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Article SECRET SOCIETIES OF THE MIDDLE AGES.—IV. ← Page 2 of 5 →
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Secret Societies Of The Middle Ages.—Iv.
accedes to the one who has nearly the requisite number of votes ; if he is followed by a sufficient number of new votes for the said cardinal , the election is accomplished . Lastly , a new pope is sometimes unanimously elected by acclamation . It is to be observed , that the emperors of Germany , and the kings of France and Spain , have always claimed the power of excluding , if they pleaseeach one obnoxious
, cardinal from the popedom at every election , but this privilege was rarely exercised . We must now ask our readers again to go back in imagination to the year 1492 , the year of the election of Alexander VI . On the 9 th of August in this year ( writes Dumas ) , it seemed as if the entire population of Rome , from the Porta di Popolo to the Coliseum , and
from the baths of Diocletian to the castle of St . Angelo , had assembled by appointment in the Place of St . Peter . The eyes of all was fixed on that chimney in the Vatican , which , as the bell struck the hour of seven , would announce to them whether they were or were not still without a pontiff . Again ( for the election had been pending for some days , Innocent VIII . having died on July 25 ) was expectation
, disappointed , for the small column of smoke , issuing from the chimney like a fleecy vapour , announced that the cardinals had again burned the ballot papers , and that the election was still undecided . Meanwhile , what influences were at work without , and within the conclave . Spite of all precautions , no member , even of the conclave itself , knew
better the number of votes given for each candidate , and the secret details of the progress of the election , than Francesco Borgia , and other members of the family of Roderigo Lenzuolo Borgia , archbishop of Valencia , and cardinal deacon of San Nicolo in Carcere . " Excellent news , mother , " one day exclaimed this youth to the celebrated Rosa'Vanozza ; "my father has gained three votes to-day ,
but he requires yet six to obtain the majority . " " 'And cannot these be purchasedV asked the lady . " Yes , my mother , that is precisely the point which my father has well considered . He gives to the Cardinal Orsino , his palace iu Rome , together with the castles of Monticelli and Sariani ; to the Cardinal of St . Angelo , the bishopric of Porto , with his furniture
and wines ; to the Cardinal of Parma , the city of Nepi ; to Cardinal Colonna , the abbey of St . Benedict , with all the castles , and ri ght of patronage to him and his famil y in iierpetuum ; to Cardinal Savelli , the Church of Santa Maria Maggiorc , and the town of Civita Castellana ; and to Cardinal Ascauio Sforza , his successorship as vicechancellor of the church , not to mention four mules heavily laden with
gold and silver plate as well as with money , which were sent to his house before the commencement of the conclave , to remain there till its termination ; and with this supply he has engaged to "ive five thousand ducats to the Cardinal Patriarch of Venice . The dinner of the Cardinals is , as you know , carried to them each day in baskets , each sealed with the arms of the cardinal for whom it is intended , which the inspector will aot examine too closely , and in a
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Secret Societies Of The Middle Ages.—Iv.
accedes to the one who has nearly the requisite number of votes ; if he is followed by a sufficient number of new votes for the said cardinal , the election is accomplished . Lastly , a new pope is sometimes unanimously elected by acclamation . It is to be observed , that the emperors of Germany , and the kings of France and Spain , have always claimed the power of excluding , if they pleaseeach one obnoxious
, cardinal from the popedom at every election , but this privilege was rarely exercised . We must now ask our readers again to go back in imagination to the year 1492 , the year of the election of Alexander VI . On the 9 th of August in this year ( writes Dumas ) , it seemed as if the entire population of Rome , from the Porta di Popolo to the Coliseum , and
from the baths of Diocletian to the castle of St . Angelo , had assembled by appointment in the Place of St . Peter . The eyes of all was fixed on that chimney in the Vatican , which , as the bell struck the hour of seven , would announce to them whether they were or were not still without a pontiff . Again ( for the election had been pending for some days , Innocent VIII . having died on July 25 ) was expectation
, disappointed , for the small column of smoke , issuing from the chimney like a fleecy vapour , announced that the cardinals had again burned the ballot papers , and that the election was still undecided . Meanwhile , what influences were at work without , and within the conclave . Spite of all precautions , no member , even of the conclave itself , knew
better the number of votes given for each candidate , and the secret details of the progress of the election , than Francesco Borgia , and other members of the family of Roderigo Lenzuolo Borgia , archbishop of Valencia , and cardinal deacon of San Nicolo in Carcere . " Excellent news , mother , " one day exclaimed this youth to the celebrated Rosa'Vanozza ; "my father has gained three votes to-day ,
but he requires yet six to obtain the majority . " " 'And cannot these be purchasedV asked the lady . " Yes , my mother , that is precisely the point which my father has well considered . He gives to the Cardinal Orsino , his palace iu Rome , together with the castles of Monticelli and Sariani ; to the Cardinal of St . Angelo , the bishopric of Porto , with his furniture
and wines ; to the Cardinal of Parma , the city of Nepi ; to Cardinal Colonna , the abbey of St . Benedict , with all the castles , and ri ght of patronage to him and his famil y in iierpetuum ; to Cardinal Savelli , the Church of Santa Maria Maggiorc , and the town of Civita Castellana ; and to Cardinal Ascauio Sforza , his successorship as vicechancellor of the church , not to mention four mules heavily laden with
gold and silver plate as well as with money , which were sent to his house before the commencement of the conclave , to remain there till its termination ; and with this supply he has engaged to "ive five thousand ducats to the Cardinal Patriarch of Venice . The dinner of the Cardinals is , as you know , carried to them each day in baskets , each sealed with the arms of the cardinal for whom it is intended , which the inspector will aot examine too closely , and in a