sum of 300,000 ducats, With which sum you could purchase
some fair domain for your children. In order to facilitate this
purchase, we would be willing, while awaiting the issue, to place the
300,000 ducats in the hands of a third party, so that your Highness might
be quite certain of receiving the money on an appointed day, in return
for the despatch of our brother's body. Moreover, we promise your
Highness herewith, for your greater satisfaction, that never, so long as
you shall remain on the pontifical throne, shall there be any hurt done
to the Christians, neither by us, nor by our servants, nor by any of our
compatriots, of whatsoever kind or condition they may be, neither on sea
nor on land. And for the still further satisfaction of your Highness,
and in order that no doubt whatever may remain concerning the fulfilment
of our promises, we have sworn and affirmed in the presence of Bucciarda,
your envoy, by the true God whom we adore and by our holy Gospels, that
they shall be faithfully kept from the first point unto the last. And
now for the final and complete assurance of your Highness, in order that
no doubt may still remain in your heart, and that you may be once again
and profoundly convinced of our good faith, we the aforesaid Sultan
Bajazet do swear by the true God, who has created the heavens and the
earth and all that therein is, that we will religiously observe all that
has been above said and declared, and in the future will do nothing and
undertake nothing that may be contrary to the interests of your Highness.

"Given at Constantinople, in our palace, on the 12th of September A.D.
1494."

This letter was the cause of great joy to the Holy Father: the aid of
four or five thousand Turks would be insufficient under the present
circumstances, and would only serve to compromise the head of
Christendom, while the sum of 300,000 ducats--that is, nearly a million
francs--was good to get in any sort of circumstances. It is true that,
so long as D'jem lived, Alexander was drawing an income of 180,000
livres, which as a life annuity represented a capital of nearly two
millions; but when one needs ready mangy, one ought to be able to make a
sacrifice in the way of discount. All the same, Alexander formed no
definite plan, resolved on acting as circumstances should indicate.

But it was a more pressing business to decide how he should behave to the
King of France: he had never anticipated the success of the