hristendom of a conclave so prolonged. (It had already lasted over five
months.) To which Aldrovandi replies that he ought rather to address his
remonstrances to Cardinal Albani, who is in truth the cause of the
inability of the conclave to come to an election. "Ah, monsignor,"
returns the Cordelier, "put yourself in the place of the cardinal
Albani. I know his sentiments from the many conversations we have had
together. He is far from feeling any personal objection or enmity to
you. But you know that there has been in the past unpleasant feeling
between your family and his, and he fears that you are animated by
hostility toward him." "I assure you," replies Aldrovandi, falling into
the trap, "that he is greatly mistaken. I have long since forgotten all
the circumstances you allude to. Besides, as I remember, the cardinal
had no part in the matter. He can't doubt that I have the greatest
respect for his personal character. Besides, I am not the man to forget
a service rendered to me." "Since those are the sentiments of Your
Eminence," cries the monk, "I begin to see an end to this interminable
conclave. I perceive that there will be no difficulty in arranging
matters between Your Eminence and the cardinal Albani. Will you permit
me to be the medium of your sentiments upon the subject?" Aldrovandi is
delighted, and feels the tiara already on his head. Then, after a little
indifferent talk, the Cordelier, in the act of taking leave of the
cardinal, turns back and says, "But, after all, the mere word of a poor
monk like me is hardly sufficient between personages such as Your
Eminence and the cardinal Albani. Permit me to write you a letter, in
which I will lay before Your Eminence those considerations concerning
the crying evils of the length of this conclave which I have ventured to
mention to you, and that will give me an opportunity of entering on the
matters we have been speaking of. And then you, in your reply to me, can
take occasion to say what you have already been observing to me of your
sentiments toward the cardinal Albani." Aldrovandi eagerly agreed to
this, and the two letters were at once written. "I am told," adds De
Brosses, "that the letter of Aldrovandi was strong on the subject of the
_gratitude_ he should feel toward Albani." No sooner has the
perfidious Cordelier got the letter into his hand than he runs with it
to Albani, who goes with it at once to the body of the "Zelanti"
cardinals with pious horror