With the aim we have no quarrel. It was laudable enough in a Pontiff.
But it foreshadows Cesare’s ruin, in spite of the love-protesting letter
to Florence, in spite of the bargain struck by virtue of which Julius
had obtained the pontificate. Whether the Pope went further in his
treachery, whether, having dispatched that brief to Florence, he sent
other communications to the Signory, is not ascertainable; but the
suspicion of some such secret action is inspired by what ensued.
On November 13 Cesare was ready to leave Rome; but no safe-conduct
had arrived. Out of all patience at this, he begged the Pope that the
captain of the pontifical navy should prepare him five galleons at
Ostia, by which he could take his foot to Genoa, and thence proceed into
Romagna by way of Ferrara.
Macchiavelli, at the same time, was frenziedly importuning Florence to
grant the duke the desired safe-conduct lest in despair Cesare should
make a treaty with Venice--“or with the devil”--and should go to Pisa,
employing all his money, strength, and influence to vent his wrath upon
the Signory. But the Signory knew more, perhaps, than did Macchiavelli,
for no attention was paid to his urgent advice.
On the 19th Cesare left Rome to set out for Genoa by way of Ostia, and
his departure threw Giustiniani into alarm--fearing that the duke would
now escape.
But there was no occasion for his fears. On the very day of Cesare’s
departure Julius sent fresh briefs to the Romagna, different indeed
from those of November 3. In these he now expressed his disapproval of
Alexander’s having conferred the vicarship of the Romagna upon Cesare
Borgia, and he exhorted all to range themselves under the banner of the
Church, under whose protection he intended to keep them.
Events followed quickly upon that. Two days later news reached the Pope
that the Venetians had captured Faenza, whereupon he sent a messenger
after Valentinois to suggest to the latter that he should surrender
Forli and the other fiefs into pontifical hands. With this Cesare
refused to comply, and, as a result, he was detained by the captain of
the navy, in obedience to the instructions from Julius. At the same time
the Pope broke the last link of the treaty with Cesare by appointing
a new Governor of Romagna in the person of Giovanni Sacchi, Bishop of
Ragusa. He commanded the latter to take possession of the Romagna in the
name of the Church, and he issued another brief--the third within three
weeks--demanding the State’s obedience to the new governor.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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