Lives of the early Medici : $b As told in their correspondence
History
Lives of the early Medici : $b As told in their correspondence
Florence (Italy) -- History; Medici, Cosimo de', 1389-1464; Medici, House of; Medici, Lorenzo de', 1449-1492; Medici, Piero de', 1416-1469
After this thou art to say to His Holiness that having thus
recommended me, brotherly love constrains thee to recommend also
Messer Giovanni, whom I have brought up as a priest, and endeavour to
educate morally and intellectually in such a way that he should not
be put to shame among others. All my hope in this matter is in His
Beatitude who has already, out of his clemency and humanity, shown
him some affection, and as we are in his good graces I entreat him
to continue his benevolence, and to add to the other obligations our
house has towards the Holy See by favouring this affair of Messer
Giovanni; strive with these and other words to recommend thy brother.
I have now said enough about the Pope. Thou wilt have my letters
to all the cardinals which thou wilt deliver or not according to
Giovanni’s directions. Commend me to them and say thou art come to
Rome to express my devotion to Their Most Reverend Lords, and also in
order that they may make acquaintance with him who will continue the
devotion of our house towards them, and that they are to command thee
and make use of thee as of all that is mine, offering thyself, &c.
This thou wilt say to all in general, but to those on the marked list
thou wilt say as follows.
To Cardinal Visconti say that even were he not a Cardinal, our house
has old and innate obligations to all his illustrious house, and that
as my son and by nature an ally of the Sforzas (Sforzesco), and a
devoted servant of His Most Reverend Lordship thou beseechest him to
command thee, and to treat thee as one of his house and accept thee as
his servant, as are all of our house.
To Cardinal d’Aragona say that as I place all my hopes and trust in
H.M. the King his father, it is thy duty as my son to present thyself
to His Most Reverend Lordship, and that thou and my other sons,
besides the many benefits received from H.M. the King, can never
forget the honours paid to me at Naples and the mode of sending me
home, and that thou art well aware what would have been thy condition
and that of my other children, if things had gone differently. For
this reason His Most Reverend Lordship and all the other sons of
H.M. the King may sell thee, or pawn thee, and treat thee as a thing
belonging to them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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