The great, permanent, and
increasing danger for the Papacy lay in Alexander himself, and, above
all, in his son Cesare Borgia.
In the nature of the father, ambition, avarice, and sensuality were
combined with strong and brilliant qualities. All the pleasures of
power and luxury he granted himself from the first day of his
pontificate in the fullest measure. In the choice of means to this end
he was wholly without scruple; it was known at once that he would more
than compensate himself for the sacrifices which his election had
involved, and that the seller would far exceed the simony of the buyer.
It must be remembered that the vice-chancellorship and other offices
which Alexander had formerly held had taught him to know better and
turn to more practical account the various sources of revenue than any
other member of the Curia. As early as 1494, a Carmelite, Adam of
Genoa, who had preached at Rome against simony, was found murdered in
his bed with twenty wounds. Hardly a single cardinal was appointed
without the payment of enormous sums of money.
But when the Pope in course of time fell under the influence of his son
Cesare Borgia, his violent measures assumed that character of devilish
wickedness which necessarily reacts upon the ends pursued. What was
done in the struggle with the Roman nobles and with the tyrants of
Romagna exceeded in faithlessness and barbarity even that measure to
which the Aragonese rulers of Naples had already accustomed the world;
and the genius for deception was also greater.
Pages:
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142