Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1843-08-19

the Archbishop OF OOscnLa. AleNanucr having u
10000 ducats for signing a document, relieving the last
heiress to tho throne Of Portugal from her obligations as n
nun, the Spanish sovercigns, Ferdinand and Isabella, pro-
tested against the decree as %prejudicial 10 their interests;
and Alexander, TO shift the odium from himself, &C
cuscd Cosenza, his secretary, Of having forged his
signature. Coscnza was forthwith put into confine-
mcnt, and was waited upon by Caesar, whose object was
TO bring him TO reason, that is, TO the avowal OF a false
hood. Cesar explained TO the unfortunate captive what was
required; only that he should say NE had forged the sigma
ture-a sham punishment and rich reward was to be the
consequence. 1.-THE Archbishop was well aware OF the
characters of the men with whom he had TO deal; he knew
they shrunk from no measures TO obtain their ends. He
knew they possessed a powder which had the taste and
smell Of sugar, Of which IT was impossible TO ascertain the
admixture in ailments, which caused death, slow or quick,
according as they desired, and without the slightest taste OF
its presence. He knew the secret of the poisoned key,
which the Pope kept by him; and that when his holiness
wished to rid himself of some one of his familiars, he desir-
ed him to open n certain wardrobe, but as the lock OF this
was difficult to turn, force was requisite before the bolt yiel-
ded, by which a small point in the handle of the key left a
slight scratch upon the hand, which was mortal. He knew, al
40, Caesar wore aring, composed of two lions heads, the stone
of which he turned inwards when he wished TO press the
hand of a friend. 1t was then that the lions teeth became
those of a viper; and the friend died cursing the villany of
Borgia. Partly influenced by his fears, partly by the hope
of recompense, the Archbishop yielded and Caesar returned
10 the Vatican, possessed ofthc precious paper by which the
Archbishop of Cosenza acknowledged he was alone guilty
ofthe dispensation granted to the royal nun. Two days af-
ter, by aid OF the proofs which the Archbishop had himself
supplied, the pope, in the presence of the governor OF Rome,
the auditor of the apostolic chamber, and other judicial Off
GERS, pronounced his sentence which condemned him To the
loss of all his possessions, the degradation from all ecclesi-
'SbNa utl u"u lt uNA4NCNN bNtI VI us bONN ~ tN NAsh
power: Soon after, the civil magistrate arrived at the pms
on TO fulfil his mission, accompanied by a registrar, two at
iendnnts, and four guards. The sentence was read-the
attendants stripped the prisoner of his episcopal robes, and
clothed him in n robe ofcoarse cloth, drawers of the same
material, and heavy shoes. The guards then put him into
one of the deepest dungeons of the castle OF St. Angelo,
where he found for furniture a cruoihx OF wood, n table, a
chair and a bed; for recreation, n lamp, bible, and breviary
and Tor nourislment. two pounds of bread, and n small cask
OF water, which were to be renewed, as well rs the OIL for
the lamp, every three days. At the expiration off year, the
Archbishop died of despair, after having gnuwed his own
arms in his agony. The same day that he was thus con;
signed to his living tomb, Caesar, who had SO well managed
this transaction, received from his father the whole OF the
estates of the Archbishop.
The next affair in which the Borgias were concerned
was ono less tragical. Louis NIL, who had just assembled
the throne of France, was desiruus of divorcing his wife
Joan, daughter OF Louis XT.; and Alexander promised to eC-
feet this desirable object, provided the King would use his
influence with his sister, Donna Carlo,ta, TO effect her mar
rage with his son Caesar, now a layman;-prepared for
matrimony. The arrangement was Immediately entered
INTO, and as a preliminary, Louis created Cesar Duke OF
Nalentnois, and gave him n pension of 10000 francs-
The splendor OF Caesars embassy to win the affections OF
Carlotta exceeded all that we can nave any idea OF in this
sober age. His retnue was composed Of 4 large number OF
horses and mules richly eapnrsoned in silks, and cloth
OF gold and silver; knights in the most elegant costumes;
and Caesar himself, mounted on n noble couser, was dres-
scd IN u rlch robe OF rcd satin and gold brocade, embroider
I'd with pearls and precious stones. But what bestowed on
the cavalcade the appearance of eXhaustless luxury was
tina, the mules and horses were shod with shoes Of gold
Nevertheless, all this parade was thrown away. Carlotta
spurned the offers OF the woOer with contempt. To his So
licitations she spiitedly replied, "that she would nevermarry
u ms VINO was not only n priest, but the son OF q prlest;
not only an assassin but the assassin of his brother; not only
a man Infamous by his birth, but still more infamous by his
principles and actions" Caesar, thus bearded, was forum.
ate IN finding another princess who accepted him, this was
Mademoiselle d'Albert, the daughter of the king of Navarro;
and the marriage was celebrated with more than ordinary
Pomp.
The historian now turns to the war, carried on in Romag.
ma, IN which the career Of Caesar Borgia was one of con.
quest and atrocity. The different strongholds fell, one after
tue other, before him, and he returned TO Rome in the style
OF an ancient emperor, surrounded with trophies of victory.
But although ROmagna was CONQUERED. IL was only in an.
pearance. A large force was required to preserve peace;
and both TO insure tranquility and his own popularity. Car.
sr fell upon what Machiavelli has described as u master
stroke OF talent. This consisted in appointing severe mill.
tary governors, with orders to put all complainers to death;
aud when as many turbulent spirits were thus cleared off as
seemed desirable, Cesar made his appearance, and with
much ahectation OF pity, stopped the carnage by a summa.
~ execution OF the offending governor. In this way mrbu-
lieut. citizens and commanders were equally disposed Of,
while the dukes c!emeHey was q theme of universal praise.
While the duke Of Nalenunois were engaged in compile
ting the conquest OF the Romagna, and bringing it, by his
proceedings, into that desert condition in which il is ill
this day found, a new scheme Of family ACCOMPLISHMENT
was planned and carried into execution. This was the pro-
Ject of relieving Lucretia from her third husband, Don AL
phonso uArrasOn, now OF little political importance, and
marrying her to a rising great man of the day, the duke of
Ferara. To get rid of Alphonso, however, with any de-
gree of decency, was somewhat difficult. The plan final.
ly determined upon was 10 invite him to n splendid fight, in
which, by putting him forward as a swordsman, he might
run Il good chance OF being gored to death. The fete ac-
cordingly took place, but Alphonso, who was a man of great
proves and courage, proving himself IN every instance the
victor, no other means of radiance was left but that of pri-
waite assassination. One morning the unfortunate prince
was found strangled in his bed; and shortly afterwards the
beautiful Lucreta became Duchess of FerraTa.
We have no space, if we had the inclination, to pursue
the family through their public career OF public rapine and
private crime, but must come at once 70 the circumstances
which wound up their fate. We adopt the words of u Gle.
yer writer who has graphically pictured the financial
policy and closing scene OF the Borgias. 1.-The Borgia sys-
TEN OF finances was at once simple aud expedite; the mind
had not to toll in weighing the advantages of direct and in
direct taxation; TO trouble itself about high and low tariff:
without a single maxim Of political economy, the papal cof-
iers could be filled to repetition. The great instrument in
this financial policy was n certain poison, the secret Of
which remained in the Borgia family. aud which, it is said,
existed in two forms, the solid and the liquid. The art OF
making the first is unluckily lost, but the recipe OF the Sc
cOndi Is on record, probably reserved by some Mrs. G.asse
OF the art. Give a boar a strong dose OF arsenic, and at
the moment when the poison begins to act, hang up the
animal by the hind feet; ho will now be CONFUSED, and an
abundance Of foam run from his throat. This foam, col.
lected in a silver plate, aud decanted in a bottle hcrmcti-
cally sealed, will form the liquid poison. Thus armed with
tao kinds Of venom, the BDrgias had al their own way, az
far as the removal of obnoxious personages was con
cerned; and on unIucky wight had only to render himself
an OBJECT Of suspicion, when a Eent5cl invitation 10
supper finished his mortal career. But 10 return to the
financial scheme. Pope Alexander, with his poisJns, had
aconstlnt power Of creating vacancies among the cardinals,
and 1t was in filling up these that he found such a splendid
source Of profit In tue trst place, the priest nominated To
the Office of cardinal left his former charges vacant. and
these reverted to the pope who sold them. This was item
the first. Item the second, being the round sum which the
happy priest paid for the cardinalate. Enough was not vet
gained. An advantage was taken Of the law according 4,
which no cardinal could bequeuth his property, and the
pope had only to pick out the richest Of the college. and
treat him with a BOrga supper, when the third sum found
is way into the treasury. Thus did the great fnaucier.
whose head is offered A. a study 10 every treatise on pbre.
noiogy, moke three distinct gains out Of one single operation.
Nevertheless, simple as the plan wa in a financial point oil
view, II required care ZOO the execution; md one fatal dow.
when the pope had fixed upon cardinal Bassapova. Mel
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