nded on ought else than this, you are very
greatly mistaken, Caesar, and you will find yourself sadly deceived.
Perhaps we have been ambitious--we confess this humbly before the face of
all men--passionately and immoderately ambitious to attain to the
dignity of sovereign pontiff, and to reach this end we have followed
every path that is open to human industry; but we have acted thus, vowing
an inward vow that when once we had reached our goal, we would follow no
other path but that which conduces best to the service of God and to the
advancement of the Holy See, so that the glorious memory of the deeds
that we shall do may efface the shameful recollection of the deeds we
have already done. Thus shall we, let us hope, leave to those who follow
us a track where upon if they find not the footsteps of a saint, they may
at least tread in the path of a true pontiff. God, who has furthered the
means, claims at our hands the fruits, and we desire to discharge to the
full this mighty debt that we have incurred to Him; and accordingly we
refuse to arouse by any deceit the stern rigour of His judgments. One
sole hindrance could have power to shake our good intentions, and that
might happen should we feel too keen an interest in your fortunes.
Therefore are we armed beforehand against our love, and therefore have we
prayed to God beforehand that we stumble not because of you; for in the
path of favouritism a pope cannot slip without a fall, and cannot fall
without injury and dishonour to the Holy See. Even to the end of our
life we shall deplore the faults which have brought this experience home
to us; and may it please Gad that our uncle Calixtus of blessed memory
bear not this day in purgatory the burden of our sins, more heavy, alas,
than his own! Ah, he was rich in every virtue, he was full of good
intentions; but he loved too much his own people, and among them he loved
me chief. And so he suffered this love to lead him blindly astray, all
this love that he bore to his kindred, who to him were too truly flesh of
his flesh, so that he heaped upon the heads of a few persons only, and
those perhaps the least worthy, benefits which would more fittingly have
rewarded the deserts of many. In truth, he bestowed upon our house
treasures that should never have been amassed at the expense of the poor,
or else should have been turned to a better purpose. He severed from the
ecclesiastical State, already weak and poor, the duchy of S