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<DATE>2013-07-16</DATE>
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<NAME>Colm MacCrossan</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed.</ITEM>
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<BIBNO T="umi">99896878</BIBNO>
<VID>135322</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1">
<P>A RELATION Of the State of the COURT OF ROME, Made in the Year 1661. at the Council of <HI>Pregadi.</HI> By the Mo&s;t Excellent, the Lord <HI>ANGELO CORRARO,</HI> Amba&s;&s;ador from the mo&s;t <HI>Serene Re|publique</HI> of <HI>Venice</HI> to Pope <HI>Alexander</HI> VII. Tran&s;lated out of <HI>Italian</HI> By <HI>J. B.</HI> Gent.</P>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed by <HI>T. Mabb,</HI> and are to be &s;old by <HI>Michael Young</HI> at the <HI>Blew Bible</HI> in <HI>Bedford-&s;treet</HI> in <HI>Covent-Garden;</HI> and <HI>John Playfere,</HI> at the <HI>White Bear</HI> in the <HI>Upper Walk</HI> of the <HI>New-Exchange.</HI> 1664.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="imprimatur">
<PB REF="2">
<P>Imprimatur</P>
<CLOSER><DATE><HI>Sept.</HI> ult. 1663.</DATE>
<SIGNED>Roger L' E&s;trang.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>To M^r <HI>MATTHIAS</HI> Van <HI>BEUNINGEN.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_THIS Relation, which cannot but diverti&s;e you may &s;erve for In&s;truction, to many peo|ple, who talk at pre&s;ent of the Court of <HI>Rome,</HI> and tor|ment
<PB REF="3"> them&s;elves to di&s;co|ver the Cau&s;es and Con&s;e|quences of the Murther committed on the Amba&s;&s;a|dor of <HI>France.</HI> Truly, that act was very &s;trange: a great King to be out|ragiou&s;ly wronged out of a Frolick, and tho&s;e Sage Worldlings &s;eem to have renounced both their Ho|nour and Judgment, &s;ince they yet &s;peak of &igrave;t &s;cof|fingly; they fancy and &s;ay, all will be made up again; that the bu&s;ine&s;s at la&s;t will come to a Negotiation, where the <HI>French</HI> cannot fail of having &s;atisfaction:
<PB REF="3"> How can tho&s;e wi&s;e Heads ponder &s;o long upon one thing? they will cut them|&s;elves out &s;ome other work; they will evaporate their Choller in &s;inging fine Songs of us, their fury will vani&s;h, and he that had the blows may bear them; the King &s;hall be &s;atisfi'd with the hanging up of three or four Catch pole Serjeants; and if at la&s;t, tho&s;e ra&s;h ones &s;hould put the bu&s;ine&s;s home, the Emperour and other Princes, whom the Pope is &s;ure of, will not fail their Holy Mother at her need: and then do they
<PB REF="4"> count it nothing to have Eight Red Hats to be&s;tow, and with the which they might&mdash;; But let tho&s;e Mini&s;ters &s;tand fa&s;t? If the wound can be healed with words, &s;o much the better, tho&s;e Bagatels will &s;erve. However, Sir, I do not think I acquit my &s;elf of what I owe you, nor do I pretend you &s;hould be obliged to me, when I pre|&s;ent you with a Book that comes from your own Clo|&s;et, and can teach you no|thing new. You are, Sir, of an Illu&s;trious Family, where Virtue, Science, Politne&s;s,
<PB REF="4"> Riches, Reputation, and the mo&s;t Refined Judgment in Affairs of State, are Na|tural and Hereditary. I can|not be &s;u&s;pected of flattery herein, &s;ince I have Crown'd Heads and Sovereign Prin|ces for my Witne&s;&s;es, whom, as I may &s;ay, have found them&s;elves honoured by the Emba&s;&s;ies and Em|ployments wherein your Elde&s;t Brother acquitted him&s;elf with no le&s;s prai&s;e to him, than &s;atisfaction to them: this is no more then was &s;aid by the Queen of <HI>Sweden,</HI> and is yet &s;poken of in <HI>France.</HI> Neverthele&s;s,
<PB REF="5"> I believed this Treati&s;e, which is no le&s;s curious than &s;olid, de&s;erved to bear the name of a Per&s;on that hath acquired &s;o much Reputa|tion by the Commerce of all the Learned, by Travail, by choice Books, by his good Nature, and the wel|come Reception he gives to all Stud&igrave;ous men. The Au|thors name &s;peaks his com|mendations, it is the Il|lu&s;trious Senator <HI>Corraro,</HI> for whom there are no Em|ployments too high in <HI>Ve|nice,</HI> that Politique A&s;trolo|ger, who judges of the Mindes of Men with a Sub|tilty
<PB REF="5"> worthy his penetrati|on, and the judgment of a Man thorowly ver&s;ed in the affairs of the world, and with that liberty of truth natural to all Republicans. I be&s;eech you, Sir, to ac|cept of my re&s;pects, and give me &s;ome tokens of your good-will by honouring me with your Commands.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="index">
<PB REF="6">
<PB REF="6">
<LIST>
<HEAD>A TABLE.</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>AQuaviva</HI> 62</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Aldobrandino</HI> 65</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>A&s;talli</HI> 70</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>ALbici</HI> 71</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Azzolino</HI> 72</ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>B</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Berenice</HI> 16</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Bichi</HI> Card. 23</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Bichi</HI> Prior. 24</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Bandinelli</HI> 33</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Barberino</HI> Fran. 38</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Barberino</HI> Ant. 41</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Brancaccio</HI> 44</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Barberino</HI> Char. 63</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Boromeo</HI> 69</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Bagni</HI> 74</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Bonvi&s;i</HI> 76</ITEM>
</LIST>
<PB REF="7">
<LIST>
<HEAD>C</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Corrado</HI> 32</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Colonne</HI> 42</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Carpegna</HI> 45</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Co&s;taguti</HI> 57</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Cibo</HI> 62</ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>D</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Donghi</HI> 58</ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>E</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>E&s;te</HI> 56</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Elci</HI> 75</ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>F</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Fagnano</HI> 33</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Franciotti</HI> 43</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Filormarini</HI> 46</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Facchinetti</HI> 48</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Farne&s;e</HI> 76</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>France</HI> 83</ITEM>
</LIST>
<PB REF="7">
<LIST>
<HEAD>G</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Chigi</HI> Augu&s;ta. 24</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chigi</HI> Mar. 16</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chigi</HI> Flav. 17</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chigi</HI> Augu&s;tin. 20</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chigi</HI> Sig. 23</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ginetti</HI> 40</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Giorio</HI> 48</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grinaldi</HI> 50</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Gabrieli</HI> 58</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Gondi</HI> 62</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Gualtieri</HI> 66</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Genois</HI> 98</ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>H</HEAD>
<ITEM>Harach <HI>44</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Homodei <HI>59</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>The</HI> Cardinal Lantgrave of He&s;&s;e <HI>72</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>I</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Imperiale</HI> 69</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Empire</HI> 80</ITEM>
</LIST>
<PB REF="8">
<LIST>
<HEAD>L</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Lugo</HI> 58</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ludovi&s;io</HI> 60</ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>M</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>D. Mario</HI> 14</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>D. Medicis Charls</HI> Cardinal. 38</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Maculano</HI> 47</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Mazarin</HI> 50</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>D. Medicis John.</HI> 60</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Maldachino</HI> 67</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Modena</HI> 100</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Mantoua</HI> 101</ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>O</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Ode&s;calco</HI> 67</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ottobuono</HI> Ib.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>P</HEAD>
<ITEM>The <HI>Pope</HI> 3</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Pallavicino</HI> 30</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Pallotta</HI> 45</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Pio</HI> 64</ITEM>
<PB REF="8">
<ITEM><HI>Paulucci</HI> 75</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Pologna</HI> 95</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Parma</HI> 99</ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>Q</HEAD>
<ITEM>Queen of <HI>Sweden,</HI> 78</ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>R</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Ro&s;piglio&s;i</HI> 29</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ro&s;&s;etti</HI> 49</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Rondanini</HI> 57</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Raggi</HI> 59</ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>S</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Spada</HI> Virg. 34</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Spada</HI> de Bre&s;i ghele. 39</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sachetti</HI> 40</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Santa Croce</HI> 61</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Spada</HI> of <HI>Luca</HI> 66</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sforza</HI> 73</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sagredo</HI> 77</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Spain</HI> 89</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Savoy</HI> 96</ITEM>
</LIST>
<PB REF="9">
<LIST>
<HEAD>T</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Triumvirat, vide</HI> C. A. I.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>To&s;cany</HI> 97</ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>V</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>&V;r&s;in</HI> 55</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Vidman</HI> 65</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Venice</HI> 102</ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="account">
<PB REF="9">
<HEAD>A RELATION Of The State of the <HI>CO&V;RT</HI> Of ROME.</HEAD>
<P>_I Cannot but acquit my &s;elf of what is due from all tho&s;e, who having fini&s;hed the employment wherewith your <HI>Serene Repub|lique</HI> hath honoured them, re|turning back to their Country, bring home with them the Fruit they have gleaned in their Ob&s;ervations on the Forms of Government; the De&s;igns and Maxims of
<PB N="2" REF="10"> tho&s;e Princes near whom they have re&s;ided, together with all &s;uch other things as they e&s;teem mo&s;t wor|thy to be known, and noted by your Excellencies.</P>
<P>I &s;hall be brief in the quantity of things I have to &s;ay, reducing them to what is mo&s;t e&s;&s;ential, that thereby they may be the more firmly imprinted in your Memories, and &s;hall make but three Chapters of them.</P>
<P>In the Fir&s;t, I &s;hall treat of the Nature, the Qualities, the Pa&s;&s;ions, the Inclinations, and the De&s;igns of Pope <HI>Alexander</HI> VII, the Kindred of his <HI>Holine&s;s</HI> who have part in the Government, and his other Confidents, to whom he is accu&s;tomed to com|municate the mo&s;t important intere&s;ts of the Papacy.</P>
<P>In the Second, I &s;hall &s;peak of the College of the Cardinals, and give an account in &s;hort of the Intere&s;ts, and the good and bad Qualities of each of them.</P>
<P>In the Third, I will declare the rea&s;ons, by which one may conclude, whether the Pope have any in|clination to love one Nation more than another; And I promi&s;e your Excellencies, the &s;ame Sincerity and the &s;ame Indifferency, which in &s;o many years Service as I have rendred you, may have made you know is become natural to me, and without which I can undertake nothing, without putting a con&s;traint or force upon my humor.</P>
<P>I &s;hould never have enter'd upon the particulars of the Behaviour, the Pa&s;&s;ions and Qualities of the pre&s;ent Pope, if any other had done it before me: But &s;eeing the Lord <HI>Sagredi</HI> left <HI>Rome</HI> in the fir&s;t year of this Pope's A&s;&s;umption, at which time his Ho|line&s;s profe&s;&s;ed to have Sentiments quite contrary to what appeared the years following: and that the Lord <HI>Girolamo Giu&s;tincani,</HI> who was able to have
<PB N="3" REF="10"> exactly ob&s;erved, and &s;ounded all the&s;e &s;ecrets, de|cea&s;ed a few months after he had begun his em|ployment, and &s;o could not therein &s;how the heighth and &s;agacity of his Wit. I find my &s;elf obliged to undertake &s;o important a Work, &s;o much the more difficult, as being extremly nice, and very ea&s;ie to be mi&s;taken, becau&s;e of the profe&s;&s;ion every one makes at <HI>Rome</HI> to keep his inclinations &s;o conceal'd, that it &s;hould be impo&s;&s;ible to di&s;cover them.</P>
<P>BEginning then with the Exterior parts, which are mo&s;t ea&s;ie to be known, for I &s;hall penetrate into the Interior afterwards. Pope <HI>Alexander</HI> the VII, who at pre&s;ent &s;its in the Chair, was born at <HI>Siena,</HI> the &s;ixth day of <HI>February,</HI> in the year 1599, &s;o that he hath pa&s;&s;ed the one and &s;ixtieth year of his age on the &s;ame day of this pre&s;ent year 1660. It is now the &s;ixth year of his being Pope, which began on the &s;eventh day of this pre&s;ent month of <HI>April.</HI> This Pope does not enjoy a health which can be called perfect, becau&s;e it is &s;ubject to divers &s;uch alterations, as do not ordinarily give us any hopes of a long life. The fir&s;t is a great Humidity of the Brain, which obliges him to keep his head ever very Hot. Nor does this &s;uffice to hinder the bad effects of it; &s;ince his teeth being &s;poiled and lo&s;t by the continual defluxion which fell upon them, he hath &s;o few left, that if he had not &s;upplied that want, by cau&s;ing Artificial ones to be &s;et in their &s;tead, it would be a great hindrance to his &s;peech: Nor does he &s;peak plain with all this Art, and not being able therewith to chaw &s;uffi|ciently, he is nece&s;&s;itated to eat onely Liquid things, which have no need of being chewed; and although they &s;hould naturally be of a more ea&s;ie dige&s;tion, yet experience tells us, that they do not always &s;uc|ceed
<PB N="4" REF="11"> with him, &s;ince he is &s;ubject to indi&s;po&s;itions and qualms in his &s;tomach, which can be attributed to nothing but indige&s;tion, the debility of his natural heat hindring the concoction of &s;uch nouri&s;hing meats as they ordinarily feed him with. Exerci&s;e, however, does him good, for he walks in the Gal|lery, and in his Garden, and &s;ometimes a foot in tho&s;e Streets that are the lea&s;t frequented about the City. He finds ea&s;e likewi&s;e in Purgations, for which purpo&s;e he ordains the Retreat he makes in the Campagnia of <HI>Rome,</HI> both Spring and Fall. From all which it happens, that being a&s;&s;aulted on the one &s;ide by the weakne&s;s of his Complexion, and upheld on the other hand by all that the Art and Indu&s;try of Man can invent, he may hold out po&s;&s;ibly to the three and &s;ixtieth year of his age, which will be his Climaterical, for at that time are tho&s;e bad humors principally encrea&s;ed and &s;tirred up. He is not free from the pain of the Stone, which is &s;o ordinary at <HI>Rome,</HI> being very often tormented with the difficulty of making Urine by certain little Stones, which are &s;oone&s;t bred in tho&s;e of a delicate con&s;titution, and who apply them&s;elves to bu&s;ine&s;s. For it is certain, that none can tie them&s;elves to it more than the Pope does, who hardly lets pa&s;s any morning with|out giving audience, employing the remainder of the day in the di&s;cu&s;&s;ion of the mo&s;t knotty affairs. And although he does &s;ometimes diverti&s;e his more troubled and wearied thoughts by Entertainments of <HI>Literature,</HI> as of <HI>Poetry, Hi&s;tory</HI> or <HI>Policy</HI> among&s;t Learned men; it is neverthele&s;s impo&s;&s;ible but his Spirits mu&s;t then likewi&s;e be very bu&s;ie and intent, in making reflexions on the choice di&s;cour&s;es have been held before him; to which mu&s;t be added &s;uch things as &s;ometimes di&s;quiet him; &s;o that it is no
<PB N="5" REF="11"> wonder, if with all this a complexion of it &s;elf but feeble, cannot &s;uffice to all that is nece&s;&s;ary for the functions of his natural life.</P>
<P>The Pope is of a &s;tature rather low than midling, of a black hair, which never till now began to turn gray, and, which is a &s;ign of the debility of his natu|ral heat, his skin is white, inclining a little to the Leaden colour, which is likewi&s;e another convincing proof of that di&s;po&s;ition I have before noted. He loves neatne&s;s, and indeed an extraordinary decency in all things, but particularly in his diet and cloaths; and therefore the care and indu&s;try of tho&s;e that cover his Table, and make ready his Viands, is &s;o great, that they omit nothing imaginable, for the lea&s;t fault, either in the Meats them&s;elves, or the Dre&s;&s;ing of them, were enough to anger him. But for his Cloaths, he is as curious of the be&s;t Linnen, as if he were yet in the flower of his Youth; nor does it &s;uffice him to be cloathed in the mo&s;t ex|qui&s;it Cloth, but he mu&s;t have his Garments en|riched with all the Adornments that can give them mo&s;t lu&s;tre and price: as it is well known that when he goes into the Country, he wears &s;ome that are garni&s;hed with little Diamond Buttons, and other Ornaments, both Co&s;tly and Magnificent. He hath the &s;ame curio&s;ity for the Places he dwells in, and plea&s;eth him&s;elf wonderfully in fair Hou&s;es, which are &s;o contrived as to bring in the Light on every &s;ide, and where nothing more can be de&s;ired either in the Structure or the Ornament; which is the cau&s;e, that in the Hou&s;e whether he retires in Spring and Autumn, he was not contented with what <HI>Urban</HI> had done, but hath added new quarters to it, and changed tho&s;e that were there already, that it might be magnificent and Royal. He hath
<PB N="6" REF="12"> enlarged the Palace of the <HI>Quirinal</HI> with fair and long Apartments, for the u&s;e of &s;uch as belong to the Popes Hou&s;e, having had as little regard for the great expences required in the con&s;truction of tho&s;e Edifices, as if he had Mines of Gold, or as if the Se|curity of the Eccle&s;ia&s;tical State had con&s;i&s;ted there|in. But the Popes plea&s;ure is not bounded with the enlarging and embelli&s;hing onely of the Papal Pa|laces, he &s;hows the &s;ame pa&s;&s;ion for the whole City. And thus it being in his thoughts and de&s;ign to em|belli&s;h it in the &s;ame manner, as tho&s;e <HI>Roman</HI> Empe|rors formerly with much care and heat endeavoured to do, to wit, <HI>Augu&s;tus, Ve&s;pa&s;ian, Domitian,</HI> and others, he hath given full power to the Magi&s;trate, who hath the office of &s;urveying the Streets, to pull down Hou&s;es and Palaces, where he judges the con|veniency and ornament of the City does require it. So that, in effect, one may &s;ee them very bu&s;ie every day in demoli&s;hing of antient Structures, either to make &s;ome places the more &s;pacious &amp; uniform, or to open a fitter way to &s;ome new &s;treets, and to that purpo&s;e there is a Tax impo&s;ed on the neighbouring Dwel|lings, which obliges the Proprietors to pay to tho&s;e, who&s;e Hou&s;es have been pulled down, a &s;um pro|portionate to their value. And the Pope does &s;o much delight herein, that as long as his time la&s;ts, he will not ab&s;tain from making the&s;e changes, there being never want of occa&s;ion, either to remove, or to rebuild in a City, where in the time the <HI>Bar|barians</HI> po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed it, the Hou&s;es were rai&s;ed without any Symmetry, onely for the convenienee of the In|habitants; and from this ari&s;es &s;o many complaints in the City, that without any nece&s;&s;ity, onely for the fancy and plea&s;ure of the Pope, and &s;ometimes of his Mini&s;ters, many Families, that have but mean For|tunes,
<PB N="7" REF="12"> &s;hould feel the weight of &s;uch grand Pay|ments, which brings them neither benefit nor con|veniency in return. But that which exceeds all the&s;e exce&s;&s;ive Expences, is, what he hath be&s;towed upon that great and va&s;t ma&s;&s;ie <HI>Portico</HI> which he hath undertaken to rai&s;e round about the place of the <HI>Ba&s;ilique Vaticane,</HI> for having changed the De&s;ign that famous Architect <HI>Michael Angel B<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">onarota</HI> had formerly laid, who wrought with &s;o much &s;ucce&s;s at the &s;ame Temple of St. <HI>Peters,</HI> and reduced this work to one range of <HI>Porticosi,</HI> which without any ex|ce&s;&s;ive expence would have made it an admirable Structure, and very commodious for the Coaches, either when it rained or &s;hined having changed this de&s;ign, I &s;ay, he follows that of &s;ome Modern Architects, who have made it of an extraordinary greatne&s;s, for it is to be of a Circular form, with three Walks or Alleys, and all of Stone of <HI>Tivoli.</HI> And although the Architects have found by their Calculation, that the expence will not exceed five hundred thou&s;and Crowns; yet if we reckon accor|ding to what the little that is fini&s;hed already hath co&s;t, we &s;hall find, that what is proportionably to be done, cannot be completed hardly for a million of Crowns.</P>
<P>The&s;e high and great de&s;igns are very certain marks, that the Pope has a Soul truly Royal; and truly he makes it appear in all the publick actions he undertakes, as may be &s;een by the reception he made of the Queen of <HI>Sweden,</HI> in which he omitted nothing that might add any glory or lu&s;tre to make it proud and equal, if it were po&s;&s;ible, to the Ancient <HI>Roman</HI> Triumphs; and by his Magnificence he in|cited the whole Court to &s;hew the complai&s;ance
<PB N="8" REF="13"> they take in following and imitating herein the in|clinations of his Holine&s;s: But when we con&s;ider on the one &s;ide, that the Apo&s;tolique Chamber is drained by the in&s;atiability of the preceding Popes, and on the other &s;ide, that the times are mi&s;erable and had, the profu&s;ion of &s;o much Trea&s;ure appears to the world to be ill husbandry and not in &s;ea&s;on, &s;ince it might have been employ'd with more prai&s;e and merit, and to better purpo&s;e, for the mo&s;t pre&s;&s;ing Nece&s;&s;ities of <HI>Chri&s;tendom,</HI> who looking upon <HI>Rome</HI> as the North-Star to guide them, and the Pope as their Tutelary God, cannot but be afflicted to be|hold him, in&s;tead of healing their wounds and com|po&s;ing their di&s;tractions, amu&s;ing and plea&s;ing him|&s;elf in rai&s;ing and adorning of &s;tately Walls. How|ever, it cannot be denied, but &s;uch great Spirits do extremely thir&s;t after Glory and Renown. The wi&s;e&s;t men, who perceived it from the beginning, al|ways &s;coffed at the Popes &s;paringne&s;s in the fir&s;t years of his Reign, as not being willing to &s;ee his neare&s;t kindred, much le&s;s inrich them: nay more, it was their opinion, that he affected this little glory of re|nouncing his particular Intere&s;ts, thereby to acquire him&s;elf a greater afterwards, as if already he had the ambition to do tho&s;e things, which Popes of a mo&s;t holy life could never do before: But &s;ince that the world has found the Pope extremely glad to be induced by the Cardinals and the Mini&s;ters of other Princes, to call tho&s;e of his Family to <HI>Rome,</HI> while in &s;o doing it might appear, that he was rather prompted to it by the earne&s;t intreaties of all the Court, than by the flatteries of his kindred. <HI>Rome</HI> is too &s;ubtle, and can dive too far into the de&s;igns of tho&s;e that command her not to perceive this, and how rigorou&s;ly &s;oever they forbid them from judging
<PB N="9" REF="13"> the actions of their Princes; yet would they not forbear it on this occa&s;ion. And to &s;ay truth, they could not apprehend how the Pope, who hath &s;o much ambition to revive the memory of his Ance|&s;tors, could &s;uffer it to be buried in the oblivion of his kindred yet living; the&s;e were contradictions that could not in any wi&s;e be reconciled. But, however it were then, certain it is, that at pre&s;ent they are &s;o well at their ea&s;e, that &s;hould the Pope die, they will have no cau&s;e to envie others riches: anon I &s;hall give the rea&s;ons more particularly. But e're I go further, I will not omit to let you know the Original of this Hou&s;e, and by what degrees the Pope could ri&s;e to &s;o high a Dignity.</P>
<P>His Nobility is as con&s;iderable as could be in the City of <HI>Siena,</HI> where they are regi&s;tred in the num|ber of tho&s;e antient Families, that have been ho|noured with &s;uch Commands as that City is wont to be&s;tow upon her Members, and have maintained them&s;elves by their Alliance with tho&s;e Families that were nothing inferior to them. But this is not the fir&s;t time that they have made them&s;elves known at <HI>Rome.</HI> In the time of <HI>Julius</HI> the Second the Hou&s;e of the <HI>Chigi</HI> had employments in the Court, not of Prelature, but Offices in the Chamber, which &s;preads the names of tho&s;e that exerci&s;e them over all parts; and at that time the <HI>Chigi</HI> made theirs the more known, becau&s;e they hapned to &s;erve a Pope both pa&s;&s;ionate and turbulent above all others. Whence follows, that becau&s;e of the profu&s;ion of monies tho&s;e that are thus ra&s;h are forced to make u&s;e of to maintain the Wars they undertake. <HI>Augu|&s;tine Chigi,</HI> who managed the Trea&s;ury, had a fair opportunity to play his part, being naturally active.
<PB N="10" REF="14"> But though he were very &s;tirring, and that there was much jealou&s;ie about the admini&s;tration, yet <HI>Julius</HI> never had the lea&s;t di&s;tru&s;t of his integrity, on the contrary he te&s;tifi'd the good opinion he had of him by tho&s;e marks of Honor he be&s;towed, in ado|pting both him and his Heirs into the Hou&s;e of the <HI>Rovere,</HI> who&s;e Arms they bear to this day.</P>
<P>Since that, in the time of <HI>Paul</HI> III, (as great employments are expo&s;ed to great dangers) tho&s;e of the Hou&s;e of <HI>Chigi</HI> found them&s;elves eclip&s;ed a little of their fir&s;t &s;plendor, which was cau&s;e that the be&s;t of their means being alienated, and e&s;pecially their delicious Garden on the <HI>Tyber,</HI> ju&s;t oppo&s;ite to the Palace of <HI>Farne&s;e,</HI> which remained to the Hou&s;e that held the Chair, they returned to their Country, where in a moderate, but honorable condition, they quietly pa&s;&s;ed their time, till an opportunity offered it &s;elf to <HI>Fabius Chigi,</HI> who is Pope at pre&s;ent, and who was then a young boy of great hopes, to re|in&s;tate him&s;elf in a better fortune, as he was encou|raged by his Parents and Friends, who believed, that a per&s;on adorned wich all manner of virtues would much wrong him&s;elf, &s;hould he hide tho&s;e rich Talents, and let them lie buried in idlene&s;s, by not going out from the gates of his own City. But he was hindred by the little wealth he had, and al&s;o becau&s;e his friends had not been able to advance them&s;elves during the long interval that tho&s;e of his Family had been kept from the Court: Neverthele&s;s, where power is wanting, his confidence in putting him&s;elf forward by what means &s;oever &s;hewed it &s;elf. For being come to <HI>Rome,</HI> he got acquaintance of the Marquis <HI>Pallavicino,</HI> at that time a young man of great virtue, and for that cau&s;e ever very welcome
<PB N="11" REF="14"> to <HI>Urbane.</HI> This is he, who &s;ince made him&s;elf a Je&s;uite, and who having been promoted to a Cardi|nal&s;hip &s;ometime &s;ince, will oblige us to &s;peak &s;ome|what of him hereafter.</P>
<P>This Marquis then brought him to the Pope's feet, and pre&s;ented him as a per&s;on capable to bring any bu&s;ine&s;s about with honour, when ever any oc|ca&s;ion profer'd to &s;erve the Holy Chair. His manner of deportment plea&s;ed the Pope, &s;o that how mean &s;oever his e&s;tabli&s;hment were at fir&s;t, it was not long ere he was appointed to be Inqui&s;itor at <HI>Malta,</HI> in which employment he having made his worth ap|pear, was &s;hortly after &s;ent in quality of Vice-Legate to <HI>Ferara.</HI> There it was, that what had been conceived of his virtue being made known, he was &s;ent Nuncio to <HI>Collen,</HI> in a time when the divi&s;ions of Chri&s;tendome were at their heighth. And al|though in this employment he did not &s;ucceed &s;o well as to conclude the Peace, yet he performed his part and devoire admirably well. But becau&s;e the Prote&s;tant Forces prevailed, with whom he could have no communication, being Mini&s;ter to the Pope, it was not &s;ufficient that he had induced the Catholiques to make a fair and ju&s;t accommodation, whil&s;t the others &s;tood &s;tifly on their exce&s;&s;ive pre|tences, &s;o that he could not act as it might have been hoped he would have done, had he been to Negotiate between two Parties of the &s;ame Religion: but what is wonderful, is that the <HI>Spaniards</HI> and the <HI>Imperiali&s;ts,</HI> who were both tired and di&s;contented, being brought to this pa&s;s to make the be&s;t accom|modation they could, the fir&s;t with the <HI>Hollanders,</HI> and the others with the <HI>French,</HI> not onely without any advantage, but even to the prejudice of Reli|gion,
<PB N="12" REF="15"> and the Nuncio having expre&s;&s;ed a great deal of his di&s;plea&s;ure to both of them, he did it yet in &s;uch a manner as left no ill impre&s;&s;ion on either Party, but on the contrary they were much edified to find nothing but zeal in him, judging thereby that he was &s;o much a better Mini&s;ter to his Prince, by how much he di&s;approved what they had re&s;olved to do, rather out of nece&s;&s;ity than any good-will, onely to pre&s;erve both them&s;elves and their Religion from greater danger.</P>
<P>He behaved him&s;elf with the &s;ame prudence when he returned to <HI>Rome,</HI> for being called to the charge of fir&s;t Secretary, though he &s;ucceeded the Cardinal <HI>Pancirolo,</HI> in whom Nature had a&s;&s;embled all the circum&s;pection and craft that could be de&s;ired, and that he was to &s;erve a Pope &s;o difficult to be plea&s;ed, as <HI>Innocent</HI> was; yet did he carry things &s;o well, as that Pope was fully &s;atisfi'd in all matters that he negotiated; and above all things he &s;hunn'd as a precipice medling with the intere&s;t of the Pope's Niece, who would have all the Mini&s;ters to ac|knowledge &s;he was both Lady and Mi&s;tris of that Prelate; and the Pope had &s;o great a con&s;ideration for him, that being at the la&s;t extremity, where the heart &s;peaks more then the tongue, and where all di&s;&s;imulation is laid a&s;ide, he recommended him as a man very worthy to &s;ucceed him in the Papacy; &s;o that it was not without rea&s;on that your Lord&s;hips from that time conceived for the Cardinal <HI>Chigi,</HI> that good opinion that ever &s;ince they have had of him, and among&s;t tho&s;e you recommended to the Lords Cardinals <HI>Bragadino, Vidman</HI> and <HI>Ottobuono,</HI> I re|member that he was the fir&s;t named by tho&s;e that re|pre&s;ented you in <HI>Germany,</HI> as having all tho&s;e merits requi&s;ite to fill the vacant Chair: which al&s;o hath
<PB N="13" REF="15"> very happily &s;ucceeded. And truly, if we con&s;ider the good conduct of his life, the integrity of his manners, and his knowledge of the Intere&s;ts of all States, which are all qualities that meet in the Pope's Per|&s;on, there is no cau&s;e you &s;hould repent your wi&s;hing it, or your having laboured to rai&s;e him: but the mi&s;chief is, that what goodne&s;s and integrity &s;oever the Cardinals have, they no &s;ooner begin to ta&s;te the &s;weetne&s;s of being Ma&s;ters, and having no Supe|rior but God, but they change their natures, and think them&s;elves no longer obliged to follow tho&s;e Maxims they &s;aid were rooted in their Souls whil&s;t they were Cardinals.</P>
<P>Who would believe that Pope <HI>Alexander</HI> having &s;o great a capacity, whereby he can truly judge of the dangers Chri&s;tianity is in, &s;hould have a&s;&s;i&s;ted the <HI>Turk</HI> to advance and e&s;tabli&s;h an Ar&s;enal in <HI>Candia</HI> of all his Forces, and that he &s;hould have &s;hewed him&s;elf every way &s;o ob&s;tinate, as he did, in refu&s;ing tho&s;e benefits which might &s;erve in this con|juncture?</P>
<P>Who would ever have thought, that a Cardinal, who, before his promotion to the Cardinal&s;hip, breathed nothing but zeal, and &s;eemed to langui&s;h with &s;orrow, to behold the mi&s;erable e&s;tate that Chri&s;tendom was going to be plunged into by that ob&s;tinate War between two of her greate&s;t Crowns, &s;hould not, being rai&s;ed to the Holy Chair, burn with the like ardor for a general peace?</P>
<P>Who would have believed, that when the mo&s;t e&s;&s;ential matters were agreed upon for the healing of our pre&s;ent mi&s;eries, he &s;hould &s;eek to quarrel
<PB N="14" REF="16"> for very &s;light rea&s;ons, which have no other object, but either to amplifie his juri&s;diction, or maintain his own Opinions and Sentiments? I &s;hall hint at many of the&s;e changes in this di&s;cour&s;e, that your mo&s;t &s;erene Lord&s;hips may con&s;ider, as they have ever done, what confidence they may put in the words and promi&s;es of the&s;e Cardinals before and af|ter their Elevation to the Papacy, who becau&s;e they cannot at fir&s;t gain&s;ay, what they have &s;o lately de|clared they would do, afterwards by degrees lay a&s;ide all manner of re&s;pect during their Reign, and onely knit them&s;elves to what their own proper intere&s;ts, or the &s;ugge&s;tions of their flatterers in&s;pire them with. But, in the mean time, not to omit what I promi&s;ed at the beginning to make known, con|cerning the Pope's neare&s;t kindred; tho&s;e towards whom his Holine&s;s bears the greate&s;t affection, are the Lord <HI>Don Mario</HI> his Brother, who married a Gentlewoman of <HI>Siena</HI> of the Hou&s;e <HI>de la Ciaja,</HI> and the Lord <HI>Flavio</HI> his Son, at this time Cardinal, and &s;irnamed the Cardinal <HI>Padrone,</HI> that is to &s;ay, Ma|&s;ter. He hath a like, and perhaps a greater affection for the Lord <HI>Augu&s;tin,</HI> the Son of another Brother, who was named <HI>Augu&s;tin:</HI> and this was he who having two years &s;ince married the Prince <HI>Borghe&s;e</HI>'s Si&s;ter, remained Head of the Family after the death of <HI>Don Mario.</HI> I think it therefore nece&s;&s;ary to give an ac|count of all the&s;e to your mo&s;t Serene Lord&s;hips, &s;ince, as I have already &s;aid, the divers accidents that hapned, did not permit your Mini&s;ters to re|late any thing to you of certainty.</P>
<P>The Lord <HI>Don Mario,</HI> who is five years elder then the Pope, is beloved of his Holine&s;s, as much as the tie and relation of kindred between them, and the
<PB N="15" REF="16"> re&s;pect he hath ever had for him does require, with|out having, however received any other favour: becau&s;e the &s;aid Lord <HI>Don Mario</HI> having for the mo&s;t part had but a mean fortune, could not a&s;&s;i&s;t him, being young, any otherwi&s;e than by wi&s;hing he might arrive to that grandeur, and by pre&s;aging his felicity, the little wealth that came to his &s;hare be|ing allotted to other u&s;es. And as he nothing at all re&s;embles the Pope in vi&s;age, &s;o likewi&s;e are their manners and genius very different The one is lean, and the other is fat: the one is great, and the other little: the one is &s;low and mild, and the other is prompt and &s;evere: the one is addicted to &s;tudy and learning, the other never applies him&s;elf to it: the the one is of a high &s;pirit, and ever undertaking great things, the other burns with covetou&s;ne&s;s, and plea&s;es him&s;elf with nothing but in &s;eeking out the means to ama&s;s much Trea&s;ure: And becau&s;e the Pope hath a good opinion of his integrity, he hath given him the Government of <HI>Rome,</HI> in what con|cerns the means to maintain abundance or plenty, and to content the people. But in&s;tead of that, there is nothing el&s;e heard over all the City but complaints again&s;t his Mini&s;ters or Officers, who buy and ingro&s;s before the &s;ea&s;on, to retail and &s;ell it to advantage, and who have other Monopolies, not onely of Profits, which none till his time had ever thought on or practis'd, but likewi&s;e all tho&s;e which cu&s;tome had allowed under other Popes, who&s;e neare&s;t kindred ever manag'd them. In the pre&s;ent Government there is this be&s;ides, that they do what they can to improve the Offices more than ordinary, which are us'd to belong to the Pope's kindred, by &s;uch ways and &s;ubtilties as were never heretofore made trial of.</P>
<PB N="16" REF="17">
<P>In the Government of <HI>Borgo,</HI> where the Lord <HI>Don Mario</HI> exerci&s;ing his juri&s;diction, makes that of Governor of <HI>Rome</HI> to cea&s;e with a notable augmen|tation of the Profits of his Tribunal, he makes u&s;e of &s;o much rigour, that every day one hears nothing but lamentations, and by his inexorablene&s;s to &s;hew favour, he makes the pre&s;ent Government to be|come more and more odious. It hath &s;eldome hap|ned to me to have had any affairs with his Excel|lency, becau&s;e it belongs not to his Office to med|dle with any matters which the Pope treats of with other Princes, unle&s;s he have an expre&s;s Commi&s;&s;i|on; yet did I not omit to wait upon him at tho&s;e times we are wont to renew our complements; and I ever brought away particular a&s;&s;urances of the great e&s;teem he hath for your mo&s;t &s;erene Lord|&s;hips.</P>
<P>The Lady <HI>Berenice</HI> his Wife, although &s;he were born in a City where they &s;eldome live after the Court fa&s;hion, hath &s;o admirably fa&s;hion'd her &s;elf to it in the &s;hort time &s;he lived at <HI>Rome,</HI> that &s;he is able at pre&s;ent to teach others: which we mu&s;t not wonder at, &s;ince whatever &s;he &s;peaks is naturally ac|compani'd with &s;uch a certain kind of mode&s;ty and affability, as gains the affection and attracts the re|&s;pect of all tho&s;e that conver&s;e with her. She may be about 48 years of age. She is rarely admitted to the Pope's pre&s;ence; nor does &s;he &s;eek very much to crave his favour, it being &s;o enjoyned her at her fir&s;t appearance in <HI>Rome,</HI> that &s;o by her ab&s;taining to intermeddle in things not concerning her, the Court might perceive how odious it was for the Niece of Pope <HI>Innocent</HI> to delight in the management of all affairs; wherein he that &s;uffered it was much more blameable than her &s;elf.</P>
<PB N="17" REF="17">
<P>The Cardinal <HI>Flavio Chigi,</HI> is a young man of 29 years, of a mean heighth, black hair'd, and his vi&s;age round and fat, of a con&s;titution mixt betwixt a San|guine &amp; Melanchollique. He would enjoy his health more perfectly were he but moderate in his diet, wherein he exceeds: for he eats much, &amp; very nouri&s;h|ing meats, without regarding the precepts given him for the pre&s;ervation of his health. It is &s;aid likewi&s;e, that he's not &s;o moderate as he ought to be in his plea|&s;ures of the fle&s;h, which obliges him oftner than might be expected from his youth, to keep his bed: but the Phy&s;itians, becau&s;e the Cardinal forbids them, do not tell the Pope the true rea&s;ons of his confinement, for fear his Holine&s;s &s;hould have an ill opinion of him, and look upon him as a debauche', that loves both Wine and Women too much. I cannot affirm any thing with certainty of his ability in affairs, becau&s;e if he be able to do no more than he does, I mu&s;t &s;ay, that he can do but little, &s;ince one gets no|thing from him but complements, fair excu&s;es, or promi&s;es, which in the end turn to nothing, making all his an&s;wers &s;peak either of the repug|nance he met with in his Holine&s;s, or &s;ome other motive, that was occa&s;ion of the refu&s;al, or delay of an Affair. And for this rea&s;on, I thought it far better in any thing of importance to go my &s;elf directly to the Pope, than to make u&s;e of the interce&s;&s;ion of the Cardinal, who being for the mo&s;t part diverted by his Pa&s;times, either forgets &s;ome of tho&s;e circum|&s;tances which are very e&s;&s;ential to a bu&s;ine&s;s, which might make the &s;ucce&s;s the more ea&s;ie, or el&s;e ac|quie&s;ces with the fir&s;t denial, or difficulty the Pope makes in it; and this brings afterwards a double trou|ble, fir&s;t to inform him quite anew, and then to take off &s;ome prejudice or mi&s;con&s;truction it may before have
<PB N="18" REF="18"> left on his &s;pirit. I have been forc'd to &s;teer the &s;ame cour&s;e, when I hapned to have any Petition to pre&s;ent, to obtain the provi&s;ions of &s;ome benefits for any &s;uch per&s;on as had de&s;erved well, either of the State or the Emba&s;&s;ie it &s;elf, becau&s;e if I reli'd upon the promi&s;e of the Cardinal, I commonly found my &s;elf deceived. He would &s;end me back to the Car|dinal <HI>Dater</HI> that Signs &s;uch Writings, a&s;&s;uring me, that the Pope referred him&s;elf wholly in matters of Collation of Benefices to him. So that perceiving it was pure weakne&s;s of judgment it proceeded from, or the little care he took to do me any courte&s;ie, I never afterwards made any great account of his mediation; when I had occa&s;ion to treat of any thing that required di&s;patch: becau&s;e this Cardinal, who is called the Ma&s;ter, does exerci&s;e his Ma&s;ter&s;hip more in &s;pending his time merily, and avoiding the mo&s;t he can all trouble&s;ome affairs that di&s;turb his mind, than in rendring him&s;elf con&s;iderable, as he might be, in an employment that gives him the greate&s;t authority. This Cardinal does not &s;how any great de&s;ire of heaping up riches, becau&s;e, per|haps, having no Nephews i&s;&s;ued from Brothers, and finding his Branch ends in him, he little cares to ac|quire much Trea&s;ure to enrich the De&s;cendants of his Cou&s;in <HI>Don Augu&s;tin,</HI> on whom otherwi&s;e all the advantages that Fortune can be&s;tow on a Man, will fall. In things indifferent this Cardinal hath ever treated me very civilly, and hath &s;hewed me a par|ticular affection; and truly I believe, if he had but more courage to undergo the part he acts, by his means, one might receive greater favours of his Ho|line&s;s, than tho&s;e which now come from him ordi|narily but by little and little. He &s;hows, that he is vers'd in our Hi&s;tory, for he relates from time to
<PB N="19" REF="18"> time our happy &s;ucce&s;s, and he &s;ays freely, that <HI>Italy</HI> would be very unhappy, had &s;he not had this <HI>Re|publique</HI> for a Bulwark, which hath bounded the ambition of Strangers, and repelled the rage and incroachments of Barbarians. When I took leave of his Excellence, I could not de&s;ire greater expre&s;|&s;ions of his affection than tho&s;e he u&s;ed, accompany|ing them with prote&s;tations, that he would pa&s;s the bounds his Holine&s;s had pre&s;cribed him, to give all kind of &s;atisfaction to your Excellencies in the matters then in hand. The&s;e are his own words, <HI>It is not rea&s;onable that the di&s;content for particular affairs &s;hould cau&s;e a prejudice to that which concerns the General, which is, to maintain the Grandeur of that State in&s;eparable with the &s;plendor of</HI> Italy.</P>
<P>The Lord <HI>Don Mario</HI> hath no other Son than this Cardinal, but he hath be&s;ides two Daughters, married at <HI>Siena</HI> in noble Families, that have but moderate Fortunes, proportionate to the condition of the Family of the <HI>Chigi,</HI> in the time they were married: and the&s;e are they that &s;howed them&s;elves not long &s;ince at <HI>Rome,</HI> where they were exceeding well receiv'd and carre&s;s'd by their Father and their Mother, and the Cardinal <HI>Chigi;</HI> but they were not received with &s;o many tokens of affection by <HI>Don Augu&s;tin,</HI> for the rea&s;ons that I &s;hall declare. I can|not certainly tell, whether they obtained a compe|tency from the Pope to maintain them in the con|dition they are in, becau&s;e things were carried with a great deal of circum&s;pection in not making known what was done, for fear the Court &s;hould think that the Pope wa&s;ted the Deme&s;ns of St. <HI>Peter,</HI> to put his kindreds Wives in a hand&s;ome condition; and for fear likewi&s;e of giving &s;ome cau&s;e of jealou&s;ie to
<PB N="20" REF="19"> <HI>Don Augu&s;tin<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> who expecting hereafter to be Chief of the Family, could not but with trouble behold &s;o many others, that were not of the Pope's Ma&s;culine Line, thus gratifi'd or enrich'd: It is certain how|ever, that the Lord <HI>Don Mario</HI> and his Wife, did not let them return empty handed, but gave them a &s;hare of what they had &s;tored up, and do endeavour to encrea&s;e with &s;o much Art and Indu&s;try.</P>
<P>But let us proceed to the other Branch de&s;cended, as I &s;aid, from <HI>Augu&s;tin Chigi,</HI> which con&s;i&s;ts of two Lords, <HI>Don Augu&s;tin</HI> and <HI>Sigi&s;mond.</HI> As for the fir&s;t, who may be about 24 years of age, he is naturally merry, very plea&s;ing and amiable. He never appli'd him&s;elf at all to &s;tudy, but in tho&s;e Exerci&s;es as befits a Gentleman. He loves to pa&s;s his time as well as any man, and cares very little to heap up any thing, becau&s;e he knows there are tho&s;e that do it for him. As &s;oon as ever he came to <HI>Rome,</HI> they thought of providing a Wife for him, and ca&s;t their eyes upon the be&s;t Match in the whole Court, to wit, the Grand-daughter of the Prince <HI>Mark Antony Borghe&s;e.</HI> But they could not bring it to pa&s;s with that facility they imagin'd, becau&s;e the Prince, being a man that was very wary, e&s;pecially when it concerned the in|tere&s;t of his Family, &s;coffed at the Propo&s;ition, &s;ay|ing, <HI>That he &s;hould take that Alliance for a very great honor, but fir&s;t de&s;ired to &s;ee</HI> Don Augu&s;tin <HI>have grea|ter wealth and dignity, that &s;o his Granchild might at lea&s;t be able to keep a rank &s;uitable to her quality and merits.</HI></P>
<P>The&s;e excu&s;es the Prince made were not very plea&s;ing to the Pope, who at the fir&s;t word would have had him made more account of his Alliance
<PB N="21" REF="19"> than any other con&s;ideration what&s;oever. For this cau&s;e the bu&s;ine&s;s hung a long while in &s;u&s;pence, but &s;till with repeated applications of Love and Court&s;hip from the Lord <HI>Don Augu&s;tin,</HI> who follow'd it with the more heat, as having the Con&s;table <HI>Co|lonnes</HI> for his Rival, a young man of mo&s;t excellent qualities, and towards whom the Prince&s;s &s;eemed to have a greater inclination than for him&s;elf. But the Prince <HI>Borghe&s;e</HI>'s death hapning thereupon, and the Tutelage falling to the Prince&s;s her Grand|mother, in a few days, by the mediation of the Prin|ce&s;s <HI>Ro&s;&s;ano</HI> her mother, this Match was concluded, con&s;iderable for her great Dowry, which was one hundred and four&s;core thou&s;and Crowns, be&s;ides what might hereafter fall to her by &s;ucce&s;&s;ion, the Hou&s;e of the <HI>Borghe&s;es</HI> having but one more Heir, a young Lord of a &s;omewhat melanchollique con&s;ti|tution, who neverthele&s;s about the &s;ame time, out of divers good con&s;iderations, would needs wed ano|ther young Lady, having more regard to her Beauty and Virtue, than her Riches. <HI>Don Augu&s;tin,</HI> as well as his Holine&s;s, thought, by the contrivance of this Match, which was celebrated with all the Pomp imaginable, that they had e&s;tabli&s;hed the happine&s;s of their Family on the be&s;t foundation that could be; In effect, the Lady being an extraordinary Beauty, and brought up under the Di&s;cipline of her Grand|mother, a very Religious per&s;on, there could be nothing more de&s;ired upon that account; and he hath already begun to ta&s;te the fruits of it, the Prin|ce&s;s having given him the marks of her fertility by the birth of a young Daughter &s;he hath brought him. This does not, however, hinder <HI>Don Augu&s;tin</HI> from diverting him&s;elf el&s;ewhere according as his temper and fancy leads him, and his great inclination to
<PB N="22" REF="20"> plea&s;ure, when it comes in his thoughts. This ful|ne&s;s of all content making him forget his fir&s;t con|dition, hath &s;o puff'd him up with pride, that he &s;eems to take no notice of tho&s;e who pa&s;&s;ing by &s;a|lute him in the &s;treets: which likewi&s;e makes him not &s;o much beloved as his other fairer qualities de&s;erve. Nay, it is not long &s;ince he made &s;hew of the little re&s;pect or regard he had for per&s;ons of great con|dition; for having taken &s;ome di&s;ta&s;te at the pla|cing or &s;itting of the Con&s;table <HI>Colonnes,</HI> he ap|pointed the Cavalier <HI>de la Ciaja</HI> his Uncle to do a very di&s;obliging act, by thru&s;ting the Con&s;table out of his place at a Comedy, whereat the <HI>Colonnes</HI> be|ing offended, the Pope was extreme angry, and would have it taken up by any means whatever; as it was afterwards done, but in the name of the Ca|valier, who was but an in&s;trument in that action: but this in&s;ulting left a great deal of di&s;content on the &s;pirits of the <HI>Colonnes</HI> again&s;t <HI>Don Augu&s;tin,</HI> who was the principal author of it.</P>
<P>A while after his Nuptials, he purcha&s;ed in the Province of the Patrimony, for &s;eventy thou&s;and Crowns, the Principality of <HI>Farne&s;e,</HI> which is &s;aid to be a Fief of the Empire of four thou&s;and Crowns Revenue. He hath al&s;o purcha&s;ed a con&s;iderable Palace for his Family: but be&s;ides the&s;e, he pur|cha&s;es little, living at va&s;t expences, but upon hopes that the Pope's long life will furni&s;h him with ways enough to enrich and rai&s;e his Family to as brave a heighth as the greate&s;t of the preceding Popes.</P>
<P>I have had divers occa&s;ions to &s;peak with him of his Marriage and other affairs; and he hath ever given me te&s;timony of a great e&s;teem and particular
<PB N="23" REF="20"> affection, which proceeded, as he told me, from the Pope's good-will, from whom I truly never heard any thing, but what was much in prai&s;e of this Se|rene <HI>Republique.</HI></P>
<P>I have ob&s;erved likewi&s;e, that the Prince&s;s his Wife, though &s;he were but a Novice in the way of treating the Mini&s;ters of Princes, hath now informed her &s;elf &s;o far, as to let them know what &s;atisfaction &s;he receives by the devoirs they render her, and how much &s;he is obliged to their civility.</P>
<P>It remains now to &s;peak of <HI>Don Sigi&s;mond,</HI> who arrived at <HI>Rome</HI> but a few weeks before my depar|ture. He is a Youth of twelve years of age, and &s;eems to have much of his Brother's way, and, fora&s;much as can be noted in him at pre&s;ent, is very fair con|dition'd, and of &s;o much judgment, as promi&s;es he will in time prove &s;omewhat. As &s;oon as ever he came, the Pope delighted to rea&s;on with him &s;ome|times, thereby to di&s;cover his vivacity; and was ever well &s;atisfi'd. <HI>Don Augu&s;tine</HI> will do all he can to have him made Cardinal. But if the Pope fol|lows his own Maxims, he &s;hould not favour him therein, having affirmed it a horrid thing to behold &s;uch Under-Branches in the Sacred Colledge. However, we may believe there is nothing but he may do, &s;ince he hath already begun to exceed all that he at fir&s;t propounded to have done. In the in|terim, this little Nephew hath already &s;everal Pen|&s;ions, and if the Pope &s;urvive his Infancy, it may then be ea&s;ier to obtain a Cardinals Hat for him.</P>
<P>There are two Nephews by the Pope's Si&s;ter, who married into the Family of the <HI>Bichi;</HI> the one
<PB N="24" REF="21"> is he that was made Cardinal at the la&s;t promotion with the Father <HI>Sforza Pallavicino,</HI> and the other is the Prior, who having re&s;ided &s;omewhile near your Excellencies, in quality of Receiver for the Religion of <HI>Malta,</HI> and having likewi&s;e been three times with the Squadron of the Popes Gallies at <HI>Candia,</HI> in quality of Lieutenant General, hath made him&s;elf fully acquainted to your Excellencies As touching the fir&s;t, I have no great matter to &s;ay of him, for having not been long at <HI>Rome,</HI> I could not perfectly know him: It is &s;aid, however, that he would have been a better Bi&s;hop than a Cardinal; for he hath made it appear that he can govern a Church well, which is that of <HI>O&s;ime,</HI> where he is Prelate, but he hath not yet &s;hown that he hath the Talent to go thorough any great affairs; nor did I trouble my &s;elf with any further information. I did reve|rence him as I ought, when occa&s;ion profer'd to complement him, and I al&s;o took my leave of him at parting, very well &s;atisfi'd with the manner of his reception, and the &s;entiments he hath for this Republique.</P>
<P>But as for the Prior, whom common Fame com|mends as a man of great merits, he never made me &s;o happy as to know wherein that Virtue con&s;i&s;ts, &s;ince it is re&s;trained within a perfect obedience to tho&s;e that can do him good, or rai&s;e him to &s;ome degrees higher than he yet &s;tands; for he is ob|&s;erved to make &s;uch profound reverences to the Pope's Nephews, that the lowe&s;t of their &s;ervants would not perhaps do the like. But as for his know|ledge in commanding at Sea, and taking his ad|vantages either to attaque, or hotly pur&s;ue an Ene|my, or in di&s;tributing the publick Trea&s;ure ordained
<PB N="25" REF="21"> to that end, I &s;hall not need to wa&s;te time in re|lating it to your Excellencies, &s;ince it was your &s;elves informed me how little benefit had been reaped by the Popes Galleys in the&s;e parts, when commanded by this Cavalier. It is certain, that the la&s;t year there was a great deal of Trea&s;ure put into his hands, and it is as certain by the accounts that have been calculated without his knowledge, he can|not have expended the one half. But there are none &s;o confident as to advertize the Pope of the&s;e m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;|demeanors, becau&s;e he having &s;o good an opinion of him, would think it all to be onely &s;pleene and envy that could be alledged again&s;t him: and therefore you commanded me very prudently to ab&s;tain from all complaints, for fear of withdrawing the Pope's good will and forwardne&s;s in pur&s;uing the &s;uccour you demanded of him, which, though it were not di&s;pi&s;eable, became &s;o notwith&s;tanding, by a not exe|cuting of the Pope's true intentions therein. Which made me (though the Cardinal <HI>Chigi</HI> perceived &s;ome|what of the&s;e mi&s;carriages, to whom I might have opened my &s;elf with much freedom and a&s;&s;urance, and neither Pope nor Prior &s;hould have known what I &s;aid, that Cardinal having &s;o little inclination for him) obey your Lord&s;hips mo&s;t punctually in what you commanded. But the common complaints hav|ing not been kept &s;o clo&s;e, but they came to that Car|dinal's ear; he one day, perhaps to oblige me to &s;peak, told me, <HI>That he admired that the Prior, who &s;o much de&s;ired to gain honor and renown, had not made &s;ome enterprize of him&s;elf, &s;ince he found it unfit to un|dertake any joyntly with others:</HI> But lifting up my &s;houlders, I onely &s;aid, <HI>That it might be, the bad for|tune of the Republique hindred &s;uch men, though very skilful in the Art of War, and valiant, from &s;howing
<PB N="26" REF="22"> any marks of their great courage;</HI> The Cardinal per|ceiving he could get nothing el&s;e out of me, &s;aid &s;miling, <HI>That the Prior had had the good luck to be prized more than he di&s;erved, but yet was unhappy in not being able to maintain that good opinion had been conceived of him.</HI> The two Branches of the Hou&s;e of the <HI>Chigi,</HI> who otherwi&s;e do not agree very well, united together to hinder his being made a Cardinal, and it &s;eemed to them they had done much in ob|taining their ends herein, they judging the Prior to be a man of a great wit, and one who, as &s;oon as he could have had the power to have &s;poken freely, would have made a divi&s;ion in their Hou&s;e; they have more acquaintance with him than my &s;elf, and by con&s;equence may know him better. As for my own part, I never could find any eminent virtue in him, nor do I believe, he de&s;erves to ri&s;e to any great ho|nor, to which he pretends to mount by his di&s;&s;em|bling humour.</P>
<P>There is not among &s;o few kindred as have com|mand, and who are in a direct line, &s;o great concord as there ought to be, and this proceeds from a vain &s;pirit which makes every one of them a&s;pire to rule. The Lord <HI>D. Mario</HI> pretended, that he, as the mo&s;t antient, and next to him, his Son at this time a Cardinal, ought to be head of the Family, and that by right it belonged to him to encrea&s;e their num|ber by marriage. But the Pope, who had a greater affection for his di&s;cea&s;ed Brother, than for him that is living, was of another mind, and from hence aro&s;e the ill-will that hath &s;till encrea&s;ed among&s;t them. The Pope never did any good to any of <HI>D. Mario</HI>'s Family, but <HI>D. Augu&s;tin</HI> interpreted it partiality. He &s;aid, It appeared to Cardinal <HI>Chigi</HI> but a &s;mall mat|ter
<PB N="27" REF="22"> to have the quality of Patron, and the &s;upreme Superintendence of the greate&s;t affairs, unle&s;s they allowed him together with this the Authority of granting all Acts of Grace as he plea&s;ed. He added, That it was little benefit to him to be the Son of a Father, who with his pur&s;e had rai&s;ed the Pope to that heighth of honor, if now, whil&s;t he was in po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;ion, he might not receive the profits and rewards de&s;erved for his Father's former readine&s;s and libe|rality. What will become, &s;aid he, of the heaps of of mony <HI>D. Mario</HI> gathers up, unle&s;s to enrich the Hou&s;es of Strangers? meaning his Daughters who were married at <HI>Siena,</HI> leaving tho&s;e naked and un|furni&s;hed which are of the blood of the <HI>Chigi,</HI> who ought &s;till to abound in goods and riches. To which the Cardinal <HI>Chigi</HI> repli'd, That the Authority and Superintendence they had given him &s;tood him in no &s;tead, but to trouble his brain, for which he had a very great aver&s;ion, whereas they had left to the other the enjoyment of all the delights and applau&s;e of the Court: That <HI>D. Augu&s;tin</HI> ta&s;ted more con|tent in the freedom he lived in, being di&s;ingag'd of the management of all publick affairs, than him&s;elf could meet with amid&s;t all that power and authority they had inve&s;ted him withall: And thus neither of them, becau&s;e of the&s;e contentious pretences, which though but whi&s;pered, are apparent and known to all, do enjoy that entire &s;atisfaction they might, were their minds but united, and they contented with tho&s;e degrees of eminent Dignities which Fortune hath lifted them too. The Pope knows nothing of all this, they fearing very much to give him any cau&s;e of di&s;plea&s;ure; and from this con&s;ideration his Holine&s;s does &s;ometimes confer favours upon the one, &s;ometimes upon the other, thereby to keep
<PB N="28" REF="23"> them from all kinde of jealou&s;ie. He permitted <HI>D. Mario</HI> to let his Daughters and their Husbands come to <HI>Rome,</HI> and would have them there attended and &s;erved as became tho&s;e of his own blood. He con&s;ented that <HI>D. Augu&s;tin</HI> &s;hould &s;end for his little Brother to abide with him; but neither of them will remain contented when their Authority cea&s;es, which di&s;quiets them far more than a nece&s;&s;ary &s;er|vitude would do.</P>
<P>The Pope hath now at <HI>Siena,</HI> as I have already &s;aid, many others of his kindred, who are not con|&s;idered much as yet, becau&s;e they are of more re|mote degrees. They may, after the others are &s;uf|ficiently inriched, hope for &s;ome good from his Ho|line&s;s, if he continue long alive, he being natu|rally much inclined to favour tho&s;e of his own Coun|try, by employments proportionate to the abilities of his fellow-Citizens: there are already &s;ome that have principal Offices at Court, who are de&s;ign'd for Cardinals, and there are other places re&s;erved for others, when an occa&s;ion pre&s;ents: To which no|thing can be &s;aid, but the Pope de&s;erves a great deal of prai&s;e, in that he forgets not to do well for his own Country, to which, next to God, we owe our &s;elves; and in that he does not imitate the pride of &s;uch, who being once ab&s;ent loo&s;e the very remem|brance of it, and never take the lea&s;t care for any one that had a being there.</P>
<P>But fora&s;much as the Mini&s;try of the Pope's kin|dred &s;erves onely for &s;plendor and &s;tate, and not in any thing e&s;&s;ential; and that in pre&s;&s;ing and weighty affairs it is requi&s;ite he be fortifi'd with the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of &s;uch as have a clear in&s;ight into the management
<PB N="29" REF="23"> of great Negotiations, from whom, upon occa&s;ion, prudent and &s;olid councel may be taken. I have e&s;teem'd it fit to joyn, to the Pourtraict I have made of his Holine&s;s kindred, a Character of tho&s;e who are made u&s;e of, in the mo&s;t important intere&s;ts of the Popedome, and &s;uch on who&s;e will depends mo&s;t com|monly the re&s;olution of what is of the greate&s;t con|&s;equence.</P>
<P>THe fir&s;t that pre&s;ents, is the Cardinal <HI>Ro&s;piglio&s;i,</HI> born at <HI>Pi&s;tio&s;e,</HI> who is Secretary of State; One cannot &s;peak &s;o well of him, but he will de&s;erve more, nor can I think there could be found a man worthier of that Office, and the Pope, who knows him well, hath often &s;aid, that he had found a Se|cretary according to his own heart. He hath a great deal of judgment, and is &s;incere and di&s;ingag'd from all intere&s;ts; He is not ob&s;tinate in his opinions; when he hath deliver'd them, he takes plea&s;ure in having them moderated and cen&s;ured; according as the &s;er|vice of his Ma&s;ter does require; He is indifferent in his &s;entiments, and although it be the common be|lief, that having been Nuncio in <HI>Spain,</HI> where he be|came extremely beloved of the King and Court, he might bias that way, and cheri&s;h &s;ome inclinations for the advantage of that Crown; yet it is fal&s;e, be|cau&s;e in my time there were &s;ome troubles in that Court, which might have been appea&s;ed by the Me|diation of a Mini&s;ter &s;o much in credit; but the more they believed he took the <HI>Spaniards</HI> part, the more he ab&s;tained from medling with their intere&s;ts. He did all he was able not to give audience, not de&s;iring any other employment than his own charge, to
<PB N="30" REF="24"> which he applies him&s;elf with all the exactne&s;s po&s;&s;i|ble, carrying every night to his Holine&s;s all his af|fairs dige&s;ted, and taking him&s;elf the pains to exa|mine the Letters, which relate to any intere&s;t that may be any way con&s;iderable. I can &s;ay, that he never &s;eemed to be di&s;plea&s;ed or unwilling to hear me &s;peak; But it is true, that I had a care never to demand audience of him, but in pre&s;&s;ing and earne&s;t occa&s;ions, and always had the &s;atisfaction that could be expected from a Mini&s;ter, obliged to &s;werve the lea&s;t that po&s;&s;ibly could be from the will of his Prince. Now this ought to be the more con&s;idered, becau&s;e if the Holy Chair &s;hould happen to become vacant at this time, I e&s;teem his hopes very well grounded, having the <HI>Spaniards</HI> and the Great Duke on his &s;ide, and probably too the Heads of the Fa|ctions that would predominate in the Conclave, that is to &s;ay, <HI>Barberino,</HI> who in <HI>Urban</HI>'s time fir&s;t moved the wheel of his fortune, and <HI>Chigi</HI> who cheri&s;hes him mo&s;t, as being his Creature.</P>
<P>The &s;econd is the Cardinal <HI>Pallavicino,</HI> of whom the Popes make great e&s;teem, as well for the rea&s;ons I pointed out before, as becau&s;e of the very good opi|nion he hath of him, holding it for certain, that he would never give him any coun&s;el, which were not good and advantagious for the Church. To tell the truth, he is a man that hath very good intentions, and knows much, but he fails in what all tho&s;e or|dinarily do, that have devoted them&s;elves to a &s;olitary life, and who profe&s;s a different way of living from tho&s;e of the world, being extremely ob&s;tinate in their opinions. I have di&s;cour&s;ed with him on &s;everal oc|ca&s;ions, even when he was a Je&s;uit: and although for the intere&s;t of his order, which is now received
<PB N="31" REF="24"> into the favour of your mo&s;t &s;erene Republique, he &s;eemed extremely de&s;irous to do me &s;ome plea&s;ure, yet I never could truly obtain any thing from him. He hath a thou&s;and excu&s;es to defeat one of tho&s;e good offices he might do. Since he was made a Car|dinal, though it were expected one might hope for &s;omewhat more, yet I have found him &s;tanding upon his guard more than ever, pleading the pretence of &s;ome command the Pope had laid on him not to intermeddle in any affair that were not agreeable to him. In a word, I am not &s;atisfi'd with him, al|though he often mention the de&s;erts of his Ance|&s;tors from this Republique, and the obligations, which tho&s;e of his Order do in particular owe unto him. The Pope refers much to him in matters of <HI>Theology</HI> and <HI>Con&s;cience,</HI> and confers with him, too, about tho&s;e of <HI>State,</HI> but rather to know than to fol|low his advice, becau&s;e mo&s;t times he looks upon things according to the rigour of the Eccle&s;ia&s;tical Laws. The <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Amba&s;&s;adour was not very well plea&s;ed with him, who when all the other Cardinals had been to vi&s;it his Wife, he would not, upon a pretence, that although he had changed the habit of his Order, yet he hath not changed the Rules, which prohibits them to be among&s;t Women but in ca&s;es of great nece&s;&s;ity. This kind of behaviour, which is an affected &s;ingularity, renders him odious to a great many people. He did not oblige your Lord&s;hips, when he put forth his Hi&s;tory in an&s;wer of the Book of the decea&s;ed <HI>Padre Paul</HI> of the Order of Servants, wherein &s;peaking too freely of a Mi|ni&s;ter whom you have &s;o much cheri&s;hed, he gave you cau&s;e to oppo&s;e him, as you did at the publica|tion of that Hi&s;tory, of which having &s;aid &s;omething to me by way of excu&s;e, I pre&s;ently &s;hifted the di&s;|cour&s;e,
<PB N="32" REF="25"> that I might not obliged to enter upon &s;uch tetchy &s;ubjects, upon which if we had pro|ceeded, he might have alledged many Metaphy&s;ical di&s;tinctions, which it is not my profe&s;&s;ion to an&s;wer; but had he treated of that bu&s;ine&s;s in a way more &s;uitable to that &s;ubject, I am confident I &s;hould have been too hard for him, and put him at a &s;tand.</P>
<P>In divers things the Pope makes u&s;e of the Car|dinal <HI>Corrado,</HI> a <HI>Ferrarian,</HI> and principally in tho&s;e differences which Secular Princes have concerning Eccle&s;ia&s;tical matters, wherein his Holine&s;s is but ill &s;erved, for that Cardinal is a pure Legi&s;t. that hath no knowledge in the affairs of the world, who alleages a deci&s;ive Text on any matter in que&s;tion, without any regard to the decency or re&s;pect is to be had towards a State, or any moderate inter|pretation where required; for he never makes any account of this certain Maxim, <HI>Summum jus &s;umma injuria.</HI> This man hath, and does continually give di&s;ta&s;te to the Cardinals and other Mini&s;ters of Princes, becau&s;e he keeps him&s;elf &s;till to the rigour of the Canons, and will di&s;tribute the Benefices ac|cording to his own fancy, and always upon pretence that it is the Pope's will, which he turns as him&s;elf plea&s;es under a fair appearance of Sanctity. But the di&s;gu&s;ts he practi&s;es, and is accu&s;tomed to put upon all the world, does more hurt to him&s;elf than to any one el&s;e, for having been &s;o unadvi&s;ed as to di&s;cover his ba&s;e humor, it hath drawn the hatred of all upon him: So that for the Chair there is nothing to be expected on his part. I never had but little &s;atisfa|ction from him. And indeed, &s;ince I began to know his defects, I never took the pains to do him any courte&s;ie that might acquire his favour, tho&s;e kind
<PB N="33" REF="25"> of per&s;ons thinking they do in &s;ome manner &s;acrifice them&s;elves, when&s;oever they do but in the lea&s;t act again&s;t their own opinions to a man a little plea&s;ure.</P>
<P>I mu&s;t al&s;o bring into this number <HI>Signior Ban|dinelli,</HI> of <HI>Siena</HI> great Ma&s;ter of the Apo&s;tolique Pa|lace, an old Courtier, refined in the Great Duke's Court, from whence the Pope called him, and took him to his own &s;ervice, knowing the noble manner of his acting. He is not a man of a very profound knowledge, but of great experience; which makes the Pope take great delight in conferring with him, who is ordinarily well &s;atisfi'd with his advice. Among&s;t other qualities that makes him con&s;idera|ble, there is one that is a very particular, which is, that he is de&s;cended from <HI>Alexander</HI> III, who ha|ving been forced to flie, and quit his ordinary abode, made his retreat in this Republique, who received him in their bo&s;ome, and gave him their protection, which he made u&s;e of to repre&s;s the audaciou&s;ne&s;s of the Emperor <HI>Frederick,</HI> that per&s;ecuted him. He glories more in this, than in any thing be&s;ides, and hath a particular veneration for the merits of your Serene Lord&s;hips. There is no one more certain of a Cardinal's Hat than he. It is due ro him, for ha|ving quitted his own Country, where he was very much in favour, to go to <HI>Rome.</HI> When he hath a Cardinal's Hat, the whole Court, who already be|lieve he de&s;erves the &s;upreme&s;t degree, will be ra|vi&s;h'd for joy.</P>
<P><HI>Signior Fagnano,</HI> of the State of <HI>Urbin,</HI> a Prelate well known at Court for his being blind, but much more for being &s;o clear &s;ighted in the Superinten|dence,
<PB N="34" REF="26"> which the Pope hath given him over the affairs of the Regulars, de&s;erves that I &s;hould make mention of him in this Treati&s;e, becau&s;e thorow his means, I have &s;ometimes made an end of a difficult bu&s;ine&s;s, which otherwi&s;e I &s;hould &s;carce have over|come. This Prelate hath a great deal of affection for this Serene Republique, as having been the fir&s;t that found out the invention to draw mony from the &s;uppre&s;&s;ion of the unprofitable Religious Or|ders, as al&s;o from the Scandalous; &s;o is he likewi&s;e &s;till of opinion, that &s;ince the &s;ame nece&s;&s;ity &s;till remains, they &s;hould make u&s;e of the &s;ame means of &s;upply, there being po&s;&s;ibility and rea&s;on enough to continue it. But that de&s;ign having been inter|rupted by certain zealous per&s;ons, upon &s;ome other pretexts which they found out; he endeavoured to &s;eek out &s;ome other projects to a&s;&s;i&s;t your Serene Lord&s;hips therein. And truly he might have found out &s;omething effectual, did they as well &s;ee the dangers at <HI>Rome,</HI> as they do in the&s;e places that are &s;o near bordering unto it. However, I did not omit to give this Prelate many thanks for his great good-will, and I believe it will be very fit that you &s;hould return him thanks likewi&s;e: I think al&s;o, that his Ex|cellency <HI>Sagredi,</HI> who carries &s;everal Curio&s;ities to pre&s;ent to the Pope's Family, &s;hould be&s;tow &s;ome part of them on this good man, who hath, and may yet render upon all occa&s;ions, all tho&s;e good Offices which can be expected from the confidence his Holi|ne&s;s puts in his advice, and the great credit he gives him.</P>
<P>The Father <HI>Virgilio Spada,</HI> one of the Order of the Congregation of St. <HI>Philip Neri,</HI> and Brother to the old Cardinal <HI>Spada,</HI> hath &s;ome power with the
<PB N="35" REF="26"> Pope; and upon this per&s;wa&s;ion I have &s;ometimes endeavoured to get him to &s;erve me upon occa&s;ion, but I found him armed with a thou&s;and excu&s;es to evade doing me any good: whereat I did not after|wards very much wonder, knowing he onely &s;ought the advantage of his Family, being very greedy after his own intere&s;t, and more ready to put the Pope in mind of filling his own pur&s;e, than &s;eeking any large&s;s for others: This made me forbear to &s;olicite him, gue&s;&s;ing the little profit that was like to re|dound, to make trial of other ways which your Lord|&s;hips are not unacquainted withal, although they all proved fruitle&s;s, and too weak, when it concerned his Holine&s;s to disbur&s;e any monies, which is not kept clo&s;er in his own Coffers, than it is by all the Court Prelates, who think to gain credit and repute from his Holine&s;s, by exhorting him to pre&s;erve that Metall, which above all things makes the Eccle&s;i|a&s;tical Principality be highly e&s;teem'd, as if it were not rather the Dignity and Sanctity of the Sove|reign Prie&s;thood that render'd the Papacy Maje|&s;tick, than the reputation of having great riches, But we need not doubt but their abu&s;es being ar|rived to the heighth we find them, the Eccle&s;ia&s;tick Authority would be very weak and langui&s;hing, were it not &s;u&s;tained by a Temporal Power; whereas if tho&s;e Prie&s;ts would lay a&s;ide their vanity of agran|dizing them&s;elves, and onely make good their ju&s;t degrees and privilege, the Church would &s;oon be lifted above all other Powers what&s;oever. For to &s;ay truth, Who&s;oever beholds the Court of <HI>Rome</HI> &s;ur|pa&s;&s;ing in Magnificence and State, the Courts of all other Princes, cannot but wonder by what means, upon &s;o &s;lender a foundation, and &s;o far from the de&s;ign and intentions of her fir&s;t Founders, &s;he &s;hould
<PB N="36" REF="27"> have rai&s;ed her &s;elf to &s;o proud a heighth. And al|though every one knows it proceeded from the Li|berality and Magnificency of Temporal Princes, yet it cannot but appear &s;trange to &s;ee the <HI>Roman</HI> Church turn tho&s;e Benefits, &s;he hath received from them, again&s;t them&s;elves to their prejudice; the Ca|noni&s;ts and other Emi&s;&s;aries of that Court &s;tudying nothing more, than how to &s;trengthen and extend their Eccle&s;ia&s;tical juri&s;diction, and aba&s;e and di|mini&s;h the Secular, if they po&s;&s;ibly could. This point, wherewith you have been &s;o often enter|tain'd, de&s;erves yet &s;till to be put into your memo|ries, becau&s;e without any diving into the depths of a profound Speculation, it may be ob&s;erved, that con&s;idering the by-ways the Popes do tread, and withal reflecting on the &s;incere conduct of Secular Princes, of nece&s;&s;ity it mu&s;t follow, that the Eccle|&s;ia&s;tical Monarchy will become Mi&s;tris of the World, and the Secular fall and become her Servant. Your Serene Signiory hath a great deal of Piety, and a particular Veneration for that Holy and Apo|&s;tolique Tribunal; who likewi&s;e hath a &s;ingular good-will towards her: but yet &s;he knows well how far &s;he ought to &s;how her veneration; and herein &s;he carries her &s;elf prudently, being very well ad|verti&s;ed of tho&s;e things which do in&s;en&s;ibly lead the Court of <HI>Rome</HI> to enlarge her Phylacteries more and more: And this Note &s;hall &s;uffice by the way.</P>
<P>And &s;ince we are now upon the di&s;cour&s;e of the Grandeur of the Court of <HI>Rome,</HI> it will not be ami&s;s to &s;how what it is, becau&s;e as it appears great by looking onely upon tho&s;e things which makes the Courts and Dwellings of other Princes con&s;iderable, yielding, in effect, neither for number of Mini&s;ters
<PB N="37" REF="27"> or Officers to none in Chri&s;tendome, it will &s;eem yet far greater, by having for A&s;&s;e&s;&s;ors and Coun&s;ellors &s;eventy Kings, for they give that Title to the Car|dinals in the Act of their Creations; and therefore it is that they are ve&s;ted in Purple, and are &s;erved almo&s;t like Kings: and when together with this Dig|nity they have acquired a great Reputation, their Amity is &s;ought by the mo&s;t pui&s;&s;ant Princes, who by publick or private Pen&s;ions endeavour to make them their friends, becau&s;e of the privilege they have of Electing a Pope, and what by con&s;equence mu&s;t follow thereupon, the Soveraign Dignity lights upon one of them&s;elves; and this is in &s;hort the cau&s;e of all their arrogancy, which otherwi&s;e is often re|duced to contempt enough, be&s;ides the vexation of not being able to obtain any grace, unle&s;s they be the Pope's Favourits. It may be expected that a Pope, who hath &s;o excellent a judgment to di&s;cern how tho&s;e per&s;ons ought to be qualifi'd that are fit to be aggregated in that Sacred Colledge, as Pope <HI>Alexander</HI> hath, &s;hould promote none but per&s;ons worthy of his choice: and, indeed, the Court hi|therto hath no rea&s;on to complain, &s;ince he hath ad|mitted none but &s;uch as de&s;erved very much, and it is hoped it will be &s;o &s;till for the future. Now, though it would be needful to make an exact &s;earch and in|quiry into the quality of the pre&s;ent Cardinals to know them thorowly; yet that your Lord&s;hips may have &s;ome knowledge of him; that &s;hall one day be rai&s;ed to the Chair, I &s;hall make no difficulty to un|dertake it; and I &s;hall acquit my &s;elf with much bre|vity, becau&s;e there are many other things to be ex|amined, which your Serene Lord&s;hips will be glad to know.</P>
<PB N="38" REF="28">
<P>The Cardinal <HI>Charls de Medices,</HI> Uncle to the Great Duke of <HI>To&s;cany,</HI> is the Dean of the Sacred College. He never &s;hows him&s;elf at <HI>Rome</HI> but when the Chair is vacant, he takes more plea&s;ure at his own home, being free both from clamour and ex|pence. He leads the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Faction, not without a great deal of hopes from the Great Duke, who long|eth for nothing more than to have a Pope that may favour him, becau&s;e of the troubles and traver&s;es the Popes put him to, who little con&s;ider him. He was not at the Court whil&s;t I was there. But the oblige|ing humor of that Prince is not unknown to your Lord&s;hips by other means, as likewi&s;e the great joy he ever expre&s;&s;es at the lea&s;t news of your pro&s;perity. He is a man that &s;peaks little, hath a good wit, and ardently de&s;ires the advantages of his Family: to &s;erve whom he rather &s;uffer'd a long while in the Conclave, then gave way to elect any per&s;on that might not be plea&s;ing to the Great Duke.</P>
<P><HI>Francis Barberino,</HI> who in the time of <HI>Urban</HI> and his Domination made &s;ome e&s;capes, being hurri'd thereto rather by the impetuo&s;ity of his nature, than out of any evil intent, perceives at pre&s;ent that it is in vain to trouble the world, having extremely pre|judic'd him&s;elf by di&s;covering the violence of his pa&s;&s;ions. He hath lo&s;t all his hopes of ever attain|ing to &s;it in the Holy Chair, which his Uncle <HI>Urban</HI> held, though otherwi&s;e both for his knowledge, and the candour of his mind, he is worthy to be placed therein. Which evidently &s;hows, that innocency of life is no &s;ufficient motive to oblige the Cardinals to chu&s;e a Man for Pope, it hapning very often, that together with the greate&s;t Sanctity there may be joyned &s;ome other &s;uch defects, as were able to put
<PB N="19" REF="28"> the whole world in a confu&s;ion. Neverthele&s;s <HI>Bar|berino</HI> hath a little recover'd his credit under <HI>Inno|cent,</HI> they having noted the inconveniencies hap|ning in that Popes manner of Government, which they al&s;o found in <HI>Urban</HI>'s time; but with more mo|deration. Although his Family inclines towards the <HI>French,</HI> yet he hath ever &s;hewed that he hath more regard for the <HI>Spaniard,</HI> his humor &s;uiting better with the Genius of that Nation. As for the affection he hath for your Serene Republique, I cannot &s;peak &s;o fully of it, but I &s;hall leave &s;omewhat untold.</P>
<P><HI>Spada de Bre&s;ighele,</HI> which is a place in <HI>Romagnia,</HI> is a man more con&s;iderable for his Virtues than his Birth, and who for this rea&s;on de&s;erves more ap|plau&s;e than he yet hath. But it &s;eems they do not look upon him with &s;o good an eye becau&s;e of the pro&s;perity of his Family, who are lately in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of much riches, which &s;ome of the olde&s;t among&s;t them have acquired by their Farms and Marriages; and which have al&s;o been &s;ince multiplied thorow the indu&s;try of this &s;ame Cardinal, and the Father <HI>Virgilio Spada</HI> his Brother, who hath not been want|ing in &s;triving to acquire wealth, and rai&s;e his Hou&s;e, though he make profe&s;&s;ion of a retired life. This Cardinal hath many very good qualities be|&s;ides, which make him worthy of a higher degree? but that which hinders him from ri&s;ing, is the envy many have again&s;t him, and the great number of Nepveus he hath, which are like to be encrea&s;ed by tho&s;e Marriages they have of late contracted. I mu&s;t add to this the little confidence the <HI>Spaniards</HI> have in him, who think him a very &s;ubtile man, and one that hath a great inclination towards the <HI>French.</HI> He hath a high e&s;teem for this Republique, and hath as
<PB N="40" REF="29"> much re&s;entment in all her troubles and dangers as any one what&s;oever.</P>
<P><HI>Sachetti,</HI> a <HI>Florentine,</HI> hath entred Pope twice into the pa&s;t Conclaves, but &s;till came forth again Car|dinal, to the great regret of good people, and &s;uch as are acquainted with his virtues. The <HI>Spaniards</HI> did not murmur &s;o much again&s;t his elevation, as the <HI>Florentines,</HI> who endeavoured all they could to thwart his Election, and I believe it now proceeds from no other cau&s;e, but onely they having been once engaged to exclude him, imagine that he will for ever re&s;ent the injury they had done him, al|though he may have &s;erved them much &s;ince. In|deed, there are few in the Colledge &s;o worthy, if we con&s;ider all his good qualities. He hath made him&s;elf the more fully known, by that con&s;tancy wherewith he hath undergone tho&s;e di&s;appoint|ments, and the &s;ollicitations he made to <HI>Mazarine,</HI> to lay a&s;ide all tho&s;e jealou&s;ies which might make him oppo&s;e the exaltation of the Cardinal <HI>Chigi,</HI> whom he e&s;teemed more worthy of the Chair than any other, in a time wherein his own hopes were not de&s;perate. He keeps the &s;ame reputation &s;till at Court which he had formerly, and if his advanced age would let him &s;urvive the pre&s;ent Pope, he would ever have the &s;ame applau&s;e as formerly. He is commonly very indifferent in his affection to other Nations, &s;eldome favouring one more than another; but I dare confidently &s;ay, that he is partial for your Republique.</P>
<P><HI>Ginetti</HI> of <HI>Veletre</HI> is a Cardinal, who though he be rich, and have a great deal of experience, yet does nothing that gains much commendations, or
<PB N="41" REF="29"> that makes him e&s;teemed worthy to be rai&s;ed higher than he now is. There is no other rea&s;on than the poorne&s;s of his &s;pirit appearing in all his actions, and his in&s;atiable de&s;ire to enrich him&s;elf; whence they draw this con&s;equence, that &s;hould he be mounted higher, few &s;hould partake of his Gran|deurs or Bounty; add hereto, that having been one of <HI>Urban</HI>'s greate&s;t Confidents and Creatures, he is entirely po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with tho&s;e Maxims which are no|thing convenient for the good of Chri&s;tendome. He omitted nothing his power to make him&s;elf Pope the la&s;t times the Chair was vacant, but al|though he found &s;ome Cardinals his friends, who li&s;tned to him in hopes of partaking of his favours, yet he found no body for him among&s;t the Princes, who cannot promi&s;e much good to them&s;elves from a per&s;on &s;o wedded to his own intere&s;ts, and &s;o little inclined to favour others. I know not, indeed, what to &s;ay of him. He makes profe&s;&s;ion of much devo|tion, but I &s;hould hardly ever tru&s;t a man, who be|&s;ides his other defects, hath the reputation of per|fectly knowing how to di&s;&s;emble.</P>
<P>The Cardinal <HI>Antonio Barberino</HI> is a man, who all his life time hath ever been even gentility and gene|ro&s;ity it &s;elf. He is engaged as much as can be po&s;&s;i|ble to <HI>France,</HI> but in &s;uch a manner however, that he does not make him&s;elf odious to other rival Nations, becau&s;e he &s;peaks of all the world with a huge deal of re&s;pect; and brings his affairs &s;o about, that none can ju&s;tly complain of him. He reaps many ad|vantages from the Crown of <HI>France,</HI> which never|thele&s;s does not make him the richer, but rather the contrary, &s;ince he con&s;umes more money for them than he receives, as well in entertaining his friends
<PB N="42" REF="30"> perpetually whil&s;t he is in <HI>France,</HI> as in advancing the intere&s;ts of that Crown. And by rea&s;on of the great inclination he hath for that Country, where they live according to his humor after a very free manner, he would rather make his re&s;idence there than in any part of the world; but it is ob&s;erved, that <HI>Mazarin</HI> does not look on him with a good eye, perhaps out of jealou&s;ie, becau&s;e his carriage, which is &s;o fair and plea&s;ing, might be a di&s;advantage to him, while he is more than any man alive in favour with his King. He was the fir&s;t who, at the publica|tion of the Peace, manife&s;ted the good-will he hath for <HI>France,</HI> and that in &s;uch a noble and &s;plendid manner as was thought worthy of his genero&s;ity. The affection he bears that Nation does not make him, however, forgetful of what is due to the Princes of <HI>Italy,</HI> and particularly to your Serene Lord&s;hips, who&s;e merits he never mentions but with admiration.</P>
<P><HI>Colonne,</HI> a <HI>German,</HI> is the Head of his Family, by the di&s;po&s;al of the decea&s;ed <HI>Don Philip Colonne</HI> his Father, who having cleared his debts by his good husbandry, thought fit to recommend the direction thereof to that Son who &s;eemed to be mo&s;t wary and &s;paring: Nor was he deceived in his choice, &s;ince this man, con&s;idering his riches, which are great, e&s;pecially if we reckon what he hath from the Church, is &s;o re&s;erved, when any mony is to go from him, that is pre&s;umed, during the long time he hath managed their E&s;tate, he hath heaped up a very great quantity, taking much delight in hoarding up continually, but never expending any thing in a &s;uperfluous manner. To which the Suits he oppo&s;ed by Law, which the <HI>Spaniards</HI> and Mini|&s;ters
<PB N="43" REF="30"> of that State had for a long time maintained till his Fathers death, have not a little contributed, who thinking them&s;elves mo&s;t unju&s;tly deprived of tho&s;e Honours pretended to by his Family, di&s;puted it very ob&s;tinately again&s;t him, but in the end yielded up all his antient prerogatives to him, which much augmented his Revenues, and hath gained him a very great e&s;teem. At that time when his Holine&s;s exhorted all tho&s;e that were rich, to con|tribute &s;omewhat towards the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of your mo&s;t Serene Republique, he was the onely Cardinal that excu&s;ed him&s;elf, alleaging the dammage which the Plague had done him in his E&s;tate: Nay, it hath been propounded to him onely by way of trial, to give out Mony at the highe&s;t Intere&s;t, as your mo&s;t Serene Republique is wont to allow, but all was in vain; although he &s;eems to glory his affection to|wards you, by which profe&s;&s;ion he thinks he hath fully compleated his devoire.</P>
<P><HI>Franciotti</HI> of <HI>Luca</HI> is an hone&s;t man, and of &s;ome under&s;tanding in mo&s;t affairs; but the&s;e kind of ho|ne&s;t people do not &s;ucceed &s;o well when they have the Government in hand They take a licence in all extravagant opinions, and become ob&s;tinate and punctilious, not caring how they trouble the world, provided they can but maintain their own fancies. This man imagines that he &s;hould behave him&s;elf well enough were he in command, although he &s;how him&s;elf but of a mean ability in ordinary matters. He was born in a Republique, and the Prelate&s;hip of his Country lighting on him, he &s;oon put them in a condition of falling out with him, yea, and of con|te&s;ting and quarreling with the Pope too, and that for very &s;light rea&s;ons. In the end, all the&s;e <HI>bro|villeries
<PB N="44" REF="31"> ve di&s;putes</HI> having con&s;trained him to quit his Church, he left his Family involved in &s;uch trou|bles as have much perplexed, and brought many great lo&s;&s;es upon him. To repair this, he lives in hopes of being Pope, but he expects it in vain, for I do not know any one that de&s;ires it.</P>
<P><HI>Brancaccio,</HI> a <HI>Neapolitan,</HI> though he were made a Cardinal when he thought not of it, and, as it were, by an unexpected accident, does not for all this omit any po&s;&s;ible endeavour to mount higher: He is re|conciled with the <HI>Spaniards,</HI> to who&s;e &s;hame he at|tained that Dignity: He hath made a &s;trict Amity with the Great Duke, and is on good terms with <HI>Barberino:</HI> in a word, he does all he can to make good, and increa&s;e his credit, which is as yet but &s;mall, becau&s;e his thoughts &s;oar too high. Some have &s;aid, that there was nothing re&s;ting but a good un|der&s;tanding with the <HI>French,</HI> but that being equivo|cal, I &s;hall take it in the be&s;t &s;en&s;e, from whence one may infer, that he treats with them in &s;uch a manner as may di&s;po&s;e them not to be again&s;t him, if he &s;hould happen to be mention'd. He &s;eemed to me to be pa&s;&s;ionate for you, nor &s;hall I believe he di&s;&s;em|bled much therein, having wit enough to know what your mo&s;t Serene Republique hath done for the li|berty of <HI>Italy.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Harach</HI> of <HI>Behemia</HI> comes to <HI>Rome</HI> onely when the Chair is vacant: There are few other things can oblige him to &s;tay there, all his intere&s;t depending on the Kingdome of <HI>Bohemia,</HI> and the Imperial Court. And being a Cavalier of a very frank Na|ture, he makes it appear, that the arts and de&s;i|mulation, u&s;ed ordinarily in the Court of <HI>Rome,</HI> are
<PB N="45" REF="31"> not plea&s;ing to him. He hath ever te&s;tifi'd a great deal of affection for your mo&s;t Serene Republique, for ought that ever I could learn from tho&s;e that pre|ceded me in my employment; but having never been at Court in my time, I cannot tell what judgment I &s;hould have made of him, had I been acquainted with him my &s;elf.</P>
<P>I cannot affirm any thing of the Cardinal <HI>Palotta</HI> of the <HI>Marcha:</HI> tho&s;e reports which I have heard of him being very various: Some have told me that he hath &s;trange fancies, which being paliated with the zeal of Reformation, cannot but cau&s;e a great deal of trouble and di&s;order. Others de&s;cribe him to be a very hone&s;t man, of a good con&s;cience; yet all this is the &s;ame onely diver&s;ifi'd, becau&s;e the re&s;olutions of the&s;e kind of &s;pirits, or their whim&s;eys rather, do &s;till cla&s;h them&s;elves: And therefore he was very little lookt upon in the la&s;t Conclave, where he con|cealed as much as po&s;&s;ible his de&s;ire of being Pope, yet could he not carry it &s;o clo&s;e but his Confidents di&s;covered the extreme pa&s;&s;ion he had for it. The Pope makes no great account of him, although he have had &s;ome Legation: and there is &s;ome likeli|hood of rea&s;on for it; becau&s;e tho&s;e that are lifted to the dignity of Pope, can better judge of the defects of their inferiours, than &s;uch as are their equals in authority or degree. In his Legation of <HI>Ferrara,</HI> he gave &s;ome occa&s;ion of conte&s;t to your Signiory, and therefore although he &s;pake much of her commenda|tions, I &s;hould never confide in him.</P>
<P><HI>Carpegna,</HI> of the State of <HI>Urbin,</HI> had rea&s;on enough to hope in the la&s;t Conclave, becau&s;e the Great Duke and <HI>Barberino</HI> did not reject him, nor are his
<PB N="46" REF="32"> qualities to be de&s;pi&s;ed. But, in a word, when a Cardinal wants a certain credit which is given by popular approbation, he &s;eldome ever attains to the Chair It cannot be denied, but that both probity and &s;implicity of manners do meet together in this Man. He under&s;tands and can do as much as is re|quired in the managing of publick affairs, but as for the pre&s;&s;ing of them on, or, if I may &s;o &s;ay, the refining of them, he is not much applauded for being happy therein: nor during the la&s;t Conclave was there any one that could promi&s;e him&s;elf more than very mean re&s;olutions for the publick &s;ervice, under his Government: and therefore as &s;oon as ever he was &s;poken of, they found that he had not a &s;pirit great enough for &s;o high a dignity. Neverthele&s;s he &s;hewed him&s;elf worthy of prai&s;e, in that whatever his hopes, and the re&s;olutions of the Conclave were, he never &s;eemed to trouble him&s;elf. He loves your mo&s;t Serene Signiory well enough, which I have gather'd from the di&s;cour&s;es he hath held with me, as al&s;o from the reports of &s;uch as have heard him in parti|cular conver&s;ations, when mention hath been made of publick affairs.</P>
<P><HI>Filormarini</HI> of <HI>Naples</HI> hath made known his autho|rity in tho&s;e di&s;putes he had with the King's Mi|ni&s;ters, during the la&s;t troubles in that Kingdome. He &s;hew'd an invincible courage upon the threats which were like to have &s;ucceeded to effects of vio|lence again&s;t him, to make him quit that Country. But he likewi&s;e &s;hewed a very great humility towards the Catholique King, thereby to let him know, that he was di&s;turbed wrongfully; and his plea herein carried it again&s;t all that the greate&s;t Mini&s;ters of that Crown could oppo&s;e again&s;t him. But by how
<PB N="47" REF="32"> much he hath encrea&s;ed his reputation thereby, &s;o much hath he al&s;o therein prejudic'd him&s;elf, as to the thoughts he might have had of hopes and greater dignity, thorow that ob&s;tinacy apparent in him not to change, or remit any thing of his fir&s;t re&s;olutions, how dangerous and violent &s;oever the attempts are again&s;t him. He was a confident &s;ervant of <HI>Barberi|no</HI>'s in the time of his pro&s;perity, who&s;e &s;ervices have been very well rewarded. But I do not know what thanks tho&s;e can promi&s;e to them&s;elves that &s;hould help him to be made Pope, he being a man that hath a marvelous good opinion of him&s;elf, and one that believes every thing is due to his own merits. I never treated with him, he not having been at <HI>Rome</HI> in my time.</P>
<P><HI>Maculano,</HI> or St. <HI>Clement,</HI> a <HI>Dominican,</HI> is a &s;mall Brother, who under his poor mean Frock huggs am|bitious and high thoughts. He builds fine Ca&s;tles in the aire, fancying, that as he came to be a Car|dinal without meriting of it, &s;o he may as well ri&s;e to the Pope's Chair. There is no quality to be found in him that can di&s;tingui&s;h him from the vulgar. He hath little or no experience in State-affairs. He is learned as a Monk, but excells not their ordinary capacity, and hath &s;ome skill in Fortifications: But with this he is very covetous: and loves his Nepveus exceedingly, who are young people of very ill behavi|ours: if he had the command, which God forbid, there would be matter enough of &s;candal. This was taken notice of, by him that could have a&s;&s;i&s;ted him, to wit, <HI>Barberino,</HI> who hating a licentious life, would never &s;peak one word for him, though <HI>Ma|culano</HI> had friends to &s;econd what he &s;hould have &s;aid, and were aged enough to pretend to the Place.
<PB N="48" REF="33"> Neverthele&s;s he may live very well at his ea&s;e, if he will content him&s;elf with the condition he is in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of, which truly ought to &s;atisfie him. He hath named him&s;elf for Candidate, which is to &s;ay, he a&s;pires to the Chair, though among&s;t tho&s;e of his own Fraternity, he could never have attained to be General of their Order.</P>
<P><HI>Giorio de Camerino,</HI> a &s;ervant to the Hou&s;e of <HI>Bar|berino</HI> in bu&s;ine&s;s of &s;mall con&s;equence, found a way by his hand&s;ome manner of &s;erving, to gain &s;o much upon the good-will of his Nepveus, and afterwards on Pope <HI>Urban,</HI> that having gotten much riches in his long &s;ervice, he was reputed worthy to be a Car|dinal. He is very little e&s;teem'd at Court, his be|haviour not being noble enough to corre&s;pond with his dignity. He keeps clo&s;ely united to <HI>Barberino</HI> his Soveraign Benefactor, and in that &s;hews he de|&s;erved to be advanced. He hath never been nomi|nated for to be made Pope, nor is there any great hopes he &s;hould be in election, becau&s;e, be&s;ides the meanne&s;s of his birth, tho&s;e qualities are wanting in him which &s;hould make him worthy to &s;tand in the rank of &s;uch as pretend to that Supreme Dignity, unle&s;s they &s;hould pu&s;h him forward purpo&s;ely to make him fall, and get time in the interim to nego|tiate another's preferment with more &s;ecurity.</P>
<P><HI>Facchinetti,</HI> of <HI>Bologna,</HI> hath been employed in the highe&s;t Offices of the Court, and Nunciator of <HI>Spain,</HI> with a con&s;tant reputation of an hone&s;t man, and very able. This is a Cardinal, of who&s;e repu|tation they have very advantagious opinions, which when time &s;uits will make them willingly reflect on his good qualities; and this fair opinion they have
<PB N="49" REF="33"> of him he pre&s;erves, by making his ordinary re&s;idence at his Church of <HI>Spoleta;</HI> and avoiding all occa&s;ions that might forfeit it, by not concerning him&s;elf with the pre&s;ent Court intere&s;ts, for fear le&s;t in medling therein, in&s;tead of increa&s;ing his reputation, he &s;hould give &s;ome cau&s;e of di&s;gu&s;t and rupture; He is a Lord of a very &s;weet conver&s;ation, and &s;peaks pa&s;&s;i|onately for the intere&s;ts of your Signiory, from whom I dare promi&s;e effects core&s;pondant &s;hould he attain to a higher degree.</P>
<P><HI>Ro&s;etti</HI> of <HI>Ferrara</HI> is a creature born, bred, and ad|vanc'd in the bo&s;ome of <HI>Barberino,</HI> who loved him by accident, and after helped him to employments, which rai&s;ed him up to be a Cardinal. He was in danger being in <HI>England</HI> during tho&s;e troubles, which have encrea&s;ed &s;o long as to arrive to the &s;trange heighth of misfortune they were then in: But a more wary Mini&s;ter might have withdrawn him&s;elf without forfeiting his devoir. Being at <HI>Collen</HI> in quality of a Nuncio, he could not avoid being &s;u&s;|pected of partiality towards the <HI>Spaniards,</HI> and did together with them, breed &s;ome di&s;order in their af|fairs. At <HI>Rome</HI> he did not &s;hew him&s;elf very grateful to his Benefactor, having &s;ubjected him&s;elf to the <HI>Spaniards.</HI> In the Conclave he was almo&s;t the onely man that di&s;approved the Election of the pre&s;ent Pope. So that all the&s;e things being heaped to|gether, one may infer, that he is not a Cardinal of any eminent vertue, although he hath been wi&s;e enough to make &s;uch good u&s;e of his time, as to have freed his Family from tho&s;e inconveniences which attend a mean Fortune. He keeps him&s;elf at his Church at <HI>Faen&s;e,</HI> without any de&s;ign of &s;hewing him&s;elf much at <HI>Rome,</HI> where till tho&s;e evill im|pre&s;&s;ions
<PB N="50" REF="34"> are taken off, or forgotten, he would not be looked upon with any great good-will:</P>
<P><HI>Grimaldi,</HI> a <HI>Genoe&s;e,</HI> &s;hews by his looks, that he is a man of great undertakings, from whom no other effects can be expected, but &s;uch as u&s;ually proceed from pen&s;ive &s;pirits, which are quarels, jealou&s;ies, bold and daring enterpri&s;es, with all kind of &s;ub|tilties to make good his de&s;igns. This man hath had &s;ome great de&s;igns on foot already, to the prejudice of the publick peace, and that onely for &s;ome ad|vantages to him&s;elf, without regarding the incon|venience of others: and this was the cau&s;e, that finding he was mounted as high as he could pre|tend, which was to have a good Church in <HI>France,</HI> where he might &s;ay, <HI>Here is my re&s;t;</HI> imagining that he &s;hould be a &s;econd <HI>Mazarin,</HI> he was deceived, <HI>Mazarin</HI> de&s;iring to reign alone, that the world might know they owed the good &s;ucce&s;s of that Government to his direction. He was not at <HI>Rome</HI> in my time; tho&s;e that were acquainted with him have de&s;cribed him to me, to be as crafty a man as any one, but yet a per&s;on wanting that addre&s;s or di&s;cretion, which like Salt ought to &s;ea&s;on all the parts of Policy. I &s;hould not confide in his words, when he commends this State, becau&s;e we ought not to give belief to &s;uch men, as propound no other end but their own intere&s;t.</P>
<P>Here I &s;hould &s;peak of <HI>Mazarin,</HI> and there might be much &s;aid of him, but your mo&s;t Serene Lord|&s;hips are &s;o well informed of the Per&s;on and Maxims of this great Mini&s;ter, that I could &s;ay nothing which would not fall &s;hort of the knowledge you have el&s;e-where had of him; yet &s;hall I not omit to let
<PB N="51" REF="34"> you be acquainted in what e&s;teem he is with the pre&s;ent Pope; which I believe is a thing worthy your knowledge, becau&s;e you may from thence gue&s;s the true rea&s;on of the difficulties in tho&s;e affairs which mu&s;t nece&s;&s;arily be treated of in either Court.</P>
<P>The Pope had very ill impre&s;&s;ions of the Cardinal when he was Nuncio at <HI>Collen,</HI> for ob&s;erving atten|tively the rea&s;ons the Mediators alledged for a Ge|neral Peace, he found the <HI>French</HI> had always &s;ome re&s;ervations in their an&s;wers, which did not corre|&s;pond, as he judged, with the equity of the <HI>Spaniards</HI> propo&s;itions; which made him fully per&s;waded, re|flecting on &s;ome other inconveniencies hapning when they came to confer, that all the ob&s;tacles which re|tarded &s;o great a happine&s;s for all Chri&s;tendome; proceeded from the Cardinal <HI>Mazarin.</HI> But, as the ends he then propounded requir'd him not to di&s;cover his opinions therein to tho&s;e Nations that were in|tere&s;s'd, &s;o he negotiated &s;till with &s;o much caution, that few or none knew what was in his thoughts. Being returned afterwards to <HI>Rome,</HI> and the place of Secretary of State being given to him, he was for|tifi'd more than ever in the ill opinion he had con|ceived again&s;t the Cardinal, being thereto induc'd, not onely by an increa&s;e of the difficulties in the Treaty on the <HI>French</HI> &s;ide, but likewi&s;e by the in|jurious &s;peeches of Pope <HI>Innocent,</HI> who had a parti|cular aver&s;ion for <HI>Mazarin,</HI> and who always blamed him as the onely cau&s;e of the dammage and ruine which Chri&s;tendome &s;uffer'd under. Which made <HI>Alexander,</HI> being rai&s;ed to the Papal dignity, (al|though he had &s;ome rea&s;on to forget his hatred, &s;ince <HI>Mazarin</HI> conde&s;cended to his Exaltation) to become more envenom'd, becau&s;e amid&s;t the hopes he had, that his mediation might produce &s;ome good
<PB N="52" REF="35"> towards a General Peace, he under&s;tood, that the ways leading thereto were more blockt up than ever, <HI>France</HI> being Leaged with <HI>England</HI> without any re|&s;pect to the intere&s;ts of the lawful Succe&s;&s;ors of that Kingdom, or any con&s;ideration that they were of the Blood-Royal of <HI>France,</HI> not minding, as the Pope &s;aid, the Reputation of the mo&s;t <HI>Chri&s;tian King,</HI> which by this ba&s;e alliance was even trod under|foot; whence followed, that laying a&s;ide all the Mo|deration he had till then &s;hewed in &s;peaking of <HI>Ma|zarin,</HI> one could not &s;o much as mention the affairs of <HI>France,</HI> or tho&s;e that treated of them, but his Ho|line&s;s would flie out to &s;tinging injurious expre&s;&s;i|ons, di&s;covering what he had with much art con|cealed &s;o long before; <HI>That he took him to be the foun|tain and &s;pring of all the mi&s;eries in Chri&s;tendom, That in him alone had the Heretiques founded all their hopes to predominate over the Catholiques, And that there was a ju&s;t cau&s;e to apprehend, that from him would ari&s;e a general di&s;turbance again&s;t the publique Peace: That this doubly di&s;plea&s;ed him, becau&s;e of the wrong he did to that Dignity which he unworthily &s;u&s;tained; And though his Predece&s;&s;ors had not con&s;idered the &s;hame that reflected on the Sacred College, in &s;uffering this man to be the fir&s;t Author of all tho&s;e mi&s;chiefs, he hoped that God would give him both courage and power enough to re&s;ent, as he intended, the prejudice that was thereby done to Religion, and the advantages the ene|mies thereof had procured.</HI> If &s;ome body, under the pretence of &s;econding the Popes Re&s;entment at that time, had not by a di&s;cour&s;e &s;uitable to his humor, endeavoured powerfully to moderate his pa&s;&s;ion, it is to be feared he would have proceeded to &s;ome greater violence and anger: But he that heard the Pope's complaints made a very prudent u&s;e of them, en|deavouring
<PB N="53" REF="35"> to wipe all tho&s;e evil opinions of him out off his thoughts and memory. As for my own part, though at the beginning of my Emba&s;&s;ie, I found the wound yet open, I omitted not, on every occa|&s;ion, when I thought it convenient, to in&s;inuate to his Holine&s;s, that the&s;e times oft required, that particu|lar per&s;ons &s;hould in their coun&s;el over&s;way Princes, and that it was an effect of great prudence to lay a&s;ide all bitterne&s;s when we treated with them, unle&s;s we would have that wound, which perhaps would heal up of it &s;elf, to become incurable by often rubbing of it: that he might have his rea&s;ons likewi&s;e, which being heard, would ju&s;tifie or, perhaps, expo&s;e him le&s;s to cen&s;ure for &s;uch re&s;olutions, which &s;ometimes do not depend on his will alone, but the re&s;ult and incli|nation of other Mini&s;ters, with whom his Maxims would not &s;uffer him to di&s;agree. And if it were otherwi&s;e, yet however, <HI>France</HI> did not enjoy &s;o great a happine&s;s as to de&s;ire a War, unle&s;s it were appa|rent that tho&s;e who coun&s;elled it had very powerful motives to continue it, till they could find out a cer|tain way to make both a good and la&s;ting peace. The&s;e rea&s;ons &s;ufficed to moderate the Pope's com|plaints a little, yet was he not &s;o well &s;atisfi'd, but rejecting him he &s;aid, <HI>That when ever he had a mind to obtain any thing of his King and Council, that con|cerned his particular favour or intere&s;t, he knew how to obtain what ever he fanci'd, it being known to all to what a height and grandeur he had by his &s;ubtilties rai&s;ed his Family, and tho&s;e that had joyned their in|tere&s;ts with him; but, when ever it was required that he &s;hould act for the good of the Publique, his power was weak and langui&s;hing; which was a very clear argument, that he &s;aw the augmentation of his fortune depended on a continuance of the War, which afforded
<PB N="54" REF="36"> him a thou&s;and opportunities to make new friends and creatures by the di&s;tribution of Offices, which he be|&s;towed, according to his own will, upon &s;uch per&s;ons as gave him much applau&s;e, which he preferred, though it la&s;ted but a moment, to the immortal glory he might have acquired, by delivering Chri&s;tendome from &s;o great and continual troubles, as put it in danger of being at la&s;t made the prey of</HI> Heretiques <HI>and</HI> Mahometans. In the mean while, the times of Audience appointed, were wa&s;ted in the&s;e and the like Di&s;cour&s;es, which troubled me exceedingly, becau&s;e I fore&s;aw, that from this Antipathy, which daily encrea&s;ed, we could not but expect &s;ome great and notable prejudice would accrue to the Publique.</P>
<P>After this, upon the fir&s;t &s;light rumors, which were whi&s;pered of the Peace, the Pope &s;u&s;pected it was &s;ome new artifice of <HI>Mazarin</HI>'s to lull the world a&s;leep, and take off his hatred again&s;t him, with in|tent to renew the War afterwards, when during the Truce he had ju&s;tifi'd his pretences; but having been certainly informed that the Peace went roundly forward, and that things were brought to &s;uch a pa&s;s, that none could doubt of a good &s;ucce&s;s from this Treaty; then he declared both to me and all others that he was highly plea&s;ed; but every one knew this content of his was mixt with an allay of di&s;&s;atisfa|ction to &s;ee that <HI>Mazarin</HI> had made him&s;elf the Ar|bitrator of Peace and War by this act, and attributed to him&s;elf alone the honour of doing both the one and other. I &s;hall re&s;erve what I have to &s;ay here|upon, till I come to treat of that Chapter which &s;hall treat of the Intelligence betwixt the Pope and <HI>France.</HI> But all the aver&s;ion the Pope made appear again&s;t <HI>Mazarin,</HI> did not take off the Court from admiring the capacity of &s;o great a Man, who if he
<PB N="55" REF="36"> truly did embrace more than the natural heat of <HI>France</HI> could well have dige&s;ted (and in that re&s;pect &s;ome of his de&s;igns cannot be excu&s;ed of temerity) yet it is ob&s;ervable, that Fortune hath ever been his Second, who fighting for him, he can never be want|ing of means to overcome the greate&s;t difficulties; For the world hath taken notice, that tho&s;e Parties he hath &s;ided with have rarely mi&s;carri'd, which makes divers confe&s;s, That how great a States-man &s;oever the Cardinal of <HI>Richelieu</HI> was, yet he never had &s;o much skill and policy in di&s;covering and countermining the de&s;igns of Strangers, and bring|ing whatever he de&s;ign'd to pa&s;s, for the advantage of the Crown of <HI>France,</HI> as this Man who was his Scho|lar and Succe&s;&s;or; who if he &s;ucceed as well in times of Peace as he hath done in time of War, his name will be &s;o much the more immortal.</P>
<P><HI>Ur&s;in,</HI> a <HI>Roman,</HI> is of a Family known to your mo&s;t Serene Lord&s;hips, as for the Services which his Grand-fathers have done for your State, which hath ever held them in great con&s;ideration. They are, however, a little declined from their former Repu|tation, by the mi&s;government of &s;ome of the Suc|ce&s;&s;ors of tho&s;e, who by their brave actions had rai&s;ed it. That which hath cau&s;ed no &s;mall dimi|nution to their Honour, was, their bargaining for more or le&s;s with tho&s;e who made u&s;e of them to in|vade the liberties of others; to which may be added, that the number of their Family is dimini&s;hed. The Cardinal of whom we &s;peak, is more addicted to his plea&s;ures than to any &s;erious bu&s;ine&s;s, which makes &s;ome de&s;ire he had that ripe and &s;taid judgment which &s;hone &s;o in his Ance&s;tors. The Family does however but begin to recover it &s;elf, at a &s;ea&s;on
<PB N="56" REF="37"> wherein it may happen to come to its period for want of i&s;&s;ue; for having taken Wives rather rich than fruitful, out of a de&s;ire to repair their lo&s;&s;es, they are in a way of lo&s;ing their name by an over|&s;ight greater than the former. They all make pro|fe&s;&s;ion of continuing &s;till in the good affection they have &s;o long pre&s;erved towards your mo&s;t Serene Republique. But they are worth little, and can do le&s;s.</P>
<P><HI>E&s;te,</HI> Uncle to the Duke of <HI>Modena,</HI> hath made the world &s;peak of him, both in Peace and War. I cannot tell whether he were much plea&s;ed to &s;ee me at <HI>Rome,</HI> by rea&s;on of the little &s;atisfaction his Bro|ther had of me, whil&s;t I was Commi&s;&s;ary for your mo&s;t Serene Republique, at the beginning of the War you had with the <HI>Barberino</HI>'s. Although he can di&s;&s;emble, and is well enough skilled in the Art of concealing his re&s;entments, yet cannot I believe him &s;atisfi'd with what I did, though the thing went not on &s;o far as tho&s;e of the Hou&s;e of <HI>E&s;te</HI> pretended for their intere&s;t. The Pope, who hath not been ve|ry well &s;atisfi'd with the Duke, who &s;tudi'd to ob|&s;erve the will of <HI>Mazarin</HI> in every thing, as if he had been his &s;lave, and perceived that this Cardinal is of the &s;ame inclination, looks upon him as a per|&s;on more inclined to trouble than quietne&s;s; which he does not however divulge, becau&s;e he hath grea|ter pretences than ever to that portion of E&s;tate which was not annexed to the Dutchy of <HI>Ferrara,</HI> when it fell to the Church, as I &s;hall &s;how in ano|ther place. It will be difficult for him therefore to be looked on favourably by the Pope, who hath made it appear, that he can right him&s;elf by the Sword, when they deny him Ju&s;tice. This Cardinal
<PB N="57" REF="37"> keeps a Palace at <HI>Rome,</HI> where there are much Peo|ple and Nobility, that are punctually paid: which evinces, that the late Wars hath impoveri&s;hed the Subjects, and very much enriched the Ma&s;ter.</P>
<P><HI>Co&s;taguti,</HI> a <HI>Roman,</HI> but born of a <HI>Genoan</HI> Father, is one of that &s;ort of men that can ea&s;ily heap up wealth, by which they have rai&s;ed this Hou&s;e to its Nobility and Purple; but to judge of their fortune, as we are wont to judge of all new begun pro&s;pe|rities, one may &s;ay, That &s;o great riches acquired in &s;o &s;hort a &s;pace of time, are hardly compatible with any lawful means of obtaining them. But not|with&s;tanding all this, the Cardinal is a very agreea|ble man, and he did hugely &s;atisfie me, in &s;howing me he was &s;o well informed of the intere&s;ts of this State, and had &s;o full a knowledge of the merits of your mo&s;t Serene Republique.</P>
<P><HI>Donghi,</HI> a pure <HI>Genoe&s;e,</HI> came forth of <HI>Genoa,</HI> when he was not expected, with a very con&s;iderable &s;tock of riches, which hath &s;ince opened the way to his greatne&s;s; having been much furthered by tho&s;e qualities he hath, which are &s;o de&s;erving, that he that rai&s;ed him hath no cau&s;e to repent the doing it. The Court does generally prai&s;e him: But he was ever ab&s;ent all my time, &s;o that I can give no judg|ment of him, but from the reports of others, which however do tend to allow him the quality of a Man of merits, and one that is very affectionate to your mo&s;t Serene Republique.</P>
<P><HI>Rondanini,</HI> a <HI>Roman,</HI> though he be originary of <HI>Romagnia,</HI> is worthy of the degree he &s;tands in for the goodne&s;s and &s;implicity of his manners. But he
<PB N="58" REF="38"> is otherwi&s;e no great man, for he hath but a weak judgment, which would ea&s;ily lo&s;e it &s;elf &s;hould he apply him&s;elf to bu&s;ine&s;s. He de&s;erves, however, the good-will of your mo&s;t Serene Signiory, for the many things he &s;peaks in her prai&s;e, and for the many Services his Family hath done your State, whereof the blood of the Marquis his Brother was a te&s;timony, who would needs &s;ignallize him&s;elf in an Employment as worthy as a War for Religion and Liberty.</P>
<P><HI>Gabrieli,</HI> a <HI>Roman,</HI> is a man that endeavours to conceal what is in his heart; for in&s;tead of di&s;co|vering him&s;elf, he makes a great Apology of Com|plements. There are &s;ome of opinion, that his Ar|tifice may help to rai&s;e him higher, but I do not be|lieve it, becau&s;e the manner of acting of Pope <HI>Inno|cent,</HI> which is that of the <HI>Romanes,</HI> hath opened the eyes of the world too much, the pre&s;ent times re|quiring rather a per&s;on that will prefer the publique good than his own. He abides the mo&s;t part of his time at his Church of <HI>A&s;coli,</HI> feeding him&s;elf with this Maxim, That the le&s;s a Cardinal is at Court, the ea&s;ier is it for him to get into the Pope's Chair. But, though that may be true in general, yet it holds no water among&s;t the cunning and refined <HI>Roman</HI> Wits, who by this very retreat di&s;cover his mind &s;oone&s;t that would thereby hide it, and who ever pre|fer that Man fir&s;t, who is mo&s;t skilful in the manage|ment of great affairs.</P>
<P><HI>Lugo,</HI> a <HI>Spaniard,</HI> and Je&s;uit, is a man very learned in Divinity, but &s;ince he for&s;ook the Pulpit he hath &s;hewed him&s;elf no le&s;s skilful in State mat|ters. He acted with great &s;ucce&s;s in the Conclave
<PB N="59" REF="38"> for the election of the pre&s;ent Pope, and though <HI>Bar|berino</HI> were cried down for de&s;iring to make him Pope, out of a certain fancy that came in his head, yet did he u&s;e his utmo&s;t endeavour to advance <HI>Chigi,</HI> whom he knew to be very favourable to his Con|gregation, as he hath &s;ince &s;hewed him&s;elf. He can do no more than he now doth to make it appear to your Signory, that he hath a great e&s;teem for you, and that he is extremely troubled to &s;ee her op|pre&s;&s;ed by &s;uch fierce and potent Arms. I believe he &s;peaks frankly, being a con&s;ciencious man; but perhaps, too, the great de&s;ire he hath to make tho&s;e of his Order more acceptable among&s;t you, prompts his tongue to &s;ay more than is in his heart.</P>
<P><HI>Raggi,</HI> a <HI>Genoe&s;e,</HI> who &s;ucceeded <HI>Raggi</HI> his Uncle, was made a Cardinal by the <HI>Genoe&s;es</HI> means, who to rai&s;e him to this Dignity expended twice as much as is u&s;ual. But it is very ju&s;t that the mony, which they &s;queeze from all the world, &s;hould be afterwards turned into that &s;moak which the Court of <HI>Rome</HI> daily &s;ells. This Cardinals endowments are very proper and fit for a Mini&s;ter of the Chamber, as he hath been a long time: and indeed, there are few that do &s;ucceed better in that employment than the <HI>Genoe&s;es,</HI> who are mo&s;t active in running about to fill their pur&s;es. I am told, that &s;ince he is made Cardinal, he hath &s;hewed him&s;elf &s;omewhat more gallant, and hath pretty well &s;tudied the affairs of the world, which may be &s;oon learned having a very pre&s;ent wit, if he do but apply him&s;elf as much to it, as he did in his Office of the Pope's Trea&s;urer.</P>
<P><HI>Homodei,</HI> a <HI>Milanois,</HI> cho&s;e rather to follow the Prelacy, and attain to the Purple, than to pre&s;erve
<PB N="60" REF="39"> his Family, which is in hazard of peri&s;hing for want of I&s;&s;ue. It is neverthele&s;s con&s;iderable, full of wealth, and alli'd to the greate&s;t Families in <HI>Spain.</HI> He hath obtained what he pretended to, after he had made him&s;elf known to be a man capable of every thing, tying him&s;elf &s;trictly to the things that belong to his profe&s;&s;ion. He is of a very free di&s;po&s;ition, as the <HI>Lombards</HI> generally are, &s;o that one may confide in him. He let &s;omething fall in the Conclave which did not plea&s;e the <HI>Spaniards;</HI> but there were &s;everal in the Con&s;piration, &s;o that they could not lay the fault on him &s;ingly. He &s;ays plainly that he is a <HI>Venetian,</HI> as much as his fidelity to his King will &s;uffer him, which is to &s;ay in good <HI>Engli&s;h,</HI> he is a good <HI>Italian.</HI></P>
<P>The Prince <HI>John Charls</HI> of <HI>Medices,</HI> Brother of the Great Duke, is ever in&s;eparably united with the Cardinal <HI>Charls</HI> his Uncle, the Dean of the College; in this, however, his reputation is the greater, as having carried him&s;elf with much heat to the ex|clu&s;ion, and with much skill to the inclu&s;ion of tho&s;e, who being either partial, or his friends, were in|cluded There can be nothing expected from this Lord, who is perfect in Rea&s;ons of State, but &s;uch actions as &s;hall be favourable, and for the good of <HI>Italy,</HI> wherein likewi&s;e the good of his own Family is compri&s;ed.</P>
<P><HI>Ludovi&s;io,</HI> of <HI>Bologna,</HI> who was grafted into that Family by the Mother of the Prince <HI>Ludovi&s;io,</HI> hath the reputation of an hone&s;t man, but he hath tho&s;e defects to which all &s;uch kind of men are &s;ubject; for they are ob&s;tinate and indi&s;creet, and &s;ometimes too they have a grain of folly. It is difficult to Ne|gotiate
<PB N="61" REF="39"> with him, for if in any bu&s;ine&s;s it come once into his mind, that there is &s;ome ca&s;e of Con|&s;cience in it, it makes him &s;o ob&s;tinate, that nothing is ever able to make him change his opinion, and that mo&s;t commonly without any rea&s;on, as the Officers of the Penitentiaries them&s;elves have con|fe&s;&s;ed, of whom he is the Chief: Whence it follows, that although as a Soveraign Mini&s;ter he might di&s;|patch bu&s;ine&s;s, &s;eeing he hath the power, yet one mu&s;t nece&s;&s;arily return to the Pope, and be at a dou|ble trouble to obtain his command for the expedition of it. I dealt the lea&s;t with him I po&s;&s;ibly could, it being hard to come fairly off with &s;uch men, on the contrary, there is nothing to be gained mo&s;t com|monly from them but ill-will and di&s;content.</P>
<P><HI>Sancta Croce,</HI> a <HI>Roman,</HI> agreed with Pope <HI>Inno|cent</HI>'s genius, in the ea&s;ie and clear method wherein I have heard him expre&s;s the mo&s;t difficult and knotty affairs, and that was it which gained him the favour of <HI>Innocent:</HI> for although that Pope were a great Lawyer, yet he did not very readily under&s;tand a difficult ca&s;e; and therefore he loved tho&s;e that made things out ea&s;ie and clear to him, and fit for his apprehen&s;ion: be&s;ides, he had taken a fancy to rai&s;e the &s;omewhat depre&s;&s;ed antient noble Families of the <HI>Roman</HI> Nobility, as was this of <HI>Sancta Cro e,</HI> that they might owe the obligation to him. He had accompli&s;hed this de&s;ign, had not his Niece with her much importunity diverted it. It is certain, that the inclu&s;ion of this Cardinal was highly prai&s;ed, he having added both Virtue and Merit to his No|bility, which good opinion he confirms by the daily proofs he gives of his good-will in all publick affairs.</P>
<PB N="62" REF="40">
<P><HI>Cibo,</HI> who is one of the Lords of <HI>Malta</HI> of <HI>Carrara,</HI> hath a great reputation at Court, becau&s;e of the in|tegrity of his mind, his good life, and great know|ledge of the intere&s;ts of Princes, in which he hath &s;ignaliz'd him&s;elf in two Legations. He is adored, if I may &s;ay &s;o, in the Church of <HI>Je&s;i,</HI> where he re|&s;ides, and the Pope, who otherwi&s;e would have need of men of his parts, does not call him thence, as un|willing to deprive that City of &s;o worthy a Pa&s;tor. And were it their rule to reward Merit, there is no|thing &s;o great and good but would fall to his &s;hare, but private intere&s;t denies it him. I &s;hould readily give him my vote, were it required, knowing I &s;hould therein at the &s;ame time both &s;atisfie my con&s;cience, and &s;erve my Country, which I under|&s;tand how really he loves.</P>
<P><HI>Aquaviva,</HI> a <HI>Neapolitan,</HI> was preferred before an|other whom Pope <HI>Innocent</HI> de&s;ired, for &s;ome con&s;i|derations repre&s;ented to him by <HI>Donna Olimpia,</HI> who fore&s;eeing the Pope could not long &s;urvive, thought it good policy to &s;trengthen her Family by the ad|vancement of &s;uch noble per&s;ons as might protect her on occa&s;ion But &s;he deceived her &s;elf, regarding one|ly the merits of the per&s;ons, and not con&s;idering whether &s;he &s;hould receive all tho&s;e acknowledg|ments and retributions which men of honor are en|gag'd to return at need. He hath, however, a po|pular applau&s;e, but I cannot tell whether the <HI>Spa|niards</HI> are &s;atisfi'd with him, &s;ince he did not &s;eem to give them any content in the Conclave. But I am very much taken with his expre&s;&s;ions, which ever tend to the publick good.</P>
<P><HI>Gondi,</HI> or as he is called at pre&s;ent, <HI>de Rets,</HI> hath made the world talk of him, both before and &s;ince
<PB N="63" REF="40"> his promotion to be Cardinal: before, becau&s;e he was as it were the Scourge, that excited troubles in all occurrences, that admitted of the lea&s;t pretence to thwart the pre&s;ent Government: and &s;ince, be|cau&s;e his authority being encrea&s;ed, he pre&s;umed his importunities again&s;t <HI>Mazarin</HI> and his Parti&s;ans would become more effectual, and that onely for his particular intere&s;t, and to make him&s;elf famous in the admini&s;tration of affairs. It cannot be denied but <HI>Mazarin</HI> was in a kind of dream when he named him for that Dignity, and committed a very great error therein, not foreca&s;ting the event of it. And indeed, Pope <HI>Innocent</HI> reproached him highly for de|&s;pi&s;ing and dealing unhand&s;omely with one of that Dignity, whom both him&s;elf and all <HI>France</HI> had pre|&s;ented to the Court of <HI>Rome,</HI> by their recommen|dations. But this does not make good the too bold pretences of the Eccle&s;ia&s;tical power, which pre|&s;umes, it is unlawful for great Princes to re&s;train the exorbitancies of a Cardinal, that endeavours to trouble the peace of the Country. There were di|vers A&s;&s;emblies at <HI>Rome</HI> to con&s;ult a way, whereby, without prejudice to the Cardinal Dignity, they might allay his di&s;content, but it was very difficult, &s;ince tho&s;e of <HI>France</HI> required &s;ecurity that he &s;hould breed no di&s;turbance, and tho&s;e in <HI>Rome</HI> could not re&s;olve to do it, becau&s;e the means propounded was to give away his Church at <HI>Paris</HI> to another, and keep him out of <HI>France,</HI> without leaving him de&s;ti|tute of what was nece&s;&s;ary for his maintenance.</P>
<P><HI>Charles Barberino</HI> is the third Cardinal of that Family, which is rarely &s;een; but that which de|&s;erves more admiration, is, that this exce&s;s of favour proceeded from a Pope, who had made it his task to
<PB N="64" REF="41"> eclip&s;e, not to &s;ay de&s;troy, that Hou&s;e; &s;o evident it is, that &s;elf-intere&s;t over-&s;ways the minds of men, making tho&s;e that were the mo&s;t inveterate enemies to become the mo&s;t endeared friends. This recon|ciliation, and the alliance that was made betwixt the&s;e Families, was the work of <HI>Donna Olimpia,</HI> who prudently con&s;idered, that if the Pope &s;uffer'd this enmity to continue, he would be expo&s;ed thereby to the &s;ame inconveniencies they had brought upon others. This reflexion plea&s;ed, and was &s;econded by a mo&s;t advantagious reciprocal union. Nor was there any cau&s;e of &s;cruple that the Pope joyned Purple to Purple in the &s;ame Family, con&s;idering the excellent qualities of this young man, who &s;hewed an extra|ordinary wit and mode&s;ty to all men, and who ap|plying him&s;elf wholly to the noble&s;t &s;tudies, re|nounced his birth-right in favour of his younger Brother, to make him&s;elf a Church-man; and in|deed, he is a very good Clergy-man, who never medles with any other kind of bu&s;ine&s;s. He depends ab&s;olutely on the Cardinal <HI>Francis,</HI> and conforms him&s;elf wholly to his manner of life.</P>
<P><HI>Pio,</HI> a <HI>Ferrarian,</HI> is of a Family known to your mo&s;t Serene Lord&s;hips for its Nobility, and the me|rits of its Branches, which &s;hall make me &s;ay the le&s;s of him. He does not enjoy his health perfectly though he be but young, and may perhaps leave his Church at <HI>Ferrara,</HI> becau&s;e the air of <HI>Rome</HI> better agrees with him, where he hath acquir'd a great deal of wealth, and intends to &s;ettle him&s;elf altogether. He glories in the natural affection he hath towards your mo&s;t Serene Signiory, as of a thing he much values and mo&s;t highly e&s;teems.</P>
<PB N="65" REF="41">
<P><HI>Aldobrandin,</HI> a <HI>Roman,</HI> but originary of <HI>Florence,</HI> is the onely remainder of a Papal Family, founded upon &s;even Great-grand-children, Nepvews of <HI>Cle|ment</HI> the VIII, who were &s;o extreme robu&s;t, that one would have judged their Line eternal, and yet this Branch is withered. To find a Cardinal of this Family, as the Prince&s;s <HI>Ro&s;&s;ano</HI> de&s;ired, who is the &s;ole Hegre&s;s of all that E&s;tate, they were fain to &s;eek out this &s;mall Courtier, who &s;prings from the &s;ame Stock indeed, but by rea&s;on of his poverty was neg|lected even of his own kindred. This example, to|gether with many others, &s;hould make the Pope's clearly know, as well as their kindred, that what ever care and pains they take to rai&s;e their Family, it ne|ver &s;ucceeds or continues long, God not being plea&s;ed to &s;uffer tho&s;e Grandeurs, which are founded on the Church's Patrimony, to &s;tand as they would have it. And who ever would be plea&s;ed to look over the Hi&s;tory of the Popes, where their Families are regi&s;tred &s;hall find this an infallible Truth: for one &s;hall di&s;cover, that either they were quite extin|gui&s;hed, or &s;uch as were left remaining became re|duced to a condition below a mean Fortune: This Cardinal doth acknowledge, that all he hath came from that Prince&s;s, who was willing to &s;how her ac|knowledgments to the blood of the <HI>Aldobrandinos,</HI> and now, by &s;howing him&s;elf worthy, as he hath done, of the honour conferred upon him, and gain|ing a good opinion of every one, upon all occa&s;ions, he patiently expects the time which may prove more favourable to him.</P>
<P><HI>Vidman</HI> &s;taid longer here than he &s;aid he would do when he went from <HI>Rome,</HI> where he was &s;ur|pri&s;ed with the immature death of Count <HI>David</HI> his
<PB N="66" REF="42"> Brother, for whom the whole Court was very &s;or|rowful; becau&s;e tho&s;e Lords, be&s;ides the good for|tune they have had to &s;ee their Family &s;o well &s;tored with all &s;orts of riches, do &s;o win the affections of all people by their &s;weet conver&s;e, that there is none but are ravi&s;h'd at their pro&s;perity. The Cardinal is al&s;o an excellent natur'd man, who, to all his other good qualities, adds a mo&s;t tender love towards his Country, which is reciprocally obliged to make their acknowledgments to him upon every occa&s;ion.</P>
<P><HI>Spada</HI> of <HI>Luca,</HI> is a Prelate who was emploi'd in <HI>Urban</HI>'s time in the affairs of greate&s;t confidence, and he held the &s;ame credit in the time of Pope <HI>Innocent,</HI> which is an evident te&s;timony that he hath excellent qualities. In his Legation to <HI>Ferrara</HI> he did you all the good Offices that you could expect from that good Neighbourhood; and when your Amba&s;&s;adors were received in that City in their pa&s;&s;age to <HI>Rome,</HI> he out-did all the Mini&s;ters of the Apo&s;tolique Chair in expre&s;&s;ions of civility; whence I draw this con&s;equence, that he very perfectly knows your Lord&s;hips worths, and the great obligations which are due to you from the Court of <HI>Rome.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Gualtieri D'Orviete</HI> is <HI>Donna Olimpia</HI>'s Creature, who having power to do what &s;he would, brought this man and another that depended wholly upon her, to promotion, by ca&s;ting du&s;t in the Pope's eyes that he might not &s;ee what &s;he did, not caring whe|ther he were plea&s;ed or not, after &s;he made him com|mit the fault. This Cardinal was not at <HI>Rome</HI> during my abode, he re&s;ides at his Church at <HI>Fermo,</HI> where he can yet, him&s;elf, hardly believe he is awake, and really in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of what he holds. There is
<PB N="67" REF="42"> little good to be &s;aid of him, and that you may judge this a truth, it may &s;uffice to tell you, it was a work of the Brain of that Woman.</P>
<P><HI>Ode&s;calco de Como</HI> hath the <HI>Lombard</HI> way of acting, which is to &s;ay, ingenious and franck, and truly he is held to be without malice. He does not profe&s;s any skill in Politiques, but wants not for judgment, and makes good u&s;e of it; in time and place convenient. I have nothing to alledge again&s;t him, &s;ince the Court finds no fault with him; when this man is mention'd they &s;peak briefly, without making any reflection of his good or bad qualities, which is a con|vincing proof that there is more good than hurt in him, becau&s;e at Court they pardon none they can except again&s;t. I believe your mo&s;t Serene Signiory may confide in a per&s;on of his humor, when he makes prote&s;tation of his affection towards you, as he hath done every time I was with him.</P>
<P>Our <HI>Ottobuono</HI> for his &s;weet and charming con|ver&s;ation is beloved of all the Court, nor are there any but do wi&s;h him a greater dignity than he hath: and truly he hath rendred him&s;elf worthy of it by his continued labours and vigilancy: and the rather, becau&s;e by his actions, accompani'd with &s;o much civility to all the world; and his judgment in man|aging bu&s;ine&s;s of con&s;equence, he hath made it ap|parent that he de&s;erves one &s;hould confide in him. The City of <HI>Bre&s;cia</HI> is too narrow a limit for the ex|erci&s;e of his Virtues: and the expences he makes would have been better employed in &s;ome Legation, or &s;ome con&s;iderable employment at Court, where, to &s;peak truth, &s;uch weak men do re&s;ide, that either for the &s;ucce&s;s in an affair, or for want of choo&s;ing
<PB N="68" REF="43"> the readie&s;t and &s;afe&s;t ways, they do even di&s;plea&s;e tho&s;e whom they mo&s;t favour.</P>
<P>But as for his exile from Court, which we may term honourable, the cau&s;e thereof can be attributed to nothing el&s;e, but the knowledge they have of his eminent virtues, as well for that ordinarily Vir|tue is looked upon with an envious eye, as becau&s;e he did in the Conclave endeavour earne&s;tly to unite the oppo&s;ite parties, who wavered and ob&s;tructed all other de&s;igns. All I can &s;ay to your Excellencies of this Lord, is, that the affection he bears his Native Country is the mo&s;t tender and hearty that can be de&s;ired in any of your mo&s;t Serene Republique's Subjects, and whatever favours you be&s;tow, you can never place them better than on a man, who, like this &s;ame now mention'd, is wholly di&s;po&s;ed to prefer the publique intere&s;t in all occa&s;ions before his own.</P>
<P><HI>Maldachino</HI> is very well, the Pope was very careful to make him go and take the aire of the <HI>Campagnia</HI> for a good while, whence he returned at the intreaties of the Cardinals, who took that ab&s;enting for an exile: The <HI>Spaniards</HI> were not much allarm'd at his change, and declaration for <HI>France.</HI> Yet mu&s;t it be &s;aid in his prai&s;e, that he did very wi&s;ely, in &s;eeking the &s;upport and gaining the favour of a great King. Nay, there is &s;ome genero&s;ity in it, becau&s;e there is no appearance he was moved out of intere&s;t; &s;ince <HI>Mazarin</HI> is not a per&s;on likely to be&s;tow any great reward upon him, whether it be out of his natural inclination to par&s;imony, or &s;ome fixed de&s;ign to re|gulate and reduce the va&s;t expences of that Nation, drained by &s;o long a War, or &s;ome more hidden and refined politique con&s;ideration, it being certainly a
<PB N="69" REF="43"> pure folly to wa&s;te the Exchequer in Pen&s;ions for the Court of <HI>Rome.</HI> Be&s;ides, nothing is more apparent than this, that the way to gain tho&s;e people is to neg|lect them. Intere&s;t and Fear would &s;oon reunite them, and make them look towards <HI>France</HI> for &s;uc|cour, did they fear they were abandon'd to the dread|ful power of <HI>Spain:</HI> all the humility of &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion, and art of compliance would then be put in practi&s;e to make &s;ure of, and draw the <HI>French</HI> to their &s;ide to oppo&s;e that ambitious Neighbour, who &s;urrounding the Pope with <HI>Millan</HI> and <HI>Naples,</HI> may devour him when he hath the mind to it. I have vi&s;ited him up|on &s;ome occa&s;ions, but never much regarded his di&s;cour&s;e, which &s;till tended to make me believe he is very much a &s;ervant to your mo&s;t Serene Lord|&s;hips.</P>
<P><HI>Borromeo,</HI> a <HI>Milanois,</HI> a Lord of a con&s;iderable Birth, hath ever given te&s;timony in tho&s;e employ|ments he hath had, of a &s;trict &s;ecre&s;ie, great mode|&s;ty and &s;incerity, which are qualities rarely lodged together in a man that is in power or command. He doth at pre&s;ent exerci&s;e the charge of Legat in <HI>Ro|magnia</HI> with much prai&s;e, not giving any cau&s;e of complaint under his Government. I cannot but give a fair judgment of his Sentiments for the publique good, on which that of your mo&s;t Serene Republique is nece&s;&s;arily depending, which he a&s;&s;ured me of the la&s;t time I vi&s;ited him.</P>
<P><HI>Imperiale,</HI> a <HI>Genoe&s;e,</HI> is a man fit for Govern|ment, who quickly apprehends where any evil is, and hath capacity enough to apply the remedy. He hath al&s;o a free heart, which will not ea&s;ily yield when he finds on which &s;ide there is more rea&s;on.
<PB N="70" REF="44"> Yet cannot I tell whether he would &s;ucceed well if he had the Soveraign command, becau&s;e he is a <HI>Ge|noe&s;e,</HI> and prepo&s;&s;e&s;s'd with the Maxims of his Coun|try, which pretend to attain to that in a &s;hort time, to which other Potentates could not arrive but by a &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of many ages; and this may perhaps be one of the cau&s;es will exclude him from any higher advancement. In the mean time, he makes very powerful prote&s;tations, that he will ever &s;ide with tho&s;e who &s;tand for the Liberty of <HI>Italy,</HI> which is to &s;ay in good <HI>Engli&s;h,</HI> that he will &s;ide with your mo&s;t Serene Republique.</P>
<P><HI>A&s;talli,</HI> a <HI>Roman,</HI> hath acted &s;everal parts at the Court of <HI>Rome</HI> in a &s;hort time. He was a Prelate of a mean Fortune; &s;ince that he was made a Cardinal. He was of kindred, and &s;upported by Pope <HI>Innocent</HI>'s Niece, who would &s;peak all, and do all, at that time when he was made Cardinal He was in <HI>Pamfilio</HI>'s Family in quality of a Nepvew: a while after he was rejected as unworthy of that Title, exiled from <HI>Rome,</HI> and almo&s;t ca&s;t into the Precipice: but a little after the death of <HI>Innocent</HI> he &s;omewhat recovered him&s;elf again, yet could not make them re&s;tore what they had taken. In fine, he found relief in the prote|ction of the Catholique King, who hath be&s;towed &s;ome Large&s;s upon him, which hath &s;et him in a pretty good po&s;ture. The Hi&s;tory of the &s;trange turns he hath been &s;ubject to, would be very curious, but it being too prolix, I &s;hall pa&s;s it by; becau&s;e, likewi&s;e, ere this Writing appears, no doubt but the Relations of tho&s;e times will &s;et forth the truth of it. There can be nothing more intricate than the con|dition of that Family, which then governed; for on the one &s;ide, the Pope's Niece and her Confederates
<PB N="71" REF="44"> were ever making &s;ome enterprize, and on the other the Cardinal <HI>Panciroli,</HI> who was then the chief Mi|ni&s;ter of State, countermined them, and either of the&s;e &s;coffed at that Pope before his face; becau&s;e, although he had wit enough, yet he had not the judgment or way to make tho&s;e &s;tand in awe of him, who were the mo&s;t obliged to him.</P>
<P>In the mean time, this Cardinal, after he had un|dergone &s;o many different Fortunes, attained to his ea&s;e and quiet, yet without any great repute or e&s;teem, being more addicted to follow his own in|clinations, than to &s;erve the Publique; and therefore I cannot inform you what his affection is towards this Republique.</P>
<P><HI>Albici,</HI> of <HI>Cenata,</HI> is a man, who finding he can rai&s;e him&s;elf no higher by the ways of eminent vir|tue, is re&s;olved to try what he can do by his extra|vagancies; and this it is makes him &s;peak &s;o freely again&s;t the corruptions of the times, which he is not &s;atisfi'd in doing in private, but taking delight to &s;hew his Eloquence, which is not the highe&s;t that ever was, he di&s;cour&s;es of it in publique Oratories, and &s;ometimes with biting expre&s;&s;ions, which &s;eems to aim at the Popes creatures, who are in command. This is ill re&s;ented at the Palace, but they let him go on, as if they under&s;tood him not: and yet not being free from failings him&s;elf, it is wonder'd he &s;hould be &s;o apt to cen&s;ure others. He hath rather I know not what kind of commerce with the world, than any con&s;iderable knowledge; and having been cho&s;en by Pope <HI>Innocent,</HI> as a per&s;on fit for Go|vernment, he made him a Cardinal, having more re&s;pect to his being an enemy to <HI>Maculano,</HI> who was hated by this Family, that &s;o he might oppo&s;e all
<PB N="72" REF="45"> that favour'd him, than to any merit was found to be in him&s;elf. He &s;peaks very fine things again&s;t tho&s;e that &s;hew them&s;elves &s;low and cold in their pre&s;ent a&s;&s;i&s;tance of this Signory; but his importu|nate and tedious di&s;cour&s;es are but little regarded, nor indeed e&s;teemed &s;incere, becau&s;e they are always Satyrical.</P>
<P><HI>Azzolino de la Marca</HI> was brought to be Cardinal by tho&s;e means that prevail mo&s;t at <HI>Rome,</HI> that is to &s;ay, by di&s;covering the defects of others; I &s;hall not &s;tand here to repeat the &s;tory of <HI>A&s;talli</HI>'s fall, cau&s;ed partly by the reports, true or fal&s;e, of this man. It is certain, there are no eminent virtues in him, and if you except but &s;ome pretty little fla&s;hes of the Pen, which he learned in the exerci&s;e of his Office of Se|cretary, I &s;ee nothing extraordinary in him. He &s;pends mo&s;t part of his time in amorous entertain|ments, while all he does, brings little benefit to the Publique. I never much e&s;teemed the great care he takes to expre&s;s the devotion he hath for your Signio|ry, becau&s;e I know any thing plea&s;es his mind more than thoughts of bu&s;ine&s;s, thinking all his time too &s;hort to recreate him&s;elf.</P>
<P>The Cardinal <HI>Lantgrave</HI> of <HI>He&s;&s;e,</HI> who is a Lord of a high birth and a generous &s;pirit, might have made better u&s;e of his Talents, as it is believed, in the profe&s;&s;ion of a Souldier, than of a Gown-man: not but that he hath given &s;ome good tokens, by proving him&s;elf a good Catholique, and a good Di&s;ciple in the Maxims of the Court of <HI>Rome;</HI> but when it concerns his taking any advantage, as he pretends much, reflecting on what he is, every one withdraws, even the <HI>Spaniards</HI> them&s;elves, who other|wi&s;e
<PB N="73" REF="45"> being wont to &s;hew their large&s;s towards tho&s;e of his quality, are yet &s;paring to him, not well ap|prehending what &s;ervice they can expect at <HI>Rome</HI> from a Prince, who hath laid a&s;ide his Armour to take up a Cardinal's little Gown: and that which makes them perhaps more di&s;ta&s;ted with him, is his leaving the Prote&s;tant Religion to become a Catho|lique without any &s;tudy or learning, which are mo&s;t nece&s;&s;ary Ornaments in a Cardinal; e&s;pecially a &s;tranger, that intends to gain any credit near the Pope. Neverthele&s;s he does not di&s;pair but the time may come, when he may &s;ettle him&s;elf at <HI>Rome</HI> in the condition others are in there, without any need of &s;eeking abroad for a&s;&s;i&s;tance, as he hath been &s;orc'd to do when he &s;taid there after the creation of this Pope, being &s;till put to his &s;hifts, by rea&s;on of the few a&s;&s;ignations he had, in&s;omuch that he was &s;orc'd to be gone for fear of intangling him&s;elf. He is a Gentleman of a good judgment, who, following the candour, &s;o natural to his Country, either blames or prai&s;es as he finds people de&s;erve. He &s;peaks of your Signiory in the &s;ame terms as a very good <HI>Italian</HI> &s;hould do.</P>
<P><HI>Sforza,</HI> a <HI>Roman,</HI> hath given him&s;elf to the <HI>Span|yards,</HI> being ea&s;ily drawn to their party, not &s;o much for the rich benefices they be&s;towed on him, as out of the hatred he bears again&s;t <HI>Mazarin,</HI> with whom he could never have agreed, had he remained for the <HI>French.</HI> There accrues no benefit to the <HI>Span|yard</HI> by the gaining of this Cardinal, but onely the reputation of having a man on their &s;ide of a great birth, and a bold &s;pirit: for he hath otherwi&s;e no great gifts nor any con&s;iderable adherents be&s;ides the Great Duke, towards whom he &s;hows him&s;elf very
<PB N="74" REF="46"> re&s;erv'd. His genious ever inclined more towards the <HI>French</HI> than the <HI>Spani&s;h;</HI> yet hath he moulded his humour to the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> &s;ervice ab&s;olutely, &s;ince he found how much more certain the <HI>Spanyards</HI> a&s;&s;ign|ments are than the <HI>French,</HI> and more beneficial than the others could be. This Family hath ever pro|fe&s;&s;ed to have a great deal of affection for your pro|&s;perity, and many of them have had employments under you, which they have performed with a great deal of applau&s;e from your mo&s;t Serene Republique. This Cardinal does not forget to profe&s;s oftentimes, that his affection hath the &s;ame bias.</P>
<P>Here ends the old College. It remains now that I &s;hould &s;peak &s;omewhat of Pope <HI>Alexander</HI>'s Crea|tures, of four of which, <HI>viz.</HI> the Cardinals <HI>Chigi, Ro&s;piglio&s;i, Pallavicini,</HI> and <HI>Bichi,</HI> having di&s;cour&s;ed enough in the beginning, I &s;hall add what may be &s;aid of the other five, whom he hath made Car|dinals.</P>
<P><HI>Bagni</HI> is a Cavalier, as noble as he is under&s;tand|ing in the things of Peace and War. The <HI>Spanyards</HI> were doubtful of the Defunct Cardinal his Brother, nor do I believe they put any great confidence in this, whom they know to be very intimate with <HI>Ma|zarin,</HI> which they di&s;covered by the reproaches of Pope <HI>Innocent,</HI> who found by <HI>Bagni</HI>'s Letters in read|ing of them, that it was <HI>Mazarin</HI> had dictated them, for which he was very ill treated during his Nun|ciature in <HI>France,</HI> the A&s;&s;ignments belonging to that Charge being then taken away from him, as an u&s;ele&s;s Mini&s;ter: But the pre&s;ent Pope, while&s;t he was Secretary to <HI>Innocent,</HI> having more wit than he to judge of the actions of a Mini&s;ter, had &s;till an
<PB N="75" REF="46"> e&s;teem for him; and the time being come to di&s;cover his mind, he declared it more by effects than verbal expre&s;&s;ions, honouring him with the Cardinal Pur|ple, and admitting him among&s;t his Confidents, and that with rea&s;on, becau&s;e his Brother and he have &s;erved the Apo&s;tolique State the &s;pace of three-&s;core years. He is antient and unhealthful, This Honour falling to his &s;hare in a fit time to attend him to his grave.</P>
<P><HI>Paulucci</HI> of <HI>Romagnia</HI> hath attained to a great age, thorow many troubles and fatigues, which have gained him a recompence in a time, wherein he hath little other advantage but his hopes, tho&s;e advance|ments onely excepted which his friends have pro|cured him: which hapned very &s;ea&s;onably at this time, he not being fit to perform the Functions of a Cardinal, as being blind. He was never endued with much patience, and much retarded the progre&s;s of his Fortune by often &s;peaking publickly with too much liberty. Otherwi&s;e he is a good man, but one that is more knowing in the Canon Law, than prudent in his conver&s;e in the world.</P>
<P><HI>Elci</HI> of <HI>Siena</HI> had nor the Title of Nuncio before he was a Cardinal, but he was highly approved by the Pope, and be&s;ides that, of his kindred. And it was ea&s;ie to di&s;cover by the tenderne&s;s of the Pope's expre&s;&s;ions to him, before he brought him to pro|motion, that he was enrolled among&s;t tho&s;e he mo&s;t loved. Your mo&s;t Serene Lord&s;hips know him far better than I do, having had him there as Nuncio a long while among&s;t you, with &s;uch &s;atisfaction as you may well remember. His qualities makes him worthy of the Purple and the Papal Mitre; and I
<PB N="76" REF="47"> believe he may come to it in time, unle&s;s the Court grow weary of the <HI>Sienans,</HI> whereof there being al|ready three in the Colledge, it is to be thought the number may yet increa&s;e, if the Pope live as long as he promi&s;es to him&s;elf. The thought this Cardinal hath of your mo&s;t Serene Republique could not be more advantagious than they are.</P>
<P><HI>Bonvi&s;i</HI> of <HI>Leuca,</HI> hath pa&s;&s;ed through all the Offices at Court, &s;hewing &s;ometimes a con&s;tant re|&s;olution of fixing there, and otherwhile an inclination to quit it, as it &s;eemed in his long ab&s;ence he had intended. In this Pope's time, his hopes renewed afre&s;h, con&s;idering he had a re&s;pect to the merits of de&s;erving per&s;ons: and truly he called him of his own accord, without being courted to it. He was at fir&s;t Ma&s;ter of his Holine&s;s Chamber, and in that Office he improved the good opinion the Pope had of him, &s;o that he was compri&s;ed in the fir&s;t pro|motion together with five other men, who had all parts nece&s;&s;ary to attain to the Dignities of Cardi|nals. He hath none but good qualities, and knows how to gain the love and e&s;teem of others, as well as to love and e&s;teem others him&s;elf, and e&s;pecially tho&s;e Princes that de&s;erve mo&s;t, in which number, to my knowledge, he places your mo&s;t Serene Signory.</P>
<P><HI>Farne&s;e,</HI> a <HI>Roman,,</HI> was under <HI>Innocent</HI> for a time the fifth Evangeli&s;t. That Pope followed his opinion in all things, and e&s;teemed and made great choice of them, as proceeding from a man very learned, prudent, and of great integrity: afterwards he di|&s;liked him, becau&s;e he &s;pake not according to his fancy, and made no more u&s;e of him, but &s;pake of him even in a kind of a de&s;pi&s;ing way. The pre&s;ent Pope, who judges of the merits of men perfectly
<PB N="77" REF="47"> well, rai&s;ed him to the Office of Majordom, in which he di&s;charged him&s;elf exceeding well, although he had a thou&s;and other occupations, there being no A&s;&s;embly held to which he was not called, if they treated of any bu&s;ine&s;s of importance. He helped the Family at pre&s;ent in command to the purcha&s;e of the Lands of <HI>Farne&s;e,</HI> being his juri&s;diction, and &s;ug|ge&s;ted the means to exclude the Duke of <HI>Parma,</HI> who in default of this Branch was to &s;ucceed therein: in fine, having had the Hat for a reward, they com|mitted the Legation of <HI>Bologna</HI> to him, which he performs to the Pope's great &s;atisfaction. He is a great Wit, and perhaps greater than were fitting for the Publique, were he Pope: but &s;hould he pretend to it, he would find oppo&s;ition, and the greate&s;t would be the Duke of <HI>Parma,</HI> with whom he hath never kept any good corre&s;pondence for the intere&s;t of his Family; therefore the <HI>Spanyards,</HI> out of a com|plai&s;ance they have for the Duke, and becau&s;e they have prejudged he hath &s;ome inclination towards <HI>France,</HI> will do all they can po&s;&s;ibly to ob&s;truct his being made Pope.</P>
<P>The time of the promotion which is to be made in con&s;ideration of the Princes approaches, and &s;ince it is already made known who &s;hall be promoted, I leave that care to the mo&s;t excellent <HI>Sagredo</HI> to in|form your mo&s;t Serene Lord&s;hips of their condition and qualities, and &s;hall onely add, that as for him that pertains to your Republique, who is to be made Cardinal, I would not &s;ay any thing of it to the Pope, knowing this favour lights &s;till on tho&s;e who are mo&s;t agreeable to his Holine&s;s; it being &s;uffi|cient that your Signory does herein receive an ho|nour equal to tho&s;e other Crowns without pointing
<PB N="78" REF="48"> out the inclu&s;ion, or the exclu&s;ion of any one in par|ticular, provided you have no diffidence of the per|&s;on they &s;hall promote.</P>
<P>I could here &s;hut up the Li&s;t of tho&s;e that make up the grandeur of the Court of <HI>Rome,</HI> but &s;ince the Queen of <HI>Sweden</HI> hath made choice of it for her or|dinary re&s;idence, and that I hapned to communicate &s;ometimes with her Maje&s;ty, I &s;hall add &s;ome &s;mall matter which I have to &s;ay concerning this Prince&s;s.</P>
<P>At her fir&s;t coming to <HI>Rome</HI> &s;he had &s;o little know|ledge of the grandeur of your State, that &s;he thought it &s;trange your Mini&s;ters &s;hould be treated equally with tho&s;e of the greate&s;t Kings in Chri&s;tendom: and therefore when it was told her, that my Predi|ce&s;&s;or intended to give her a vi&s;it, &s;he &s;eemed in the beginning unwilling to allow him the &s;ame Honour &s;he granted to the Mini&s;ters of other Princes; but being informed that &s;he mi&s;took, &s;he conde&s;cended to do it in the &s;ame manner as was u&s;ual at Court. She was afterwards fully acquainted with the great &s;ervice this Republique did to all Chri&s;tendom, in oppo&s;ing &s;ingly the dreadful Forces of the common Enemy. And this made her &s;hew more complai&s;ance in often conver&s;ing with me; and to have the better occa&s;ions, not regarding her little power &s;o much as following the &s;entiments of her genero&s;ity, &s;he proffer'd to find out the means to rai&s;e a Regiment of Infantry for the &s;ervice of this State, and gave the charge hereof to <HI>Sentinelli</HI> her favourite. But afterwards the difficulty of getting her mony out of <HI>Sweden</HI> being encrea&s;ed, the fir&s;t great heat of her good-will grew cool, &s;o that after the order &s;he had given for the receipt of a thou&s;and Doublons, &s;he made no other a&s;&s;ignment; all the re&s;t vani&s;hing in &s;moak; as well through the death of <HI>Sentinelli,</HI> who
<PB N="79" REF="48"> was u&s;ually there to pay the Soldiers, as the di&s;grace of another who till then was thought to be in favour with her Maje&s;ty. However, I omitted not to pay her my re&s;pects from time to time, in token of my acknowledgment, to which &s;he ever corre&s;ponded by actions of great civility. But to &s;ay truth, that Prince&s;s is po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed onely with vain &s;peculations, which are the foundation of tho&s;e great undertakings &s;he de&s;ignes. And being unwilling to venture the hazard of misfortune, hoping for all &s;he de&s;ires, &s;o &s;he thinks every thing that comes in her fancy is very ea&s;ily brought to pa&s;s. And if the news of the King of <HI>Sweden</HI>'s death, which I heard of in my journey homewards, proves true, her want of mony will yet be greater. Indeed, Pope <HI>Alexan|der</HI> voluntarily engaged him&s;elf in tho&s;e great ex|pences were made for her reception at <HI>Rome,</HI> but no man doubts but he repented him of it &s;ince, when he perceived there was not that &s;olidity of judgment in her as had been reported; for &s;he hath made it appear, &s;he is a Woman like others, and by con&s;e|quence as &s;ubject to defects as any other of that Sex. She hath at pre&s;ent begun a cour&s;e of life &s;omewhat more moderate, and therefore more durable; and if &s;he would have really per&s;waded the world, that it was a knowledge of the true Religion which obliged her to quit her Crown and Kingdom, and pa&s;s into the bo&s;ome of another Church and Country, &s;he could not have taken a wi&s;er re&s;olution, than to have made her retreat into &s;ome Mona&s;tery where &s;he might have been at ea&s;e, and lead a quiet life free from trouble, and &s;uitable to her condition, not as to the greatne&s;s, but the conveniency of it, and with a liberty to have come out again when &s;he plea&s;ed. She did not much prai&s;e the Pope, but &s;aid, &s;he was
<PB N="80" REF="49"> promi&s;ed by him, that he would put her in a con|dition to live hand&s;omly; whereas on the contrary &s;he perceived, that his Holine&s;s kindred had not that e&s;teem for her they ought to have. She added many other things, which &s;hews her to be of a querulous humour, that is, ju&s;t like a Woman that cannot tell what &s;he would have. When I took leave of her, I found her pen&s;ive enough at the news of the dange|rous condition of the King of <HI>Sweden;</HI> which makes me believe what I heard &s;ince his death, that &s;he hath left <HI>Rome</HI> and is gone into her Country, the better to &s;ecure the payments they were engag'd to make her. When &s;he hath done that, if &s;he return to make her abode in <HI>Rome,</HI> many people will be glad of it, but, very few will have any cau&s;e to be jealous.</P>
<P>And now, having made known the internal and external qualities of the Pope, and his Kindred, to|gether with tho&s;e that &s;erve him, for aid and coun&s;el in his Government both Politique and Eccle&s;i|a&s;tique, it is time to examine the internal Senti|ments of his Holine&s;s towards Chri&s;tian Princes, and &s;o to conclude by examining what his thoughts are concerning the good and advantage of your mo&s;t Serene Republique, upon which, having made a mo&s;t &s;erious reflection, I dare believe that I &s;hall be but very little or not at all mi&s;taken.</P>
<P>ANd to begin with him, who holds the fir&s;t and highe&s;t rank, and hath mo&s;t authority among&s;t Secular Princes, <HI>viz.</HI> the Emperour, we cannot &s;ay but the Pope holds very good intelligence or corre|&s;pondence with him, &s;ince at the Election of his Ma|je&s;ty
<PB N="81" REF="49"> to the Imperial Crown, he did all he was able to overcome tho&s;e difficulties the Electors made, who would hardly comply, unle&s;s &s;ome &s;atisfaction were allowed them which they pretended were due to them: and his Holine&s;s had much adoe to gain the favour as well of the Eccle&s;ia&s;tique as the Secular Electors, not to name the Prote&s;tants, who being on the one hand per&s;waded by the Sollicitations of the <HI>French,</HI> and on the other with-held by the certain knowledge, it was then the onely time to make their conditions better than they had been; for it was much impaired thorow the long continuance of that great Dignity in the <HI>Au&s;trian</HI> Family: and therefore the Pope &s;peaks very loud of the high &s;ervices he therein did to his Imperial Maje&s;ty, having ju&s;t rea|&s;on to expect he &s;hould in retribution do any thing for him again that lies in his power: To which pur|po&s;e it is evident indeed, that they take all the care imaginable to plea&s;e him. Thus at the beginning of this Pope's Government, it was chiefly upon his &s;ollicitation that the Emperour attaqued the King of <HI>Sweden,</HI> by the inva&s;ion he made upon <HI>Pomerania,</HI> notwith&s;tanding the many difficulties might have hapned, by rea&s;on of the danger of breeding new troubles in <HI>Germany</HI> upon pretence of a breach of the Peace at <HI>Mun&s;ter,</HI> which the Friends and Allies of the <HI>Swede</HI> might allege: and which, is mo&s;t con|&s;iderable, this was undertaken in a time when the Court was empty of mony, which is a thing that ought &s;till to be had in readine&s;s upon any &s;udden commotion. Neverthele&s;s the Pope's per&s;wa&s;ions prevailed upon the promi&s;e he made, that if any urgent occa&s;ion required, and they called upon him, he would remit them a good &s;um from <HI>Rome;</HI> but al|though
<PB N="82" REF="50"> they did much want it, and craved it with much earne&s;tne&s;s, they were put off with many ex|cu&s;es to evade the promi&s;e, as it is the cu&s;tome of that Court to di&s;ingage them&s;elves, and leave tho&s;e others engaged who confide too much in them. And though this were hu&s;h'd up by the Imperiali&s;ts, yet it hath made them &s;omewhat forgetful of the obliga|tion the Pope pretended from this Court, e&s;pe|cially con&s;idering be&s;ides this, that the Pope's en|deavour for the election of <HI>Leopoldus,</HI> was not &s;o much to hinder the choice of any other, as out of this re&s;pect the Pope had, that if the Imperial Dignity &s;hould fall on any other Prince, it were not certain whether the Authority of the Court of <HI>Rome</HI> would be &s;till continued over the <HI>German</HI> Catholiques, or whether the Pope's Con&s;titutions would be ob&s;erv'd with the great reverence as now they are, under the Government of the Hou&s;e of <HI>Au&s;tria,</HI> which hath been ever very ob&s;ervant in the Cu&s;toms and Man|ners of that Court. I therefore hold it for true and certain, that the Pope and Emperor will at pre&s;ent keep a fair agreement, and the more, becau&s;e in the Treaty of Peace between the two Crowns of <HI>France</HI> and <HI>Spain,</HI> their intere&s;ts were little con&s;idered, &s;ince among&s;t all tho&s;e that were mentioned and com|pri&s;ed, the&s;e were placed la&s;t of all, at which they were both di&s;plea&s;ed and murmured to them&s;elves; yet both di&s;&s;embled this di&s;content, which did in &s;ome manner help to tie them the more &s;trictly to their former confidence, and made the Emperour give ear more readily to the Coun&s;els of the Pope, When the troubles in the North increa&s;ed. The Pope knows, that in the Emperor's Court perhaps he hath more credit than in any other in Chri&s;ten|dome,
<PB N="83" REF="50"> which will make him put tho&s;e de&s;igns in execution, he hath told me of more than once, which is, to put the Emperour upon a War that will prove advantagious to Chri&s;tendome by an ea&s;ie way, but wholly re&s;erv'd to him&s;elf. Perhaps the pre&s;ent juncture of affairs may render the thing more fea&s;ible than at another &s;ea&s;on; yet when his Holine&s;s told me his de&s;ign, what&s;oever reflexion I made, yet could I not apprehend either how or when it might be brought to pa&s;s. Nor do I be|lieve he would find much repugnance on the Empe|ror's part, having a lively &s;pirit, and great di&s;po|&s;ition to engage upon any good coun&s;el: but if there &s;hould be much mony required to carry it on, it would be e&s;teemed a Chymera, becau&s;e the Princes of this age have an aver&s;ion to all propo&s;itions of rupture that are made, and the Emperour more than any, e&s;pecially now his Coffers are drained, and part of tho&s;e under his power obey not their Supe|riour very willingly, whil&s;t others would be glad to &s;ee him fall, and every one is unwilling to disbur&s;e. The Emperour hath no other Mini&s;ter at <HI>Rome</HI> but the Cardinal <HI>Colonne,</HI> who bearing ever a great re|&s;pect to the Pope for the Intere&s;t of his Family, cannot do his Imperial Maje&s;ty any great &s;ervice in his Negotiations, but all pa&s;&s;es thorow the hands of the Lord <HI>Caraffe,</HI> Nuncio in the Imperial Court, who exerci&s;es that Office with as great &s;atisfaction to either &s;ide, as he did with profit, when he re&s;ided near your mo&s;t Serene Lord&s;hips.</P>
<P>The <HI>French</HI> Nation does, perhaps, be&s;t of any apprehend the Genious of the Court of <HI>Rome,</HI> and knows the readie&s;t ways to withdraw them&s;elves
<PB N="84" REF="51"> out of &s;uch inconveniencies wherein other Princes do in&s;en&s;ibly engage them&s;elves. They e&s;teem and revere the Apo&s;tolique Chair in a Souvereign de|gree, and tender all the re&s;pect that can be re|quired from a Prince truly Catholique and pious; but for all this they are very clear-&s;ighted and wary to maintain their Prerogatives, and prevent the Eccle&s;ia&s;tiques, who at pre&s;ent endeavour to extend their power over all, from bringing any prejudice upon them. No &s;ooner is any decree made in the Sanctury of <HI>Rome</HI> which reli&s;hes of ambition, but it is carefully examined by the Par|liament, who oftentimes, without any qualifica|tion, gives judgment again&s;t &s;uch decrees, and after lets the Court of <HI>Rome</HI> cry out again&s;t them as they plea&s;e. Many times al&s;o upon the di&s;|cu&s;&s;ion and negative of what it contains they tell the Popes their Le&s;&s;on, when they go beyond their bounds in &s;eeking to dimini&s;h the Royal Autho|rity, &s;o that they are mo&s;t commonly con&s;trained to bow, and give &s;atisfaction. Which happens ve|ry rarely, when the Popes have to do with any other Princes, how great &s;oever they be, for out of divers re&s;pects they dare not u&s;e that liberty of &s;peech which is natural to the <HI>French;</HI> which makes the Popes le&s;s ha&s;ty to innovate the Prerogatives of that Kingdome, knowing that by bringing in &s;ome Novelty they do not advance their bu&s;ine&s;s, but rather wrong them&s;elves, at lea&s;t in their Re|putation if no other way, they being &s;till obliged either to relax, or not to &s;ee that put in execution which they had re&s;olved upon.</P>
<P>I could not find that the Pope had any aver&s;ion for that Nation, as &s;ome have believed, I onely
<PB N="85" REF="51"> perceived that he condemned their new form of Government, becau&s;e he thought it was invented by <HI>Mazarin,</HI> the onely object of all the injuries I ever heard from his Holine&s;s mouth. But at the &s;ame time he complained of <HI>Mazarine,</HI> he ever in|termixed &s;ome prai&s;es of the King and Queen, and &s;omewhat in commendations of the flouri&s;hing &s;tate of that Kingdom, to whom that unhappine&s;s was befallen, as he &s;aid, to be governed by one &s;ingle Man, who, without any regard to the publick good, &s;ought onely his own private intere&s;t; but when the fir&s;t news of the Peace was &s;pread abroad, he was a long time very pen&s;ive, and of opinion, that it was fit to take good con&s;ideration of what pa&s;&s;ed; &s;till doubting that <HI>Mazarin,</HI> by this plea&s;ing and wel|come news, had a de&s;ign to lull other Princes a&s;leep, according to his u&s;ual policy, and after &s;ome parade of his good intents, to avoid the world's blame, be|gin again a War with more fury than ever. After|wards, finding there was really a Treaty, and being confirmed in it by his own Mini&s;ters, he could do no le&s;s than expre&s;s &s;ome &s;igns of content, and de|clare, that having never asked any thing of God with more affection and de&s;ire than the making of this Peace, it was indifferent to him whether it was brought about by his or any other means, he having this comfort at lea&s;t, that the Articles could not differ very much from tho&s;e, which he a long time before by his many con&s;ultations and cares had framed to the &s;ame end. But, for all this, the Pope was &s;omewhat netled, though he would not &s;hew it, that it &s;hould be &s;aid, The Peace was now brought about by that &s;ame per&s;on, he had in all companies accu&s;ed as the onely di&s;&s;enter and op|po&s;er
<PB N="86" REF="52"> of what he undertook to make them agree upon: and that the <HI>Spanyards</HI> &s;hould now come to acknowledge him the Author of the peace and quiet of their State, that had ever been their Anta|goni&s;t, and oppre&s;&s;ed them, to the great prejudice of the Catholique Religion: And although the Pope made a large di&s;cour&s;e in prai&s;e of <HI>Mazarin,</HI> to the Gentleman that came to <HI>Rome</HI> about the Di&s;pen&s;ation for the Marriage, briefly running over all the particulars therein, and making it pa&s;s for one of the greate&s;t and happie&s;t actions that ever was effected by any of his Predece&s;&s;ors, or Mini&s;ters; yet upon &s;ome occa&s;ions hapning &s;ince, it was ea&s;ie to take notice, that his Holine&s;s &s;till retains part of his old jealou&s;ie; and were there no other proof, that which pa&s;&s;ed concerning the Arch-bi&s;hop of <HI>Ambrun,</HI> Amba&s;&s;ador from the King of <HI>France</HI> to your mo&s;t Serene Lord&s;hips, were a &s;ufficient one, which hath occa&s;ion'd the great di&s;content that hath la&s;ted &s;o long time, and can|not yet be compo&s;ed. For the Pope &s;till pleads this, that although there were many other men in <HI>France</HI> of greater probity, and fitter for that em|ployment than he, yet <HI>Mazarin</HI> would put it upon an Eccle&s;ia&s;tique, that &s;o becau&s;e of the integrity required therein, and the inconveniencies which would follow, he might be &s;ure to find out &s;ome oc|ca&s;ion of di&s;content when he plea&s;ed. Your Lord|&s;hips cannot believe how much heat the Pope &s;hewed in maintaining this opinion, for although the difference were a trifle, the action not being in it &s;elf &s;o con&s;iderable as the Church-men would have it to be, yet I have been more puzzled about it than in matters of the highe&s;t importance, having
<PB N="87" REF="52"> had much ado to per&s;wade the Pope, not to believe your mo&s;t Serene Lord&s;hips took part rather with the <HI>French</HI> than him; who by your refu&s;ing to receive his Nuncio in a habit different from the ordinary garb, you &s;hewed how little you cared the Apo&s;to|lique Chair &s;hould maintain its Prerogatives, and that Authority that God alone can limit. I omitted not to &s;hew his Holine&s;s, mo&s;t &s;incerely, that the end and onely aim of your Lord&s;hips was to pre|vent greater di&s;contents that might have followed, and to ab&s;tain from tho&s;e kind of Novelties which in time might have been made cu&s;tomary. I in|treated &s;ome of the mo&s;t confiding and judicious Cardinals, to mediate about it, that &s;o &s;mall a matter might not make di&s;&s;ention, but that your Lord&s;hips &s;incerity might be looked on with a pru|dent eye. But the Pope would not be &s;atisfi'd with rea&s;on, who continuing his fir&s;t complaints, re|plied, <HI>That it was a premeditated bu&s;ine&s;s of</HI> Maza|rin<HI>'s, who had not been content to trouble the whole world by blowing the coals of di&s;&s;ention and war, but would now, if he could, make them find bitterne&s;s, too, in the very beginning of a Peace.</HI> He wa&s;ted a great part of the Audience before his anger could be abated, in the&s;e and the like kind of di&s;cour&s;es. And I doubt whether things can &s;tand long as they are, unle&s;s the <HI>French</HI> re&s;olve to recall their Am|ba&s;&s;ador from hence, as I think all the world is bound to do what they can, to maintain the Peace by &s;uch common &s;atisfactions, hoping that here|after things of &s;o &s;mall importance &s;hall not inter|rupt our greater joy and quiet. However, I think, notwith&s;tanding this I have related, I may truly tell your mo&s;t Serene Lord&s;hips, it is mo&s;t likely, that
<PB N="88" REF="53"> although the Pope and the King of <HI>France</HI> are not always ab&s;olutely &s;atisfi'd with each other, yet they would &s;carce be brought to &s;uch terms as &s;hould cau&s;e a rupture: they being likely to keep and con|tinue their amity, not onely during the life of this Pope and King, but of their Succe&s;&s;ors. And there are two rea&s;ons that oblige me to believe &s;o; the fir&s;t is, that the Popes finding they cannot intro|duce their Innovations according to their own fan|cies, by force and rigour, into that Kingdom, to the prejudice of the privileges of the <HI>Gallican</HI> Church, and the notable diminution of their Tem|poral Juri&s;diction, will forbear it, that they may not undergo the contempt of &s;eeing their Decrees re|jected, and their Authority de&s;pi&s;ed. Whence it will follow, that the Cau&s;e cea&s;ing, tho&s;e Di&s;&s;en|tions, which are the Effects, will cea&s;e likewi&s;e. The &s;econd, which is purely Politique, may be re|duced to this, That although the Popes have ac|quired great power over the <HI>Spanyard,</HI> by their having &s;everal times extremely obliged them, and do in their Country exerci&s;e an Authority not at all di&s;puted, neverthele&s;s they cannot but have &s;ome jealou&s;ie and fear, le&s;t that Monarchy &s;hould one day open its eyes, and endeavour to ea&s;e them&s;elves of tho&s;e great burthens the Clergy have in&s;en&s;ibly laid on their backs; and becau&s;e if that &s;hould happen, it may be the thunder of the Cen&s;ures, and Temporal power of the Church, would prove in&s;ufficient to oppo&s;e that danger. The Pope's have therefore made it their Maxim to keep the Amity of the <HI>French,</HI> as a means thereby to help them&s;elves in ca&s;e there &s;hould any change or &s;tirs happen on the Hou&s;e of <HI>Au&s;tria.</HI> Some Cardinals have at
<PB N="89" REF="53"> times entertained me with di&s;cour&s;e on this &s;ubject, not in &s;uch plain terms, but however in &s;uch a way, that I could ea&s;ily perceive that they &s;ee clearer and farther then &s;ome Princes imagine they do. When ever the <HI>French,</HI> laying a&s;ide their &s;u&s;pition of the Clergies covetou&s;ne&s;s, &s;hall endeavour or de&s;ire to be at greater amity with the Court of <HI>Rome,</HI> there is no cau&s;e to fear but it would &s;ucceed, becau&s;e of their conformity in Religion, and becau&s;e of their own intere&s;t: who, if they &s;hould trouble the peace of <HI>Rome,</HI> would compel them to unite them&s;elves more firmly with the <HI>Spanyard,</HI> a thing the <HI>French</HI> will endeavour to ob&s;truct as much as po&s;&s;ibly they can.</P>
<P>If we &s;hould judge of things according to the intere&s;t of the Court of <HI>Rome,</HI> and Pope <HI>Alexander</HI>'s inclination, we need not doubt but the <HI>Spanyards</HI> po&s;&s;e&s;s the affection of his Holine&s;s more than any other. The intere&s;t of the Court of <HI>Rome</HI> con&s;i&s;ts in this, that for the mo&s;t part, the mony wherewith it is glutted above all the other Cities in <HI>Italy,</HI> comes in greate&s;t abundance from the States of the Catholique King, where the Eccle&s;ia&s;tical Tri|bunal is held in Sovereign veneration, all the States of that Monarchy having their recour&s;e thi|ther, to the great profit of the Officers, who have a &s;hare in the Fir&s;t-fruits and many other things, according to their Quality, and their Offices. And as for the Pope's inclination, provided he otherwi&s;e have a general zeal for the good of Chri&s;tendom, and the propagation of the Faith, and that he re|main &s;tedfa&s;t in the&s;e two things, as I believe he doth, I think he may and ought to have a more
<PB N="90" REF="54"> particular affection for that Nation, who&s;e Maxim it is, Not to admit of any other Religion in their Dominions but the <HI>Roman Catholique,</HI> and employ|ing all the power they have to advance it: But in truth, things are not carri'd thus, for whether the Court of <HI>Rome</HI> believes that all the <HI>Spanyards</HI> do in pretence of Religion is rather out of &s;elf-intere&s;t, or whether this Court is per&s;waded they ought ab|&s;olutely to rule over tho&s;e that will never fall foul on her, how great &s;oever the inconveniencies are they lie under, it is ever ob&s;erv'd in all the diffe|rences ari&s;ing betwixt <HI>Rome</HI> and <HI>Spain,</HI> that after a great and long conte&s;t, the Agreement is mo&s;t com|monly made to the Popes content, and the diminu|tion of &s;omewhat of the Catholique King's pre|tences; and when bu&s;ine&s;&s;es have thus hapned to the di&s;advantage of that Monarchy, other Princes have al&s;o received a notable prejudice thereby: for when the Pope or his Mini&s;ters have once car|ri'd &s;o high a hand over the <HI>Spanyard</HI> as to make him yield, they pre&s;ently make u&s;e of the opportunity to quell or confound tho&s;e that would do otherwi&s;e, or at lea&s;t to induce them not to refu&s;e that, to which &s;o great a Monarchy as <HI>Spain</HI> hath acquie&s;c'd. This &s;tratagem may be effectual when they treat with inferior Princes, who are not able upon every conte&s;t they have with <HI>Rome</HI> to take Arms: but both the Pope and his Mini&s;ters decline all the&s;e ways, when they have to deal with the <HI>French,</HI> who, when the Clergy pre&s;s'd them, by this example of the <HI>Spanyards,</HI> to conde&s;cend to things which were pre|judicial to them, &s;oon gave them an an&s;wer which &s;topped their mouthes: Nay my &s;elf being once earne&s;tly &s;ollicited to pre&s;s your Lord&s;hips for a
<PB N="91" REF="54"> revocation of the Ordinance, which prohibits the Clergy from purcha&s;ing any immovables, upon an example alleaged of the practi&s;e of <HI>Spain,</HI> and the other Territories of his Catholique Maje&s;ty, did give for an&s;wer, That the rea&s;ons which oblig'd that great and va&s;t Monarchy to &s;uffer it, were not current here, becau&s;e this Republique being but a petty or little State, and the Clergy extraordinarily encrea&s;ed in wealth, if they were &s;uffered &s;till to purcha&s;e and never to alienate, our po&s;terity could expect no other than to be one day driven out of this<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Venice</HI> is built on a Mar&s;h.</NOTE> Mar&s;h, and and perhaps out of all her Terri|tories on the firm Land. And to this are all tho&s;e Principalities reduc'd, who, not content with that &s;ubjection they owe the Church of <HI>Rome,</HI> as the Univer&s;al Mother of Chri&s;tians, have &s;ubmitted to, and followed the Pope's de&s;ires in things indifferent: not that they do at once de|mand &s;everal things of difficulty, but &s;ometimes one thing and then another, and thus by little and little they gain &s;o much as doth both dimini&s;h and limit the Temporal Power: and &s;o when Princes &s;hall think them&s;elves Ma&s;ters, they will find their Au|thority &s;o eclips'd and manacl'd, that they will be a&s;toni&s;h'd to &s;ee another ma&s;ter them at their own homes. Tho&s;e who are acquainted with their ex|tortions at <HI>Naples,</HI> and perhaps in all the other Dominions of <HI>Spain,</HI> of the Officers of the <HI>Roman</HI> Trea&s;ury, as well in matters of<NOTE N="*" PLACE="foot">A certain Fee levi'd by the Eccle&s;ia&s;tical Cham|ber at the death of a Clergy-man that hath no power to make a Will.</NOTE> De&s;poiling, as in
<PB N="92" REF="55"> the gathering up of what is rai&s;ed for the Fabrick of St. <HI>Peter,</HI> which they al&s;o impo&s;e on meer Laicks, cannot but admire, that the Mini&s;ters of <HI>Spain</HI> &s;hould be &s;o drou&s;ie, as not to ob&s;erve with what Empire void of all di&s;cretion, and with what in&s;olency they treat the Per&s;ons and Goods of their Subjects. Let your mo&s;t Serene Signory, therefore, give thanks to the Divine Bounty, that hath pre&s;erved her from the&s;e confu&s;ions, and given her the pru|dence and courage to defend both her &s;elf and Sub|jects from the violence of &s;uch Strangers, confirm|ing her ever in the antient and true Faith; but al&s;o giving her at the &s;ame time the judgment to di&s;cern what is due to <HI>Cae&s;ar,</HI> and what to God. It is cer|tain, that if the <HI>Spaniards</HI> &s;till keep their eyes as clo&s;e &s;hut as they have hitherto done, they cannot expect &s;o great a Tempe&s;t from any other part as from the Court of <HI>Rome,</HI> when upon any acci|dent there &s;hall ari&s;e di&s;&s;ention among&s;t them, be|cau&s;e tho&s;e people that are Subjects to the <HI>Au&s;trian</HI> Family being hugely po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with Religion, and fully per&s;waded, that the Sanctuary of <HI>Rome</HI> is that alone which can either be&s;tow or deprive them of Eternal Salvation, if in the commencement of a rupture the Popes &s;hould proceed to Excommuni|cation, or a Revocation of Indulgences which they have liberally allowed the Catholique Kings, it is beyond all doubt that a general combu&s;tion would follow thereupon, which might occa&s;ion the revolt of all the Subjects of that great Empire, and &s;o the forfeit of the peace and &s;ecurity of the <HI>Spanyards</HI> would flow from his too great obedience, wherein they imagine their chief &s;trength and power does con&s;i&s;t. But perhaps likewi&s;e the good
<PB N="93" REF="55"> Genious of tho&s;e Kingdomes will &s;ugge&s;t &s;uch means as may prevent the&s;e inconveniencies, and (the pre&s;ent Age not having been happy in that Monarchy, by rea&s;on of the few virtuous Men that have been her late Souvereigns) fu|ture Ages may produce more excellent ones, and compen&s;e her pa&s;t di&s;orders, by preventing tho&s;e which might happen probably to her hereafter. In effect, if with attention we con&s;ider the pre&s;ent po&s;ture of things in the world, it greatly con|cerns Chri&s;tendome to have a Potent Prince, who in &s;uch dangers, whereinto the power of the <HI>Turks</HI> may in an in&s;tant and unprovided ca&s;t her, might &s;uddenly make head again&s;t them without making of Leagues and expecting Foreign aid, which cannot be compa&s;&s;ed but by length of time, and is a great retardment. And if Chri|&s;tendome had had in this pre&s;ent juncture of things a powerful Prince to have thus &s;uccour'd her, per|haps your mo&s;t Serene Signory had not been re|duc'd to the condition &s;he is now in: And, not|with&s;tanding, on her &s;ecurity depends all what the Monarchy of <HI>Spain</HI> po&s;&s;e&s;&s;es in <HI>Italy.</HI> But to re|turn to what I &s;aid, Pope <HI>Alexander</HI> is not igno|rant of all tho&s;e rea&s;ons he hath to make him love <HI>Spain</HI> and her King; and does often tell this to the Mini&s;ters of other Princes; but in &s;uch a manner however, as if it &s;eemed that the benefits which the Court of <HI>Rome</HI> receiveth from the <HI>Span|yards</HI> were not &s;o con&s;iderable, as to hinder the Pope from denying them from time to time tho&s;e favours which they crave of him, as having au|thority not to grant all to tho&s;e Children he mo&s;t tenders what they &s;hall de&s;ire, but onely that
<PB N="94" REF="56"> which will be for their greate&s;t good, and highe&s;t, &s;piritual, advantage. His Holine&s;s hath made complaint, for that the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Mini&s;ters have been too re&s;erved and &s;ecret towards him, in not communicating to him the Treaty of Peace, pretending that having ever believed the Pro|po&s;itions on their part were more plau&s;ible than tho&s;e which were &s;haped in <HI>Mazarin</HI>'s Clo&s;et, they did him wrong in ob&s;erving &s;o rigorou&s;ly that Seal of Secre&s;ie which <HI>Mazarin</HI> had im|po&s;ed on them: And although they endeavour all they can to calm his di&s;contented thoughts there|upon, urging that it was conceal'd in the &s;ame manner from the Emperour, and even from the Republique, which had been &s;o long time employ'd about the Treaty. He is not, how|ever, &s;atisfi'd with this excu&s;e, but replies, <HI>That they ought to make a difference between Se|cular Princes and a Pope, who aimed at no other thing but to find out the means to give that con|tent to all Chri&s;tendom, and not have left that ho|nour to a man who had &s;tudi'd all the devices ima|ginable to ob&s;truct &s;o great a happine&s;s.</HI> After all this, I conclude, that the Pope hath ju&s;t rea&s;on to love the <HI>Spanyards,</HI> not &s;o much becau&s;e they contributed to his Exaltation, as becau&s;e their Arms have put a &s;top to the fury of Heretiques, and their Country brings in the Riches and opu|lency to the Court of <HI>Rome;</HI> and I believe he doth truly love them, but having found that his Predece&s;&s;ors had taken the way to have mo&s;t commonly &s;ome conte&s;ts with the Catholique Court, he will not &s;werve from it, e&s;teeming the&s;e di&s;putes do in &s;ome re&s;pects encrea&s;e the
<PB N="95" REF="56"> reputation of the Court of <HI>Rome,</HI> and from thence hath a fair opportunity to gain an e&s;teem of other Princes; not declining my for|mer Propo&s;ition, That the more the <HI>Spanyards</HI> conde&s;cend to the Pope's will, the more will they prejudice them&s;elves, and the Obliga|tions they do acknowledge to be due from them to the Apo&s;tolique Seat, may one day produce mo&s;t dangerous effects, unle&s;s they fore-arm them&s;elves by &s;uch precautious means, as they &s;hall judge mo&s;t proper again&s;t the preten&s;ions of the Eccle&s;ia&s;tiques, thereby to put their Monarchy in a better po&s;ture of &s;e|curity.</P>
<P>The King of <HI>Poland</HI> &s;ub&s;i&s;ts becau&s;e God hath affi&s;ted him: For otherwi&s;e, had he reli'd on tho&s;e hopes the Court of <HI>Rome</HI> had given him to &s;upply him with Money, his enemies had triumph'd over him, and the total lo&s;s of that Kingdom would have been &s;uch a leading to other Provinces, as might have wrought the manife&s;t danger of e&s;tabli&s;hing a Power in tho&s;e parts which would have be|come formidable to all <HI>Europe.</HI> God be prai&s;ed that we are &s;o happy as to &s;ee every one return|ing to his own home again, his neighbouring Princes beginning to &s;tickle in that War, as they ought to do; whereas nothing to purpo&s;e could have been expected from them, had the pre&s;&s;ing affairs of Chri&s;tendom &s;ummoned them to the defence of their own States. The Pope talks loudly of the good Offices he did for the Religion and Countries of the Catholique
<PB N="96" REF="57"> Princes at that juncture. But the <HI>Polonians</HI> and <HI>Imperiali&s;ts</HI> &s;peak otherwi&s;e; they profe&s;s, that at the heighth of all the War they found no great benefit in the exhortations of his Ho|line&s;s, which &s;erved for nothing el&s;e but onely to per&s;wade their Enemies they had not &s;o little amity for them, but that they would &s;end them &s;uccour from <HI>Rome.</HI> And it was this noi&s;e and nothing el&s;e that made it believed, the Catho|lique Forces were &s;o much greater than indeed they were. In the mean time, King <HI>Ca&s;imir,</HI> a good Souldier and good Catholique, finding at pre&s;ent his lo&s;&s;es are nothing &s;o great, as he had cau&s;e to fear they would prove, gives the Pope thanks for what he hath done, and to plea&s;e him the more tells him, <HI>That the very words of his Holine&s;s were not ineffectual for his a&s;&s;i&s;tance.</HI></P>
<P>The Duke of <HI>Savoy</HI> hath had no Mini&s;ter at <HI>Rome</HI> &s;ince &s;ome di&s;content given him in Pope <HI>Innocent</HI>'s time: and, indeed, con&s;idering the little bu&s;ine&s;s he hath there, he needs not entertain any. The pre&s;ent Pope, who &s;eeks by all means and ways to add lu&s;tre and glory to that Court, which he thinks does con&s;i&s;t much in the number of &s;uch Mini&s;ters as re|&s;ide there on the behalf of other Princes, hath declared, that he &s;hould be much plea&s;ed to have an Amba&s;&s;adour from that Duke, as from a Prince to whom the Church is much ob|lig'd: This he made known obliquely to <HI>Ma|dam</HI> and the <HI>Duke</HI> her Son, who found it fit|ting to content his Holine&s;s herein, who would
<PB N="97" REF="57"> be willing likewi&s;e to add lu&s;tre to that Fa|mily, were there any of them at pre&s;ent wor|thy of the Purple, to lay the &s;urer foundation for the po&s;terity of the <HI>Chigi,</HI> upon which a certain Marquis, <HI>de la Mojette,</HI> a very com|plete Cavalier, pre&s;enting him&s;elf at <HI>Rome</HI> in quality of Amba&s;&s;ador, the Pope expre&s;s'd a great deal of &s;atisfaction thereupon.</P>
<P>The name of the Grand Duke of <HI>To&s;cany</HI> is agreeable to the whole Court, the Pope e&s;teems him, and in the Con&s;i&s;tory hath more than once &s;poken of his Highne&s;s with a great deal of honour, perhaps becau&s;e being born his Subject, and the mo&s;t part of his kindred being within his juri&s;diction, he believes, that as well out of the re&s;pect to his birth, as from the con&s;ideration of what may happen, he ought to have all that e&s;teem for him which he is worthy of. In which this Pope is more prai&s;e-worthy than the three Popes his pre|dece&s;&s;ors, which were <HI>Clement</HI> VIII, <HI>Paul</HI> V, and <HI>Urban</HI> the VIII, who although they were born in <HI>To&s;cany,</HI> did &s;o utterly forget what they owed to their Country, and tho&s;e who were the Princes of it, that they could not be excu&s;ed of ingratitude; but becau&s;e it is the natural vice of Prie&s;ts, few men reflect upon it; and neverthele&s;s this is the cau&s;e that Princes them&s;elves do not know whether they ought to be glad that one of their Sub|jects is advanced to the Sovereign Eccle&s;ia&s;ti|cal Dignity.</P>
<PB N="98" REF="58">
<P>The&s;e two Princes for &s;ome other kind of intere&s;ts receive not that &s;atisfaction which they ought to have, he that commands at <HI>Rome</HI> never failing to cla&s;h &s;ometimes with one of them, and &s;ometimes the other Prince, and that perhaps to &s;hew they are treated alike, and &s;o the one hath no more cau&s;e to ap|plaud the Government than the other. But for all this they negotiate confidently, and as both have the repute of being prudent, they communicate and con&s;ult together when tho&s;e two Courts have any thing of difference, which doth not a little &s;erve to pre&s;erve and maintain their amity.</P>
<P>Although the <HI>Genoe&s;e,</HI> after they had been &s;ome time without a Mini&s;ter at <HI>Rome,</HI> becau&s;e in this Pope's time they had been, as it were, excluded from their pretences, have of late &s;ent one thither with &s;ome hopes of being bet|ter heard for the future: yet I can hardly be|lieve the Pope will inovate any thing in their favour, for fear of cau&s;ing &s;ome di&s;turbance among&s;t the other Princes, who not thinking them&s;elves inferiour, would not &s;uffer them to enjoy greater Prerogatives than them&s;elves. Every one &s;aid at <HI>Rome,</HI> that this Republique de&s;iring more grandeur than &s;he already hath, would &s;uddenly disbur&s;e &s;ome great &s;um to obtain it, which might thereupon be granted, by covering the Contract they might make by &s;ome &s;pecious pretence. All this may be; but the faire&s;t and the hone&s;te&s;t way, in my opi|nion,
<PB N="99" REF="58"> would be to engage them to &s;uccour this Republique with their Squadrons, provided they did not require a greater acknowledgment for this than were due.</P>
<P>The Duke of <HI>Parma,</HI> after the fair words they have given him, finds they do in effect deny the &s;atisfaction due to his ju&s;t de&s;ires, which tend to furni&s;h him wherewith to re|deem his E&s;tate of <HI>Ca&s;tro</HI> again. I did not omit, having your Lord&s;hips Orders, to ac|quit my &s;elf of tho&s;e devoirs to which I was oblig'd, both by the ju&s;tice of his cau&s;e, and your commands. But after they had turned me every way with ambiguous words, I found that &s;omewhat more effectual was required to bring it to pa&s;s. It cannot be deni'd in truth, but they do very much wrong this Duke, for though in the Apo&s;tolique Chamber they have made an Act which adjudges this E&s;tate forfeit, if he redeem it not within a certain prefixed time, yet this Pope, of a milder and more temperate humour than <HI>Innocent</HI> was, ought rather to follow the rules of Equity than the rigour of the Law, by con&s;idering, that this E&s;tate is worth two thirds more than what it is engaged for, and that it could not happen in a wor&s;er time for him to do it, than &s;ince the Contract was made, all <HI>Lombardy</HI> having been in Arms, and he moreover nece&s;&s;itated to &s;ecure that E&s;tate at his own charges, al|though it were a Feof belonging to the Church, which hath been a very great expence to him.
<PB N="100" REF="59"> But when one treats with tho&s;e of the Apo|&s;tolique Chamber of any thing that concerns their intere&s;t, one can neither be heard, nor ever get any thing from them upon the ac|count of rea&s;on. It is is therefore the inte|re&s;t of all Crowns, having con&s;ider'd the te|nour of the clau&s;es of this Contract, to find out &s;ome way to relieve the Duke of this enor|mous grievance; and this would be be&s;t done by the <HI>Spanyards,</HI> to take away all tho&s;e &s;eeds of di&s;cord from <HI>Italy,</HI> which might ari&s;e from the like di&s;contents: which &s;hould it happen, the <HI>Spanyards</HI> would receive the greate&s;t pre|judice thereby, as having mo&s;t to loo&s;e. But one good word from the Pope makes them pa&s;s by any thing, and keeps them from doing or &s;aying ought that may di&s;plea&s;e him in the lea&s;t: and I perceive already, that the new Amba&s;&s;adour from <HI>Spain, D. Lewis Ponze de Leon,</HI> is come with a de&s;ign not to negotiate any thing but what &s;hall plea&s;e the Pope; and for this rea&s;on will permit the Duke to owe the whole obligation of this bu&s;ine&s;s to Strangers, who afterwards, and that with rea&s;on, &s;hall be recompen&s;ed for it upon oc|ca&s;ion.</P>
<P>This which I have &s;aid of the Duke of <HI>Parma</HI> may be appli'd likewi&s;e to the Duke of <HI>Modena,</HI> who alleges the greate&s;t rea&s;ons in the world upon the Subject of <HI>Comacchio,</HI> and what is annexed to it. This proce&s;s hath been depending before the Court Tribunals
<PB N="101" REF="59"> above &s;ixty years, and yet they cannot obtain a Sentence that the demands of the Hou&s;e of <HI>E&s;te</HI> are unju&s;t, although the greate&s;t Lawyers of our times have u&s;ed all their Art to find out &s;ome plea that might make them let fall their pretences, or at lea&s;t weaken and invalidate them, and &s;upport the Chamber's claim. All that the Coun&s;ellors could do, who never want eva&s;ions to &s;pin out a bu&s;ine&s;s, hath been to prolong this &s;ame. And it hath hapned &s;everal times, when they were brought to terms of concluding it by &s;ome fair compo&s;ition, at the very nick of time when they were ju&s;t ending, they have &s;tarted &s;ome new exceptions to unravel it again, in&s;omuch that this Suit hath la&s;ted al|ready, as I &s;aid, above three&s;core years. But it were convenient, that at this time when the flames of an univer&s;al War are extingui&s;hed, the&s;e &s;parks, which might perhaps bring all into a combu|&s;tion again, &s;hould be put out likewi&s;e: and it were rea&s;onable too, tho&s;e Crowns &s;hould em|ploy their authority and power to make them leave of that ba&s;e and vile avarice which is di&s;|plea&s;ing to the whole world. But unle&s;s they go about it roundly, and &s;peak to the purpo&s;e in expre&s;s terms, laying a&s;ide all civility, it will be difficult to bring this about, the affairs of the Chamber of <HI>Rome</HI> being a Gulf that &s;wallows all one hath, and whence nothing can be re|deemed no more than from Hell.</P>
<P>The Duke of <HI>Mantoua</HI> is held in &s;ome con&s;i|deration at <HI>Rom&eacute;</HI> by rea&s;on of the E&s;tate he
<PB N="102" REF="60"> po&s;&s;e&s;&s;es, which &s;hould oblige all <HI>Italians</HI> to wi&s;h him pro&s;perity, as the Pope doth, who does herein agree with the other Princes of <HI>Italy.</HI> But otherwi&s;e he cares little for this Court, by rea&s;on of the little bu&s;ine&s;&s;es he hath there. Nor does the Court on their &s;ide make any great reflexion on his per&s;on. They con|&s;ider or look upon him as a Prince, who cannot do better than to follow the &s;tream with others, that is to &s;ay, accommodate him&s;elf to the Gu&s;to of tho&s;e who are mo&s;t pui&s;&s;ant in <HI>Italy,</HI> and particularly your Signory: for in keeping clo&s;e and well to her, he does at the &s;ame time do well both for him&s;elf and the general good.</P>
<P>We are now come to the la&s;t, but mo&s;t im|portant Chapter of this Relation, in which I am to di&s;cover, both what is in the Pope's mind concerning the intere&s;ts of your mo&s;t Serene Republique, and what good may be hoped for from him, or what hurt may be feared, if it &s;hould plea&s;e God to allow him a longer life than his con&s;titution &s;eems to promi&s;e. And if from the Confident and familiar conver&s;a|tion of a great Prince with the Mini&s;ter of another, one may make a certain judgment of his intentions, I cannot believe any other but that your Signory may hope much from him, not things of that importance or quality that you have ju&s;t need of, but at lea&s;t &s;uch things as may &s;uffice to maintain a peaceable co|re&s;pondence, and beget mutual Offices of Amity, &s;till accompani'd with the hearty de|&s;ires
<PB N="103" REF="60"> of beholding each others pro&s;perity; For, in truth, I cannot &s;ay but his Holine&s;s treated with me with all kind of civility and good will; and as for tho&s;e things which be judged blamable, as &s;uch actions, as having been per|haps mi&s;reported, he thought worthy of cen|&s;ure; he hath ever done it with &s;o much mo|de&s;ty and circum&s;pection, that I fear I &s;hould erre &s;hould I think otherwi&s;e: becau&s;e his Ho|line&s;s hath ever &s;poken of your &s;age Govern|ment in fair terms, having declared it was guided and admini&s;tred with much Ju|&s;tice and Hone&s;ty. Yet I took notice that he every day made &s;ome &s;teps towards the de&s;ign he had to oppo&s;e your Lord&s;hip's wills; and though he never changed his tone of &s;peech in treating with me, yet it was ea&s;ie to &s;ee that he had given place to &s;ome &s;ini&s;ter im|pre&s;&s;ions, which abated the good opinion he was wont to have naturally for this State. His fir&s;t words were upon my repre&s;enting to him the great and pre&s;&s;ing nece&s;&s;ities your Repub|lique underwent by the expences of the War; That your mo&s;t Serene Lord&s;hips would not accept of tho&s;e Propo&s;itions that might in part have ea&s;ed you, as that in &s;u&s;pending &s;ome u&s;ele&s;s Religious Orders, which being once ef|fected had much dimini&s;hed the Publique charge, there being yet a new way to bring about this benefit, if the Republique would but &s;uffer the Eccle&s;ia&s;tique Order by little and little to repair the lo&s;&s;es they now &s;u&s;tained by the alienation of their E&s;tates, which might be
<PB N="104" REF="61"> done by revoking the Ordinance which forbad that Order to purcha&s;e any: upon which I &s;hall not de&s;cant any more, having written &s;o much already thereof, that your mo&s;t Serene Lord&s;hips have ju&s;t cau&s;e to be tired: But whatever I could &s;ay, it was impo&s;&s;ible for me to per&s;wade him, but that this Ordinance would produce the bad effects he imagin'd. Sometimes he would take occa&s;ion to complain, that there were &s;uch di&s;putes and practi&s;es be|tween the chief Commanders of the Army, that it hindred the Republique from being well &s;erved, and that the moneys were not well admini&s;tred, for that tho&s;e that manag'd it made &s;o much profit them&s;elves, that it much damnifi'd the Publique, and that the &s;ame Commanders le&s;s careful of doing their duty than of making advantage, by way of Trade, of tho&s;e Commodities they tran&s;ported to the <HI>Levant,</HI> were the cau&s;e that the Publique, which required the entire application of her Commanders, received a great prejudice there|by. All which things without doubt proceeded from the Mouth or Pen of the Prior <HI>Bichi,</HI> who to hide or cloke his own defects, expo&s;ed tho&s;e of others. From thence the Pope took occa&s;ion to complain, that the Republique in her ne|ce&s;&s;ities made her addre&s;s to none but the Apo|&s;tolique Chair, and he for his part had no greater care than to furni&s;h them with a&s;&s;i&s;tance, and that if every Prince, according to the proportion of his power, would but do as much as the Court of <HI>Rome,</HI> your Republique would be &s;uffi|ciently
<PB N="105" REF="61"> provided both for the Defen&s;ive and the Offen&s;ive: and hereupon he began to make a long enumeration of tho&s;e Charges the Apo&s;to|lique Chamber was &s;ubject to, and in this di&s;|cour&s;e, which was full of equivocations, as I &s;ent word to your mo&s;t Serene Lord&s;hips, he was larger than enough to tire any one. He &s;aid moreover, that at pre&s;ent the Peace was made between the two Crowns, and if they could formerly find out Trea&s;ure enough for a War whereby to ruine one another, they might bet|ter do it to a&s;&s;i&s;t this Republique, which was become the Frontier of all Chri&s;tendom again&s;t the <HI>Turks:</HI> That your Signory ought to have a great and particular confidence in the <HI>French,</HI> &s;eeing the partiality &s;he had &s;hewed for them, when &s;he gave them all the &s;atisfaction they de&s;ired, tacitly alluding to what I related that hapned about the Amba&s;&s;ador's Rochet. And thus we onely lo&s;t time in the&s;e di&s;cour&s;es at the la&s;t Audience, with little benefit to the Pub|lique: but it hath now been certainly made known to me, that if the Pope hath been hither|to &s;low in performing that devoir, more incum|bent upon him than any other what&s;oever, he will be yet &s;lower hereafter, &s;ince he believes he hath gone farther than any other in his obli|gations of oppo&s;ing the common Enemy. This is that which makes him unwilling to hear of the &s;ending an Extraordinary Amba&s;&s;ador to <HI>Rome,</HI> imagining he would go with the de|&s;ign al&s;o of obtaining &s;ome extraordinary &s;uc|cour: which, to &s;ay truth, I &s;ee the Pope very
<PB N="106" REF="62"> little inclined to grant, not to &s;ay, ob&s;tinately re&s;olved to refu&s;e it, becau&s;e, indeed, there is no mony. If they think he will erect any Banques to get it for them, I do not believe it; for be|&s;ides, his Holine&s;s plea&s;es him&s;elf in expending what ari&s;es from the few there are in &s;uch things wherein he takes a great delight, as in Build|ings, and adorning of Churches, together with all accommodations for his Dwelling-hou&s;e: and if he &s;hould di&s;po&s;e him&s;elf to do &s;omewhat more than ordinary, I do not think he would u&s;e any other liberality but what co&s;ts him nought, which is an increa&s;e of the Impo&s;itions of the Clergy of this State, which is known to be already &s;o bare, that it hath nothing left but the bones: and that is ju&s;t a helping of us with our own proper goods, although it be not de&s;ired that we &s;hould &s;ay &s;o at <HI>Rome;</HI> for they would have us believe, that whatever belongs to the Prie&s;ts in what Country &s;oever, apper|tains to them. When the time of my depar|ture approached, I found the Pope &s;omewhat more mild. He gave thanks to God again for the Conclu&s;ion of the Peace, and te&s;tifi'd, that he had a better opinion of the affairs in the <HI>Levant</HI> for the future, alleaging the rea&s;on which I have noted, which was, that his heart told him, that your Republique would never lay down their Arms till they had defeated the <HI>Turks,</HI> and obtained &s;ome &s;ignal Victory over them. I gue&s;s, that he &s;aid this to me, onely to encourage your Lord&s;hips, that &s;o they might refu&s;e any kind of Treaty that might be pre|judicial
<PB N="107" REF="62"> to Chri&s;tendom; or perhaps he pro|pounded &s;ome League to him&s;elf, either with the Imperial Court, or that of <HI>Poland:</HI> I can|not aver this, but I incline to believe the fir&s;t rather, becau&s;e the Pope would hardly find any Princes in tho&s;e parts that would con|fide in his promi&s;es; nor would they en|gage them&s;elves in any enterprize without a &s;um in hand, that might a&s;&s;ure them not to be de&s;erted, when they were once enter'd up|on it. At my departure, after he had &s;tood much upon my prai&s;es, wherein I had rather he would have been more &s;paring, provided he had &s;hewed him&s;elf more liberal in his favours towards your mo&s;t Serene Republique, he en|joyned me to remember, to repre&s;ent the&s;e four things to you: The fir&s;t, That you &s;hould en|deavour to &s;uppre&s;s, or take up tho&s;e diffe|rences at the Tribunal of the Inqui&s;ition at <HI>Padua,</HI> which are &s;till in conte&s;t, to the great &s;candal of all tho&s;e that hear of that matter: His Holine&s;s told it me ju&s;t &s;o, without any reflexion on it. But when your Signory re&s;olves to meddle with tho&s;e intere&s;ts, there mu&s;t be &s;ome important rea&s;on that &s;hall induce you thereto. This order was very unplea&s;ing to me, becau&s;e it concerns a matter not &s;uiting at all with my genious, and about which much noi&s;e hath been made.</P>
<P>The &s;econd, That the &s;ecurity of the Navi|gation in the <HI>Adriatique</HI> Sea &s;hould be more carefully look'd after, for he complained, that there was no Trade in the port of <HI>Ancona,</HI> the
<PB N="108" REF="63"> Merchants not being &s;ecure in their pa&s;&s;age with their goods, by rea&s;on of the Repri&s;als tho&s;e Pirats of <HI>Dulcigno</HI> do make, who from time to time rove about to make their robberies, allarming the whole Coa&s;ts of the <HI>Marca.</HI> He added, that if during the continuance of the War with the <HI>Turk,</HI> your Signory would &s;uffer them to keep two Gallies in the Port of <HI>Ancona,</HI> it &s;hould be done as &s;oon as the Squa|dron returned from the <HI>Levant.</HI></P>
<P>The third, That it would plea&s;e your Lord|&s;hips to forbear interpo&s;ing their judgments in matters Eccle&s;ia&s;tical, as they do from time to time, which offends and infringes the Eccle&s;i|a&s;tical Juri&s;diction, and makes them run them|&s;elves imprudently into cen&s;orious inferences, not minding the di&s;graces hapning daily there|upon: He pre&s;&s;ed me much to oblige you likewi&s;e to moderate &s;ome of your Ordinances.</P>
<P>The fourth, that your Signory would fa|vour the Father Je&s;uits with their protection in tho&s;e occurrences that may happen, be|cau&s;e the &s;eeds of that hatred conceived again&s;t them, remaining yet in the hearts of &s;ome that do not well know them, it may be ea&s;ie, but it would prove no act of genero&s;ity, &s;aid the Pope to me, to lay &s;ome ambu&s;h by ca|lumny or impo&s;tures again&s;t them, which are to be look'd upon with an indifferent eye, and being found out &s;hould be repul&s;ed. I pro|mi&s;ed to ob&s;erve punctually what his Holine&s;s had commanded me, and to repre&s;ent what he de&s;ired to your Lord&s;hips. You may be plea&s;ed
<PB N="109" REF="63"> to &s;ee and con&s;ider wherein you can favour his Holine&s;s, having &s;o great judgment as cannot erre; which concluded his la&s;t Audience, adding thereto his Paternal Benediction which he be|&s;towed upon your Lord&s;hips and my &s;elf, with his be&s;t wi&s;hes, and a pre&s;age of victories and perpetual pro&s;perities.</P>
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<PB REF="64">
<PB REF="64" MS="y">
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