om was hoping to offer
himself, which would be more worthy of her. Lucrezia showed the utmost
delight in accepting these gifts; then she retired into the next room,
leaning on the pope's arm, and followed by the ladies of her suite,
leaving the Duke of Valentinois to do the honours of the Vatican to the
men. That evening the guests met again, and spent half the night in
dancing, while a magnificent display of fireworks lighted up the Piazza
of San Paolo.

The ceremony of betrothal over, the pope and the Duke busied themselves
with making preparations for the departure. The pope, who wished the
journey to be made with a great degree of splendour, sent in his
daughter's company, in addition to the two brothers-in-law and the
gentlemen in their suite, the Senate of Rome and all the lords who, by
virtue of their wealth, could display most magnificence in their costumes
and liveries. Among this brilliant throng might be seen Olivero and
Ramiro Mattei, sons of Piero Mattel, chancellor of the town, and a
daughter of the pope whose mother was not Rosa Vanozza; besides these,
the pope nominated in consistory Francesco Borgia, Cardinal of Sosenza,
legate a latere, to accompany his daughter to the frontiers of the
Ecclesiastical States.

Also the Duke of Valentinois sent out messengers into all the cities of
Romagna to order that Lucrezia should be received as sovereign lady and
mistress: grand preparations were at once set on foot for the fulfilment
of his orders. But the messengers reported that they greatly feared that
there would be some grumbling at Cesena, where it will be remembered that
Caesar had left Ramiro d'Orco as governor with plenary powers, to calm
the agitation of the town. Now Ramiro d'Orco had accomplished his task
so well that there was nothing more to fear in the way of rebellion; for
one-sixth of the inhabitants had perished on the scaffold, and the result
of this situation was that it was improbable that the same demonstrations
of joy could be expected from a town plunged in mourning that were looked
for from Imala, Faenza, and Pesaro. The Duke of Valentinais averted this
inconvenience in the prompt and efficacious fashion characteristic of him
alone. One morning the inhabitants of Cesena awoke to find a scaffold
set up in the square, and upon it the four quarters of a man, his head,
severed from the trunk, stuck up on the end of a pike.

This man was Ramiro d'Orco.

No one ever knew by whose hand