The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1878-05-02
THE SIEGE OF FLORENCE,


Count Vanrini, secret envoy of the
Emperor Charles V. solicits private In
tcrview with Your Holiness
My patron saint, good Chamberlain,
the Emperor Charles V. is a very i'm
pudcnt man to sent an envoy to ME, when,
by his grasping, meddlesome policy, lie
has caused 81 much trouble in the last
few years.
Holy Father, shall tel! Count Van
mini that you refuse to receive him?'
" No, no. Usher him in. l want to
find cut what Charles V. is driving at"
" And the Cardinal Secretary Of State,
your Holin"ss?'
" He need not know any thing about
all this, good Chamberlain" Call the
Imperial Envoy"
As the chamberlain submissively left
the room in the Vatican, where this con-
versatlon had taken place, on the 14th Of
February, 1880, at an early hour in the
forenoon: the Holy Father, who was no
other than the astutc Pope Clement VII.
drew himself up to his full height, and
exclaimed, in an undertone:
"Ah, Charles v, you are, after all, no
match for mc''
and the next moment handsome man,
dressed in the gorgeos costume Of the
aristocracy of the sixteenth century, STEP
ped in.
Count Vannini"' said the Pope.
The newcomer bowed deeply. Then,
lowering himself on one knee, he rever-
emily kissed the Pope's slipper, and, at u
sign from the Holy Father, rose to his
feet again.
"Well, Count" asked Clement the Scv-
enth, what has your imperial master to
say to me?"
II have an autograph letter from His
Majesty to your holiness"
Clement took the imperial missive with
feigned indifference. He glanced over it
and then disdainfully dropped it.
"Bah." he said, the emperor solicits
my armed assistance for breaking the
power of the Florentinc Republic. What
have the Florentines done to incur the
hostility of the Holy See2"
Florence, Holy Father, is hot-bcd
of political conspiracies It's leading
politicians dream Of a United Italy"
Clement smiled and said:
"That is harmless dream, Count"
Not altogether, Holy Father. The
plotters are fomenting conspiracies in va
rious parts of the States of the Chur CHI.
as we'll as in the Italian Provinces BE-
longing to my august master. The latter
proposes TO nip the whole traitorous pro-
ject in the bud by taking Florence '
"And annexing 1t to the German En-
pire, | SUPPOSED" sncered Clement.
No, Holy Father"
"Ah" exclaimed Clement, opening
his eyes wonderingly.
Count Eannini looked cautiously about
the room.
"These walls have no ears, Count, said
the Holy Father, smillngly.
Count Vannini whispered a few words
to him.
Clements expression circumference un-
derwent a sudden change.
You are not jcsting, Count?', he asked
at last, bending piercing glance upon
the envoy.
Mot at all, Your Holiness" replied the
latter.
''But I no not trust your imperial mas
ter at ALL" said Clement.
"Bear in mind, Your Holiness, that
Alexander Medici is to be the Command
er-ln-chief of the united Papal and I'm
periai troops that are to attack Florence,
and, after the city has fallen, he is to
become its ruler under Papal sovereignty
My imperial master has authorized me to
pledge yo'' his word as Prince that he
will fnltill this agreement to the letter."
Clement rose from his chair. Five
minutes he paced the room in silence. At
last he turned to the Count, and said:
'f's1 accept the offer. How many auxili-
aries does the Emperor want from me?'
,'Five thousand. His Majesty himself
will furnish ten thousand German
lansquenets"
'Very we'll. Alexander Medici will
communicate with the Emperor without
delay. Goodbye, Count"
A week later, at an advanced hour of
the night, herculean man, with mas
slve head on his shoulders, and the most
Intelligent face imaginable, was walking
up and down large room, filled with
plaster paris casts, not far from where the
slxtlne Chapel is situated now in the
Vatican.
1t was Michel Angelo Buonarotti, the
most versatile artistic genius lily ever
gave birth to.
He was then engaged in adding to the
many architectural beauties of the Vati-
can, that priceless art gem, the Sixtine
. Chapel.
The illustrious artist, at the time of
our narrative was evidently buried in
profound thought.
Suddenly he was aroused from bis re-
Elections by low rap at his door.