There never was acted upon the Theater of the Court of _Rome_ so unexpected and strange a Scene, which therefore deserves to be reckoned amongst the prodigious effects of Fortune; for the Pope having no consanguinity with him, and he being without deserts, experience, or any remarkable quality that might make him conspicuous, nay, being scarce known, or at least not familiarly to the Pope; he was nevertheless of a sudden exalted and promoted to the degree of Cardinal, Nephew, and Padrone, as if he had been the head of the _Pamphilian_ Family: And to deserve all this, there was no quality but that, being born of a Noble Family, which nevertheless at that time was so far indebted and decayed, that he was not to expect any assistance in his fortune from them. His name, not to hold the _Lector_ any longer in suspense, was _Camillo Astalli_, a young Gentleman of about seven and twenty years old, of a comely aspect, and a handsome winning carriage, though guilty sometimes of too many complements, and in a word accomplish’d, as they ordinarily are, whose highest ambition carries them no further in _Rome_ then some Office or Prelature. And that which most surprized the Court, was to see one exalted thus, under pretence of serving and helping the Pope in the administration of State Affairs; one who was an absolute novice to all negotiations and policy, by reason of the few occasions he had had to learn any thing of that nature. But the occasion of his coming to court and making himself known, was, the alliance which the Marquess his brother had contracted with a Neece of _Donna Olympia’s_, for she being ambitious had alwayes embrac’d the occasions of marrying her relations into noble families, as having a design to honour, by such props, her own family of _Maldachini_, to whom that flower of nobility was denyed, which was an affliction to a Popes sister in Law, and a sister in Law that govern’d with an absolute authority. As it fell out, it was very fortunate for the house of _Astalli_, that they were allyed with her; because that they wanted riches to maintain their gentility the more, since they had at the invitation of _Donna Olympia_ bought the place of Clerk of the Apostolick chamber, which office had absorb’d the greatest part of their Patrimony; so that, if by chance the possessor of it did fail to make a fortune, or did dye suddenly, the whole family did run the hazard of being begger’d for ever.