The first he employed was to spread a, report that the Turks were threatening an invasion of Christendom, and that he knew for a positive fact that before the end of the summer Bajazet would land two considerable armies, one in Romagna, the other in Calabria; he therefore published two bulls, one to levy6 tithes7 of all ecclesiastical revenues in Europe of whatever nature they might be, the other to force the Jews into paying an equivalent sum: both bulls contained the severest sentences of excommunication against those who refused to submit, or attempted opposition8.
The second plan was the selling of indulgences, a thing which had never been done before: these indulgences affected9 the people who had been prevented by reasons of health or business from coming to Rome for the Jubilee10; the journey by this expedient11 was rendered unnecessary, and sins were pardoned for a third of what it would have cost, and just as completely as if the faithful had fulfilled every condition of the pilgrimage. For gathering12 in this tax a veritable army of collectors was instituted, a certain Ludovico delta13 Torre at their head. The sum that Alexander brought into the pontifical14 treasury15 is incalculable, and same idea of it may be gathered from the fact that 799,000 livres in gold was paid in from the territory of Venice alone.
But as the Turks did as a fact make some sort of demonstration16 from the Hungarian side, and the Venetians began to fear that they might be coming in their direction, they asked for help from the pope, who gave orders that at twelve o'clock in the day in all his States an Ave Maria should be said, to pray God to avert18 the danger which was threatening the most serene19 republic. This was the only help the Venetians got from His Holiness in exchange for the 799,000 livres in gold that he had got from them.
But it seemed as though God wished to show His strange vicar on earth that He was angered by the mockery of sacred things, and on the Eve of St. Peter's Day, just as the pope was passing the Capanile on his way to the tribune of benedictions20, a enormous piece of iron broke off and fell at his feet; and then, as though one warning had not been enough, on the next day, St. Peter's, when the pope happened to be in one of the rooms of his ordinary dwelling21 with Cardinal4 Capuano and Monsignare Poto, his private chamberlain, he saw through the open windows that a very black cloud was coming up. Foreseeing a thunderstorm, he ordered the cardinal and the chamberlain to shut the windows. He had not been mistaken; for even as they were obeying his command, there came up such a furious gust22 of wind that the highest chimney of the Vatican was overturned, just as a tree is rooted up, and was dashed upon the roof, breaking it in; smashing the upper flooring, it fell into the very room where they were. Terrified by the noise of this catastrophe23, which made the whole palace tremble, the cardinal and Monsignore Poto turned round, and seeing the room full of dust and debris24, sprang out upon the parapet and shouted to the guards at the gate, "The pope is dead, the pope is dead!" At this cry, the guards ran up and discovered three persons lying in the rubbish on the floor, one dead and the other two dying. The dead man was a gentleman of Siena ailed25 Lorenzo Chigi, and the dying were two resident officials of the Vatican. They had been walking across the floor above, and had been flung down with the debris. But Alexander was not to be found; and as he gave no answer, though they kept on calling to him, the belief that he had perished was confirmed, and very soon spread about the town. But he had only fainted, and at the end of a certain time he began to come to himself, and moaned, whereupon he was discovered, dazed with the blow, and injured, though not seriously, in several parts of his body. He had been saved by little short of a miracle: a beam had broken in half and had left each of its two ends in the side walls; and one of these had formed a sort of roof aver17 the pontifical throne; the pope, who was sitting there at the time, was protected by this overarching beam, and had received only a few contusions.
The two contradictory26 reports of the sudden death and the miraculous27 preservation28 of the pope spread rapidly through Rome; and the Duke of Valentinois, terrified at the thought of what a change might be wrought29 in his own fortunes by any slight accident to the Holy Father, hurried to the Vatican, unable to assure himself by anything less than the evidence of his own eyes. Alexander desired to render public thanks to Heaven for the protection that had been granted him; and on the very same day was carried to the church of Santa Maria del Popalo, escorted by a numerous procession of prelates and men-at arms, his pontifical seat borne by two valets, two equerries, and two grooms30. In this church were buried the Duke of Gandia and Gian Borgia, and perhaps Alexander was drawn31 thither32 by same relics33 of devotion, or may be by the recollection of his love for his former mistress, Rosa Vanazza, whose image, in the guise34 of the Madonna, was exposed for the veneration35 of the faithful in a chapel36 on the left of the high altar. Stopping before this altar, the pope offered to the church the gift of a magnificent chalice37 in which were three hundred gold crowns, which the Cardinal of Siena poured out into a silver paten before the eyes of all, much to the gratification of the pontifical vanity.
But before he left Rome to complete the conquest of the Romagna, the Duke of Valentinois had been reflecting that the marriage, once so ardently39 desired, between Lucrezia and Alfonso had been quite useless to himself and his father. There was more than this to be considered: Louis XII's rest in Lombardy was only a halt, and Milan was evidently but the stage before Naples. It was very possible that Louis was annoyed about the marriage which converted his enemy's nephew into the son-in-law of his ally. Whereas, if Alfonso were dead, Lucrezia would be the position to marry some powerful lord of Ferrara or Brescia, who would be able to help his brother-in-law in the conquest of Romagna. Alfonso was now not only useless but dangerous, which to anyone with the character of the Borgias perhaps seemed worse, the death of Alfonso was resolved upon. But Lucrezia's husband, who had understand for a long time past what danger he incurred40 by living near his terrible father-in-law, had retired41 to Naples. Since, however, neither Alexander nor Caesar had changed in their perpetual dissimulation42 towards him, he was beginning to lose his fear, when he received an invitation from the pope and his son to take part in a bull-fight which was to be held in the Spanish fashion in honour of the duke before his departure: In the present precarious44 position of Naples it would not have been good policy far Alfonso to afford Alexander any sort of pretext45 for a rupture46, so he could not refuse without a motive47, and betook himself to Rome. It was thought of no use to consult Lucrezia in this affair, for she had two or three times displayed an absurd attachment48 for her husband, and they left her undisturbed in her government of Spoleto.
Alfonso was received by the pope and the duke with every demonstration of sincere friendship, and rooms in the Vatican were assigned to him that he had inhabited before with Lucrezia, in that part of the building which is known as the Torre Nuova.
Great lists were prepared on the Piazza49 of St. Peter's; the streets about it were barricaded50, and the windows of the surrounding houses served as boxes for the spectators. The pope and his court took their places on the balconies of the Vatican.
The fete was started by professional toreadors: after they had exhibited their strength and skill, Alfonso and Caesar in their turn descended51 to the arena52, and to offer a proof of their mutual53 kindness, settled that the bull which pursued Caesar should be killed by Alfonso, and the bull that pursued Alfonso by Caesar.
Then Caesar remained alone an horseback within the lists, Alfonso going out by an improvised54 door which was kept ajar, in order that he might go back on the instant if he judged that his presence was necessary. At the same time, from the opposite side of the lists the bull was introduced, and was at the same moment pierced all over with darts55 and arrows, some of them containing explosives, which took fire, and irritated the bull to such a paint that he rolled about with pain, and then got up in a fury, and perceiving a man on horseback, rushed instantly upon him. It was now, in this narrow arena, pursued by his swift enemy, that Caesar displayed all that skill which made him one of the finest horsemen of the period. Still, clever as he was, he could not have remained safe long in that restricted area from an adversary56 against whom he had no other resource than flight, had not Alfonso appeared suddenly, just when the bull was beginning to gain upon him, waving a red cloak in his left hand, and holding in his right a long delicate Aragon sword. It was high time: the bull was only a few paces distant from Caesar, and the risk he was running appeared so imminent57 that a woman's scream was heard from one of the windows. But at the sight of a man on foot the bull stopped short, and judging that he would do better business with the new enemy than the old one, he turned upon him instead. For a moment he stood motionless, roaring, kicking up the dust with his hind58 feet, and lashing59 his sides with his tail. Then he rushed upon Alfonso, his eyes all bloodshot, his horns tearing up the ground. Alfonso awaited him with a tranquil60 air; then, when he was only three paces away, he made a bound to one sides and presented instead of his body his sword, which disappeared at once to the hilt; the bull, checked in the middle of his onslaught, stopped one instant motionless and trembling, then fell upon his knees, uttered one dull roar, and lying down on the very spot where his course had been checked, breathed his last without moving a single step forward.
Applause resounded61 an all sides, so rapid and clever had been the blow. Caesar had remained on horseback, seeking to discover the fair spectator who had given so lively a proof of her interest in him, without troubling himself about what was going on: his search had not been unrewarded, far he had recognized one of the maids of honour to Elizabeth, Duchess of Urbino, who was betrothed62 to Gian Battista Carraciualo, captain-general of the republic of Venice.
It was now Alfonso's turn to run from the bull, Caesar's to fight him: the young men changed parts, and when four mules63 had reluctantly dragged the dead bull from the arena, and the valets and other servants of His Holiness had scattered64 sand over the places that were stained with blood, Alfonso mounted a magnificent Andalusian steed of Arab origin, light as the wind of Sahara that had wedded65 with his mother, while Caesar, dismounting, retired in his turn, to reappear at the moment when Alfonso should be meeting the same danger from which he had just now rescued him.
Then a second bull was introduced upon the scene, excited in the same manner with steeled darts and flaming arrows. Like his predecessor66, when he perceived a man on horseback he rushed upon him, and then began a marvellous race, in which it was impossible to see, so quickly did they fly over the ground, whether the horse was pursuing the bull or the bull the horse. But after five or six rounds, the bull began to gain upon the son of Araby, for all his speed, and it was plain to see who fled and who pursued; in another moment there was only the length of two lances between them, and then suddenly Caesar appeared, armed with one of those long two handed swords which the French are accustomed to use, and just when the bull, almost close upon Don Alfonso, came in front of Caesar he brandished67 the sword, which flashed like lightning, and cut off his head, while his body, impelled68 by the speed of the run, fell to the ground ten paces farther on. This blow was so unexpected, and had been performed with such dexterity69, that it was received not with mere70 clapping but with wild enthusiasm and frantic71 outcry. Caesar, apparently72 remembering nothing else in his hour of triumph but the scream that had been caused by his former danger, picked up the bull's head, and, giving it to one of his equerries, ordered him to lay it as an act of homage73 at the feet of the fair Venetian who had bestowed74 upon him so lively a sign of interest. This fete, besides affording a triumph to each of the young men, had another end as well; it was meant to prove to the populace that perfect goodwill76 existed between the two, since each had saved the life of the other. The result was that, if any accident should happen to Caesar, nobody would dream of accusing Alfanso; and also if any accident should happen to Alfonso, nobody would dream, of accusing Caesar.
There was a supper at the Vatican. Alfonso made an elegant toilet, and about ten o'clock at night prepared to go from the quarters he inhabited into those where the pope lived; but the door which separated the two courts of the building was shut, and knock as he would, no one came to open it. Alfonso then thought that it was a simple matter for him to go round by the Piazza of St. Peter's; so he went out unaccompanied through one of the garden gates of the Vatican and made his way across the gloomy streets which led to the stairway which gave on the piazza. But scarcely had he set his foot on the first step when he was attacked by a band of armed men. Alfonso would have drawn his sword; but before it was out of the scabbard he had received two blows from a halberd, one on his head, the other on his shoulder; he was stabbed in the side, and wounded both in the leg and in the temple. Struck down by these five blows, he lost his footing and fell to the ground unconscious; his assassins, supposing he was dead, at once remounted the stairway, and found on the piazza forty horsemen waiting for them: by them they were calmly escorted from the city by the Porta Portesa. Alfonso was found at the point of death, but not actually dead, by some passers-by, some of whom recognised him, and instantly conveyed the news of his assassination77 to the Vatican, while the others, lifting the wounded man in their arms, carried him to his quarters in the Torre Nuova. The pope and Caesar, who learned this news just as they were sitting down to table, showed great distress78, and leaving their companions, at once went to see Alfonso, to be quite certain whether his wounds were fatal or not; and an the next morning, to divert any suspicion that might be turned towards themselves, they arrested Alfonso's maternal79 uncle, Francesco Gazella, who had come to Rome in his nephew's company. Gazella was found guilty on the evidence of false witnesses, and was consequently beheaded.
But they had only accomplished80 half of what they wanted. By some means, fair or foul81, suspicion had been sufficiently82 diverted from the true assassins; but Alfonso was not dead, and, thanks to the strength of his constitution and the skill of his doctors, who had taken the lamentations of the pope and Caesar quite seriously, and thought to please them by curing Alexander's son-in-law, the wounded man was making progress towards convalescence83: news arrived at the same time that Lucrezia had heard of her husband's accident, and was starting to come and nurse him herself. There was no time to lose, and Caesar summoned Michelotto.
"The same night," says Burcardus, "Don Alfonso, who would not die of his wounds, was found strangled in his bed."
The funeral took place the next day with a ceremony not unbecoming in itself, though, unsuited to his high rank. Dan Francesca Bargia, Archbishop of Cosenza, acted as chief mourner at St. Peter's, where the body was buried in the chapel of Santa Maria delle Febbre.
Lucrezia arrived the same evening: she knew her father and brother too well to be put on the wrong scent85; and although, immediately after Alfonso's death, the Duke of Valentinois had arrested the doctors, the surgeons, and a poor deformed86 wretch87 who had been acting88 as valet, she knew perfectly89 well from what quarter the blow had proceeded. In fear, therefore, that the manifestation90 of a grief she felt this time too well might alienate91 the confidence of her father and brother, she retired to Nepi with her whole household, her whole court, and more than six hundred cavaliers, there to spend the period of her mourning.
This important family business was now settled, and Lucrezia was again a widow, and in consequence ready to be utilized92 in the pope's new political machinations. Caesar only stayed at Rome to receive the ambassadors from France and Venice; but as their arrival was somewhat delayed, and consider able inroads had been made upon the pope's treasury by the recent festivities, the creation of twelve new cardinals was arranged: this scheme was to have two effects, viz., to bring 600,000 ducats into the pontifical chest, each hat having been priced at 50,000 ducats, and to assure the pope of a constant majority in the sacred council.
The ambassadors at last arrived: the first was M. de Villeneuve, the same who had come before to see the Duke of Valentinois in the name of France. Just as he entered Rome, he met on the road a masked man, who, without removing his domino, expressed the joy he felt at his arrival. This man was Caesar himself, who did not wish to be recognised, and who took his departure after a short conference without uncovering his face. M. de Villeneuve then entered the city after him, and at the Porta del Populo found the ambassadors of the various Powers, and among them those of Spain and Naples, whose sovereigns were not yet, it is true, in declared hostility93 to France, though there was already some coolness. The last-named, fearing to compromise themselves, merely said to their colleague of France, by way of complimentary94 address, "Sir, you are welcome"; whereupon the master of the ceremonies, surprised at the brevity of the greeting, asked if they had nothing else to say. When they replied that they had not, M. de Villeneuve turned his back upon them, remarking that those who had nothing to say required no answer; he then took his place between the Archbishop of Reggia, governor of Rome, and the Archbishop of Ragusa, and made his way to the palace of the Holy Apostles, which had been, got ready far his reception.
Same days later, Maria Giorgi, ambassador extraordinary of Venice, made his arrival. He was commissioned not only to arrange the business on hand with the pope, but also to convey to Alexander and Caesar the title of Venetian nobles, and to inform them that their names were inscribed95 in the Golden Book—a favour that both of them had long coveted96, less far the empty honour's sake than for the new influence that this title might confer. Then the pope went on to bestow75 the twelve cardinals' hats that had been sold. The new princes of the Church were Don Diego de Mendoza, archbishop of Seville; Jacques, archbishop of Oristagny, the Pope's vicar-general; Thomas, archbishop of Strigania; Piero, archbishop of Reggio, governor of Rome; Francesco Bargia, archbishop of Cosenza, treasurer-general; Gian, archbishop of Salerno, vice-chamberlain; Luigi Bargia, archbishop of Valencia, secretary to His Holiness, and brother of the Gian Borgia whom Caesar had poisoned; Antonio, bishop84 of Coma97; Gian Battista Ferraro, bishop of Modem98; Amedee d'Albret, son of the King of Navarre, brother-in-law of the Duke of Valentinois; and Marco Cornaro, a Venetian noble, in whose person His Holiness rendered back to the most serene republic the favour he had just received.
Then, as there was nothing further to detain the Duke of Valentinois at Rome, he only waited to effect a loan from a rich banker named Agostino Chigi, brother of the Lorenzo Chigi who had perished on the day when the pope had been nearly killed by the fall of a chimney, and departed far the Romagna, accompanied by Vitellozzo Vitelli, Gian Paolo Baglione, and Jacopo di Santa Croce, at that time his friends, but later on his victims.
His first enterprise was against Pesaro: this was the polite attention of a brother-in-law, and Gian Sforza very well knew what would be its consequences; for instead of attempting to defend his possessions by taking up arms, or to venture an negotiations99, unwilling100 moreover to expose the fair lands he had ruled so long to the vengeance101 of an irritated foe102, he begged his subjects, to preserve their former affection towards himself, in the hope of better days to come; and he fled into Dalmatia. Malatesta, lord of Rimini, followed his example; thus the Duke of Valentinois entered both these towns without striking a single blow. Caesar left a sufficient garrison103 behind him, and marched on to Faenza.
But there the face of things was changed: Faenza at that time was under the rule of Astor Manfredi, a brave and handsome young man of eighteen, who, relying on the love of his subjects towards his family, had resolved on defending himself to the uttermost, although he had been forsaken104 by the Bentivagli, his near relatives, and by his allies, the Venetian and Florentines, who had not dared to send him any aid because of the affection felt towards Caesar by the King of France. Accordingly, when he perceived that the Duke of Valentinois was marching against him, he assembled in hot haste all those of his vassals105 who were capable of bearing arms, together with the few foreign soldiers who were willing to come into his pay, and collecting victual and ammunition106, he took up his position with them inside the town.
By these defensive107 preparations Caesar was not greatly, disconcerted; he commanded a magnificent army, composed of the finest troops of France and Italy; led by such men as Paolo and Giulio Orsini, Vitellozzo Vitelli and Paolo Baglione, not to steak of himself—that is to say, by the first captains of the period. So, after he had reconnoitred, he at once began the siege, pitching his camp between the two rivers, Amana and Marziano, placing his artillery108 on the side which faces on Forli, at which point the besieged109 party had erected110 a powerful bastion.
At the end of a few days busy with entrenchments, the breach111 became practicable, and the Duke of Valentinois ordered an assault, and gave the example to his soldiers by being the first to march against the enemy. But in spite of his courage and that of his captains beside him, Astor Manfredi made so good a defence that the besiegers were repulsed112 with great loss of men, while one of their bravest leaders, Honario Savella; was left behind in the trenches113.
But Faenza, in spite of the courage and devotion of her defenders114, could not have held out long against so formidable an army, had not winter come to her aid. Surprised by the rigour of the season, with no houses for protection and no trees for fuel, as the peasants had destroyed both beforehand, the Duke of Valentinois was forced to raise the siege and take up his winter quarters in the neighbouring towns, in order to be quite ready for a return next spring; for Caesar could not forgive the insult of being held in check by a little town which had enjoyed a long time of peace, was governed by a mere boy, and deprived of all outside aid, and had sworn to take his revenge. He therefore broke up his army into three sections, sent one-third to Imola, the second to Forli, and himself took the third to Cesena, a third-rate town, which was thus suddenly transformed into a city of pleasure and luxury.
Indeed, for Caesar's active spirit there must needs be no cessation of warfare115 or festivities. So, when war was interrupted, fetes began, as magnificent and as exciting as he knew how to make them: the days were passed in games and displays of horsemanship, the nights in dancing and gallantry; for the loveliest women of the Romagna—and that is to say of the whole world had come hither to make a seraglio for the victor which might have been envied by the Sultan of Egypt or the Emperor of Constantinople.
While the Duke of Valentinois was making one of his excursions in the neighbourhood of the town with his retinue116 of flattering nobles and titled courtesans, who were always about him, he noticed a cortege an the Rimini road so numerous that it must surely indicate the approach of someone of importance. Caesar, soon perceiving that the principal person was a woman, approached, and recognised the very same lady-in-waiting to the Duchess of Urbino who, on the day of the bull-fight, had screamed when Caesar was all but touched by the infuriated beast. At this time she was betrothed, as we mentioned, to Gian Carracciuola, general of the Venetians. Elizabeth of Gonzaga, her protectress and godmother, was now sending her with a suitable retinue to Venice, where the marriage was to take place.
Caesar had already been struck by the beauty of this young girl, when at Rome; but when he saw her again she appeared more lovely than on the first occasion, so he resolved on the instant that he would keep this fair flower of love for himself: having often before reproached himself for his indifference117 in passing her by. Therefore he saluted118 her as an old acquaintance, inquired whether she were staying any time at Cesena, and ascertained119 that she was only passing through, travelling by long stages, as she was awaited with much impatience120, and that she would spend the coming night at Forli. This was all that Caesar cared to knew; he summoned Michelotto, and in a low voice said a few wards43 to him, which were heard by no one else.
The cortege only made a halt at the neighbouring town, as the fair bride had said, and started at once for Forli, although the day was already far advanced; but scarcely had a league been revered121 when a troop of horsemen from Cesena overtook and surrounded them. Although the soldiers in the escort were far from being in sufficient force, they were eager to defend their general's bride; but soon same fell dead, and ethers, terrified, took to flight; and when the lady came dawn from her litter to try to escape, the chief seized her in his arms and set her in front of him on his horse; then, ordering his men to return to Cesena without him, he put his horse to the gallop122 in a cross direction, and as the shades of evening were now beginning to fall, he soon disappeared into the darkness.
Carracciuolo learned the news through one of the fugitives123, who declared that he had recognised among the ravishers the Duke of Valentinois' soldiers. At first he thought his ears had deceived him, so hard was it to believe this terrible intelligence; but it was repeated, and he stood for one instant motionless, and, as it were, thunderstruck; then suddenly, with a cry of vengeance, he threw off his stupor124 and dashed away to the ducal palace, where sat the Doge Barberigo and the Council of Ten; unannounced, he rushed into their midst, the very moment after they had heard of Caesar's outrage125.
"Most serene lords," he cried, "I am come to bid you farewell, for I am resolved to sacrifice my life to my private vengeance, though indeed I had hoped to devote it to the service of the republic. I have been wounded in the soul's noblest part—in my honour. The dearest thing I possessed126, my wife, has been stolen from me, and the thief is the most treacherous127, the most impious, the most infamous128 of men, it is Valentinois! My lords, I beg you will not be offended if I speak thus of a man whose boast it is to be a member of your noble ranks and to enjoy your protection: it is not so; he lies, and his loose and criminal life has made him unworthy of such honours, even as he is unworthy of the life whereof my sword shall deprive him. In truth, his very birth was a sacrilege; he is a fratricide, an usurper129 of the goods of other men, an oppressor of the innocent, and a highway assassin; he is a man who will violate every law, even, the law of hospitality respected by the veriest barbarian130, a man who will do violence to a virgin131 who is passing through his own country, where she had every right to expect from him not only the consideration due to her sex and condition, but also that which is due to the most serene republic, whose condottiere I am, and which is insulted in my person and in the dishonouring132 of my bride; this man, I say, merits indeed to die by another hand than mine. Yet, since he who ought to punish him is not for him a prince and judge, but only a father quite as guilty as the son, I myself will seek him out, and I will sacrifice my own life, not only in avenging133 my own injury and the blood of so many innocent beings, but also in promoting the welfare of the most serene republic, on which it is his ambition to trample134 when he has accomplished the ruin of the other princes of Italy."
The doge and the senators, who, as we said, were already apprised135 of the event that had brought Carracciuolo before them, listened with great interest and profound indignation; for they, as he told them, were themselves insulted in the person of their general: they all swore, on their honour, that if he would put the matter in their hands, and not yield to his rage, which could only work his own undoing136, either his bride should be rendered up to him without a smirch upon her bridal veil, or else a punishment should be dealt out proportioned to the affront137. And without delay, as a proof of the energy wherewith the noble tribunal would take action in the affair, Luigi Manenti, secretary to the Ten, was sent to Imola, where the duke was reported to be, that he might explain to him the great displeasure with which the most serene republic viewed the outrage perpetrated upon their candottiere. At the same time the Council of Ten and the doge sought out the French ambassador, entreating138 him to join with them and repair in person with Manenti to the Duke of Valentinois, and summon him, in the name of King Louis XII, immediately to send back to Venice the lady he had carried off.
The two messengers arrived at Imola, where they found Caesar, who listened to their complaint with every mark of utter astonishment139, denying that he had been in any way connected with the crime, nay140, authorising Manenti and the French ambassador to pursue the culprits and promising141 that he would himself have the most active search carried on. The duke appeared to act in such complete good faith that the envoys142 were for the moment hoodwinked, and themselves undertook a search of the most careful nature. They accordingly repaired to the exact spot and began to procure143 information. On the highroad there had been found dead and wounded. A man had been seen going by at a gallop, carrying a woman in distress on his saddle; he had soon left the beaten track and plunged144 across country. A peasant coming home from working in the fields had seen him appear and vanish again like a shadow, taking the direction of a lonely house. An old woman declared that she had seen him go into this house. But the next night the house was gone, as though by enchantment145, and the ploughshare had passed over where it stood; so that none could say, what had become of her whom they sought, far those who had dwelt in the house, and even the house itself, were there no longer.
Manenti and the French ambassador returned to Venice, and related what the duke had said, what they had done, and how all search had been in vain. No one doubted that Caesar was the culprit, but no one could prove it. So the most serene republic, which could not, considering their war with the Turks, be embroiled146 with the pope, forbade Caracciuala to take any sort of private vengeance, and so the talk grew gradually less, and at last the occurrence was no more mentioned.
But the pleasures of the winter had not diverted Caesar's mind from his plans about Faenza. Scarcely did the spring season allow him to go into the country than he marched anew upon the town, camped opposite the castle, and making a new breach, ordered a general assault, himself going up first of all; but in spite of the courage he personally displayed, and the able seconding of his soldiers, they were repulsed by Astor, who, at the head of his men, defended the breach, while even the women, at the top of the rampart, rolled down stones and trunks of trees upon the besiegers. After an hour's struggle man to man, Caesar was forced to retire, leaving two thousand men in the trenches about the town, and among the two thousand one of his bravest condottieri, Valentino Farnese.
Then, seeing that neither excommunications nor assaults could help him, Caesar converted the siege into a blockade: all the roads leading to Faenza were cut off, all communications stopped; and further, as various signs of revolt had been remarked at Cesena, a governor was installed there whose powerful will was well known to Caesar, Ramiro d'Orco, with powers of life and death over the inhabitants; he then waited quietly before Faenza, till hunger should drive out the citizens from those walls they defended with such vehement147 enthusiasm. At the end of a month, during which the people of Faenza had suffered all the horrors of famine, delegates came out to parley148 with Caesar with a view to capitulation. Caesar, who still had plenty to do in the Romagna, was less hard to satisfy than might have been expected, and the town yielded an condition that he should not touch either the persons or the belongings149 of the inhabitants, that Astor Manfredi, the youthful ruler, should have the privilege of retiring whenever he pleased, and should enjoy the revenue of his patrimony150 wherever he might be.
The conditions were faithfully kept so far as the inhabitants were concerned; but Caesar, when he had seen Astor, whom he did not know before, was seized by a strange passion for this beautiful youth, who was like a woman: he kept him by his side in his own army, showing him honours befitting a young prince, and evincing before the eyes of all the strongest affection for him: one day Astor disappeared, just as Caracciuolo's bride had disappeared, and no one knew what had become of him; Caesar himself appeared very uneasy, saying that he had no doubt made his escape somewhere, and in order to give credence151 to this story, he sent out couriers to seek him in all directions.
A year after this double disappearance152, there was picked up in the Tiber, a little below the Castle Sant' Angelo, the body of a beautiful young woman, her hands bound together behind her back, and also the corpse153 of a handsome youth with the bowstring he had been strangled with tied round his neck. The girl was Caracciuolo's bride, the young man was Astor.
During the last year both had been the slaves of Caesar's pleasures; now, tired of them, he had had them thrown into the Tiber.
The capture of Faenza had brought Caesar the title of Duke of Romagna, which was first bestowed on him by the pope in full consistory, and afterwards ratified154 by the King of Hungary, the republic of Venice, and the Kings of Castile and Portugal. The news of the ratification38 arrived at Rome on the eve of the day on which the people are accustomed to keep the anniversary of the foundation of the Eternal City; this fete, which went back to the days of Pomponius Laetus, acquired a new splendour in their eyes from the joyful155 events that had just happened to their sovereign: as a sign of joy cannon156 were fired all day long; in the evening there were illuminations and bonfires, and during part of the night the Prince of Squillace, with the chief lords of the Roman nobility, marched about the streets, bearing torches, and exclaiming, "Long live Alexander! Long live Caesar! Long live the Borgias! Long live the Orsini! Long live the Duke of Romagna!"
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1
paltry
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| adj.无价值的，微不足道的 | |
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2
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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3
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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4
cardinal
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| n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的 | |
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5
cardinals
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| 红衣主教( cardinal的名词复数 )； 红衣凤头鸟（见于北美，雄鸟为鲜红色）； 基数 | |
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6
levy
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| n.征收税或其他款项，征收额 | |
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7
tithes
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| n.（宗教捐税）什一税，什一的教区税，小部分( tithe的名词复数 ) | |
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8
opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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9
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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10
jubilee
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| n.周年纪念；欢乐 | |
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11
expedient
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| adj.有用的，有利的；n.紧急的办法，权宜之计 | |
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12
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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13
delta
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| n.（流的）角洲 | |
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14
pontifical
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| adj.自以为是的，武断的 | |
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15
treasury
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| n.宝库；国库，金库；文库 | |
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16
demonstration
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| n.表明，示范，论证，示威 | |
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17
aver
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| v.极力声明；断言；确证 | |
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18
avert
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| v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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19
serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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20
benedictions
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| n.祝福( benediction的名词复数 )；（礼拜结束时的）赐福祈祷；恩赐；（大写）（罗马天主教）祈求上帝赐福的仪式 | |
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21
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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22
gust
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| n.阵风，突然一阵（雨、烟等），（感情的）迸发 | |
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23
catastrophe
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| n.大灾难，大祸 | |
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24
debris
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| n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片 | |
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25
ailed
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| v.生病( ail的过去式和过去分词 )；感到不舒服；处境困难；境况不佳 | |
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26
contradictory
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| adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立 | |
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27
miraculous
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| adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的 | |
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28
preservation
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| n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持 | |
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29
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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30
grooms
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| n.新郎( groom的名词复数 )；马夫v.照料或梳洗（马等）( groom的第三人称单数 )；使做好准备；训练；（给动物）擦洗 | |
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31
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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32
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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33
relics
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| [pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸 | |
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34
guise
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| n.外表，伪装的姿态 | |
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35
veneration
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| n.尊敬，崇拜 | |
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36
chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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37
chalice
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| n.圣餐杯；金杯毒酒 | |
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38
ratification
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| n.批准，认可 | |
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39
ardently
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| adv.热心地，热烈地 | |
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40
incurred
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| [医]招致的，遭受的； incur的过去式 | |
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41
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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42
dissimulation
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| n.掩饰，虚伪，装糊涂 | |
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43
wards
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| 区( ward的名词复数 )； 病房； 受监护的未成年者； 被人照顾或控制的状态 | |
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44
precarious
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| adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的 | |
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45
pretext
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| n.借口，托词 | |
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46
rupture
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| n.破裂；(关系的)决裂；v.(使)破裂 | |
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47
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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48
attachment
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| n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附 | |
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49
piazza
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| n.广场；走廊 | |
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50
barricaded
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| 设路障于，以障碍物阻塞( barricade的过去式和过去分词 )； 设路障[防御工事]保卫或固守 | |
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51
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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52
arena
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| n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台 | |
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53
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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54
improvised
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| a.即席而作的,即兴的 | |
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55
darts
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| n.掷飞镖游戏；飞镖( dart的名词复数 )；急驰，飞奔v.投掷，投射( dart的第三人称单数 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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56
adversary
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| adj.敌手，对手 | |
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57
imminent
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| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
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58
hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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59
lashing
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| n.鞭打；痛斥；大量；许多v.鞭打( lash的现在分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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60
tranquil
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| adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
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61
resounded
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| v.（指声音等）回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 )；产生回响；（指某处）回荡着声音 | |
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62
betrothed
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| n. 已订婚者 动词betroth的过去式和过去分词 | |
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63
mules
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| 骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者 | |
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64
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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65
wedded
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| adj.正式结婚的；渴望…的，执著于…的v.嫁，娶，（与…）结婚( wed的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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66
predecessor
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| n.前辈，前任 | |
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67
brandished
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| v.挥舞( brandish的过去式和过去分词 )；炫耀 | |
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68
impelled
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| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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69
dexterity
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| n.(手的)灵巧，灵活 | |
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70
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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71
frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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72
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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73
homage
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| n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬 | |
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74
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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75
bestow
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| v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费 | |
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76
goodwill
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| n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉 | |
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77
assassination
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| n.暗杀；暗杀事件 | |
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78
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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79
maternal
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| adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的 | |
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80
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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81
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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82
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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83
convalescence
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| n.病后康复期 | |
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84
bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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85
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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86
deformed
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| adj.畸形的；变形的；丑的，破相了的 | |
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87
wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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88
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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89
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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90
manifestation
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| n.表现形式；表明；现象 | |
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91
alienate
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| vt.使疏远，离间；转让(财产等) | |
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92
utilized
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| v.利用，使用( utilize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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93
hostility
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| n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争 | |
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94
complimentary
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| adj.赠送的，免费的，赞美的，恭维的 | |
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95
inscribed
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| v.写，刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；内接 | |
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96
coveted
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| adj.令人垂涎的；垂涎的，梦寐以求的v.贪求，觊觎(covet的过去分词)；垂涎；贪图 | |
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97
coma
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| n.昏迷，昏迷状态 | |
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98
modem
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| n.调制解调器 | |
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99
negotiations
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| 协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过 | |
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100
unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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101
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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102
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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103
garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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104
Forsaken
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| adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词 | |
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105
vassals
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| n.奴仆( vassal的名词复数 )；（封建时代）诸侯；从属者；下属 | |
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106
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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107
defensive
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| adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的 | |
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108
artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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109
besieged
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| 包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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110
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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111
breach
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| n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破 | |
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112
repulsed
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| v.击退( repulse的过去式和过去分词 )；驳斥；拒绝 | |
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113
trenches
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| 深沟，地沟( trench的名词复数 )； 战壕 | |
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114
defenders
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| n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者 | |
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115
warfare
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| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
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116
retinue
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| n.侍从；随员 | |
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117
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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118
saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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119
ascertained
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| v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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120
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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121
revered
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| v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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122
gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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stupor
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| v.昏迷；不省人事 | |
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outrage
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| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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treacherous
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| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
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infamous
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| adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的 | |
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usurper
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| n. 篡夺者, 僭取者 | |
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130
barbarian
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| n.野蛮人；adj.野蛮(人)的；未开化的 | |
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virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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132
dishonouring
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| 使（人、家族等）丧失名誉（dishonour的现在分词形式） | |
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133
avenging
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| adj.报仇的，复仇的v.为…复仇，报…之仇( avenge的现在分词 )；为…报复 | |
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134
trample
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| vt.踩，践踏；无视，伤害，侵犯 | |
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apprised
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| v.告知，通知( apprise的过去式和过去分词 )；评价 | |
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136
undoing
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| n.毁灭的原因，祸根；破坏，毁灭 | |
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affront
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| n./v.侮辱，触怒 | |
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138
entreating
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| 恳求，乞求( entreat的现在分词 ) | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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140
nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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142
envoys
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| 使节( envoy的名词复数 )； 公使； 谈判代表； 使节身份 | |
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143
procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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enchantment
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| n.迷惑，妖术，魅力 | |
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embroiled
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| adj.卷入的；纠缠不清的 | |
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vehement
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| adj.感情强烈的；热烈的；(人)有强烈感情的 | |
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parley
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| n.谈判 | |
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belongings
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| n.私人物品，私人财物 | |
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patrimony
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| n.世袭财产，继承物 | |
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credence
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| n.信用，祭器台，供桌，凭证 | |
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disappearance
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| n.消失，消散，失踪 | |
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153
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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154
ratified
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| v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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joyful
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| adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的 | |
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cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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