’
dev ote i n 1 5 08 whe n s he s at under Frat Egidio da
, ,

Viterb o prea ching a course o f Lent ser m on s i n Rome .

“
It i s sugge s ted then that at on c e s he began to make
, ,
”
he r soul to prepare to meet he r God for s he was well o n
, ,

i n years ; and that s he be came a me m ber o f some Co n fra

t e rn ity o f Perpetual Prayer re s em bling those o f the
,

pr esent day whose members divide among themselve s the

duty o f praying the clo c k r ou n d s o that an unending ,

stream o f s uppli cation Shall flow toward the Th r one o f

G rac e It i s suggested that being a human woma n cheri s h
.
, , ,

i n g n o obj e ction to a little per fectly legitimate adverti s e

“ ”
me n t o f virtue ( like the ladie s o f the E de M de s crip
’
tio n ) Madonna Giova nn a de Catan e i formed the habit
,
“
o f sign ing her private letter s The Perpetual Sup p liant ,

Big Jenny .

H e r e p itaph has been g ive n o n p 294 . .

There are two documents o f this year 15 1 7 which go , ,

to p rove that at thi s time there exi s ted no idea o f c o n

, ,

ceal ing the parentage o f Don Giova n ni Borgia the s ome

time Duke o f Nepi and Camerino The boy appear s to .

have made his home with his si s ter the Duchess Luc rezia ; ,

for both do cuments are i s sued under he r protect ion and

authority She was ninetee n years older than her brother
.
,

who n o w was o f the age o f twenty one year s ; and her -

n otable good nature as well as her royal e s tate make it

-
, ,
332 H I STORY O F T H E BORGIA S
A

n atu r al enough that s he s hould be more mothe r tha n

’
siste r to her augu s t Father s younge s t s o n .

The first brief ( they both are quoted in Cittadella ) is ,

“ ” °
dated sub die I Nov 1 5 1 7 and names the Bi s hop o f .
,
’
Adria as Don Giovanni s agent in some pecuniary trans
action he being le s s tha n twenty fi ve and more than
,
-
,
“
eightee n years o l d It begi ns Fe rrariae in pal atio habi
.
,
“
tatio n is 111 1
111mm
Dominus Joanne s Borgia frater
111
,
“ m
Ill ‘
Dominae Lu c re tiae B o rgiae D u cis s ae Fe rrariae
‘e
,
“
mi n o r annis v igin tiqu in qu e maior tam en dece m ,

octo ,

The se c ond brie f is addre s sed to Messer Filippo Stro z z i

and clai m s from the c on s ul s o f Pe s aro the baggage which
, ,

the young noble had lo s t a fter hi s shipwre ck in sight o f

that c ity ! It is dated the s econd o f Decem ber 1 5 1 7 ; and ,

m
begins Mandatum I ll
, Dominae D u cis sae F e rrariae
ae

m
in palatio Ducali I ll Do m ina Lu c retia Borgia E s a

te n s is s u o nomine e t nomine ac Tanquam co n iu n ct a

,
“
p erso n a Ill Domini Joanni s B o rgiae eius frater
m‘

Little o r nothing further has been di s covered regarding

the li fe o f thi s youth Hi s hi s tory with that o f hi s brother
.
,

Prin c e G io ffre do B orgia o f Squillac e wait s to rewa r d re ,

search in the archives o f Naples Nepi Cam erino and Fe r , ,

r ara Reluctantly they must be left here among the S p arks

.
,

That D ie .

The following announcement c lose s the seco n d epoch o f

the House o f Borgia It i s dated the t wenty fi rs t day o f
.
-

June 1 5 19 ; and was s ent by flying po s t s to hi s nephew

, ,
“
the Marque s s Federigo Gonzaga o f Mantua : It hath
“
pleased the Lord God to take unto Hi m s el f the soul o f
“
the I llustriou s Du che ss my mu ch beloved Conso rt ,
-
.

“
( Signed
“
) Al fonsus Dux Fe raria
”
.

The I llust r ious Duche s s Lucrezia Borgia was bu ri ed

 BO OK T H E T H IRD
TH E BR I LL IANT L I GHT 1

“
A fir e that is kin dl e d beg ins w ith s mo k e an d his s in g whil e i t
, ,

l ays ho l d o n the fagg o ts ; bu rs ts in to a r o aring blaz e w i th ,

“
rag ing tong u es o f fl am e de v o u ring all in r e a ch s pang l e d
, ,
“
w ith s parks tha t die ; s e ttl es in to the s teady g e nial g l are the ,
“ ”
bril liant l ig ht, that m en call fire ;

TH E Borgi a who have gone be fore present n o di ffi culty

, ,

to the Twentieth Centu ry When on c e their formula ha s .

been learned they are found to be men o f like pa ss ion s

,

with our s elves They were born— they s trugg l ed thro u gh

.

li fe with an a m a z ing a m ount o f dignity and s u cc e s s —they

died Fo r a rea s on whi c h has yet to be explained the
.
,

human ra c e ha s made them serve for hell myth s for -

,

prodigie s o f turpitude for symbols wherewith to e xpres s ,

ultimate and aby s m al c rime .

T he sl ave o f his o w n appe t i te s i n bondag e t o c onvent i on al l aws , ,

his s p i r i t e masc u l at e d by t he i nd u lg ence s o r c o rr o d ed by t he c are s ,

o f lif e h ar dly d ar i ng t o act t o t hink o r t o s p e ak

“
fo r hi ms e l f ;
m an —g re gar i o u s man —wo r shi p s t he wo r ld in w hi c h he li ve s
, , , ,
“
, , ,

ad o p t s it s m ax i m s an d tre ads i t s be at en p at hs T o r o u se him f r o m

, .

his l eth argy an d t o give a n e w cu rrent t o his th o u gh ts h eroe s

, ,

app e a r f r o m t i m e t o t i m e o n t he ve r g e o f his h o r i z on ; an d h e r o
wo rshi p P ag an o r C h r ist i an wi thd raws him fo r a whil e f rom
, ,

1A uth o r i t i e s fo r t his sk e t c h o f a int ranc is co de B o r a, ene ral S F j G

o f J e su i t s , an d so m e t i m e s uk e o f andi a, e t c D G .

1 R ibadan e ira L i f e
. . .

2 C ar di n al A l var o C i e n f u e g o s La h e ro i c a id a, e tc de l g r ande
. . V .

F
S an ranc is co de B o r a j M
ad r id 1 7 17 . .

3 . M
o nu m e n ta H is t o r ic a o c i e t at is J e s u a d rSid 1894 5
-
. M .

4 . S S p
i r J ame s te h en E s says in E cc l e si ast i c al B i o g ra hy
. p .

5 A . . M
C l ark e . S F
t ranc is B o rgi a Lond 187 2 e tc
. . . . .

p p
T he l a st w as r e are d u n d e r the au s i ce s o f t he l at e r J o hn p F .

M o rr is S J ; and is u se f u l i n g i v ing t he m od e rn Eng lish J e su i t

, . .

po int o f i ew V .
 BRI LLI AN T LI GH T
T H E 335
s t 1l l b as er id o l atr y T o c o nte m p l at e t he mot i ve s an d t he c ar ee r o f
.

su c h m e n may te ac h mu c h th at we ll d e s e rve s the kno w ing : bu t

n o thi ng m o r e c l e ar l y th an t his— th at n o o n e c an h ave sh r ine s
e r e ct e d t o his m e mo r y in t he h e art s o f m e n o f diffe r e nt g e n e rat i ons ,

unl e ss his o w n h e art w as an al t ar o n w hi ch t he d aily s ac r ifi c e s

, ,

o f f e rvent d e vo t i o n an d m agnan i m o u s s e l f d eni a l we r e o ffe re d t o

“
,

th e only true O b j e ct o f h u man wo rshi p .

1

The wheel o f ti m e makes one unerring revolution ; and

lo a saint —a Borgia Saint
, ,
.

To write o f Saint Fran ci s c o de Bor j a s o that he may ,

be kn ow n o f men is more than di ffi cult Ea ch m an knows

, .

a n other n ot by hi s s trength but by hi s weaknes s e s not as

, ,

surpas s ing but as la cking su ch and s uch o f the Ideal ; for

weakness make s men ki n And Saint Fran c i s c o de Borj a .

gave no S ig n o f huma n weakne ss little o r no s ign o f hu ,

man nature a fter he had rea ched his manhood He has

,
.

“ ”
been c alled a magnified non natural man ; and that i s the -

only point o f V iew fro m whi c h he ca n be ob s erved H e .

lived entirely o n the supernatural plane : the world to ,

him wa s nothi n g but a n ene m y with who m he would have

,

neither a rt n or part : he wa s in it but not o f it : hi s way s ,

’ ’
were not men s ways no r hi s thoughts men s thoughts : he
,

rightly c annot be liked o r di s liked hated o r loved ad , , , ,

mired o r even j udged He must be taken a s he was c o m.

,

parable to none the exact antipode s o f hi s strenuou s augu s t

,
“
invin cibl e magnifi c ent a n cestor s for there are diver s itie s
” “
o f gi ft s in oppo s itio n to all human ideals a magnified
, ,
”
non natural m an Hi s note i s brilliantly per s onal H e wa s
-
. .

utterly and ab s olutely s elfi s hly s oli citous about hi s own

s alvation He made that the unique obj ect o f hi s li fe ; and
.
,

to that end he deliberately chose r enunciation hard s hip

, , ,

ignominy utter and extreme Hi s s ingular devotion to

, .
,

the ta s k o f living a c cording to his light is a phenomenon ,

Of an inten s ity beyond the natura l envi roning him with ,

an aura a s o f o n e aloo f as o f one alien among men and , , ,

there fore altogethe r antipatheti c to m e n

, .

1 S ir J am e s S te ph en . E ssays in E cc l e si ast i cal B i o g ra phy i . . 29 .

3 3 6 A H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
He was the great grand s on o f the Lord Alexande r P P
-
. .

V I Who s e ba s tard Don Juan Fran c i s c o de B orj a Duke

, ,

o f Gandia in Spain Prin c e o f Teano and Tri c ari co

, ,

Count o f Chiaramonte Lauria and Cerignola Constable , , ,

o f Naple s and General o f the Pontifi cal Ar m y had mar

, ,

ried Do na Maria de Aragona a prin c es s o f the royal ,

Hou s e o f Aragon A fter the mysterious murder o f her

.

hu s band at Rome i n 149 7 the Duche s s Do ha Maria mar ,

ried Don Enriquez de Luna un c le and Ma ster o f the ,

Househol d to the Vi ceroy Don Hernando o f Castile and ,

Grand Com m ander o f Leon who s oon le ft her widowed ,

the s e cond ti m e She lived at Baeza in Granada and de

.
,

voted her s el f to her two children Do na I s abella and Don , ,

Juan I I de Borj a who s u cc eeded hi s murdered father as

,

Duke o f Gandia and the re s t Whe n her s on married s he .

,

retired to the mona s tery o f Poor Clare s ( the Second

’
Or der o f the Religion o f Sa n Frances co d A s s is i ) at
Gandia where s he took the vows o f a nun and became
, ,

Suor Maria Gabriella till he r death in 1 5 3 7 Her dau gh .

ter D ofi a I s abella who was betrothed to the Duke o f

, ,

Segorbe obtained the neces s ary dispensations broke

, ,

be fore marriage from her afli an ce d hu s band ; a n d fol

lowed the Du chess o f Gandia he r beloved mother to the
Poor C lare s where S he also took the vows as Suo r Fra n
,

cisca de Jesus .

Don Juan I I ma rr ied fi rst D ona Fra n cisca de Castro y , ,

Pi n o s ; s econdly Doti a Juana de Aragona bastard o f

, ,

A rchbi s hop Do n Alonso de Aragona o f Sarago s sa nephew

o f the Catholic King Do n Hernando o f Spai n
1
Fou rt een .

children were the o ffs pring o f these mar r ia g es ;

D ON F RAN CI S CO T H E S AI N T
,

D o n A l onso A bb o t o f V aldigna
,

D o n Enr i c o C ar dinal D eacon o f S an N er eo e S ant A ch1l l eo

’
-
,

1 A s econ d b ast ar d o f A r c hbish o p D on A l onso de A rag ona a lso ,

call e d D o na J uana m arr i e d D o n F e li pe o f A us t r1a an d be came the

, ,

moth e r o f the E mp er o r C ar l o s .
33 8 A H I STORY OF TH E BORGIA S
r eigning in Rom e when Don Fran c i s c o de Bo r j a wa s ,

born i n 1 5 10 at the du cal pala c e o f Gandia in Spain .

The Terrible Ponti ff wa s only a terrible me m ory te n

year s later and the Lord Leo P P X wa s t rying hard to
,
. .

enj oy the Papa c y in Ro m e when riot s aro s e in Gandia , ,

the du c al palace was s a cked and Don Juan I I with hi s , ,

family wa s for c ed to flee for li fe Don Fran c is c o then a

,
.
,

gracious boy o f ten was s ent to his un c le Archbi s hop Do n ,

Jua n de Aragona at Saragos s a who s upplied him with a ,

1

house and retinue s uited to hi s condition and ma s ter s who ,

taught him m u s i c fen cing and Latin gram m ar ; for he wa s

, ,

to be bred a s be c am e the heir to the d u chy o f Gand ia and ,

the future head o f the Spani s h B ran c h o f the Hou s e o f

Borj a .

I n January 1 5 22 died the Lord Leo P P X ; and the

, , . .

’
Lord Hadrian P P V I a s hip carpenter s s on out o f . .
,
-

Utre cht in Flander s wa s elected Pope c alled the Lao c oon , ,

a pagan ido l walled u p the B elvedere statue gallery o f the

,
- -

Vati can ; and died To Him in 1 5 2 3 s u cceeded Cardinal .

, ,
’
Giulio de Medi ci c ousin and li fe friend o f the Lord Leo ,
-

’
P P X who a s cended Peter s Throne under the title o f
. .
,

the Lord Clement P P V I I Great c hange s were taking . . .

plac e in Europe By marriage c onque s t inheritance or .

, , ,

lap s e the Holy Ro m a n E m pire had pa ss ed into the hand s

,

o f Spain The Ele ct Emperor Carlo s V though he c ere

.
-
,

m on ially had not been c rowned with the I ron Crown o r

the Double Golden Diadem ruled in Spain Naples and , ,

Southern I taly Ger m any Au s tria and part o f Fran c e

, , ,
.

King Henry V III Tudor the Defender o f the Faith wa s , ,

beco m ing a power in England The Chri s tian King o f .

Fran c e wa s hi s rival : but the Contine n t o f Europe m ainly

’
was the Elect Em peror s and wholly perhaps the Roma n
-
, , ,
’
Pontiff s .

1 A nc i ent ly S ld b
a u l n i z e d by C ai u s J u li u s C ae s ar O ctav ianus
a, c o o
A u gu st u s B C . 27 , who c all e d i t C ae s arau g as ta ; a f te r war ds oo rrUp t e d
into S ar g ssa a o .
 T H E BRILLI ANT LI GHT 339
At the age o f fourtee n years Don Franci s co de Borj a ,

went to Tor de Sillas a s page o f honour to the In fanta

’
Do ha Catalina the Elec t Emperor s sister who was about
,
-
,

to be mar r ied to King Don Juan II I o f Portugal .

When the marriage took place in 1 5 2 5 Don Fran ci s c o ,

did n ot a cc ompany hi s r oyal m i s t r e ss to her new kingdom ;

because hi s father who had for him a higher ambition had
, ,

commanded his return to Sarago ss a to study rhetoric and

'
philosophy under hi s un c le t he A rchbis ho p Don Juan
, .

Here he re m ained until he pa ss ed hi s s eventeenth year ; and

i n 1 5 2 8 he entered the Court o f the Ele ct Emperor Carlos -

V where hi s robu s t phy s i cal beauty his c ourteou s manner

, , ,

and hi s brilliant ability gained for him a notable re c eption .

Humanly s peaking this a c ceptan c e o f servi c e under

,

s uch a potentate i s m o s t a s toni s hing i n a youth o f the

graciou s piety o f Don Francis c o The Ele ct E m peror was .
-

hot and reeking fro m the c o mm i ss ion o f what mu s t have

s ee m ed to be a per fe ctly appalling c rime— the gha s tly Sack
’
o f Rome o f 1 5 2 7 the fier c e beleaguer m ent o f God s Vi c e
,

gerent the Lord Cle m ent P P V I I in the Mola o f Hadrian

. .
,

carnage pillage rape rapine sacred mona s tic en closure s

, , , ,

violated V irginity deflowered nuns and the wive s and

, ,

daughters o f Roman c iti z en s gambled for and ravi s hed in

’
the public s treet s by the Ele ct Em pe ror s unpaid army o f
-

drunken Lutheran Goth s and Catholic Catalan s It was to .

the Court o f thi s monarc h that D O 11 Fran c i s c o de Borj a

brought the grac iou s flower o f his maiden m an l ihood .

Amid voluptuou s surrounding s he fo u nd that it was ,

better to marry than to burn ; and in 1 5 29 being then o f , ,

the age o f nineteen year s he led in m arriage the Noble

,

D o fi a Leono r o f Portugal The Elect Emperor to mark

.
-
,

i m perial approval perhaps al s o fro m the generous

, , ,

benevolen ce o f a man who him s el f i s about to receive

( he had c ome to term s with the Lord Clement P P V II
and was hoping fo r the Dual Coronation ) —
.
.
,

created Do n ,

Franci s co Marque ss o f Lombay .

3 40 H I STORY OF TH E BORGIA S
A

The relations between Pope and Ele ct Em peror were -

after this fa s hion Both were exhau s ted : both were de

.

s iro ns o f pea c e Pea c e then wa s s igned and a perpetual

.
, , ,

a l lian c e o n the twentieth o f June 1 5 27 The Ele ct

, , .

Emperor had gained territory fro m Veni c e and deta ched ,

’
Genoa from Fran c e ; the Pope s Holine ss had promi s ed to
inve s t him with crown o f Naples ( whi c h hi s predec e ss or ,

the Catholic King Don H ernando o f Spain had s tolen from

the bastard Aragon dyna s ty in and for m a l ly to
c rown him a s Holy Roman E m peror The Lord Clement .

P P V I I had gained a s trong ally who guaranteed to

. .
,

s ubdue rebelliou s Floren c e for the p o n t ifical nephew Duke

’
Ale ss andro de M edi c i to con s o l idate the allian c e by
,

marrying the Ba s tard D o ii a Margarita o f Au s tria to the

said p on tifical nephew ; and to pro c ure the re s toration o f
p o n t ifi cal authority i n Emilia Ravenna and Cervia They , , .

had been hideous enemie s the s e two ; and the E l e ct ,

Emperor had behaved abominably Even now he refu s ed .

,
’
to go to Monza or to Sant Ambrogio at Milan for the
I ron Crown or to the Lateran B a s ili c a o f Ro m e for the
,

Golden I m perial Diadem a s by pre c edent he would have ,

been c o m pel l ed to do had he belonged to the House o f

,

Swabia But he was a Spaniard arrogant c ruel u n s cru pu

.
, , ,

l ou s and in famou s ly powerful ; and he in s olently to l d the

,

Pope s H oline ss that he had not the habit o f r unning a fter

’

c rowns for in s tead they c am e to him

, , , .

I f the c oronat i on o f the S u cc e ss or o f St Pete r be a .

re m arkable fun ction the c oronation a ccording to the

,

Rom an Rite o f the Su cc e ss or o f Caiu s Ju l i u s Cae s ar

O c tav ian u s Augu s tu s i s but one degree le s s s u m ptuous It .

would be worth the while o f any m an o f the Twentieth

Century to ex c hange live s with Wi l l iam o f Hohen z o l lern ,

f or the s ake o f the open ing whi c h l ie s before him I n the .

c a s e o f Carlo s V all c ere m onie s duly were ob s erved The

,
.

Lord Cle m ent P P V II c a m e to B ologna a ne u tral c i t y

. .
, ,

for the coronation and the E le ct E m p e ro r met Him there

,
o
.
342 H ISTORY OF T H E BORGIA S
A

time It i s that a little later the Supreme Ponti ff con

.
,

ferred an extraordinary favour o n hi s illustriou s Hou s e ,

consi s ting o f Five Privileges granted to Duke Juan I I o f

Gandia hi s heirs and de s cendants o f both s exes and whom

, ,

s o ever they might mar ry I N C O NS I DERAT I O N OF T H E S I G

,

N A L SERV I C ES RENDE RE D T o T H E H O L Y SE E BY T H E H O USE

O F BO R G I A This un m i s takably di s tin ct s tatement s hew s

.

that calu m nie s and lampoons o f Messer F r ancesco Guie

c iardin i had made no ill i m pre ss ion o n the Lord Clement

P P V I I who actually had met that writer when he wa s

. .
,

the gue s t o f the bas bl eu Madonna Veronica Gambara dur

ing the coronation fe s tivitie s at Bologna The fable o f .

Borgia iniquity i s a plant o f later g r owth In 1 5 3 1 the .

House w as con s idered to have rendered s ignal s ervice s de ,

serving re cogn ition for a p erp e tual m em orial Hen c e the

, .

granting o f the Five Privilege s which follow he r e .

p
T o any c on f e ss or wh o m t h e y m ay s e l e ct ,1 owe rs t o abso l ve th em
p
f ro m t he g rave st e cc l e si ast i cal censure s and enal t i e s : to commute
the o blig at i on o f f ast i n g t o al m sgi v ing : o nce a y e ar t o abs o l ve
“
H
th em in case s u su al ly r e se rve d to the o ly S ee ; o r f rom any o ath
o r vo w bu t t h o se g ene ra lly ex ce t e d p .

Sp i l ind u lgence s
ec a
c hu rch o r an al tar :
,
H o u se ( he b e ing in p
fo r the h ou r o f D eath , and for v isi ts to a
als o , fo r ev er y m ass o ffere d by a s ci on o f the
r i e st s o rd e rs ) , o r for any sci on o f the ou se
’
H ,

indu lgence s e qu al to th o se whi ch mi gh t be gaine d at the al tars o f

S an S e b ast i ano S an ,
S
Lo renzo , anta P u de nt iana an d anta M ar i a
, S
de P anis i n R om e .

’
1 I n C at h o li c countr i e s o ne is b ound to u se th e c l erg y of o ne s
o w n p ar ish .
 T H E BRI LLI ANT L I GHT 343

P e r missi on t o u s e Lacticinia ( al l f oo d m ad e o f milk an d e ggs )

an d m e at o n f ast d ays t h r o u gh o u t t he y e ar : t his p er m issi on t o e x
,
1

tend t o gu e sts and se rvants o f the f am ily P er missi on to take .

l unch eon at m idd ay and dinne r at nigh t P e rm issi on to r e ce ive t he

, .

sacram ents wi thin p ro hibi te d t i me s 2 P e rm issi on to be b ur i e d o n any .

day in the year E aste r al one e xce pte d , .

P r i e st s who s c i ons o f the H o u se o f B o rg i a may ant i c i pate o r

are
po stp one th e i r r ec i tati on o f the B revi ar y O ffi ce s wi th out o bse rvi ng
t he fi xe d h ou r s re c i t in g t he wh o l e o ffi c e at onc e o r di vidi n g i t at
, ,

th e i r p l easu re .

To f emal e sc i ons o f the H o u se o f B o r gi a o r conne ct i ons by ,

marr i ag e lib e rty o nc e a m ont h t o ente r t he e nc l o su r e o f nuns 3

, ,

taking wi th the m f ou r o th e rs to c onve rse wi t h the nuns an d t o e a”t ,

wi th t h em p rov id e d only t h at th e y do n o t re mai n fo r t he n ight

, .

( La he roica vida, e tc de l g rande S an F ran cis c o de B o rj a by C ar

.
, ,

dinal A l varo C ienfu eg o s M adrid 17 17 I iii 3 , 4

.
, . . . .

The marriage o f the Marquess Don Francisco and the ,

Mar c hiones s Dona Leonor o f Lombay r e s ulted in the , ,

birth o f eight children who were , ,

D o n C ar l o s, the heir :
D o n J u an, C o unt o f F i c alh o ; V i c er o y o f P o rtu g al ; A m bassa d o r o f
K
i ng D o n F e li p e I II ; A uth or o f E mpre s as M orales ( 15 8 1 )
.

Marr i e d t o D o ii a Lo renz a O fiaz de Lo yo l a h e i re ss o f D o n ,

B e l trano S e no r de Lo y o l a :
,

D on A l var o M arq u e ss o f A l cagu iz e s ; A mb assad o r o f K ing D o n

,

F e li p e I I I to the H o ly S ee :
D on H ernand o Knigh t o f the O rd er o f Cal atr ava :
,

Do n A l onso C h amb e r l ain t o t he E mp r ess M ar i a :

,

1 M ilk t we re f o rbidd en d ur ing Lent an d o n e very S atur

and m e a ,

day t h rou gh o ut t he y e ar .

y o ne m igh t m arr y i n Lent o r A dvent

z e . . .
,

o enabl e t he B o r gi a l adi e s s o m et i m e s t o s e e t h e i r r e l at i ons in

3 T

t he M o naste r y o f P o o r C l are s wh o se Ru l e is o ne o f the str i ctes t

, .
3 44 A H ISTORY OF TH E BORGIAS
D o ii a I sab e ll a m arr i e d D o n F r anc is co de S an d oval y Ro j as
, ,

M ar qu ess o f D eni a Co unt o f Le r ina : ( f rom this m arr i age

,

d e scends the d u cal h ou se o f Le r ina : )

D o ii a J u an a m arr i e d D o n J u an E nr iqu e z de A l manas M ar qu e ss
, ,

o f A l c ani c e s
D o fi a D o r ote a nu n at t he monaste r y o f P oo r C l ar e s in G an di a
, .

Six year s the Marques s Don Fran c i s co spent in the

duties o f a hu s band father and courtier In 1 5 3 6 he
, ,
.

ac companied Caesar Carlo s V on a futile vaingloriou s ex

p e dit ion into Proven c e Hara ss ed by the Fren c h co m mander
.

Mont m orency hi s va s t preparation s all nullified hi s troop s

, ,

wa s ted by disea s e and di s c redited by di s a ster hal f hi s ,

army ho rs de c om bat by rea s on o f fam ine and plague two ,

months o f ingloriou s c am paign ing su ffi c ed for Cae s ar

Carlos V The Fren ch rai s ed the pea s antry against him ;
.

hi s retreat be came a rout ; and only a s hattered fragm ent

o f hi s once m agn ifi ce n t army rea ched the gate s o f Milan
-
.

Burning to retrieve his s hame in the eye s o f Europe he ,

lau n ched a sec ond va s t expeditio n again s t A l gier s ; only t o

en c ounter a s e cond igno m iniou s di s aster Su c h were the .

’
Marquess Don Fran ci s c o de B orj a s experien c es o f war .

I n 1 5 3 7 died in the mona s tery o f Poor Clare s at Gandia

, ,

the Suor Maria Gabriella ( D o fia Maria de Aragona y

Luna ) widow o f the m urdered Duke o f Gandia ( ba s tard
o f the Lord A l exander P P V I ) and grandm other o f the
. .
,

Marque s s Don Fran c i s co The same year also death .

, ,

clai m ed hi s brother Don Rodrigo who had enj oyed the ,

Cardinal Dia c onate o f San Niccola in C arcere Tu ll ian o only

o n e year .

In 1 5 39 a n event o c curred whi c h fundam entally a ffected

the Marque ss Don Fran c i s co He and hi s wi fe the Mar .

chio n e s s Do ri a Leonor were lord and lady in waiting to

'
- -
,

Cae s ar s wi fe the Empres s D ona I s abella W hile Cae sar

’
, .

wa s at To l edo trying to wring a grant o f money fro m the

Cortes o f Castile a s udden illne ss took the E m pres s and
, ,

s he died The Marques s and Mar c hione ss o f Lombay were

.
3 46 A H I STORY OF TH E BORGIA S
’
r oy o f Catal u na and Knight o f the O rder o f Sant Jago .

Entering with z eal on hi s new dutie s he s wept away the ,

brigands who made travel l ing dangerous and ob s tru cted

commer c e i n hi s provin c e He found j u s tice hard to c o m e
.

by ; and the j udge s corrupt and venal H e r eformed them .

all Hospital s for s i c k and needy s chool s and college s for

.
,

the edu cation o f the young s prang up under hi s viceregal

,

rule A Sixteenth Century Vi c eroy wa s r e s pon s ib l e not

. ,

to press o r parliament or s el f s tyled philanthropi s t s ; but to

-

o n e earthly power alone—the Caesa r S O long a s hi s prov .

in ce regularly paid its tribute and gave no trouble to the ,

i m perial ex chequer the Vi c eroy had ab s olute f reedom He

,
.

wa s a despot in all but name O n this a cc ount a Vi c eroy .

,
’
who laboured for hi s people s wel fare was something o f a
n ovelty The piety o f the Marque ss Don Fran c i s co grew
.

inten s er ; he changed his habit ; going t o Holy Commu ni on

on c e a week in s tead o f on c e a month He wa s trying to
deta ch himsel f from the world—that de s potic Vi c eroy
.

Presently there cam e a new kind o f r eligious ma n

, ,

n either monk nor friar nor se cular priest ( to s peak

, ,
“
s trictly ) but a priest o n e Padre Aretino A ro az o f the
, , ,
”
company o f Je s us he s aid ; and he preached before the
,

Viceroy at Bar c elona Fro m him the Marque s s Don Fran

.
,

c i s c o heard the m arve l lou s hi s tory o f the m arvellou s man ,

'

the S e fi o r Don Iii igo Lopez de Re c alde o f the Hou s e o f ,

Loyola ; who bor n in 149 1 the year be fore the Borgia ,

Lord Alexander P P V I began to ru l e Chri s tendo m from

. .

Rome had followed a career o f ar m s ; taken a s eriou s

,

incapacitating wound i n 1 5 2 1 ; becam e c onverted ; gone

o n a pilgri m age to Nue s tra S c hora the M nrgon dgde r o g o f , ,

Mont s errat in 1 5 22 lived ten month s in an her m itage at

,

Manresa ; s tudied theology in that s ame c ity o f Bar c elona

te s tified everywhere to hi s faith in Christ ; been i m pri s oned
by the Spani s h I nqui s ition for here s y— s ix weeks at A l cala ,

three week s at Sala m an c a ; s tudied theology again i n Pari s

f rom 1 5 28 to 1 5 32 ; r eceived Holy O rde r as a priest ;
 BRI LLI AN T LI G H T
T H E 3 47
founded a Relig ion o f m i l itary prie s t knights o f Chri s t ; -

’
gained the san ct ion and beni s on o f Chri s t s Vi ca r the Lord ,
“ ”
Paul P P I II fo r his Company o f Jesus ; and given
. .
,
1

to the world a book O f Spiritual Exer c i s e s for the training

O f the s oul i n c oun s el s o f per fection All this wa s O f ex .

treme intere s t and s ignifi can c e to the Marque s s Don Fran

c i sco
. To know more he entertained a c orrespondenc e ,

with thi s Padre Ifi igo de Loyola i n Ro m e .

’
Thi s s ame year I 5 39 the Vi c e r oy s brother Don Enrico
,

had news that the Lord Paul P P I I I deigned to r ai s e him . .

to the Sa c red College as Cardinal Dea c on o f San N e re o e

,
-

’
Sant A chilleo the Title o f whi ch p r eviou s ly had b ee n held
,

by Cardinal Fran cisc o de Borj a ba s tard o f the Lord ,

Calixtu s P P III who died ex c ommuni cate i n 1 5 1 1 Sett in g

. . .

o u t for Rome to re c eive the c ardinalitial in s ignia Do n ,

Enrico reached Viterbo where he s uddenly died i n Sep ,

tember 1 5 40 Hi s epitaph in the Vati can Basili c a s hew s

.

that no s hame was know n at thi s date o n a cc ount o f

des c ent f rom the invin c ible Lord Alexander P P V I . . .

H N E G N RI CUS
BO G N T ON E TE R IA A I E H I S PA N U S
PA A V A N N U S A X N D
TRI VI LE TI LE A ER P RO N EPO S
D UC S G N I F DU M N M AX M A
A DI A E . I I S PE A S S U RGERE T
I M M A T U RA M ORTE H EU N I M IU M R A PT U s ES T
S P IR I TU S IN CA ELO C O RP U S H IC Q U I E S C IT .
”

There were n ow no c ardinals o f the Hou s e o f Bo rgia .

I n 1 5 43 died the Duke Don Jua n I I d e Borj a fathe r

, .
,

o f the Viceroy Marque ss o f Lombay who n ow suc c eeded ,

to the Duc hy o f Gandia the prin cipalities o f Teano and ,

Tricari c o the counties o f Chiaramonte Lauria a n d Ce r i

, , ,
’
gn o l a Having obtained Cae s ar s leave to r esign the Vice
.

r oyalty o f Cataluna Duke Do n Fra n ci s co de Bor j a

,

r eturned to cou rt where he wa s appointed Ma s ter o f the

,

Household o f the I n fanta Do ha Maria de Po rtgu al Thi s .

prin c ess was betrothed to the I n fante Don Felipe s o n o f ,

Caesa r Carlo s V ; and it app eared that worldly tie s we re

1 T
he Bu ll R eg imin i w as n ot fi nally s eal e d t il l xxv ii S ep t .
3 48 A H I ST ORY O F T H E B ORGIA S
not to be untied but tightened for the Duke o f Gandia But
, .

the Portugue s e I nfanta d ied before m arriage her hou s e ,

hold wa s di s per s ed ; and D u ke Don Fr an c i s c o retired to

hi s duc hy where he began to m ake plan s for a new c ol l ege
,

for the Co m pany o f Je s u s ( wh ich per fe ct l y had c har m ed

him ) and for a new m ona s tery o f Do m ini can nun s in
,

whom hi s Du c he ss Do ha Leonor wa s intere s ted .

The year 1 5 46 in a m o s t S ignal manner marked the

,
’
Duke o f G an dia s progre ss along the road o f deta chment
from the world .

The Du che ss wa s s i ck The Duke wa s praying for her .

r e c overy The F I G U RE on the Cru c ifix s poke to him

. .

W hat follow s here re s t s on s worn testi m ony at the sub

sequent pro c e ss o f canoni z ation later to be de s cribed ; a ,

formal legal pro c e ss that from its s cope and stringency , ,

demand s as mu c h c on s ideration a s the Report o f a Royal

Commi ss ion o r better s till a De c i s ion o f the Judi cial
, , ,

Committee o f the Privy Coun c il i n modern England , .

The F I GU RE o n the Cru c ifix spoke o yo una v o z

sensible carino s a e distinta que Christo articulaba de s de

, ,
” 1
aquella e s tatua muerta .

“
I T said : Si tu quiere s que t e dexe a la Duquesa mas
tem po in e s ta vida yo lo de xo e n tu mano pero te avi s o
,

”
que a ti no te conviene e s to I f thou as k e s t M e to l eave .

the D u ches s l o nger in this l if e, I w il l do s o ; bu t I warn the e

that this wi l l n o t be p rofi tabl e to the e 1
.

The Duke o f Gandia repeated thi s to hi s con fesso r He .

al s o told him hi s reply whi c h wa s as follows ,

Wh t is this
a , 0 m y G o d ? D st T h
i nd ee d c ommi t t o a weak
o ou

an d tre m bli ng a P o w e r w hi c h b e l o n gs t o Thy D i vi ne

h an d lik e m i ne ,

O m n i p o tence ? W h at art T h o u O my O n ly G o o d ? A n d wh at am I
, ,

th at T h ou sh ou ld st d e si r e to do my will ; wh e n I was se n t into the

’

1 L a her oica vida e tc de l g ran de S an F r an c is co de B o rj a by

,
.
, ,

C ardinal A l v aro C ie nfu e g os ad r id , 17 17 , I I I 1 1 15

. M . . .
3 50 H I STORY O F T H E BORGIA S
A

s pontaneo u s ease with whi c h idea s auto m ati c a l ly s o rt them

s elve s the for m al phra s es o f the s pe c ial language au t o m ati
,

c ally flow from the lip s o f tho s e who s e li fe i s o n e c ontin

,
’
ual prayer To these the Duke o f Gan dia s u tteran c e
.

pre s ents no di ffi c ulty : they re cogni z e a foreign tongue with

whi c h they chan c e to be a c quainted Al s o it i s quite per .
,

mi ss ible to understand tho s e word s a s n ot having been

uttered actually but as c lot hing the sentiments O f the mind
,

o f the Duke o f Gandia .

Viewing the a ffair from a hu m an s tand point ordinary -

,
’
m e n wi l l regard Duke Don Fran c i s c o s c ondu c t a s abhor
rent a s heartles s a s utterly br u tal It wa s Granting the
, , . .

c ir c um s tan c es he deliberately s ac rifi c ed the li f e o f hi s

,

wi fe But hi s c ondu ct was purely s uperhuman purely s u

.
,

p e rnat u ral He was o n e o f the many Roman Catholi c s o f

.

the S ixteenth Century— the Twentieth i s less p ro lific

who really and truly believed I n The Life O f The Wo rl d
T o C o m e Hi s a c tion s prove it H e knew that every man
. .

inevitably mu s t s ub m it to the hideous ordeal o f s urrender

’
ing to God s enem y Death a s the price o f entranc e to
, ,

eternity H e j udged that the s ooner thi s ordeal was over

.
, ,

the better it would be Therefore c onfident in the merit s .

,
’
o f hi s Saviour and hi s wi fe s the chan c e o f tran s lation ,

being Offered he in continently a cc epted on her behal f It

,
.

wa s the act o f a tru l y Chri s tian o f a c ruelly unworldly ,

“ ”
m an . He wi s hed to be rid o f hi s wi fe !
He did wi s h I s it wrong to a ccept the j oy o f heaven
.

“
for o n e loved s uffering here on earth ? B u t his wi s h was
,
”
selfi s h !
Hi s wi s h wa s selfish The Duke o f Ga n dia gained by .

the death o f his wi fe He gained liberty to tear the fle s h

.

o f his gra c iou s body with thong s and s c ourge s H e gained .

l iberty to abdi cate hi s du chy hi s marque ss ate his t wo , ,

p rin c ipalitie s hi s three countie s ; to strip hi m s el f o f every

,

farthing o f his enor m ou s wealth ; to for s ake hi s ho m e his ,

c hildren hi s palaces and his power ; to starve o n foul bread

, ,
 THE ANT LIGHT
B RI LLI 35 1
and fouler water ; to wear odiou s ly ugly clothes ; t o do
menial servi c e fo r hi s natural in ferior s ; to wheel manure
i n barrow s ; worst o f all to herd with vu lgar men ; to make
,

him s el f di s liked and S c orned and hated literally i f it ,

be s elfi s h to de s ire the s e thing s the n the Duke o f Gandia ,

”
was a s elfi s h man It i s impossible to a dmire him !
.

People who s ay the s e silly things make the mi s take ,

commit the inj u s tice are guilty o f the ab s urd in co n s ist

,

e n cy o f j udging the Duke o f Gandia by c o m parin g him to

,

thei r o wn ideal H e mu s t be r egarded a s he wa s ; no t as he

.

might have been i f he had i m itated the ideal o f s om e

Twentieth Century plumber haberda s her o r j ournalist It
-
, ,
.

i s not n ec e ss ary t o ad m ire him He never c ourted admira .

ti on ; nor imitation eithe r W hat he di d was personal .

between him s el f and hi s God He acted u p to hi s light s .

He obeyed the voi c e o f hi s con s cience H e took for his .

'
’
ideal that o f San Fran ce s co d A s s is i
, ,

N UDUS N UDU M C H R I S T U M SEQ UENS ,

He had the right The a ffai r wa s hi s And hi s deed s

. .

c an be r elated only : for t o u s e them to tea c h a le s so n or

,

to po int a m oral would be like a vain beating o f the air .

Lessons in this department o f kn owledge are give n by n o

human in s tru ctor ; and they are given solely to the heart s
o f willing learner s .

The fir s t hindrance was removed .

A few day s after the death o f the Duchess Pé re Pierre ,

Le fevre o f the Company o f Je s us arrived at Gandia by ,

previous arrange m ent to lay the foundatio n stone o f the

,

college whi c h the Duke was building for the Je s uits He .

brought with him the Book o f Spiritual Exercise s writte n

by the General Padre I fi igo de Loyola The Duke o f .

Gandia took advantage O f hi s pre s en c e to per form these

Spiritual Exer c ises c o ns i sting o f prayers pious medita
, ,

tions a n d rigorous and systematic sea r chings O f the heart

, .
3 52 A H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGIA S
Feeling profited by this experience he wrote to the Lo r d ,

Paul P P I I I begging H im to pronoun c e Apo s toli c A p

. .
,

p roval o f the book In cour s e o f po s t ( whi ch the Sixteenth

.
,

Century carried o n by mean s o f private c ourier s ) that i s ,

to say in the c our s e o f a few months he r ec eived f rom the ,

Holine s s o f the Pope a Brie f o f Recommendation The .

Bull o f A pproval was issued o n the thi rty fi rst o f July -

1 5 48 .

This Brief caused him to r esolve to j oin the Company

o f Jesus ; and he wrote his resolutio n to the General with
out delay Whe n the death o f his Duche s s made him fre e
.

to renounce the world he seriously had thought o f be ,

coming a Fria r Minor Hi s n ame Franci s co gave him S an

.

’
Francisco d A s s is i the founde r o f the Religion o f Friars
,

Minor as his patro n s aint : the abj ect poverty the singula r
,
-
,

contempt o f the world the aw ful austeriti e s o f the Fran

,

c is can s admi r ably agreed with his habit o f mind He .

con s ulted his r e s ide n t chaplai n who himsel f was a F r ia r

Minor To this f riar there c ame a visio n o f Madonna
.
,
“
Ma ry saying Tell the Duke to ente r the Company o f my
,
”
Son To Duke Don Fran cis c o also a statue o f Mado n n a
.
, ,

Mary s p oke the sam e wo r ds He n ce his final resolutio n . .

Padra R ibadan e ira o f the Company o f Jesus who , ,

afterwards was his con fesso r and who w r ote the li fe o f ,

the Duke o f Gandia and swore befo r e five tribunal s o f the

truth o f every word that he had written says ( xv 2 3 8 ) , .

that for the next seve n days Duke Do n Francisco was

, ,

a ffl icted with a n apparition o f a sumptuous mitre always

floating above his head H e had much fea r He knew that . .
,

whe n a perso n o f his quality r elinquished a brilliant s ecu

lar ca r ee r a n equally brilliant ecclesiastical o n e lay Open to
,

him Thi s was the very last thing that he desired He

.
.

s wore to Go d that unle s s the apparition left him a n d he

, ,

should be allowed to practise pove rty during hi s whole li fe

yet to come he would r efu s e to don the c lerical habit : fo r
,

he felt th e pr os p ect o f dig n ity to be a dan ger The n t he .

3 54 A H I STORY O F T H E B O R G I A S

str iving me anwhil e arrang e t hi ngs as t o be f r e e as s oon as

so to
yo u can an d at lib e rt y
, ca rr y o u t the p l an y o u s o ar d e n t ly d e si r e
to
t o e xecu t e fo r t he l ove o f o u r Lo r d .

I n o r d e r t o m ak e mys e l f m o r e p l ai nly u n d erst oo d I may a s we ll

“
,

s ay th at a s y ou r d au gh t e r s are o f a m arr i ag e abl e ag e I t hi n k y o u

, ,

o u gh t t o en d e avo u r t o s e e th e m s u i t ably s e tt l e d I t wo u ld be we ll .

i f y o u we re a lso t o c h o o se a s u itabl e wi f e fo r y ou r e ld e st s on t he
~
,

M ar qu e ss o f Lo mb ay I n r egar d t o yo u r oth er sons i t wou ld b e

.
,

be tte r n ot t o l eave th em d e p end ent u p on th e i r e lde r b roth er : bu t

t o assign t o e ac h a s u i tabl e an d s uffi c i ent i nco m e o f his o wn ;
all owi ng th e m m e anwhil e to p u r s u e t h e i r u ni ve r si t y c ar e e r I t is .

r e asonably t o be h o p e d t h at i f th e y f u lfill as I tru st and b e li eve

, ,

th e y wil l the p ro mise o f th e i r youth the E mp ero r wil l e xtend t o

, ,

t h e m t he f avo u r he has a l ways sh own t o y o u ; an d w ill b e stow U p on

th e m wh en the r igh t t i m e co me s app o intm ents i n k e e p i ng wi th
, ,

t h e i r r ank Y ou mu st a lso tr y an d p u sh o n t he var i o u s b u ildi n gs

.

you h ave b e g u n ; fo r I t hi nk i t d e si r abl e th at th e y sh o u ld al l be

c o m p l e te d b e f o re t he g r e at c h ang e y o u are c onte m p l at i ng is g e n
,

e rall y m ad e kn own .

“
M eanwhil e yo u c annot do b etter since you are al re ady a p ro
, ,

fi c ien t i n m o st b r anc h e s o f h u m an l e arni ng t h an app ly y ou r se l f t o ,

t he stu dy o f T h e o l o gy I t is m y wish t h at y ou sh o u ld do t his wi t h

.

m u c h c are an d p ains ; fo r I sh ou ld lik e yo u t o tak e a d o cto r s d eg re e

’

i n the Universi ty o f G an di a .

I canno t c on c l u d e w i th o u t i ncu l cat i n g u p on y ou t o t ak e e ve ry

“

p o ssibl e p recau t i on in o r d e r to p revent this astonishing p i ece o f

n ews f ro m b e i ng p r e matu r e ly di vu lg e d I f ee l t h at I ne e d add no .

mo r e o n t his h e ad .

I sh al l h o p e t o h e ar f r e q u ent ly f r o m yo u ; an d I wil l t ry t o gi ve
“

y ou al l t he a dv i ce an d assistance you may nee d I n t he m e ant i m e I .

,

sh al l b e seech o u r Lo r d to grant y ou a ll grace s an d bl essings i n e ver ,

incr e asin g ab un dance .

That truly i s an extraordinary letter The two m e n .

had never met O nly a few letters at long intervals had

.

pa ss ed between them ; yet there i s n ot the slighte s t doubt

o r mi s under s tanding The hu m ble prie s t readily but not .
,

avidly c almly but n o t arrogantly accept s the role o f mento r

to the brilliant duke He is very glad t o get a duk e —w ho
,

wi l l have done with dukedom : but he will allow n o looking

bac k when once the hand is put to the plough The sever .

a n ce mu s t be absolute and irrevocable ; and to this e n d , ,

Padre Ifi igo de Loyola give s an exhibition o f plain and

p ractical com m on sen s e expres s ed in terms o f c ourteous
 BRI LLI ANT LI GHT
T H E 35 5
an d definite c ommand I t is my wis h—I , t hin k you
o ught

50 duri n g the n ext four years the Duke o f Gandi a

laboured to carry out the order s o f hi s ecc lesiasti cal supe
rior r emoving the only hindran c e s that bound him to the
,
’
world Hi s late wi fe s sister D ofi a Juana de M ene s e s a cted
.

as mother to hi s children I n 1 5 48 he married hi s heir the .

,

Marque s s D on Carlo s o f Lombay at the age o f eightee n ,

year s to Do ha Magdalene de Centellas y Cardona Count

, ,
~

ess o f O liva I n 1 5 49 he married his daughter Do ha

.
,

I s abella to Don Fran c i s c o de Sa n doval y Roj a s Marquess ,

O f Denia and Count o f Lerina He fini s hed the building s o f .

the Domini c a n mona s tery at Gandia and o f the Je s uit ,

College whi c h i s r i chly e n dowed with hou s es for poor

s c holars and for childre n o f the Marana s o r Jew s on
,

c ondition o f bapti s m He al s o obtained charter s from the

.

Lord Paul P P I I I and from Cae s ar Carlos V raising

. . .

thi s college to the rank o f an univer s ity .

At la s t in 1 5 5 0 he left hi s duc hy o f Gandia and j our

, ,

n e ye d toward Ro m e e s c orted by a r etinue o f thirty serv

,

ants and his se c ond s o n Do n Juan de Borgia o f the age

,

o f seventeen years H e had to pay the penalty o f hi s e xt rao r

.

dinary notoriety O n hi s pas s age through Ferrara the

.
,

r eigning Duke ( who hi m s el f ca m e o f Borgia sto c k ) m e t

him with fé te s and proce ss ions At Florence Duke Cosm o .
,
’
de Medi c i a c corded a state reception He wa s going to -
.

r enoun c e the world ; and the world m ade a triumphal

progre ss o f hi s going H is de s i r e to s link into the lowe s t
.

place w o n him attention verging on adoration Hi s c hagrin .

w as undi s guised He e n voye d an avant courie r to as k his

.
-

’
superior s leave to enter Rome by n ight avoiding pub l i c ity .

Padre Ifi igo de Loyola peremptorily re fu s ed : for the Duke

o f Gandia was too go o d a n obj ect le ss on to be thrown -

away His entran c e into the Eter n al City who s e citizens

.
,

even in 1 5 5 0 revered the memory o f Borgia was like that ,

o f a king who comes i n to his kingdom The Lo rd Paul .

3 56 A H I STORY OF THE BORGIA S
P P I II
. . se n t ambassado rs to welcome him a n d to o ffe r ,

lod ging in the Apostolic Palace o f the Vati can : but t he

D u ke o f Ga n dia hurried to the J esuit College ; doing obci
s ance at the f eet o f the Ge n e ral and Fou n der o f the C om
pan y o f Jesus So these two unique p ersonalities firs t
.

met whom now me n call Saint I gn atius o f Loyola Sai nt

, ,

F r an c is o f Borgia .

Padre Ifi igo de Loyola immensely admired the Duke o f

G andia This last whose graciu s and brilliant figur e
.
,

caused him to be compared to Apollo and gained fo r him

the nickname The Moder n Narcissus already was kn own ,

to fame as a rule r and o r ator bo rn H e was the ma s te r o f .

e n o rmous wealth and influence ; and his only ambition in

li fe was to strip himsel f o f these and abnegate his will a t
the comma n d o f anothe r During his soj our n in Rome he
.
,

lavished his r evenues o n the foundatio n o f the Roman

College The honourable title o f Founde r wa s o ffered t o
.

him by his own General : but he begged to be excu s ed ; and

the title afte r wards was accepted by the Lo r d Grego ry P P . .

X III Who n amed the college The Pontifical Gregorian

,

University o f Rome Meanwhile he se n t a courie r to

.
,

Aug s burg where Caesa r Carlos V was with a lette r i n

, ,
’
which he asked hi s sovereign s leave to r esign all his title s
a n d e s tate s While he was waiti n g fo r the r eply his Ge n
.
,

eral obliged him to fulfil all the duties o f hi s ducal r ank

whe r eby he was brought into intimate relations with the
Holine s s o f the Pope and the Curial Cardinals Even i n .

this august assemblage he wo n r ega r d The Pope and t he .

c a r dinal s became so fond o f him that they disliked the

,

n otion o f allowing so brilliant a man to bury him s el f in the

severe Religion o f Padre Ifi igo de Loyola It was a waste .

o f talent they said : a n d the Supreme Pontiff propo s ed

,

i n stantly to name him cardinal like his dead b r others Do n

,

Rodrigo and Don Enri c o .

I t did appear to b e a wa s te o f talent But that was a .

pe rsonal account which th e Duk e o f G a n di a would have to

3 58 A H I STORY O F T H E B O R G I A S

bestowi n g his du c hy hi s pri n cipalities and hi s c ountie s o n

, ,

hi s heir the Marquess Don Carlos o f Lo m bay ; di s tributing

,

his e s tates and wealth among hi s c hildren He laid a s ide .

hi s sword which a cc ording to the fa s hion o f the c ou rtiers

, ,

o f Cae s ar Carlos V he rode c o c k hor s e ( s o to s peak ) a s

,
-
, ,

it hung between hi s leg s He had hi s hair cut short and .

,

the ton s ure shaved o n his head He c hanged hi s du cal .

r obes for the s habby ill fi ttin g black habit o f a Je s u it O n

-
.

W hit Saturday he was ordained prie s t ; and the Duke o f

Gandia di s appeared i n Padre Fran c i s co de Borj a I n his .

a fte r li fe he n ever would allow o f any allusion to hi s

,

forme r style exc ept when he chan c ed to hear o f the re

,

fu s al by the Company o f Je s u s to admit a would be but -

“
unsuitable novi c e when he would say Now I thank God
, ,

from the botto m o f my heart for havi ng made me a duke ;

fo r assuredly there was nothing else about me which c ould
”
have indu c ed the superiors to a cc ept me an opinion
’
which shew s that Padre Fran c i s c o s extremely poor opinio n
o f himsel f betrayed him into exaggeration—a little human
touc h which bring s him n earer to human under s tanding .

He said hi s fir s t mas s privately i n the chapel o f the

castle o f Loyola o n the fir s t o f Augu s t 1 5 5 1 the Fe s tival
, ,
’
o f St Peter s Chain s ; and gave Holy Co m munion to hi s
.

s e c ond son Don Juan de Borj a who having found it hard

, , ,

to leave hi s father was lo s ing hi s young hea rt to D o fi a

,

Loren z a O fi az de Loyola heiress o f the S e ii o r Do n B el ,

tra n o de Loyola .

’
Padre Franci s c o s s econd ma ss wa s a public fun ction .

All the people round about persi s ted in ni c knaming him

“
LO Santo Duque The H oly D u k e The Lord Juliu s
, .

P P III granted a plenary indulgence to all who s hould

. .

assist at thi s ma s s o n the u s ual condition s o f confes s ion

,

a n d c om munion T o s atis fy the multitude the ma s s wa s to

.

be sai d in the c ity o f Vergara : but no c hur c h would hold

the c rowd and the altar was erected i n a field by the her
,
’
mitage o f Sa nta A n a It bega n at n ine o c lock in the mo rn
.
 ANT LI G H T
T H E B RI LLI 3 59
i n g o f the fi fteenth o f November 1 55 1 and c ontinued till ,

three in the a fternoon so overwhelming w as the number

,

o f communi cants ( The ordinary ma s s lasts hal f an hour )

. .

The s ermon was p reached by Padre Fran ci s co i n the

cou rtly Castil ian dialect : but it is r ecorded that people o f
all provin ces understood him even those who s e n ative ,

tongue was Ba s que A certain Don Juan de Mo s chera

.

publi cly cur s ed him ; to whom Padre Fran c i s c o instantly

went begging pardon for being worth a c ur s ing
, .

He s e t up a s a hermit in a woode n c ell near the Je s ui t

Hou s e at O fi at e ; and gained fame a s a preacher espec ially ,

( strange to s ay ) a m ong the learned clergy M en who take .

plea s ure i n approving o f other s n ewcomers o f the same , ,

t r ade are very r are : but for the cl ergy to approve o f a

,

preacher is rarer He wrote a manual o f Advi c e to Preach

.

ers which had a n unusual vogue He was ve ry fond o f th e

, .

b r eviary hym n Vexill a R egis pro deu n t ( The Royal Ba n ,

n e r s fo rwa r d go ; ) and r epeated with delight o f soul the

sta n za ,

“
A r bor de c ora et fu lgida ,

O rna ta r egis pu rpu ra :

E l e c to dig n o s tipi te ,

Tam S an cta M em bra tang ere .

0 Tr of l o ry T ree m o st f ai r r da ined th ose H o ly l i mbs to

g
:
g , , o
i at ;
Ho w b r igh t i n pu r p l e ro be It st o o d , t he p u rp l e of a S av i our s ’

B l oo d .

H ymns A n i nt and c e Mo de rn .

H e worked miracle s A lady had two splinters o f wood ;

.

the one wa s unnotable the othe r was a Relique o f the ,

True Cros s : but whi c h was the Relique was not know n .

Padre Franci s co to decide broke them both ; from o ne

, , ,

Bloo d dropped upon a piece o f paper An I n fanta o f .

Spain put him to a s imila r test : but i n thi s ca s e the r elique

was s aid to be a piece o f the skin o f St Ba rtholomew .

Apo stle ( he was fl ayed alive ) with a n othe r Padre F r a n , .

3 60 A H I STORY OF T H E B ORGI A S

c isco to r e both skins ; and agai n blood dropped f r om one

o n linen The blood s tained p aper and the blood —
.
-
stained
l inen with both r eliques are in the monastery o f Poo r
, ,

Clares at Madrid Multitudes came to s e e the quo n dam

.

duke as hermit : they said that they saw a radiant ni m bus

lighting the pallor o f hi s brow ; and to prevent Padre
Francisco from becoming p u ffed up ( an exces s ively u n ,

n eces s ary precaution o n e would think ) hi s superior at

, ,

O fi ate Padre O chiva s et him to hard menial labou r to

, , ,

dig saw carry stones chop wood light fires help i n the
, , , , ,

kitche n and wheel ba r rows o f manure The General to

, .
,

whom every detail was repo rted sent Padre F r an c is c o to ,

pr each in Po rt gu al whe r e the Company o f J esu s was little

,

know n ; and hi s mi s sion met with great r esults With him .

sel f he was most severe All phy s i cal beauty was gone .

from hi s once gracious body macerated in c easeless aus ,

t e rit ie s He took the habit o f signing hi s letter s F ran cis co

.

“ ”
P ecador Franci s the Sinne r : but hi s sapient General
,

pr omptly stopped that practi c e saying that Singularity was ,

n ot the seed o f Sanctity All letters whi c h c a m e to him .

addressed to The Duke o f Gandia he r etu rn ed i n scri be d , ,

N at fo r m e F ran cis co S J ,
.

The Lord Juliu s P P II I issued a B rie f o ffering him a

. .
,

s carlet hat He sent a firm re fusal in reply It has been

. .

said that he feared to a cc ept the c ardinalate lest he s hould ,

be elected Pope at the n ext Co n clave The statement i s .

absurd ; be c ause

In theo ry the ele ction o f the Suc c e ss or o f St

,
.

Pete r i s the work o f the Holy Spirit ; and u bi

S p irit u s ibi l ibertas where the Spirit is there i s
,

liberty : not cardinals alone bu t humble prie s t s ,

as well o r new l y tonsured c lerks o r any Chri s

tian male i s eligible —there is no s u ch absurd
, ,

thing as a re s triction o n the Right o f the Divi n

ity to choos e his Vicar ; an d Padre Fran ci s co ,
3 62 A H I ST ORY O F T H E BORGI A S
He wa s the fir s t to e s tab l i s h the Je s uit Novi ciate s : and
the Novi c iate at Siman ca s wa s hi s favourite Here are hi s .

method s o f dealing with novi c es A c ertain novi c e o f noble.

birth and breeding but piou s all the sam e found it in t o l e r

, ,

able that he s hould have t o wait upon him s el f with no

menial to tru ss his p oints o r bru s h hi s clothes o r sweep
, ,

hi s floor to serve him Padre Fran c i s co heard his co m

.

plaint ; and having there another novi c e who in the world

, ,

had been a valet he ordered him o n hi s obedience t o serve

,

hi s noble brother The thing was done ; and i n a little

.

while the noble novi c e sensibly took shame at hi s o wn

,

s ingularity as might have been expected ; and dispen s ed

,

with further servi c e Anothe r noble novice found his nar

.

row c ell and his hebdo m adal shirt altogether in s upportable .

Padre Fran c i s c o pro m ptly furni s hed him with a large

room and a c lean s hirt every day ; and pre s ently he grew
, , ,

to hate his privilege s renounced them and a s simi l ated

, ,

himsel f with the re s t Padre F ran c1s co at le ast believed

.

what already ha s been s aid here viz that the wi s e man ,

.
,

does not hinder but help s the sane well meaning man who
,
-

i s aware o f his respon s ibilitie s to do the thing that h e ,

de s ires to do : fo r i f that thi ng be unde s irable the doe r

, ,

qui ckly will find it o u t and S O c onvin c e hi m s el f while the

,

thing undone the wi s h unsatisfied c au s es the un convinced

, ,

to hanker a fter to struggle for and to revolt O n c e when

, , .

’
Padre Fran c i s c o wa s vi s iting the College o f Sant Andrea
o f Valladolid the re s our c es were at an end ; and there wa s
,

neither food nor money i n the hou s e Nathele ss he ordered .

,

the bell to be rung as u s ual for supper though the board

wa s bare ; and in the ni ck o f ti m e there c ame to the outer
, ,

door an o l d grey headed man with a huge lovely boy

-
,

s tranger s i n the city who brought ba s kets o f meat and

,

bread and fi s h and egg s and wine and a pur s e o f money : ,

whom the piou s have c alled St Andrew and an Angel . .

The year 1 5 5 5 s aw three Pope s ; the Lord Juliu s P P . .

I II Who died and was succeeded by the Lo r d Marcellus

,
 BRI LLI ANT LIGHT
T H E 3 63
P P II
. .
,
Who died and wa s s uc c eeded by the Lord Paul
P P IV
. . .

In 1 5 5 6 Padre Iii igo de Loyol a died ; and Padre F r an

,

c i s c o in s tantly began to i n voke hi s departed c hief

— H aly ,

I gn atiu s of L oyo l a p ray to t he L o rd o u r G o d fo r m e ;

,

while Pade Jago Layn e z was ele cted General o f the Com
pany o f Je s u s .

I n 1 5 5 8 al s o died the Holy Ro m an E m peror Carlo s V

, ,

who long had given himsel f to religion O n his death —bed .

,
“
I mperial Cae s ar c ried fo r s anto Padre Franci s co de
”
B orj a to a ss i s t him in hi s agony But the Je s uit wa s u n .

able to arrive ex c ept i n time to prea ch the funeral oratio n .

Cae s ar had s hown to the prie s t the unpa r a l leled re s pe ct

and honour o f naming him exe c utor o f his will ; an o ffi c e
whi c h the unworldliness o f Padre Fran c i s c o impe l led him
to de c line The r oyal and i m perial family c on s c iou s o f the
.
,

« 1580 ; which they would gain by hi s a cc eptan c e appealed ,

again s t hi s de c i s ion The Prin c e ss Regent al s o invoked the

.
-

General who i ss ued a command upo n Obedien c e ; whi ch

,

Padre Fran c i s c o per for c e obeyed c arried out the provi ,

sion s o f the will o f Cae s a r Carlos V taking a s little as ,

po ss ible o f his o wn share to avoid o ffe n c e O f c ourse all

, .
,

he had would go to the fund s o f hi s Order hi s vow o f ,

poverty debarring him from personal po ss e ss ions .

I n 1 5 5 9 he was i n Portugal on c e more sick o f an i n te r

, ,

mittent fever at Evora The people o f thi s c ountry natural

.
,

enemi e s o f Spain and Spaniards s o loved Padre Franci s c o,

that they said he mu s t be a Portugue s e During hi s s i c k .

nes s he wiled the wea ry waiting and cheered hi s s oul by

,

“
s etting musi c to the anthem R egina cael i lae tare ( Rej oi ce ,

0 Queen o f and the hundred and s eventy s ix -

verses o f Psalm cxviii Vulgate Ver s io n B eati I mmacu lati

, , ,
“
( P s alm cxix Authori z ed Ver s io n Blessed are the unde
, ,

fi l e d in the This year his si s ter D o ii a Juana de

,

Borj a y Aragona ( Suor Juana de la Cruz ) died In The ,

O dour o f Sanctity She was the fir s t Abbess o f the Royal

.
 6
3 4 A H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGIA S
M o n astery o f Sandalled ( Dis c al ced ) Carmelites in M ad
rid This yea r 1 5 5 9 died the Lord Paul P P I V and t he
.
, . .

Lo r d Pius P P I V suc c eeded Him In 1 5 60 Padre Fran

. . .
,

c i s co calmed the ter r ified populatio n o f Oporto during a

total eclip s e o f the su n s p ontaneously p reac hing an im

,

passioned sermo n o n the e clipse o f mo rtal s in which veils , ,

’
man s s oul from the S un o f Righteousne s s The n agai n .
, ,

S i ckness laid him low ; n euralgia paraly s is ulcers The , , .

vile body was resi s ting the strain whi c h he made it bear .

Re s tored to health i n 1 5 6 1 he was summoned to Rome ,

and named Vicar General o f the Co m pany o f J esus Le t

-
.

it neve r be forgotten that whil e the Borgia Ponti ffs paved

,

the way for Padre Fran c i s c o de Borj a governed the

,

Jesuits throughout the world while the General Padre

Jago de Layn e z was present at the ( E c umeni cal o f Trent .

The connection betwen the House o f Borgia and the T r i

dentine De c rees is o f enormou s significan c e Here at last .
, ,

was the General Council for the Re for m atio n o f the Holy
Roman Churc h summoned and legally con s tituted by law
,

ful authority Fo r years sel f seeki n g mal contents ec cle

.
,
-
,

s ias t ical and royal had howled for it

, Now it was come .
,

but the German s chism wa s an accompli s hed fact The .

c ry had gone through Chri s tendom that Rome was e f fete ,

c or r upt o n the verge o f de c ay and dissolution And 1

, 0 She .
,

a r ose i n He r st r ength and cut away the parasitic ulcers

,

that long had blurred with ope n wounds He r contou r s ;

re furbi s hed s piritual arms long r usted ; set Her house i n
o r der ; and was ready agai n like a giant re freshed for He r, ,

inter m inable a ffray The Ba r que o f Pete r went into do ck

. .

The Garde n o f Souls was weeded The Coun cil o f Trent .

re formed the Holy Roma n Chur ch : and a Borgia a s Ge n ,

’
e ral s deputy was r uling the C ompa n y o f Jesus in al l the
,

world .

During fou r years Padre F r ancisco was Vicar Ge n e r al

,
-

in Ro m e H e preac hed o ften i n the Spani s h c hur c h o f

.

S an Giuse p pe o n Via del Mo n se rrato The Reli gio n o f .

3 66 A H I ST ORY OF TH E BORGIA S
words c ould express more sin c erely abj ect and unworldly
humility than tho s e ?
A u t p ati au t m o ri wa s hi s motto A s General he relaxed
'

.
,

not o n e o f the stern rigorou s au s terities with whi c h he

kept under hi s body and brought it into subj e ction Every .

pa ss ion and appetite o f hi s hu m an nature he deliberately

killed H e s lept little He ate little He had freed him s el f
. . .

from every earthly love .

What he might have been !

What he was !
A brilliant and grac iou s duke ma s ter o f territories and ,

boundle s s wealth father o f a nob l e fa m ily allied with the

,

blue s t blood o f Spain honoured by hi s s overeign rever

, ,

e n c e d by his equa l s loved by hi s kin adored by hi s de

, ,

pendents .

A s ini s ter s hado w o f a man rac ked with c ontinual ,

pain deliberately apart from all hi s kind feared d is liked

, , , ,

di s tru s ted alone s u ffering —alone

, , , .

Every day he s ystemati c ally m editated during five hours

o n s uperhuman things Every morning and every night he .
,

s ubj ected hi s con s cience to rigorou s examination and c o n ,

fe ss ed eve n every impul s e to evil thought H e prayed .

without c ea s ing O n c e whe n travelling in Spain with

.
,

Padre Bu s tamente the two slept side by side o n the bare

,

floor o f a lo ft becau s e there was n o roo m for them i n the

,

inn Padre Bu s tamente being asthmatic spat all night

.
, ,

long unknowingly on the fa c e o f his co m panion who

, , ,

never moved I n the morning light he wa s horrified to s e e

.
,

what he had done : but Padre Francisco consoled him ,

s aying that in all the world no more suitable plac e could

have been found H e had been very urgent with hi s s i s ter
.

D o fi a Jua n a Abbess o f the Poor Clare s at Gandia that

, ,

s he s hould per s evere i n penan c e and m o rt ifi cat io n till her

’
li fe s end Ha s there eve r been a c ase o f a con s i s tent
.

Roman Ca thol i c who ha s c ommitted s ui c ide from r eligious

m e l an cho l o m an ia ? Rar ely ; i f eve r : fo r the Church wisely ,
 T H E ANT LIGHT
B RI L L I 36 7
recognising that pe c uliar temperament ha s provided a ,

s y s tem where voluntary m o rtifi cat io n ha s its pla c es its ,

rule s and m ay be pra cti s ed by whoever will

,
.

Padre Fran ci s co had the gi ft s o f intuition and o f c lear

s eeing whi c h generally are found developed re s pe ctivel y
,

in wo m en and brute beast s He knew when a hou s e w as.

about to fall s om e ti m e be fore it fell He knew o n seeing .

,

a c ourie r from hi s elde s t s o n that an heir wa s born to ,

the Duke Don Carlo s o f Gandia The c ourier did not .

reli s h this intuition thinking that he deserved reward for

,

hi s good n ew s : o f whi c h disgu s t al s o Padre Fran c i s c o , ,

wa s aware ; and gave r eward The greate r the de tachm e n t

.

f ro m the w o rl d
,
o v er w o rl dl y thin gs the greater p ow er is
gai n e d . People who s aw Padre Franci s c o during hi s gen

e ral s hip saw ray s o f my s terious light playing r ound hi s

,

head The phenom enon o f the electric aura now is well

.

known ; and the c amera will S how it o n o cc a s ion O ften .

,

in hi s tran c es o f prayer he was seen floating above the

,

ground .

I n 1 5 66 the Lord Piu s P P I V died ; and su cc eeding

. .
,

H im the Lord Piu s P P V stopped hi s c oro natio n pro

, . . .
~

ce ss ion at the Je s uit House i n Ro m e that He might pay ,

Hi s re s pect s to the holy General In 1 5 69 Padre Fran c i s c o .

again wa s s tri c ken with fever Re c overing he made a .

,

pilgrimage to the Holy House O f Nazareth which angels ,

c arried over the s e a from Pale s tine and s e t down at Lo reto

’
by An c ona In 1 5 7 1 the Pope s Holine ss sent an e m ba ss age
.

t o Fran c e and Spain and Portugal to rou s e the sovereign s ,

o f Chri s tendom again s t the Mu s li m I nfidel The a m ba ss a .

dor s were the Papal Nephew the Lord Mi chele Bonello , ,

’
s o n o f Madonna Gardina the Pope s s i s ter born at Bo s c hi ,
’
n ear Alessandria who at hi s augu s t Un c le s fi r s t c reation
,

in 1 5 66 had bee n na m ed Cardinal Pre s byter o f the Title -

o f Santa Maria s o p ra M in erva with the c ognomen Ale s

sandrino ; and Padre Franci s c o de Borgia Prepositor ,

Ge n e r al o i the Company o f Jesus The t wo le ft Rome i n .

3 68 A H I ST ORY OF T H E B ORGIA S
15 7 1 . I n Bar c elona they settled a long s tanding di spute
,
-

between the government and the c athedral c hapter ; for

Padre Fran c i s co was ever a pea c emaker I n the provin c e .

o f Cataluna whi ch was not unmind ful o f him who had

,

been it s V i ceroy the ambas s adors were received with the

,

highe s t honour .

The re c ord o f this j ourney through the scenes o f his ,

youth ful glory i s o n e o f the mo s t pathetic thing s in huma n

,

history Thi s sini s ter emac iated phantom s habbily robed

.

in thread bare black whose thin lips bit per petual pain ;
-
,

this great and narrow spirit with eyes tardy a n d grave ,

furtively drow s ily r elu ctantly regarding earthly thing s

, , , ,

having seen the heavenly ; this mendi ca nt who s e com ,

panion wa s a prin c e o f the c hur ch s u m ptuous i n ermine

and vermilion — he was n o strange r in Cataluna where
, ,

a foretime as marquess duke and i m perial V iceroy he had , ,

exer c i s ed despotic and s overeign rule Now he thought no .

plac e low enough foul enough for his de s erts He was in

, , .
,

but n ot o f the world .

At Valen c ia hi s c hildren and hi s grandchild r en kn elt to

,

ki ss his way worn feet They prayed him to vi s it his du chy

-
.

o f Gandia He r e fu s ed He was no longer o f the world

. . .

H e prea ched for the la s t time in the c athedral o f Valen

c ia—Valen c ia the shrine o f the Hou s e o f Borgia Here a .
,

c entury and a hal f ear l ier Canon Alon s o de Borj a had ,

been raised to the bi s hopri c The Bi s hop o f Valencia .

became cardinal The Cardinal o f Valen c ia becam e the

.

strenuou s Lord Calixtus P P II I F r om Xativa by Vale n . . .

cia sprang Don Rodrigo de Lanco l y Borj a B ishop o f ,

Valen cia Cardinal o f Valen cia the magnifi c ent invincibl e

, ,

Lord Alexander P P V I That splendid Do n Ce s are . . .

( detto Borgia ) also was Bishop o f Valen c ia and Cardinal ,

before he renoun c ed the purple for the Fren c h du chy o f

V al e n tin o is Three huge per s onalities had borne the name
.

that now was repre s ented by thi s Ob s cure wan figu re who s e
voice whose magi c pleadi n g fading voice th r ill e d i n t he
, ,
3 70 A H I ST ORY OF T H E B ORGIA S
the la s t word s o f the Je s uit General were the words o f a ,
“ ”
s i m ple littl e Chri s tian c hild I long for Je s u s
, .

He had done with the Latin o f the Churc h H e had .

— “
gone ba ck to hi s mother tongue A Je s u s quiero ,
”
.

O n the fir s t o f O ctober 1 5 72 he died o f a decline being

, ,

o f the age o f two and s ixty year s .

I nstantly , the pious opinion was entertained that Padre

Fr an c i s c o de Borj a had died i n The O dour o f Sanctity .

I t wa s found impos s ible to undre s s the corpse Among .

others hi s brother Don Tomma s o de B orj a the Viceroy o f

, ,

Aragon made an attempt to per form the la s t dutie s but a l l

, ,

without s u cces s Thi s s a m e Don Tom m aso who a fterwards

.
,

bec am e Ar c hbi s hop o f Sarago ss a wrote a detailed history

,

o f thi s pheno m enon whi c h he c alls mira c ulou s Variou s .

explanat ions are given o f the s udden and c omplete rigor

m o rtis whi c h however are my s ti c al not pra c ti cal ones I t
, , , ,
.

i s s aid that mode s ty prevented the di s robing o r that it was ,

intended to hide the s cars o f long practi s ed austerities o r -

,

that the greate s t reverence was due to the body whi ch had
been the temple o f the Holy Spirit .

His family and all who in hi s li fe had know n him

, ,

looked upon Padre Fra n c i s co de Borj a as a s aint : a s s uch ,

they privately venerated his fragrant memory and invoked ,

the aid o f hi s inter c e ss ion No public honours were ac

.

c orded for hi s right to the s e had not yet been made c lear
,

but it was alleged that these private invocations produced

marvellou s resu l ts Two shall b e n amed The phy s icians
. .

attending the Duchess o f U z e da in c hild bed found them -

s elve s u n able to e ffect delivery owing to c ongenital mal

formation A fte r the invocation o f the dead Je s uit instant
.
,

s afe and painle s s delivery took pla c e with per fect health
to mother and c hild Quee n Dori a Margarita wi fe o f King
'

.
,

Don Felipe I II o f Spain endured puerperal fever The

,
.

invocatio n o f Padre Fra n ci s co brought a cu r e Then and .

,
 T H E BRI LLI A NT GHT 37 1 LI

with these credentials the Company o f Jesus fo r mally p eti

,

t io n e d the Papal Nuncio i n Spain Mon s igno r De c io Carafa ,

a fterwards Cardinal to o r der an enquiry i nto the virtues

,

and miracles o f the Servant o f God their departed General , .

Five tribu n als were found at Valen c ia Madrid Bar c elona , , ,

Sarago ss a and Re c anati ; multitudes o f witne ss es we r e

,

examined and cro ss exa m ined Padre Ribadan e ira co n

-
.
,

fe s s o r o f the decea s ed confirmed on oath his book on the

,

l i fe o f Padre F r an c i s c o de Bor j a Fro m thi s book many o f

.
,

the foregoing facts are taken I n 1 6 1 5 a fter thirty s eve n

.
,
-

’
yea r s labour the proceedings o f the five tribunals in
,
’
w r iting were sent to Rom e whe r e Spain s ambassador pre
,

sented them to the Lord Paul P P V with r e co mm endi n g . .

letter s from King Do n Felipe I I I the Grandee s and H idal ,

go s o f Spain archbi s hops and bi s hop s cathedral chapters

, , ,

muni c ipalities and unive r sities

, .

The Supre m e Pontiff was pleased to r efe r the matter to

the Sacred Congregatio n o f Rites the Roman tribunal ,

competent to deal with such a ca s e B e fore this c ou r t all .

,

evidence was verified ; and a de c ree was is s ued atte s ting

the o rthodoxy o f the teachi n g o f the Vene r able Servant o f
G od his san ctity o f li fe a n d the authenticity o f the alleged
, ,

miracles sati s factorily to have been proved ; and granted

,

permission to p r o c eed to Beatifi cation The Lord Paul .

P P V co n firmed this dec r ee ; a n d n amed three Apo s tolic

. .

C ommi ss io n ers to car r y o n the cause i n Spain The p ro .

ce e din gs o f a Royal Commi s sion are s o well unde r stood .

that it merely i s nece s sary to s ay that the busine ss o f an

Apo s toli c Commi ss ion is to sear ch for in for m ation to ,

hea r and weigh evide n ce and to compile a repo rt o n

,

a given s ubj ect .

Meanwhile the c laims o f Spain to possess the remains

,

o f he r r enowned s o n we r e r ecogni z ed ; and o n the twenty

third o f February 16 17 the body o f the Venerable Fran
,

cisco de Borj a ( ex c ept a n arm retai n ed at the Ge s u i n

,
3 72 A H I STORY O F T H E B OR G I A S

Rome ) was t r anslated to the chape l o f the Jesuit House

,

in M adr1d .

’
In 1 6 2 3 the eight yea r s labour s o f the A s po s to l ic C o m
,

mi ss io n were con c luded ; and brought to the u s ual s crutiny

in Rome Later the verdict was given to the e ffe ct that the
.
,

s a n ctity and miracles o f the Ve n erable Franci sco de Bo r j a

fully had been established ; and that there fore he was , ,

worthy o f Beatifi c ation : whi ch decisio n duly was co n

fi rmed by the Lord Grego ry P P X V . . .

Thi rty o n e years late r on the thi rty fi rst o f Augu st

-
,
-
,

16 5 4 a decree in accord with this decision wa s i ssued by

,

the Sacred Congregatio n o f Rite s and ratified by the Lo r d ,

Urban P P V I I I Who o n the twenty fourth o f Novem

.
1
.
, ,
-

ber published the Bull o f Beatification with the O ffi ce and

,

Ma ss in honour o f the Bles s ed Franci s c o de Bor j a fo r the

Universal Churc h .

A n other seventeen years o f public prayers and legal

action pa ss ed ; and o n the eleventh o f April 1 67 1 the Lord ,

Clement P P XI solemnly canoni z ed Saint Fran cisco de

. .

B orj a adding to the Roman Martyrology which is the

, ,

offi cial roll o f san ctitude the three line s in which the Holy
, ,

Ro m an Catholic Chur ch delivers Her authoritative j udg

ment and o f which the following is a literal tran s lation
,
“
S ix th day of t he I des of O c to be r This day at R ome is .
, ,

k ep t t he f es tival of S ain t F ran cis co of B orj a R ep os itor ,

G e n e ral of the C o m p any of Je s u s m e m orabl e having abdi , ,

co te d s e cu l ar thin gs an d re f u s e d dig n i ties of the C hurch by ,

as p e rity o f l ife the gif t o f p rayer

, .

I n 1680 the reliques o f the saint were tran s lated to the

,

gorgeous c hur c h in Madrid which the Duke o f Lerma built

To the Greater Glory o f God and o f his an ,

c e s t o r St Franci s c o de Borj a S O a c entury a fter his death

. .
, ,

a Borgia was numbered with the Saint s .

1 T his P ont iff once was ask e d t o gi ve an o p i ni on as to who had

b een the gre ate st P o e s He answe red, p .
! !
S t P eter S t S ylvester
.
, . ,

A l exan d e r V I an d O u rse l f .
 A SHE S
“
i ki
that dl d beg in s w i th s m o k e an d his s ing ,
A fi re , s n e ,

w hil e i t l ay s ho l d o n the fag g o ts ; bu rs ts in t o a ro aring

bl az e w ith r ag ing to ng u es of fl a me de v o u ring all i n
, ,

re ach s pang l e d wi th s par k s t hat die ; s e t tl e s in to the

,

s te ady g e nial g l ar e the brill ian t lig ht that m e n ca l l

, ,

fire : bu rns aw ay to s l owly expiring as hes ; -

F R O M the bi rthday o f the Li fe eternal o f St Fran c i s c o de .

Borj a the Spani s h B ran c h o f the Hou s e i n hi s direct

,

de s c endant s in c rea s ed and multip l ied ; inter m arried with

the grande s t name s in Spain ; and de c rea s ed in i m portan c e ,

until its extin ction in the penulti m ate dec ade o f the la s t
c entury Four only o f the s e need be m entioned here
.
, ,
.

Don Ga s pard de Borj a wa s a great grand s on o f the -

Saint and s on o f Duke Don Fran c i s c o de Gandia by hi s

,

wi fe D o fi a Juan de Vela s c o Tovar He s t u died at the Com

"

p l u t e n s ian Univer s ity be c oming a Laureate

,
in Theology
and Dean o f the Univer s ity He w as the fir s t G randee o f .

Spain t o o ccupy the Chair o f Pro fe ss or and Publi c Lec

turer At the in s tance o f the Catholi c King he O btained a
.
,

Canonry at the Metropolitan Cathedral o f Toledo ; and here

he began to nouri s h the enormous a m bition o f beco m ing
the third Pope o f the House o f Borgia 1
.

O n the s eventeenth o f Augu s t 16 1 1 he was named , ,

Cardinal Pre s byter o f the Title o f Santa Cro c e in G eru s a

-

1 “ Ca r d Zapp ata aj ebat f ru str a C ar d Gasparem B o r gi a mo res

. .

c o m p one r e e t a n atu r a r e c e d e r e u t P o n t ifi ca tu m a s s e q u at u r Q uan

, .

do q u ide m a m u l tis annis Sp i r i t u s S anc t u s n o n s p ire t i n H i s p an i a ,

“
Cu bebat n ihil o m inu s fi dem adhibe re i n an i e t fatu ae p re dic t io ni ,

bo v e m t e rt i o mu rg it u ru m Q u o d a s s e n t a to re s in te rp re taban tu r u t
.

“
p o st C al ix t um I II e t A l e x an dru m V I i p se t e r t i u s P o n t i f ex r enun
,

t iant u r e t f am igli a B o r gi a bo v e m i n s en t o fe ren s

, , ( A rn ide nio i n .
,

Vi te m
’
. s s . . de C ardin al i )
 ASHES 3 75
l emme being the n a youth ;
,
inve n is s ay s Ciacco ni ; ,

t wenty two yea r s o f age s ays the exa c t and uniquely well
-
,

informed Moroni O n the fi fteenth o f May 16 3 0 he was

.
, ,

r ai s ed to the Cardinal B ishopri c o f Albano and named

-
,

Arc hbi s hop o f Seville I n Rome he wa s on the Sa c red

.
,

Congregation o f the Holy O ffic e and am bas s ador o f the ,

Catholi c King to the Holy See I n the Kingdom o f Naples .

,

he wa s Vi c eroy He bought ( Mr Henry Harland wittily

.
, .

s ays that o n e may buy s u ch thing s ) the additional title o f ,

“
Father o f the Poor by di s tributing annually in charity
,

ten thou s and c rowns ; and he exchanged hi s ar chbi s hop o f

Seville for that o f Toledo In 1 64 1 he held a dioce s an .
,

s ynod over whi c h hi s Vi c ar General pre s ided as hi s proxy-

,

and governed hi s ar chdio c e s e while he was cultivating hi s ,

ambition in Ro m e He wa s an unwilling a ss i s tant at the

.

two Conclave s which ele cted the Lord Gregory P P X V

, . .

a n d the Lord Urban P P V III And in November 1 64 5

. . .
, ,

while England wa s in the throes o f the G r eat Rebellion he ,

died at Madrid after fi fty s ix years o f li fe and thirty four

,
-
,
-

o f c ardinalate a di s appointed ma n a n d was bu r ied in the

, ,

met r o p olita n cathedral o f Toledo .

Don F r a n cisco de Bor j a great gr eat gra n dso n o f t he ,

- -

Saint s o n o f Duke Don Carlos de Gan dia by his wi fe

,

D o ii a Maria Po n ce de Leon was bor n o n the twenty ,

seventh o f March 1 65 9 H e was a ma n o f singular and

, .

ext r aordinary p iety a n d lea r ning Archdeaco n o f Calatrava ,

and Cano n o f Toledo By hi s proved fidelity he gained

.

the favou r o f the Catholi c King Don C arlos I I who mad e ,

him Coun cillor o f Aragon From Rome he r eceived the .

,

bi s hopric o f Cal agu rita and ( o n the fou rteenth o f Novem

he r 1699 ac cording to Mo r oni o r o n the twenty firs t o f
, ,
-

June 1 700 a c cording to Gu arnacci ) the sca r let hat o f the

, ,

cardinalate and the archbishopric o f Burgos He died o n .

3 76 A H I STORY OF T H E PORGIA S
the fou r th o f April 1 702 undi s tingui shable f r om othe r ,

ecclesiasti c s o f hi s r a n k .

Do n Carlo s de Borj a was brothe r to the foregoing Bo rn .

’
at Gandia his family s fi e f o n t he thi rtieth o f April 16 5 3
( Mo r oni ) o r 166 3 ( G uarnacci ) he s tudied theology at
,
’
,

the c ollege o f Sant Ildefon s o and su cc eeded his brothe r as ,

Archdeac on o f Calatrava and Canon o f Toledo O n the .

death o f Ar c hbi s hop Don Pedro de P o rt o carre ro the Lord ,

Clement P P XI n amed him Archbi s hop o f Tyre and

. .

Trebizond in p artibu s i nfidel iu m ; a see held at the pre s ent

moment by an Englishman who is the orna m ent o f the
“ ”
Bla ck drawing room s o f Rome From Tyre and T rebi
-
.

z o n d A r c hbishop D o n Carlo s de Borj a r o s e to the Pat r i

,

archat e o f the I ndie s continuing to re s ide in Spain where

,

he S hewed piety and zeal a s c haplain and almoner to the

Catholic King Do n Felipe V O n the thirtieth o f Septe m .

be r 1 720 he wa s rai s ed to the Sac red College ; and in hi s

, ,

capac ity o f c ardinal hurried to Rome for the Conclave o f

,

172 1 There he found already elected and c rowned the

.
, ,

Lord I nno c ent P P X II I who n amed him Cardinal. .

,

Pre s byte r o f the Title o f Santa Pu de n z ian a and placed him ,

o n the Sac red Congregation s o f The I ndex o f Prohibited

Books o f I ndulgences o f S ignatu rae Gratiae He died at
, , .

’
the Royal Vi l la o f Sant I lde fonso n ear Madri d on the
eighth o f Augu s t 1 7 3 3 and honourably was buried there
, , .

H e ha s left n othing o f his per s onality save a physically ,

e ffete but beauti ful gentle generou s s hadowy vi s age in ,

his portrait painted by Pro caccini a n d engraved by Ro ss i ,

i n Gu arnacci I I 3 5 7— 8 . .

S o the Senior Bran ch in the line o f the direct de s cend ,

ant s o f the m urdered Duke o f Gandia ba s tard o f the Lord ,

A lexander P P V I withered in sumptuous ob s c urity ; heap

. .
,
3 7 8 A H I STORY OF TH E BORGIA S
M arque ss o f Tavara Santillana A lge cill a A rgu e s co
, , , ,

Gibraleon Zahara Lombay Pe fiafi e l Al m enara

, , , ,

y Cea ;
C ount o f B enevente Pla s en cia B e j ar Gandia Ar c o s
, , , ,

de la Frontera Medina de Rio s e c o y Ler m a

, ,

Real de Man z anare s La O liva B el al e az ar

, , ,

U re fi a Ca s are s Melgar B ait e n Mayorga y

, , , ,

F o n t e n ar ;
Vi s count o f La Puebla de A lco c er .

He wa s Ten Time s Grandee o f Spain o f the Fir s t Cla ss ,

K night o f the O rder s o f Calatrava O f St John o f Je ru s a , .

l e m o f the Golden Flee c e Knight Grand Cro ss and Co l lar

, ,

o f the O rder s o f Carlo s V o f St H e rm e n e gil d o f St

,
.
,
.

Alexandra Ne w s k i o f the Chri s t o f Portugal o f the Crown

, ,

o f B avaria o f the Legion o f Honour e t c

,
e tc etc , .
,
.

He died without i ss ue o n the s econd o f June

A l l f ro m E l B l as o n de E s pai i a, by D o n A u gu sto de B u rg o s,
'

I II 1 85 -9 5
. . .
 BO O K T H E FO U R TH
A FL I CKER FR O M TH E EM B ER S
A fire , k in dl e d, beg ins with s m o k e and his s ing whil e
tha t is ,

i t l ays ho l d o n the fag g o ts ; bu rs ts in to a r o aring bl az e ,

with rag ing to ng u es o f fl ame de v o u ring all in re ach , ,

s pang l e d wi th s par k s that die ; s e t tl e s i n to the s te ady

g e n ial g l ar e , the bril l ian t l ig ht that m e n c al l fire : bu rns

,

aw ay to s l o w l y e xpir in g ashes ; s av e w he re s m ou l de r
-

i ng em be rs flic k e r an d n u rs e the g l ow
, ,

W H I LE St Fran ci s c o de Bor j a wa s his c ontemporary in

.

the Spani s h Bran c h Don Pietro Borgia ( the great grand

, ,
- e

s o n o f that Don Pie t ro go rio Borj ia who was the Tru s ty

familiar o f Duke Ce s are de V ale n tin ois della Ro m agna and

Viceroy o f the Abru z zi ) wa s living in Velletri on the ,

frontier o f the Regno the little V o l s ican city where his

,

fam ily had been s ettled sin c e Don Ni ccolo B orgia wa s it s

Regent in 1 4 1 7 He married Mado n na Filomena gen til
.
-

do n na m ol to pia i s the s weet b r eath o f her whi c h Arch

bi s hop Bonaventura T he u li has preserved for u s —
, ,
1
and ,

had three c hildren :

( a ) The youngest s o n Do n Polidoro Borgia died i n , ,

hi s youth the year before St Fran c i s co de

,
.

Borgia died General o f Je s uits in Rome Hi s .

epitaph in the porch o f Santa Maria del T rivito

,

at Velletri i s as follow s :
,

D O M . . .

P OL I D ORO B OR
-G I A E I N VE N I V IR

T U T I B U S ET
-

M ORI B . OR NAT
15 5 . F IL U M E NA
1 The ul i Te atro I s torico di Ve l l e tri V e ll e tr i ,
. . 1644 , I II 304
. .

3 79
3 80 A H I STORY O F T H E B OR G I A S

M A TE R H C
E TOR
I V D . . . ET H ORA T
I US B ORGIA FR .

B P . v1x A XX II
OB . A MD . L XXJ
D I E XI I
O CTOB 1 .

The s e c ond s on Don Or a z io Borgia bec ame , ,

co mm ander o f a s quadron o f Pontifical Cavalry ;

and fe l l gloriously fighting in the Cru s ade o f
Hungary ,

The elde s t s on Don Ettore di Pietro Borgia , ,

married Madonna Por z ia Landi who bore him ,

two son s The younger Don Ale s sandro -

,

Borgia be came Dean o f the Cathedr al — c hapter

o f hi s native c ity The elder Don Camillo B o r .

,

gia be c ame Governor o f Velletri married the

, ,

Nob l e Madonna Con s tantia Gallinella and died ,

in 1 64 5 Hi s epitaph in the c hapel O f the Visita

.
8
,

tion o f the H a gde r oynt ng ( the patron saint o f -

the V e l ite rn ian B orgia ) in the c athedral o f

Clemente at Velletri i s a s follows : ,

D . T . V .

C A M IL I O B ORGI A E N OBIL I
V ELIT ER O N
HE CTORI S I C E T P ORTI A E LA DAE
. . D . N
FLO I I N ON M I N U S C ELEBRI
A VOR U M TOGA ET A R M I S I N S I GN I U M
C LA R I T U DI N E I L LU T RI S
I N P A T RIA E RE GI M I N E
C O N S U L I JU D I C I ET REC TORI
V I GI LA N TI S S I M O
N
V I TA E CA D ORE M OR U M S U A VI TATE
UB I Q CL A RO . O M N I B U S C H ARO
ANN O A ET S U A LV ET M E N IV . E .

E X TI N CTO
D I E XX V I S E T A PARTU V IRGI N IS
. P .

1 T ben li , III 33 5
. .

2 i hi
R cc , 2 5 1 .

3
T heu l i, II I 3 12- 3
. .
3 82 A H I STORY OF T H E BORGIA S
( y) Don Ce s are Borgia wa s a Knight Co m,
mande r
o f the O rder o f St John o f Je r u s ale m o f Malta
.

in
( )
8 Don Ale ss andro Borgia born 168 2 s tudied , ,

with hi s brother Don Fabri z io under their un cle

Canon Giampaolo won the laurel wreath o f the
A rchgym n as iu m o f Sapienza at Ro m e ; in 1 706 ,

wa s attac hed to the Secret Nunciature o f Mon

signor Bu ss i at Cologne ; i n 1 7 1 6 be cam e
2
,

Bi s hop o f No cera and in 1 723 Prin c e Ar c h

, ,
-

bi s hop o f Fermo !In M u s eu m M az z u chell iana

.

( T o m I I Tab C X C I V p 3 82 3 ) there i s an
. . .
, .
-

engraving o f a m edal o f thi s prin c e ar c hbi s hop -

,

whi c h wa s s tru c k to c o m me m orate the c o n s ec ra

tion by him o f hi s nephew ( the s o n o f o n e o f hi s ,

sisters who s e name r emains to be di s covered ) ,

D o n Pierpaolo Leonardi a s Prince Bi s hop o f ,

-

A s coli The obver s e o f the medal shew s three

.

bi s hop s s itting and o n e kneeling with the legend ,

A BO RG I A A R C H I E P E T P R I N C E P S FE R M A N U S
. .

P PA U LU M LE O N A RD U M E P E T P RI N A S C U
. . .

1 T he O r d e r o f M
a l t a, o r o f S
t J o h n o f J e ru sal e m w as f ou nde d
.
,

G
by D o n e rard o di Mart iq u e z di P rovenz a ward e n o f t he o s i tal ,
H p
of S . p
t J o hn B a t ist fo r Pilgri m s in 109 8 T he o s itall er s we re
, . H p
p
d edi cate d t o the se rvi ce o f the o o r ; and wo re a bl ac k habi t wi th an ,

e igh t -
p
o i nt e d M
a l t e s e C r o ss in whi te , o n the b re ast T h e y to o k
, .

p
vows o f ove rty, c h ast i ty and o b e di enc e T he Re g u l ar o u n dat i on . F
w as d e l ay e d t ill 1 104 wh e n B aldwi n I was ki n g i n J e ru sal em T he .

S
R u l e w as t h at o f t A u r e li u s A u gu s t i n e ; an d t he O r d e r w as finally
.

c on fi r m e d by the B u ll o f t he Lo r d P asc h al P P I I i n 1 1 13 I t s C o n . . .

s t it u t io n ad m i tte d o f K H
n igh ts o f ono u r and B ro th e rs o f evo t i on ; D
t he f o r m e r swo r e t o d e f en d t he F
a i t h aga i n st a l l e n e m i e s t he l att e r ,

p
t o m i nist e r t o ilg r im s an d affli cte d T h e r e we r e t w o b adg e s a c r o ss
.
,

o f si x p
o i n t s i n g o ld e nam e ll e d whi t e , an d a c r o wn e d c r o ss o f e igh t
p o i n t s o f t he s am e , wo rn o n a bl ac k r ib and T he O rd e r had a
—
.

P r i o ry in Londo n b e f o re t he R e f orm at i on S t J o hn o f J eru s al e m

in C l e r k enwe ll —wh o s e o r iginal g ate an d c r y t m ay y e t be s een
.

p .

p
T he re s ent s o i- dis ant O r d e r whi c h oc cu i e s t his P r i o r y ha s y e t t o p
sh ew auth o r i ty fo r i ts existence .

2 P E
. C av V is cont i i n T ip aldo
. . .
 A FLI CKER FRO M T H E E M BERS 383
LA N I N U N G I T The rever s e s hew s the de at é xo g
. .

in A ss u m ption ble ss ing two c hur che s with the ,

legend UT R I U S Q U E E CC LES I AE P AT R O N A F I R M I E T
A S C U LI A D . . Prin c e Ar chbi s hop -

Ales s andro Borgia died in 1 764 .

the heir Don Ste fano Cam illo Borgia o f the ,

Su preme Magi s tra c y who m arried Madonn a ,

Maddalena Gagliardi and had i ss ue , ,

( a ) Cavaliere Giam paolo Borgia general in the ,

Pontifi cal Army :

( B ) The Noble Don Ste fano Borgia i n who m ,

the ember s o f the Hou s e o f Borgia fli ckered

a hundred years ago .

Do n Stefa n o B orgia wa s born at Velletri o n the third

o f De c ember 1 7 3 1 His early edu c ation wa s c ondu c ted in
, .

that little Volscian c ity where his Hou s e had been e s tab
lis hed c e r tainly sin c e 1 4 17 a n d probably since the Docu
,

ment o f Donation o f the Lo rd Lu c iu s P P III 1 18 1—1 18 5 . .

, .

( R icchi ) Later he went to hi s un c le the Prin ce

,

Archbi s hop Ale s sandro Borgia o f Fermo with whom he ,

’
lived and unde r whom he studied till the latter s death in
, ,

1 7 5 6 The nature o f thi s education can be j udged from

.

’
Don Stefano s after li fe in whi c h he c u t s o noble a figure
-

as ecclesiastic diplomatist ruler scholar ar c haeologist

, , , , ,

man o f lett ers and Christian gentleman

, .

At the age o f ninetee n years he had written a learned ,

little treati s e o n the mo n u m ent o f the Lord John P P . .

XV I ; and a Short Hi s tory o f the ancient c ity o f Tadino in

Umbr 1a with an exact acc ount o f the latest re s ear che s
among I t s r uins two octavo volu m e s publi s hed i n Ro m e
,

1 7 5 0 1 : s o that when he arrived in the Eter n al City a fter

-

’
his uncle s death he found him s el f appreciated no t only
,

fo r hi s illu s triou s na m e but al s o for the c re s cent ability

,

o f which he had given eviden c e Three years later i n 175 9

.
, ,
3 84 A H I ST ORY OF T H E B ORGI A S
he was n amed Governor o f the city and du chy o f Be n e
vento the p on tifi cal fi e f formerly o cc upied by anothe r
,

Borgia the murdered Duke o f Gandia Here he wrote his

,
.

Hi s tori cal Memorial s o f the Pontifical City o f Benevent o

from the Eighth to the Eighteenth Century i n three ,

quarto volumes publi s hed in Ro m e 1 76 3 9 I n 1 7 64 he ,

-
.

wa s s ecretary to the Sacred Congregation O n I ndulgen ces .

I n 1 7 65 at the age o f thirty four year s his hand s were

,
-
,

anointed and he received the orde r o f prie s thood In .

1 7 7 0 he was n am ed Se c retary a s e cr e tis to the Sa c red Con

gregatio n o f the Propagatio n o f the Faith ( v title page

-
. .

o f his D e Cr u ce ) .

Hi s career was n ow well begun ; and he had time to -

pursue his favourite o cc upation s o f letters and archaeology .

Writing under hi s i n itia l s S B he publi s hed in 1 7 7 3 his . .

,

di s c overy o f a Venetian Kalendar o f the Eleventh Century

from a vellum M S and a Ko pt ic and Latin Fragment o f
.
,

the Acts o f St Ko l u thu s I n 1774 he publi s hed an edition

. .
,
’
o f the Lord Pius P P Il s ( Enea Silvio ) work A gain s t
. .
,

the Tu rk s I n 17 7 5 the Signo r Abbate Stefano Borgia

.

addressed to the Etruscan A cademie s o f Cortona and

Floren c e a duode cimo Philologi cal Dis s ertation o n an
,

antique gem intaglio la pregiabile vetu s ta agata—la bella

-
“
,

e rara ge m ma—Gem m a Borgiana whi c h the c elebrated

a n d learned antiquary Martinello in a letter to Padre ,

Igna z io della Cro c e a s andalled Augu s tinian calls m os t ,

s cho l arly an d p re cio u s I n 1 776 he produ c ed a work in

.

quarto o n the Shrine o f St Peter i n the Vati can Basili c a . .

In 1 779 he p ubli s hed a folio o n the curiou s Cro ss o f the

Vati can which i s vene r ated o n Good Friday with the ,

Syriac Rite o f Salutation o f the Cro ss all mo s t learnedly ,

s et forth and illu s trated with notes and c o m m entarie s .

He did n ot forget his House o r hi s native c ity o f Vel ,

letri : for he e s tablished there the Borgia Mu s eum o f A n

tiqu it ies which c hiefly was famous for the Mexican Codex
,

o f hi s p r esentation lately fou n d worthy to be pr oduc e d

,
3 86 A H I STORY OF TH E BORGIA S
scholar universally may be k n own He had a pretty taste .

for letters a habit o f a c qu i r i ng rare bo ok s and manu

,

s c ript s ; and wa s him s el f a write r o f extreme di s tinctio n .

H e had al s o a pa ss ion for c o l lecting beauti ful and S ingular

thing s e s pecially engraved gem s The magic o f carven
, .

p reciou s s tone s en c hanted him as c amci and in taglii eve r ,

have en chanted men o f delicate and power ful mental

mould The ti m e s i n whi c h he lived were n ot convenient
.

for the c ultivation o f the s e exquisite ta s te s : but it i s i n no

ca s e de s irable that they s hould be cultivated They lead .

nowhere neither to heaven nor to hell E ss entia l ly they

, ,
.

have no relation to the work o f li fe o r death ; and it i s not ,

well that they S hould u s urp attention for there are greater -

thing s But the po ss e ss ion o f the s e ta s te s i s an imperative

.

n e ces s ity to him who would do tho s e greater thing s ; for

they bring a s nought el s e bring s the habit o f d is crimina
, ,

tion o f s ele ction o f appre c iation ; they refine and tem pe r

, ,

and gra c e the s teel with which the greater deeds O f l i fe ,

and death are done : and S O their only end i s s erved ;

, , ,

while he who ha s them i n the nature o f him n ot laboriou s ly ,

a c quired but c ongenitally po ss e ss ed i s the better man the , ,

more capable man the more enduring s kil ful pote n t and
, , , ,

triumphant man and c orrelatively the happier man

, , , .

Cardinal Stefano Borgia then having this gentle generou s

, ,

love for book s and pre c iou s s tone s mo s t naturally became ,

o n e o f the mo s t di s tingui s hed e ccle s ia s ti c s o f hi s age .

I n 17 9 1 he publi s hed a s a supplement to hi s Short

,

Hi s tory a learned quarto i n Defen c e o f the Temporal

,

Dominion o f the Apo stolic See in the Two S icil ies To .

this he added in 1 79 3 a treati s e o n two K O ptic saint s

, , , ,

Ko l u t hu s and Pan e s n ic e who s e original Act s were i n hi s

,

po ss ession But it c hiefly wa s as Cardinal o f the Curia a s

.
,

Prote ctor o f Religiou s a s Ruler and Governor a s Pro

, ,

pre fect o f Propaganda ( to which he wa s appointed in

that he mani fe s ted his ability and s terling worth .

Whe n the armies o f Revolutionary France i nvaded I taly ,

 A FLI C KER FRO M T H E E M BERS 3 87
e n gaging in t hose extravaga n t mon s tro s itie s o f turpitude
whi c h habitua l ly di s gra c e the French toward the c lose o f
every century Hi s Em inen c e allowed nothing o f war or
,

tu m ult to di s turb the s erene and s trenuou s per forman c e

o f his multi farious o ffi c e s I n tho s e horrid ti m e s when .
,

a n other or le ss er man would have been paralysed he re ,

tired with s uperb dignity from Rome to Padua when c e he ,

continued to admini s ter and govern not hi s o w n e s tates

only but a l l the foreign d io c e s e s and m i ss ion s throughout
,

the world whi c h were s ubj e ct to Propaganda And it wa s .

here in Padua that he quietly found ti m e to do a beauti ful

and noble deed by whi c h alone had he done nothing el s e
, , ,

he wou l d have prepared for himsel f a more illu s triou s

n ame .

At thi s time the College o f Cardinals c ontained a certai n

,

Augu s t Per s onage an Engli s h m a n o f paramount impor ,

tan c e .

When in the Revolution o f 1688 King Jame s I I

, ,

Stewart had been driven from hi s kingdo m o f England by

the Prince o f O range H is Maj e sty took re fuge in Fra n c e ,
.

His s o n Prin c e Jame s vulgarly c alled the O ld Pretender , ,

unsu cc es s fully warred for hi s rights i n 1 7 1 5 ; and o n the ,

death o f his father a s sumed in exile hi s birthright with the

,

style Ja m es III D G o f Great B ritain France and I reland

King F D King Jame s I I I had two son s —Ob s erve the ad
. .
, ,

. .
,

mirable insouciant carriage o f head o n thei r medals as

boys The elder Prin c e Charle s Edward as Prin c e o f
.
, ,

Wale s vulgarly called the Y oung Pretender advan c ed hi s

, ,
’
father s c laim to the crown o f Engla n d by force o f arms
i n 17 4 5 The r esult wa s the Mas s acre o f Culloden Moor
. .

The younger Prince Henry Benedi c t he Duke o f Y ork

, , ,

wa s a prie s t Hunted from France by Hanove r ia n diplo

.

macy King James I I I found re fuge in Rome where at , ,

length he died ; the Prin c e o f W ales s u c ceeding him as

,

King Charle s II I Prin c e Henry Be n edi ct mea nwhile rose

.

i n ecclesiastical r ank through the Cardi n al Bishop r ic o f -

3 88 A H I ST O RY OF T H E B ORGIA S
’
Os tia and Velletri ( Cardinal B o rgia s city ) to the C ardi ,

n al Bi s hopric o f Tu s culum and the V ice chan cell o rship o f

-

the Holy Roman Chur c h Hi s medal by Filippo C ro pan e s i .

, ,

dated 17 66 s how s hi s royal Stewart profile s till with the

, ,

admirable high carriage o f head and the legend ,

HE N RI C U S M D E P T U S C CAR D D UX E BOR
. . . . . . C AN C .

In his brother King Charles I I I died at Rome ;

1 788 , , ,

and was buried with his father in the crypt o f the Vati can
Ba s ili c a A S he left no legitimate heir s his rights i n the
.
,

Maj e s ty o f England devolved upon Cardinal Henry Bene

di c t Stewart who was known a s Hi s Royal Highne s s the
,

Cardinal Duke O f Y ork Thi s Personage c om bined with .

tran s cendent beauty and truly royal dem eanour rare and ,

s olid virtue and the e x rem e o f good sense Nothing could .

have been more per fe ctly kingly than his ea s y and ready
r eali z ation o f his s ituation H e wa s aware as well o f his .
,

hereditary right s as o f the fa ct that hi s subj e cts having

, ,

settled down under a n u s urping dy n a s ty had disowned ,

and would di s own his claims o n their allegiance He had .

seen wa r i n his path H e had no i n satiable c r aving fo r a

.

crown He a r rived at a decisio n ab s olutely luminously

.

wi s e That the rights o f his dynasty should su ffer n o

.

diminution by r enunciatio n o n his part he made a t echni

, ,

cal assertion O i hi s sovereignty p roclaiming hi s acces

, ,

sion i n su c h a way that the usurpation o f hi s throne by the

Elector o f Hanover ( vulgarly called George I II ) should
,

be undisturbed e xc ep t by E nglan d s Will H e cau s ed a

,
’
.

’
medal to be stru ck bearing o n the obver s e Hi s Maj e s ty s
,
’
e ffigy i n a cardinal s habit with zu cchetto and the pectoral
c ro ss o f his epis c opate —the kingly head 13 droopin g ,

now with the legend

H EN Y T H E N I N T H OF G REAT BR TAI N F A N CE A N D I ELA N D K I NG
R ,
I ,
R R ,

D F N DER OF H E FA T H C ARD NAL B I S H O OF T US C UL U M

E E T I , I -
P .
3 90 H I ST ORY OF T H E B ORGIA S
A

the ha p piness o f the subj e cts who were hi s but who n eve r ,

would o wn him as their liege lord and sove r eign No more .

S plendid an d di s intere s ted example o f sel f s acrifice exi s ts -

i n human hi s tory than the s pe cta cle o f this King o f Eng

land who scorned to seek to c ompel unwilli ng homage It .

was indeed the act o f a king .

A fter the te c hni cal as s umption o f s overeign ty His ,

Maj esty made no further c laim He did not he s itate t o

1
.

u s e hi s regal s tyle o n monument s whi c h he erected in his

Sub U rban Dio c ese o r in similar plac es : but he wa s co n

-
,

te n t to be called the Cardinal Duke o f Y ork as before

-
, ,

though all the world knew him as he really wa s and ,

invariably acc orded the respect due to him a s a prin ce o f

the c hur ch The r e w as however o n e n otorious exception
.
, , .

The c hivalrou s n ation o f Fra n c e which formerly had r e

,

venged it s el f o n the Lo rd Alexander P P V I by atta cking . .

M adonna Giovanna de Catan e i and Madonn a Giulia

’

O rsini n ata Farne s e was j ust as r eady n ow to s rike at the

,

old and helple ss ; and it i s t o the sham eful atro c ities o f

Fran c e that Engla n d owes the noble actio n o f a Borgia in
r egard to the la s t o f the Royal House o f Stewa rt .

I t has bee n said that Cardi n al Stefano Borgia was at

Padua i n the autumn o f 179 9 while the r egicidal armies o f
the Fren c h Con s ulate we r e earning in famy by r avaging the
p o n t ifi cal states From Padua His Em i n ence indited a
.

private letter dated the fourtee n th o f Septembe r 1799

, , ,

addre s s s e d to an Engli s h baronet o n e Si r Joh n Coxe

,

Hippis l ey at Gro s venor Street Londo n which will tell a

, , ,

tale The Cardinal wrote a s follows in beauti ful Italia n

.
,

with the incorrec t spelling o f a gentlema n born

1 B y his l ast w ill an d t e stam ent, C ar dinal K
ing enry I X be H
q u e athe d his r igh t s in t he English C r own t o the d e s c endants o f
A nna M
ar i a d o r l e an s, ( d au gh t e r o f
’
H
e n r i e tta S
tewart and n i ece ,

of K D
in g Ch ar l e s I , ) who m arr i e d uk e V itto ram ade o o f S av o j a ;
—
f rom wh o m d e scends n o t the B avar i an P r ince ss o f t he O rde r o f
t he W hi te Ro se, but— ing V ittoreman ue le III o f Italy
K .
 FLI C KER FRO M TH E E M BERS
A
39 1
T he f r i endshi p w i th whi c h yo u h onou re d m e i n Ro me encou rag e s
m e t o l ay b e f o re yo u a c as e wo rthy o f y o u r m o st matu r e r e fl e ct i on
whi c h is t h at am on g the oth e r car dinals who h ave t ak en re f uge
, ,

i n P ad u a h er e is a lso t he C ar dinal D u k e ; an d i t is g r e at ly af
, fli ct -

“
i n g t o me to s e e s o g r e at a P e r s onag e t he l ast d e sce nd ant o f his ,

R o y al H o u s e re d uce d to s u c h distr e sse d c i rc u m stanc e s h av ing

“
, ,

e en b ar baro u sly str i pp e d by t he F re nc h o f al l his p r o p e rt y

“
b ( dai
”

F ran ce s i barbaram e n te s pog l iata di tu tt o ; ) an d i f t h e y d e p r ive d

“ “
,

him n o t o f li f e a lso i t was t h ro u gh the m e r c y o f t he A l m igh t y

, ,

“
W ho p ro t ecte d him i n his figh t b ot h by s ea an d l an d the m ise r i e s ,

o f w hi c h neve rt h e l e ss g r e at ly i nj u re d his h e al t h at t he advance d

, , ,

ag e o f seventy fi ve ; an d p r od uce d a ve r y gr i evou s s o r e i n o ne o f

“ -

“
his l egs .

“
T h o s e who are we ll i n f o rm e d o f this m o st wo rthy Car dinal s
-
’

affai r s h ave assu r e d m e th at S ince his fligh t h avi ng l e f t b e hi n d

, , ,

him his r i c h an d magn ifi cent va l u abl e s whi c h we r e a ll s ack e d an d ,

“
p l und e re d b ot h at Rom e and F r ascat i he has b e en su ppo rte d by ,

t he sil ve r p l at e wh i c h he had t ak en wi t h him and o f whi c h h e

-
,

be g an to disp o se at M e ssina ; and I un de rstand th at i n o r de r to , ,

su pp ly his wants d ur i ng a few months i n V en i ce he has so ld al l ,

th at remaine d .

O f the j ewe ls 1 th at he p o ssesse d ve r y fe w re main a s the mo st

“
, ,
“
val uabl e had be en sacr i fi ce d in the we l l known contr ibuti on s -

( f o r ce d l ev ie s wou ld be a j u ste r wo r d t h an t he g ent l e C ar dinal s

’

t o t he F r enc h o u r d e stru ct i ve p l und er e r s ;

“ “
me e k con tribu tio ns )
an d w i t h r e s p ect t o his i n co me h av i n g su f
“
, fe re d t he l o ss o f f ort y
,

e igh t th o u san d R o man c r owns annu ally by t he F r enc h Revo l ut i o n

“
,
“
the r em ai nd e r w as l o st also by t he f all o f R om e ; n ame ly t he ,

ye ar ly sum o f t en t h ou san d c rowns assigne d to him by the A p o sto li c

C h amb e r an d also his p art i cu l ar f un ds i n the R o m an B an k
,
.

“
T he o nly i nco m e whi c h he has l e ft is t h at o f his be n e fi c e s i n
Spain 2 whi c h amo unt t o f ou rteen th o u sand cr own s : bu t t his as
,

, ,

i t is only p ay abl e in p ap e r at p re sent is g re atly re du c e d by the ,

disadvantage o f exc h ang e ; and even th at has r emaine d unp aid fo r

mo re th an a y e ar owi ng p e r h ap s t o the i nte rru pt e d co mmun i cat i on
, , ,

w“ith th at kingd om .

B u t h e re i t is nece ssar y t h at I sh o u ld add th at the C ar dinal is

“
h e avily bur d ene d wi th t he annu al sum o f f ou r th o u san d crowns
fo r t he d owry o f the C o unte ss o f A lb any his siste r in l aw ; t h ree
“ - -

th o u san d c r own s fo r the moth e r 1 o f his d e cease d n i e ce ; nor

fi f te en h undre d fo r divers annu i ti e s o f his f ath er an d b ro th e r : nor
1 A r ing be l ongin g t o C ardi n al K ing H enr y I X co ntai n in g mini a ,

t ure s o f his f ath e r an d m oth e r K ing J ame s I I I an d Q u een C l emen

,

t i na has f ou n d i t s w ay i nto the F o rtnu m C o ll ect i o n at the O x f o r d

,

Univ“ e rsi ty G all e r i e s ” .

2 B e n e fi ce s i n Spa i n the p o sse ssi on o f whi c h is all e g e d as a

,

c r i me i n the Lo r d A l ex an d e r P P V I appe ar to be co mmon e noug h . .

,
.
39 2 A H I S T O R Y O F T H E B OR G I A S
has he cre di t t o su pp ly the means o f a cqu aint i n g t h e se o bli gat i on s .

T his p i ctu r e n eve rth e l e ss whi ch I p r e sent t o y ou r f r i endshi p

“
, , ,

may we ll exc i te th e c ornp as s ion o f e ve r y o ne who w ill r e fl e ct

u p on th e high bi r t h t he e l evate d di gn i t y and t he a dvanc e d ag e o f
, ,

the P e r s onag e wh o se si tu at i on I n ow sk e tc h i n t he p l ai n l an gu age

o f truth w i t h ou t r e so rt i ng t o the aid o f e l o qu en ce
,
I w il l o n ly .

entre at y ou t o c o m m u ni cat e i t t o t h o se dist i ng u ish e d p e r sons who

“
h ave in fl u ence with y ou r gove rnment ; p ersuade d as I am t h at
E nglish M agnani m i t y 2 ( l a M ag nan im ité I ng l es e ) will n o t su ffe r
an I ll u str i ou s P e r sonag e o f the s ame nat i on t o pe r ish i n m is e r y
“
.

B u t h e re I p au s e n o t w ishi ng t o o ff end y o u r nat i onal d e li cac y

“
, ,

whi c h d e lights to act f r om i t s own g enerou s disp osi t i on r ather ,

th an f r om the i m p u lse and u rg ency o f o th e rs 3 .

“
We h ave h ere ( P adu a ) n o t on ly the C ar dinal D uk e bu t o th er -
,

c ar di na ls name ly the t wo D or i a C ap rara and Liviz zani ; and

, , , ,

p e rh ap s ve ry soon th e y will al l be h ere as i t is p ro babl e t h at t he

,

C o n c l ave will be h e ld in this p l ace ; for i t has p l e as e d Go d t o

d e liver f rom al l H is l ab o ur s the s o e m inently un f o rtunat e Lo r d
Pi us P P. V I Who c h e r ish e d fo r y ou the mo st t en d er affect i on
.
, ,

an d Who was p l e as e d wh e n H e w as i n t he C arth u si an c onvent

“

( C e r tas a ) at F l o r ence t o i nve st me w i th the c h arg e o f t he P r o p r e

f e cture o f the C ong re g at i on o f the P ro p agat i on o f the F ai th .

“
M y pape r f ails m e bu t I sh all neve r f ail o f b e ing
,

You r tru e f r i end and servi to“r ( s e rvi tore )

S TEFA N O CARD I NAL B ORGIA ,
”
.

Tha t le tt er was w r itte n in September 1 799 It is n ot , .

’
clear by what r oute C ardi n al B o rgia s c ourier carried it
to England n o r how long was occ upied by the j ourney
, .

I t mani festly is p robable that the fright ful disorders i n

France c losed the Short r oad th r ough that cou nt ry ; an d the
short r oad in time o f peace was no t traversed i n less tha n
1 Miss C l ement i n a Walkinsh aw, C ounte ss A lb e rsto r f , the m i stress
of K ing C h ar l e s III .

13 T he wo r d m ag nan im ité h a d un d er g one a c h an g e o f meanin

g
S
since the i xte ent h C entu r y, wh en e sso r N i cco l o M ac hi ave lli M
sneere d th at t he B agli on i o f P e ru gi a sh ewe d no m ag nanimité be ,

c au se t h e y did no t g arro t e th e Lo r d J u li u s P P II t h e i r g u e st . .
, .

3
C o u ld any hi nt be mo re o bs cu re ly o bv i o u s mo re i nsi nu ato r y o f ,

co mp hm e n t ? C ar di nal B org ia s li tt l e tr i c k o f l e avi ng t he i n i t i

’
a
t ive ( l ) to J o hn B u l l is a m aster - stro k e o f Lat in di l omacy , wh ose p
strengt h is, n ow, and eve r, i n th e u ll ing o f wi res p .
394 A H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGIA S
la s t illustrious Borgia s hould have been s u ffered to r emain ,

Ob s c ure Had there been any dis grace fu l e le m e nt i n the

'

tran s action concealment could be understood : but con

,

t rariw is e the very greate s t c redit i s refle c ted upon all

,

c on c erned o n Borgia o n Stewart on Engli s h m en and—to

give the devil hi s due—o n the Ele ctor Hanover vulgarly

, , , ,

called George I II The indi s cretion s the hu m an weak .

,

n e ss e s o f the earlier Borgia are the things by which they

are remembered :
T he ev il th at m en do live s a f te r t h e m
, ,

T he g oo d is o ft interr e d wi th th e i r bo ne s .

He r e then i s a good deed o f a Borgia whi ch inconti

, , ,

u e n tly shall be tran s lated fro m it s inadequate sepulchre ,

o s t e n de d for the veneration o f the faithful and en s hrined ,

’
anew m ore worthily Upon re c eiving Cardinal B o rgia s .

en chanting letter Sir John Coxe H ippis l ey sent to hi s

,

Em inen c e a draft for £ 5 00 begging him to O ffer thi s to ,

“
the Augu s t Per s onage for the exigen cies o f the mo ,
”
ment and promi s ing to air the matter i n a proper quarter .

The m eti c ulou s pre caution s whi c h invariably are taken

to s e cure the freedo m o f the Con c l ave for the ele ction O f a
Pope already have been de s c r ibed here O n the death o f
, .

’
the Lord Pius P P V I alluded to in Cardinal B o rgia s. .

letter when Ro m e wa s in the hand s o f the Fren ch and al l

,

I taly di s trac ted by foreign oc c upation the Sac red College ,

made it s way by s low degrees and a m id infinite peril to

Venice where it a ss e m b l ed in the c onvent on the I s land
,

o f San Giorgio and en clo s ed it s e l f in Con clave with all

,

fo rma l ity Thi s mean s among other thing s that n o cardi

.
, ,

n al s were a l lowed to receive o r to s end out letters unle s s ,

the s e were s ubj e cted to a rigorou s examination by the Car

dinal Cen s ors ; the O bj ect o f whi ch i s to preve n t the voting
-

from being influenced by s e c ular and external Power s o r

consideration s .

O n the fourth o f January 1 800 the said Ca r dinal , ,

 A FLI CKER FRO M T H E E M BERS 39 5
Censors on the I s land o f San Giorgio p e r mitted the egre ss
o f a letter from Cardinal Borgia to Sir John Coxe H ipp is

ley acknowledging the receipt o f the £ 5 00 s peaking o f the

, ,

gratitude and s ati s fa ction o f the Augu s t Per s onage at

“
knowing what wa s being done o n his behal f I find my s el f .

shut up here in C onclave for the election o f a new ponti ff ,

( s ay s Cardinal Borgia ) with thirty four cardinal s who

,
-
, ,

when they heard o f the Engli s h generosity t o their I llu s

trio ns Colleague — and he describes the many ki n dly
” 1
,

complimentary and genuinely ad m iring senti m ents whi c h

the s e I talia n Cardinal s in com m on with I talian s o f all
,

e po chs and o f all ranks ( excepti n g cardinals o f the Nine

t ee n th Century ) 2
alway s felt and feel for England and
the Engli s h The lette r is s ubsc r ibed i n the p oli t ely r e
.

s pe ct fu l thi r d p erso n ,

S u o se rv itore ed A mico
c o rdialis s in io
“
S CA RD BO RG I A
. . .

On the twe nty sixth o f Feb r ua r y 1 800 a seco n d lette r

-

wa s allowed to p ass out o f the Con c lave from Cardinal

Borgia to Sir John ; a s hort n ote in fa ct whi c h said that , ,

an English gentle m an had j ust been per m itted to enter

3

“
the Con c lave being the beare r o f a ve ry polite letter f rom
,
” “
Lord Minto to the Augu st Pe r so n age Thi s ve ry p olite .

”
l etter i s given in it s original form as well for its o w n ,

sake as fo r an example o f the F r e n ch o f English diplo

,

macy a hu n dred years ag o It is addressed t o the Car di n al

.

Duke o f Y ork .

1 “I o trovo racc hi u so i n concl ave p e r l e lez io ne del nuovo

q u i mi
’

po n t ifi ce co n tr ent a q u atro G ar dl i i q u ali avend o sap u ta l a g e n

,

e ro s it a I ngl e se ve r so d e l l I ll u str o l o ro C o ll eg a
’ ”
.

2
I t is t oo e ar ly y e t t o s p eak abo u t t he twenti e th .

3 I
t was M r O akl ey h e i r o f S i r C h ar l e s O akl e y B art who was
.
, .
,

entr u st e d w i t h t his c on fid ent ia l and ve r y d e li c ate m issi on .

396 A H I STORY O F T H E B OR GI A S

D E V IE N NA , 9 Fe b . 1800 .

MON S EI G N E UR ,

J ai re cu l e s O r dre s de S a Maj e sté l e Ro i de l a G r ande B ret agne

“ ’

de f ai r e r e m ettre a V o tre E m inenc e l a s o m m e de d eux m ill e li vr e s

S ter ling e t d as su re r V E q u en acce ptant c ett e m arq u e dc l inte rét
,
’
. .
’ ’

e t de l e s t im e de S M e ll e l u i f era u n s ensibl e p l aisi r Il m e st e n

’ ’
. . .

m é m e te m s or d onné de f ai r e p art a V E de s inte nt i ons de S M de . . .

l u i tr ansme tt re u n e p ar e ill e so mm e de £ 2000 S te r li n g au m o is de

J u ill e t si l e s c i rconstanc es d em eu rai ent t e ll e s q u e V E c ontinué t 51 . .

l a d e si r e r .

J ai d onc l ho nn eu re de l a p reveni r qu e l a so mme de £ 2000 S tg

“ ’ ’
.

e s t dé p o s é e a l a m a ison d e M e ssi e u r s C o ut t s e t C ie B anqu i er s 2 1 .

,

Lo nd re s 51 l a dis p o si t i on de V o tre E m i nence E n e xe cu tan t l es .

O r d r e s du Ro i m o n M ai tr e V E m e r en d ra l a j u st i ce de c ro i r e
, . .

q u e j e su is in fi n im en t sensibl e £1 l ho nn e u r d etre l o rgan e de s s ent i

’ ’ ’

m ent s n o bl e s e t to u ch ants q u i o n t di cté a S M l a d é m ar ch e d ont

, . .

e ll e a d aigné m e c h arg e r e t q u i l u i o n t é t é i ns p i r é s d u n c ot é p ar
’
,

s e s p r o p r e s ve rtu s e t de l au tr e t ant p ar l e s q uali t é s é m i nent e s d e

’
,

l a P e r s o nne A u gu st e q u i e n e s t l o bj ect q u e par s o n dé si r de

’
, ,

re pare r p art o u t il e s t p o ssibl e l e s d e sastr e s d ans l e sque ls de

,

fl eau Un i ve r s e ] de n o s j ou rs a p aru vo u l o i r entr aine r p ar p r ef er

e nce t o u t c c q u i e s t l e p l u s dig ne de V é n é r at i on e t de R e s pe ct .

Je p r i e V E d ag re e r l e s assu r ance s de m e s h ommage s respe c

“ ’
. .

tue ux e t de l a V éné r at i on p r o f ond e ave c l aq u e ll e

J ai“ l ho nn eu r d etr e
“ ’ ' ’

D e V o tr e E m inence
Le tres h u mbl e e t tr es o b e issant S e rv i teur
“
“
MN I TO
M in
“
E nv E x . . et P l e n de
. .

la C o ur de Vi e nn e .

Stripped o f polite verbiage this letter c onveyed to Cardi

nal King Henry I X the o ffe r o f an annuity o f for s o
long a s he might please to need it It is ungra c ious to say .

with some S c ots that a fte r all the Elect or o f Hanove r

, ,

only o ffered to the Maj e s ty o f England a cal f o f hi s ow n

c o w The situation was fraught with di ffi c ulty The e s sen
. .

ti al s and the accidental s o f his birth c ombined to make

Cardi n al Hen ry Benedi c t Stewart the o n ly right ful King o f
E n gland He could n ot help that ; any more than any ma n
.

c an help being the s on o f hi s father and mother born i n ,

law ful wedlock ; and King s hip being o f Divine origin -

, ,

c an only be c on fer r ed o r trans fe r red o r co n firmed by the

Divinity acting throug h Hi s Ea rthy Vicege r e n t the Rom an ,

3 98 A H I STORY O F T H E BORGIA S
Englishma n congratulating him s el f on hi s de s cent f rom
heroe s who endured c onfi s cation attaind er in the sel f , ,

same c ause—but i n 1 688 The Engli s h r e s ist aggre ss ion at

.

the outset ; they are u s ed to are glad to make s ac rifices , ,

for not bargain s o f their sovereign s ; and needing no

, , ,

reflected light they are not goo d boasters There is n o

, .

’
doubt that a great deal o f S c ot s fle s h was given in 1 7 1 5
and in 174 5 for the Hou s e o f Stewart There i s no doubt .

’
that s ome S c ot s gold wa s o ffered o n the s ame a ccount .

But one ha s not heard that the loyal S cot s—loyal as they ,

s ay to the Stewart s —ever attempted to mini s ter to the

, ,

nece ss itie s O f their liege Lord the Cardinal King Hen ry ,

the Ninth Ethi c s derived from Master John Knox

.
, ,
“ ”
who s e iconoclastic ardour s topped at the saxpence and
made it the idolatrous O bj e ct o f supreme wor s hip o f duli a
and hyperdulia and latria n o doubt mitigated the sentiment
,

o f loyalty in regard to a king who happened to be a

p relati c al papist A national fund a fund rai s ed by the

.
,

adherents o f the Stewarts to provide a yearly income fo r

,

their exi led sovereign would have bee n grace ful and
,

a cc eptable I t is the duty o f a people to maintai n its mon

.

arch ; and it i s not beneath the dignity o f monarc hy to

’
acc ept s u c h maintenance O ffered i n loyalty Peter s Pen c e is .

nothing but a fund o f yearly Offerings in s tituted by King

ZE l fre d the Great O f England fo r the maintenance o f the
Sovereign Pontiff I n the c ase o f Cardinal King Henry
.

the Ninth however no s uch guaranteed annuity was forth

, ,

coming from the nation o f which no in con s iderable pa rt

ad m itted hi s right to rule Loyalty to the Stewa rt s—prae
.

ti c al living loyalty— wa s c on fi ned to individual s few in ,

n u m ber ; and it became nece s sary to s eek another method

o f s olving the di f fi c ulty .

Private m u n ifi ce n ce toward s the King de j u re o n the

, ,

part O f—let it be said for Cardinal Henry hi m s el f said

it and none had more right to de c ide than he—o n the
,

part o f the King de fac ta King George the Thi r d the , ,

 A FLI C KER FRO M T H E E M BERS 3 99
O ffi cial r eprese ntative o f the Engli sh nation was the ,

only po ss ible method which was likely to be agreeable

,

o r acceptable There fore an annuity o f

. was o f
,

fe re d not from the Civil Li s t not from the Nation but

, , ,

from the Privy Pur s e fro m King George to Cardinal ,

Hen ry— from o n e Engli s h Gentleman to another The .

delicate ta c t and straight forwardne ss with whi c h the E n voy

Extraordinary and Mini s ter Plenipotentiary o f Hi s B r i
tannic Maj e s ty at the Court o f Vienna made the o ffer ; the
“
c o m pli m entary term s o f his letter to the Augu s t Pe rs on
age ; his guarded denun c iation o f the Fren ch robbers o f
“
the Cardinal a s the Univer s al Plague o f our time which
“
seem s to design the de s tru ction o f all that is most wo rthy
o f Veneration and Re s pe ct hi s pro ffered homage —all
these qualities egregiou s ly deserved Cardinal Ste fano
’ “ ”
B o rgia s epithet very polite and made the proposal ,

one which honourably and grate fully could be accepted .

At least the Cardinal Duke o f Y ork wa s plea s ed to think

-

so as the two letters following here will shew It may be

,
.

ob s erved that they are written i n in c oherent and pe c ulia r

E ngli s h Let it be remem bered that they were written by
.

a very Old gentleman under circum stan ce o f extreme agi

,

t at io n ; i n a language o f appalling di fficulty whi c h though ,

hi s native tongue was altogether strange to him ; fo r he

,

had not lived in England and in hi s li fe long exile he , ,

-
,

u s ed nothing but Latin with hi s clergy o r Italia n with hi s

friend s .

He wrote from the Con clave o n the I sland o f Sa n

Giorgio o n the twenty s ixth o f February 1 8 00 ; and the
-
,

letter s are s ealed with the Royal Ar m s o f England and

France s urmounted with the Cardinalitial Hat instead o f
the Crown .

(I . To Lord Minto ) .

“
W ith the arr iv l o f M r a . O akl e y who has
bee n this morning wi th
Me I , h ave re ce ive d by his disco urse and muc h more by your
,
400 A H I ST ORY OF T H E B ORGIA S
l ette rs so man y T o k ens o f y o ur r eg ar d singu l ar c onside rati on and
, , ,

att ent i o n fo r M y P e r s on t h at o blig e M e t o aband on al l so rt o f ,

ce re mo ny and t o b e gi n ab r u pt ly to a ssu r e y ou M y d ear l o r d t h at

, ,
“
y ou r l ett er s h ave b een m o st acce ptabl e to M e i n al l sh ape s and
“
reg ards I did no t i n the l east d ou b t o f the no bl e way o f thinking o f
.

y o u r g ene rou s and ben e fi ce n t S ove re ign ; bu t I did n o t exp e ct t o s e e

“
i n wr i ting s o m any and s o o bliging exp ressi ons t hat we l l cal cu l ate d
by the P e rs ons who rece ive th e m and understand th e i r f o rce im ,
“p r ss d i n t h e i r m i nds a l i ve ly s ens e o f t en d erness an d g rat i tu de
e e
“
whi ch I o wn t o y ou o bli ge s m e m o re th an the g ene ro si ty s p on
, ,

tan eous l y i m p art e d

“
.

I am i n re ali ty at a l o ss t o e x p r e ss i n wr i t ing a ll the s ent i ment s

“

“ f M y H e art and fo r t h at r e ason l e ave i t e nt i r e ly t o t he i nter e s t

o ,

you tak e i n all t h at re g ar ds M y P e rs o n t o mak e known i n an

“

ene r g et i cal an d c onven i ent manne r al l I f ai n wou ld s ay t o e x p re ss

M y th ankf u lness whi c h m ay e asily be by you c omp re h ende d a f ter
h av ing p e ru se d the content s o f this l e tt e r .

I am m u c h o blig e d t o you t o h ave i ndi c ate d t o Me the way I

“

may wr i t e unto C o u tts the C ou rt B ank e r an d sh all f o ll ow y ou r ,

f r i endly insinu at i ons I n the me ant i me I am ver y d e si ro u s th at y ou

.

sh ou ld be convince d o f M y sent i ment s o f si nce re e stee m and

f r i en dshi p wi th whi ch My d ear l or d wi th a l l M y h eart I e mb race
you .

H E N RY CARDI NAL .
”

( II To Si r Joh n C ox e Hippisl ey )
. .

“
Y u r l tt r s f lly convin m e f the cor di al interest y u take
o e e u ce o o
1n all t h t r g r ds M y P r s n
a d am h app y t a kn w l dg t h at
e a e o , an o c o e e
pr in i pa lly I w t o y r f r i ndly e ff rts a d t th m o f y r
c o e ou e o ,
n o e ou
f r i nds th s
e r g r sly gr nt d t r li v th xtr me
, e u cc o u ene ou a e o e e e e e e
n ssi ti s int whi h I h v b n d r iv n by t h p r s nt dismal
e ce e o c a e ee e e e e
c i r mstan s I annot s ffi i ntly exp r ss h w s nsibl I am t
cu ce . c u c e e o e e o
y ur g oo d h art : a d wr i t t h se f w lin s i n t h fi rst p l
o e ton e e e e e ace
“
co nt st to y u th se M y m st sinc r and g rat f l s nti m nts an d
e o e o e e e u e e
th n to in f rm y u by m ans f M r O kl y an E nglish Ge t
e o o e o . a e n ’
I1

arr i v d h re l st w
e k I h v r i v d a l tt r f r m L r d M into
e a ee , a e e ce e e e o o
f rom V i nna advising Me th at h had rd rs f r m his C o rt t
e , e o e o u o
r m i t t M th
e m f £ 000 S t r ling a d t h at i n t h m nt h f
o e e su o 2 e ,
n e o o

“
J u ly I may ag ai n d raw i f I d e si r e i t fo r anot h e r e qu al sum T he , , .

l ette r is wr i tten i n s o extre m e ly o bliging and g ente e l a manne r ,

an d w i t h ex p r e ssi ons o f si ngu l ar r e gar d and c on sid e r at i on fo r M e ,

“
that I assure you e xc i te d in M e m o st p art i cu l ar and live ly sent i
, ,

ment s no t on ly o f s at isf act i on fo r t he d e li cac y w i t h whi c h t he

,
“
af fai r has b e en manag e d bu t also o f g rat i tu d e fo r t he g ene ro si t y ,
“
wi th whi ch has b een p r ovid e d for my nece ssi t y .

I have answe r e d Lor d M i nto s l etter and g ave i t satu r d ay last to

“ ’
,
402 H I ST ORY OF T H E BORGI A S
A

The action o f Cardinal Stefano Borgi a whi c h j ust ha s

bee n described was n ot the only evidence o f n obility o f
,

s oul that he exhibited during the long Con clave o f 1 799

1 8 00 He did o r rather he did not do anothe r deed ; the
.
, ,

neglect o f which suffices to win him high r enow n .

It al r eady has been mani fested here that the t id e o f ,

huma n ambition runs at its highest in the Conclave for the

election o f a Pope At di fferent periods o f hi s tory the
.
,

papacy has been r ega r ded as an appanage o f the em pire o r ,

o f the great I talian baronie s Cre s c en z i Colonna O r s ini , , , ,

Savelli Medi c i The Hou s e o f Borgia n ot without rea s o n

, .
,

o f a kind desired to rank with these ; and cardinal s o f that

,

House c ompla cently expected ele ction There already had .

bee n two B orgia Pope s the strenuous Lord Calixtu s P P , . .

I I I and the invi n c ible Lo rd Alexander P P V I The

. . . .

great gra n dson o f St F r anci s co de Bor j a Cardinal Do n

-
.
,

Gaspero publi c ly hoped to be the third and wa s dis ap

, ,

pointed Now i n the last year o f the Eighteenth Century

.
, ,

was e n clo s ed in anothe r Con c lave anothe r B orgia Cardinal ,

the n oble Cardinal Stefano and it c onfidently was expected ,

that he would emerge therefro m n ot Stefano but PE T ER , ,

crowned with the Triregno the p ont ifi cal diadem made o f ,

feathers o f white peaco ck s encir c led with three crown s o f

gold .

Huma n ly speaking his c hance o f electio n was not

c hance but c ertainty H e wa s admitted on all hand s to be
.

facil e P rin c e p s o f the Sac red College Hi s learning his .

,

dominant powe r his simple piety his universally sym

, ,

pathetic per s onality as s ured him o f an una n i m ou s maj or

,

ity had he chosen to enter the ranks o f the cardinals com

,
-

p e t it ors that is t o say o f the cardinals who were eligible

,

and also willing .

When a m an is awa r e o f his o wn ability to do certai n

legitimate and be n e fi cent deed s the world i s wont to c al l ,

him fool a s well a s knave whe n he negle ct s to seek the

s ituation the Oppo rtu n ity for exercisi n g his peculia r talent
, ,
.
 FLI C KER FRO M T H E E M BERS
A 40 3
In thi s matter the world i s not ill advi s ed Then i f an
,
-
.
,

e ccle s ia stic i s convin c ed that in a c ertain po s ition o f au ,

t ho rity he can do God s ervi c e why should he be deterred

,
-
,

f r om seeki ng that position by craven terro r o f the inevi

table s c owls r odomontade s and lampoons o f envious in
, ,

competent venal mediocrity ? The Lord Piu s P P I I was . .

n ot a fraid H e knew His o wn powers H e wa s c onvinced

. .

o f the purity o f His intentio n s ; and as Cardinal Enea ,

’
Silvio Bartolomeo de Picc ol hu om in i he met the schemes ,
’
o f Cardinal Guillaume d E s t o u t v il l e in the Con c lave o f

14 5 8 with c ounter scheme s and acc o m pli s hed Hi s O w n

-
,

elevation to the p o ntifi cal throne There i s anothe r and .

more inti m ate example nearer home and no late r than the, ,

la s t century : the exam ple o f a provo s t o f a metropolita n

cathedral c hapter who k n ew his p ower who knew the
, ,

law fu l ly de s ignated suc c e ss o r o f the arc hbi s hop to be

u n fi t te d for the re s pon s ibilitie s o f o ffice who kept an agent ,

at the Vati can to urge hi s c andidature when the s ee was

vac ant u nti l the Lord Piu s P P IX declaring it to be u n
, . .
,

c o l p o di s tato di D om en iddio
- -
tran s formed the convert ,
’
provo s t into We s tmin s ter s Ar chbi s hop It c annot be .

alleged that Cardinal Henry Edward Manning became ih

gloriou s by giving practi c al evidence o i hi s contem pt fo r
the r idi c ulou s and wi cked doctrine whi c h i s prea ched by
vi c ious degenerate s that the A lm ighty in te n ds m u ch of
,

H is Go od Wo rk to be w as te d It cannot be alleged that .

Cardinal Man ning wa s actuated by per s onal arrogan c e o r ,

by desire for per s onal aggrandi s ement Hi s whole li fe o f .

saint like s el f s ac rifice o f inten sest hu m ility o f ascetic

- -
, ,

mo rt ific at io n o f ceasele s s toi l for the s piritual and tem

,

poral wel fare o f all men without di s tinction o f creed has ,

proved the contrary By the s a m e token o n thi s score

.
, ,

there would have been n o s tain on the n oble c haracter o f

Cardinal Ste fano Borgia had he de s ired to exert hi m s el f
to compa s s hi s o wn ele ction to the Throne o f Peter .

But he did n ot s o desire I ndeed he shewed himsel f .

,
404 A HI STORY O F T H E B OR G I A S

u nwilling to be ele cted ; and the Sac red College made

c hoice o f the next Mo s t Eminent Lord the Benedi ctine ,

Cardinal Gregorio Luigi B arn abo Chiaramonte wh o s e ,

acces s ion was pro c laimed under the name o f the Lord Pius
P P V I I S O Christendom still lacks the third Borgia
. . .

Ponti ff —a la c k unlikely soon to be made good ; seeing

,

that sin c e Cardinal Stefano n o Borgia wear s the scarlet

, ,

hat ; yet by n o means irremediable seeing that the Hou s e ,

o f Borgia i s living and not dead, .

Little remain s to be written o f the la s t pre eminent -

B orgia On the death o f Cardinal G e rdil Cardinal Ste fano

.
,

was pro m oted from the Pro pre fect u re to the Prefe cture
o f Propaga n da Fide .

I n 1 804 while atte n ding the debile Lord Pius P P V I I

, . .

to Pari s ( whither H i s Holiness had been su m m oned for

,

the coronation a s emperor o f the Cor s i c an up s tart Consul

Napoleo n Buonaparte Cardinal Ste fano Borgi a died at
, ,

the age o f s eventy three years o n the Fe s tival o f St

-
, .

Clement the twenty third o f Novembe r at Lyon s and was

-
, ,

buried there in the cathedral It is worth noting that he .

had bee n baptized in the c athedral o f St C l ement at .

Velletri in De c em ber 1 7 3 1 that he derived hi s cardina l itial

Title from the c hur c h o f St Clement in Ro m e ; and that
.

o n the Fe s tival o f St Clement 1 804 he died Hi s friend

.
, .
,

Fra Pietro Pao l ino da San Bartolo m eo a s andalled Car ,

m e l it e wrote hi s biography The celebrated Cancellie ri

, .

c omposed his elegy which has bee n republi s hed by B odoni

,
.

The Borgia Mu s eu m o f Antiquitie s which he establi s hed

i n Velletri and whose elaborate catalogue i s the work o f
,

his uncl e Don Filippau rel io Vi s c onti in c hief part i s in the ,

Royal M us eu m o f Naples ; the College o f Propaganda has

the lesser part a n d al s o hi s s p lendi d library
, .

The Hou s e o f Borgia continue s to flouri s h in the

’
descenda n ts o f Cardi n al Stefano s br othe r the C AVALI ER E ,
406 A H I ST ORY OF T H E B ORGIA S
D O N E T T O R E BO R GI A born at Velletri in 1802 , ,

a Roman Patri c ian Knight o f H onour and ,

Devotion o f t he O rder o f St John o f Jeru .

s alem o f Ma l ta Knight Co mm ander o f the ,

-

O rder o f St Gregory the Great Gon falonier .

,

o f Velletri National Representative o f Vel ,

letri in the Ro m an Parliament o f 1848 and ,

Provi s ional G o ve rn ou r o f Velletri in 18 7 1 .

He departed thi s li fe in 1 89 2 at M e l az z o in , ,

Sicily being o f the age o f ninety year s ; and

,

hi s death without i ss ue extingui s hed the Veli

t e rn ian B ran c h o f the Hou s e o f Borgia .

D O N C LE M EN T E B O RG I A O F RO M E who marri ed ,

Donna Lui s a Calderoni and died i n 1 8 5 2 leaving , ,

i ss ue ,

( 01) Don Adriano who died unmarried : ,

( B ) Don Tito who d ied unmarried : ,

( y ) Don Co s tan tino a p relate ( author o f D e , ,

C athe dra R amo n a S an e ti P e tri P rin cipu s

A p os tol ara m O ratio etc a quarto pub , .

l is he d at Rome i n died u n mar

ried i n 18 78 :
( 8) D O N A UGUST O, a p relate, bor n 1 820 Hi s .

death o n the se c ond O f Septe m ber 1 900

, ,

without i ss ue extingui s hed the Roma n ,

Bran c h o f the Hou s e o f Borgia .

( y) D O N A L ESSAND R O BO R G I A born 1 7 8 8 B al l o f the , ,

O rder o f St Joh n o f Jerusalem o f Malta died .

,

1 8 72 .

T he O r d e r
1 S t G r g ry th G r t w s f u d d by t he L r d
of . e o e ea a o n e o
Gre go r y P P XV I f M r i t C i vil d M ili t r y I S pt 183
. . or e , an a , e . 1 .

T h r e a e f u r l as
e r i F i rst a d S nd G r d C r ss C m
o c se s , V z .
,
n e co an o , o
m an d e rs d Kn i gh t s T he bv r se f th
,
an t g l S ilv r m d l . o e o e oc a ona e e a
b ar s e ight po int d r ss i n d e m l wi th shi ld in p r et
e an -
e c o re na e , a e e n ce
sh ewing a fli g y f the Lo r d S t Gr g ry P P I th G r t ( th
n c o . e o . . e ea e
P o p e who s nt S t A u g st i t e nv rt t h E glish A D 5 96 ) T he
. u ne o co e e n , . .

r v rse b ar s the l g nd P O D O E P RI NC I E G EGORI U S XV I

e e e e e ,
R E T P R

P M A NN O I ( Te tt i e S l di i T at
. . . A l di a )an a a n . e ro ra c .
 AFLI CKER FRO M T H E EM BERS 407
( 8 ) D O N C ESA R E B O R G I A was a Knight Commander
,
-

o f the O rder o f St John o f Jeru s alem o f Malta ;

.

and followed the p r o fe s sion o f a man o f lette r s i n

Ferrara ( the c ity o f whi c h hi s kin s woman Ma
, ,

donna Lucrezia formerly had been the sov

,

e re ign du c he ss ) u n til his death i n 1 8 6 1

, .

( H ere s hou l d be ins e rted the nam es of thirteen chil dren

o f t he C aval iere Giam p aol o B o rgia an d his wife the
C o u n t es s A l cm e n a B agl io ni M al ates ta of P e ru g ia w hich
-
, ,

at p r es e n t are n o t acc es s ibl e . The e ight e e n th an d yo u nges t

s on o f the s aid Caval ie re Giam p ao l o was , )
(8 ) THE NO B LE F RAN C ES C O B ORG I A bor n 1 794 ; ,

K n ight o f Honou r and Devotion and Heredi ,

tary Co m mandant o f the O rder o f St Joh n o f .

Jeru s alem o f Malta ; Knight o f the O rde r o f the

Lily o f Fran c e ; Knight o f the O rder o f the
1

two S icilie s ; Patri cia n o f Rome : who mar r ied

the Noble Luigia Ferrari di Cremona Dowager ,

Counte ss Ca ss era ( died an d e s tabli s hed

t he House o f Borgia i n Milan o n his marriage

with a Milanese lady in 1822 He died in 186 1 .

leaving i ss ue ,

( a) THE NO B LE A L C M ENA married to the ,

M ar que ss Paolo Litta M o dignan i o f -

M ilan :
( B ) T H E NO B LE C ESARE BO RG I A ( the p res e n t ,

H ead of the I l l u s trio u s H ou s e of B ar

gia ) ; Knight o f Honou r and Devotion
1 O n t he se c ond o f A p r il 18 1
4 M l e C o mte d A rto is p e rm i tte d t he
’
.
,

N at i onal G uar d o f Par is t o we ar a sil ve r F leu rde l y s su s p end e d f ro m

a whi te wate r e d r ib and i n r e co gni t i on o f s e rvi ce O n t he twent y
, .

sixt h o f A p ril a S tar was su bsti tute d fo r t he F le u rdel y s and a bl u e

, ,

bo rd e r add e d to t he whi te r ib an d T he D e co r at i on was c al l e d the

.

O rd e r o f t he L ily o f F ranc e and al l de carés mad e to swear an

,

o ath o f fid e li t y t o G o d and o f o bedi ence to t he K ing

, ( Te tto ni e .

S al adin i Te atro A raldica )

. .
H I STORY O F T H E B ORGI A S

a n d Hereditary Comma n dant o f the

Or de r o f St Joh n o f Je rusalem o f
.

M alta ; Patricia n O f Rome ( which pa ,

t riciat e gives its holde r the r ight to the

t itle o f Cou nt ; ) born at M ilan on the
twenty seventh o f January 1 83 0 ; mar
-

r ied in 18 5 6 Donn a Cleme n tina Ta r a n

t ola ( who died i n 18 84 ) and has issue ,

( a ) D O N F RAN CES C O B O R G I A born in ,

1863 ; mar r ied i n 1 88 5 the Mar

c hio n e s s Eugenia Litta M o dignani

-

di M en z ago e V in ago Patri c i an o f

,

M ilan ; and has i s sue ,

( a ) D O N CESA RE BO RGI A bor n ,

1 886 :

( B) DON A LESSANDRO BO RG I A ,

bor n 189 8 :

A D MU LT O S A N NO S