d Patras; in the Morea, Morone, Corone, Neapolis, and
Argos; lastly, in the Archipelago, besides several little towns and
stations on the coast, she owned Candia and the kingdom of Cyprus.

Thus from the mouth of the Po to the eastern extremity of the
Mediterranean, the most serene republic was mistress of the whole
coastline, and Italy and Greece seemed to be mere suburbs of Venice.

In the intervals of space left free between Naples, Milan, Florence, and
Venice, petty tyrants had arisen who exercised an absolute sovereignty
over their territories: thus the Colonnas were at Ostia and at Nettuna,
the Montefeltri at Urbino, the Manfredi at Faenza, the Bentivogli at
Bologna, the Malatesta family at Rimini, the Vitelli at Citta di
Castello, the Baglioni at Perugia, the Orsini at Vicovaro, and the
princes of Este at Ferrara.

Finally, in the centre of this immense circle, composed of great Powers,
of secondary States, and of little tyrannies, Rome was set on high, the
most exalted, yet the weakest of all, without influence, without lands,
without an army, without gold. It was the concern of the new pope to
secure all this: let us see, therefore, what manner of man was this
Alexander VI, for undertaking and accomplishing such a project.

CHAPTER III

RODERIGO LENZUOLO was barn at Valencia, in Spain, in 1430 or 1431, and on
his mother's side was descended, as some writers declare, of a family of
royal blood, which had cast its eyes on the tiara only after cherishing
hopes of the crowns of Aragon and Valencia. Roderigo from his infancy had
shown signs of a marvellous quickness of mind, and as he grew older he
exhibited an intelligence extremely apt far the study of sciences,
especially law and jurisprudence: the result was that his first
distinctions were gained in the law, a profession wherein he soon made a
great reputation by his ability in the discussion of the most thorny
cases. All the same, he was not slow to leave this career, and abandoned
it quite suddenly far the military profession, which his father had
followed; but after various actions which served to display his presence
of mind and courage, he was as much disgusted with this profession as
with the other; and since it happened that at the very time he began to
feel this disgust his father died, leaving a considerable fortune, he
resolved to do no more work, but to live according to his own fancies and
caprices. About this time he became the lover of