whereabouts, but was certain that he was not in
Rome. As a fact, the pope was speaking the truth this time, for Caesar
had gone with Cardinal Orsino to one of his estates, and was temporarily
in hiding there. This reply was conveyed to Charles by two messengers
from the pope, the Bishops of Nepi and of Sutri, and the people also sent
an ambassador in their own behalf. He was Monsignore Porcari, dean of
the rota, who was charged to communicate to the king the displeasure of
the Romans when they learned of the cardinal's breach of faith. Little
as Charles was disposed to content himself with empty words, he had to
turn his attention to mare serious affairs; so he continued his march to
Naples without stopping, arriving there on Sunday, the 22nd of February,
1495.

Four days later, the unlucky D'jem, who had fallen sick at Capua died at
Castel Nuovo. When he was leaving, at the farewell banquet, Alexander
had tried on his guest the poison he intended to use so often later on
upon his cardinals, and whose effects he was destined to feel
himself,--such is poetical justice. In this way the pope had secured a
double haul; for, in his twofold speculation in this wretched young man,
he had sold him alive to Charles for 120,000 livres and sold him dead to
Bajazet for 300,00 ducats....

But there was a certain delay about the second payment; for the Turkish
emperor, as we remember, was not bound to pay the price of fratricide
till he received the corpse, and by Charles's order the corpse had been
buried at Gaeta.

When Caesar Borgia learned the news, he rightly supposed that the king
would be so busy settling himself in his new capital that he would have
too much to think of to be worrying about him; so he went to Rome again,
and, anxious to keep his promise to his mother, he signalised his return
by a terrible vengeance.

Cardinal Valentino had in his service a certain Spaniard whom he had made
the chief of his bravoes; he was a man of five-and-thirty or forty, whose
whole life had been one long rebellion against society's laws; he
recoiled from no action, provided only he could get his price. This Don
Michele Correglia, who earned his celebrity for bloody deeds under the
name of Michelotto, was just the man Caesar wanted; and whereas
Michelotto felt an unbounded admiration for Caesar, Caesar had unlimited
confidence in Michelotto. It was to him the cardinal entrusted the
execution of one part of his vengeance; the ot