atic
capacity, a malicious pleasure in disquieting him. "Holy father," said
he, "the Most Christian King is there in person with the most warlike and
best appointed of armies; the Swiss are afoot and ill armed, and I am
doubtful of their gaining the day." "But the Swiss are valiant soldiers,
are they not?" said the pope. "Were it not better, holy father,"
rejoined the ambassador, "that they should show their valor against the
infidel?" When the news of the battle arrived, the ambassador, in grand
array, repaired to the pope's; and the people who saw him passing by in
such state said, "The news is certainly true." On reaching the pope's
apartment the ambassador met the chamberlain, who told him that the holy
father was still asleep. "Wake him," said he; but the other refused.
"Do as I tell you," insisted the ambassador. The chamberlain went in;
and the pope, only half dressed, soon sallied from his room. "Holy
father," said the Venetian, "your Holiness yesterday gave me some bad
news which was false; to-day I have to give you some good news which is
true: the Swiss are beaten." The pope read the letters brought by the
ambassador, and some other letters also. "What will come of it for us
and for you?" asked the pope. "For us," was the answer, "nothing but
good, since we are with the Most Christian king; and your Holiness will
not have aught of evil to suffer." "Sir Ambassador," rejoined the pope,
"we will see what the Most Christian king will do; we will place
ourselves in his hands, demanding mercy of him." "Holy father, your
Holiness will not come to the least harm, any more than the holy See: is
not the Most Christian king the church's own son?" And in the account
given of this interview to the Senate of Venice the ambassador added,
"The holy father is a good sort of man, a man of great liberality and of
a happy disposition; but he would not like the idea of having to give
himself much trouble."

[Illustration: Leo X.----21]

Leo X. made up his mind without much trouble to accept accomplished
facts. When he had been elected pope, he had said to his brother, Julian
de' Medici, "Enjoy we the papacy, since God hath given it us" [_Godiamoci
il papato, poiche Dio ci l' ha dato_]. He appeared to have no further
thought than how to pluck from the event the advantages he could discover
in it. His allies all set him an example of resignation. On the 15th of
September, the day after the battle, the Swiss took