himself of
Piombino, which had so gladly seen him depart out of it eighteen months
ago.

From Magione, Gianpaolo Baglioni marches his Florentine troops to
Camerino to aid the only remaining Varano to regain the tyranny of his
fathers. The Vitelli are back in Citta di Castello, carrying a golden
calf in triumph through the streets; and so by the end of August, within
less than a fortnight, all the appendages of the Romagna are lost
to Cesare, whilst at Cesare's very gates the Orsini men-at-arms are
clamouring with insistent menace.

The Duke's best friend, in that crisis, was his secretary Agabito
Gherardi. For it is eminently probable--as Alvisi opines--that it was
Gherardi who urged his master to make an alliance with the Colonna,
Gherardi himself being related to that powerful family. The alliance of
these old enemies--Colonna and Borgia--was in their common interests,
that they might stand against their common enemy, Orsini--the old
friends of the Borgias.

On August 22 Prospero Colonna came to Rome, and terms were made and
cemented, in the usual manner, by a betrothal--that of the little
Rodrigo--(Lucrezia's child)--to a daughter of the House of Colonna.
On the same day the Sacred College confirmed Cesare in his office of
Captain-General and Gonfalonier of the Church, pending the election of a
new Pope.

Meanwhile, sick almost to the point of death, and scarce able to stir
hand or foot, so weak in body had he been left by the heroic treatment
to which he had submitted, Cesare continued mentally a miracle of energy
and self-possession. He issued orders for the fortifying of the Vatican,
and summoned from Romagna 200 horse and 1,000 foot to his aid in Rome,
bidding Remolino, who brought these troops, to quarter himself at
Orvieto, and there await his further orders.

Considering that the Colonna were fighting in Naples under the banner
of Gonzalo de Cordoba, it was naturally enough supposed, from Cesare's
alliance with the former, that this time he was resolved to go over to
the side of Spain. Of this, M. de Trans came to protest to Valentinois
on behalf of Louis XII, to be answered by the duke's assurances that the
alliance into which he had entered was strictly confined to the Colonna,
that it entailed no treaty with Spain; nor had he entered into any; that
his loyalty to the King of France continued unimpaired, and that he
was ready to support King Louis with the entire forces he disposed
of, whenever his M