prepare for new contests, with which he was threatened by the emperor elect, and the kings of England and Aragon. The pope, after having, by the desire of the king, conferred on Adrian Boissi the hat of a cardinal, quitted a place where he had been treated with disrespectful coldness, and, accompanied by twelve cardinals, repaired to Florence, where he arrived on the twenty-second day of December, 1515. Being now freed for a while from the cares of state, he had here an opportunity of indulging his natural disposition in splendid representations and acts of munificence towards his fellow-citizens. The day of the nativity was celebrated in the church of S. Maria del Fiore, with unusual exultation; and, on the first of the new year, he presented to the Gonfaloniere Pietro Ridolfi, who then resigned his authority to his successor, a cap of state and a sword, which had been previously sanctioned by the apostolic benediction. On the same day he also assembled in the cathedral the archdeacon and canons of Florence, and being himself seated in state, in the midst of his cardinals and prelates, he gave to the chapter, the members of which were then prostrate before him, a mitre ornamented with jewels of the estimated value of ten thousand ducats.* At the same time, as a proof of the affection which he bore to the church, of which he had himself, from his infancy, been a canon, he enlarged the incomes of the ecclesiastics attached to it, and directed that the canons should rank as protonotaries of the holy see, and should wear the habit of such dignity on all public occasions.17

Having thus distributed his bounty, and left to seven altars in the principal church the less expensive favour of his pontifical indulgence, Leo returned to Rome. The first object that required his attention was the state of Siena; where the inability of Borghese Petrucci, who at the age of twenty-two years had succeeded to the government, on the death of his father, Pandolfo, was so apparent as to give just cause for dissatisfaction among the inhabitants. This circumstance induced his cousin, Raffaello Petrucci, then bishop of Grosseto, and keeper of the castle of S. Angelo, to aspire to the chief dignity, to which he was also encouraged by Leo; who, in consideration of his long attachment and services, and with the view of

* Ammirato, Hist. Fior. lib. xxix. chap. iii. p. 319.

placing in so important a station a person attached to his own interests, furnished him with two hundred lances, and two thousand infantry, under the command of Vitello Vitelli, with which the Bishop proceeded towards Siena.* The rumours of these hostile preparations having reached the city, Borghese assembled the chief inhabitants for the purpose of interesting them in his favour, and preparing for their defence; but the indications of displeasure and animosity which he there perceived, induced him to relinquish all hopes of maintaining his authority. He therefore privately effected his escape from the city, and fled towards Naples, accompanied by Fabio, his younger brother; but leaving behind him his wife, his child, his friends, and his fortunes, to the mercy or the resentment of his adversaries.†

The satisfaction which the pontiff had experienced in the success of his measures was, however, speedily interrupted by domestic calamities and personal dangers. In the month of March, 1516, he received information of the loss of his brother Giuliano, who died at Florence on the seventeenth day of that month, after having supported his indisposition with great patience and resignation. His death was a subject of real regret to the citizens of Florence, who had the fullest confidence in his sincerity and good intentions, which they contrasted with the qualities of his nephew Lorenzo in a manner by no means favourable to the popularity of the latter. His obsequies were celebrated with great magnificence; but the noble monument erected to his memory by Michael-Agnolo, in the chapel of S. Lorenzo, at Florence, may be considered as a far more durable memorial of his fame.18

A few days after he had received intelligence of this event, Leo retired to Civita Lavinia, a town of great antiquity, situate between Ostia and Antium, at the distance of about three

miles from the sea. At this juncture a horde of barbarian corsairs suddenly disembarked from their vessels, and, after committing great depredations on the coast, captured a considerable number of persons, whom they carried off with them as prisoners. It was supposed to have been their intention to

* Jovius denominates him, "vir stabili fide, sed ignarus literarum et probris omnibus coopertus."

Jovius, Vita Leon. X. lib. iii. p. 71. Fabron. Vita Leon. X. p. 114.

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have seized upon the person of the pope, of whose temporary residence they had probably been apprised; but Leo was aware of the danger in sufficient time to escape their pursuit, and hastened in great terror to Rome. Muratori, who relates this incident on the authority of a manuscript history, by an anonymous writer of Padua, exclaims, What horrors, what dreadful consequences would have ensued, if these barbarians had succeeded in their project!" It would, indeed, have been a singular circumstance, if Leo had in one moment descended from the height of his authority, and the first station in Christendom, to the degrading condition of a slave. To form conjectures as to the probable consequences of such an event, is, however, as useless as it is difficult; but we may with certainty decide, that however humiliating such a circumstance would have been to the Christian world, it would not have shaken the belief of the faithful, either in the sacred character of the pontiff, or in the infallibility of the holy see.

CHAPTER XIV.

1516-1517.

Proposed alliance of England, Spain, and Austria-Death of Ferdinand of Spain His character-Francis I. forms designs upon the kingdom of NaplesThe emperor elect, Maximilian, enters Italy in great force-His ineffectual attempt against Milan-Francis I. suspects the pope of having favoured the enterprise-Leo intends to aggrandise his nephew Lorenzo-Excommunicates the duke of Urbino, and expels him from his dominions-Confers the title and authority on Lorenzo-The Venetians recover the city of BresciaVerona successfully defended by Marc-Antonio Colonna-Negotiations for the general pacification of Europe-Treaty of Noyou-Leo endeavours to counteract its effects-Treaty of London-Motives of the pope for opposing the pacification-The exiled duke of Urbino recovers his dominions-Leo requires the aid of all Christendom against him-The duke of Urbino challenges his rival Lorenzo to single combat-War of Urbino-The duke resigns his dominions-Conspiracy of Petrucci and other cardinals against the pope Conspirators discovered-Arrest of the cardinal Riario-Several other cardinals confess their guilt-Execution of Petrucci and his subordinate accomplices-Conduct of Leo towards the other conspirators Observations on this event-Leo creates in one day thirty-one cardinals-Splendour of the Roman See-Leo promotes the happiness of his subjects.

AFTER twenty years of warfare and desolation, Italy began at length to experience some respite from her calamities. The contest was not indeed wholly terminated; but it was chiefly restricted to the Venetian territories, where the senate were struggling to recover from the emperor the important cities of Brescia and Verona, which, by the aid of their successful allies the French, they now expected speedily to accomplish. The conquest of Milan and the progress of the French arms were not, however, regarded with indifference by Ferdinand of Aragon, who was well apprised of the warlike disposition and ambitious designs of Francis I., and fully aware how much the possession of the Milanese might facilitate the success of his hostile attempts against the kingdom of Naples. These apprehensions were increased by the strict alliance lately formed between Francis and Leo X., the latter of whom,

if he was not become the adversary of Ferdinand, was, at least, no longer his associate in the war; and his neutrality was scarcely less dangerous than his hostility. Induced by these considerations, Ferdinand determined to provide the active sovereign of France with employment in another quarter. To this end he renewed his applications to the emperor Maximilian and to Henry VIII., to join him in a league against France. These propositions were willingly acceded to by Maximilian, who earnestly desired the assistance of the Spaniards in divesting the Venetians of their continental possessions; and were also listened to by Henry VIII., who, notwithstanding his late dissatisfaction with the conduct of his father-in-law, and his treaty with Francis I., had been induced by Wolsey to look with an hostile eye on the proceedings of the French monarch. The motives of this powerful favourite, in thus inciting his sovereign to a new contest, are too obvious to be mistaken. By the aid of Francis I. he had lately obtained the hat of a cardinal; and he well knew that the expected conpensation for this favour was his relinquishing the revenues arising from his bishopric of Tournay, which, in case of hostilities between the two countries, he could still retain. He was therefore indefatigable in forwarding the negotiations with the emperor. The Spanish ambassador, who had of late experienced great neglect in the English court, was again received into favour; and the ancient treaties between Spain and England were revived and confirmed; but whilst the proposed alliance between the three sovereigns was thus on the point of being accomplished, its further progress was prevented by the death of Ferdinand, who, after a lingering illness, and at an advanced age, terminated his mortal career on the twenty-third day of January, 1516.

19

The reign of Ferdinand may be considered as having laid the foundation of the power of the Spanish monarchy; and he may justly be regarded, if not as one of the greatest, as one of the most fortunate, sovereigns on historical record. His marriage with Isabella eventually united the people of Castile and of Aragon under one sovereign, and formed them into one powerful nation. To the encouragement which, however tardy and imperfect, was afforded by Ferdinand and his queen to