sudden death and the miraculous
preservation of the pope spread rapidly through Rome; and the Duke of
Valentinois, terrified at the thought of what a change might be wrought
in his own fortunes by any slight accident to the Holy Father, hurried to
the Vatican, unable to assure himself by anything less than the evidence
of his own eyes. Alexander desired to render public thanks to Heaven for
the protection that had been granted him; and on the very same day was
carried to the church of Santa Maria del Popalo, escorted by a numerous
procession of prelates and men-at arms, his pontifical seat borne by two
valets, two equerries, and two grooms. In this church were buried the
Duke of Gandia and Gian Borgia, and perhaps Alexander was drawn thither
by same relics of devotion, or may be by the recollection of his love for
his former mistress, Rosa Vanazza, whose image, in the guise of the
Madonna, was exposed for the veneration of the faithful in a chapel on
the left of the high altar. Stopping before this altar, the pope offered
to the church the gift of a magnificent chalice in which were three
hundred gold crowns, which the Cardinal of Siena poured out into a silver
paten before the eyes of all, much to the gratification of the pontifical
vanity.

But before he left Rome to complete the conquest of the Romagna, the Duke
of Valentinois had been reflecting that the marriage, once so ardently
desired, between Lucrezia and Alfonso had been quite useless to himself
and his father. There was more than this to be considered: Louis XII's
rest in Lombardy was only a halt, and Milan was evidently but the stage
before Naples. It was very possible that Louis was annoyed about the
marriage which converted his enemy's nephew into the son-in-law of his
ally. Whereas, if Alfonso were dead, Lucrezia would be the position to
marry some powerful lord of Ferrara or Brescia, who would be able to help
his brother-in-law in the conquest of Romagna. Alfonso was now not only
useless but dangerous, which to anyone with the character of the Borgias
perhaps seemed worse, the death of Alfonso was resolved upon. But
Lucrezia's husband, who had understand for a long time past what danger
he incurred by living near his terrible father-in-law, had retired to
Naples. Since, however, neither Alexander nor Caesar had changed in
their perpetual dissimulation towards him, he was beginning to lose his
fear, when he received an invitation from the pope an