d his son to take
part in a bull-fight which was to be held in the Spanish fashion in
honour of the duke before his departure: In the present precarious
position of Naples it would not have been good policy far Alfonso to
afford Alexander any sort of pretext for a rupture, so he could not
refuse without a motive, and betook himself to Rome. It was thought of
no use to consult Lucrezia in this affair, for she had two or three times
displayed an absurd attachment for her husband, and they left her
undisturbed in her government of Spoleto.

Alfonso was received by the pope and the duke with every demonstration of
sincere friendship, and rooms in the Vatican were assigned to him that he
had inhabited before with Lucrezia, in that part of the building which is
known as the Torre Nuova.

Great lists were prepared on the Piazza of St. Peter's; the streets about
it were barricaded, and the windows of the surrounding houses served as
boxes for the spectators. The pope and his court took their places on
the balconies of the Vatican.

The fete was started by professional toreadors: after they had exhibited
their strength and skill, Alfonso and Caesar in their turn descended to
the arena, and to offer a proof of their mutual kindness, settled that
the bull which pursued Caesar should be killed by Alfonso, and the bull
that pursued Alfonso by Caesar.

Then Caesar remained alone an horseback within the lists, Alfonso going
out by an improvised door which was kept ajar, in order that he might go
back on the instant if he judged that his presence was necessary. At the
same time, from the opposite side of the lists the bull was introduced,
and was at the same moment pierced all over with darts and arrows, some
of them containing explosives, which took fire, and irritated the bull to
such a paint that he rolled about with pain, and then got up in a fury,
and perceiving a man on horseback, rushed instantly upon him. It was
now, in this narrow arena, pursued by his swift enemy, that Caesar
displayed all that skill which made him one of the finest horsemen of the
period. Still, clever as he was, he could not have remained safe long in
that restricted area from an adversary against whom he had no other
resource than flight, had not Alfonso appeared suddenly, just when the
bull was beginning to gain upon him, waving a red cloak in his left hand,
and holding in his right a long delicate Aragon sword. It was high time:
the bull was onl