undred thousand
ducats. A ducat was a gold piece of the size of an old French louis,
though less thick. (The old louis was worth twenty-four francs--the
present one is worth twenty). The Comtes of Auvergne and Lauraguais
were also made a part of the dowry, and Pope Clement added one hundred
thousand ducats in jewels, precious stones, and other wedding gifts; to
which Alessandro likewise contributed his share.

On arriving at Livorno, Catherine, still so young, must have been
flattered by the extreme magnificence displayed by Pope Clement ("her
uncle in Notre-Dame," then head of the house of the Medici), in order to
outdo the court of France. He had already arrived at Livorno in one of
his galleys, which was lined with crimson satin fringed with gold,
and covered with a tent-like awning in cloth of gold. This galley,
the decoration of which cost twenty thousand ducats, contained several
apartments destined for the bride of Henri of France, all of which were
furnished with the richest treasures of art the Medici could collect.
The rowers, magnificently apparelled, and the crew were under the
command of a prior of the order of the Knights of Rhodes. The household
of the Pope were in three other galleys. The galleys of the Duke of
Albany, anchored near those of Clement VII., added to the size and
dignity of the flotilla.

Duke Alessandro presented the officers of Catherine's household to the
Pope, with whom he had a secret conference, in which, it would appear,
he presented to his Holiness Count Sebastiano Montecuculi, who had just
left, somewhat abruptly, the service of Charles V. and that of his two
generals, Antonio di Leyva and Ferdinando di Gonzago. Was there between
the two bastards, Giulio and Alessandro, a premeditated intention of
making the Duc d'Orleans dauphin? What reward was promised to Sebastiano
Montecuculi, who, before entering the service of Charles V. had studied
medicine? History is silent on that point. We shall see presently what
clouds hang round that fact. The obscurity is so great that, quite
recently, grave and conscientious historians have admitted Montecuculi's
innocence.

Catherine then heard officially from the Pope's own lips of the alliance
reserved for her. The Duke of Albany had been able to do no more than
hold the king of France, and that with difficulty, to his promise of
giving Catherine the hand of his second son, the Duc d'Orleans. The
Pope's impatience was so great, and he was so