he himself should reach Lombardy,
which would be in September. He even had Ercole informed that he would
keep his promise to bestow the hand of Madonna d'Angouleme on Don
Alfonso, and he made no effort to conceal the displeasure he felt on
account of the projected alliance with Lucretia.[92] To the Ferrarese
ambassador he remarked that he would consider the duke unwise if he
allowed his son to marry the daughter of the Pope, for, on Alexander's
death, he would no longer know with whom he had concluded the alliance,
and Alfonso's position would become very uncertain.[93]

The duke did not hurry; it is true he sent his secretary, Hector
Bellingeri, to Rome, but only for the purpose of telling the Pope that
he had yielded to the king's wishes upon the condition that his own
demands would be satisfied. The Pope and Caesar, however, urged that the
marriage contract be executed at once, and they requested the Cardinal
of Rouen, who was then in Milan, to induce Ercole to send his son
Alfonso there (to Milan), so that the transaction might be concluded in
the cardinal's presence. This the duke refused to do until the Pope
agreed to the conditions upon which he had based his consent.[94]

While these shameful negotiations regarding Lucretia were dragging on,
Caesar was in Naples, and was the instrument and witness of the sudden
overthrow of the hated house of Aragon, whose throne, however, was not
to fall to his portion. Alexander used this opportunity to appropriate
the property of the barons of Latium, especially that of the Colonna,
the Savelli, and Estouteville, all of which, owing to the Neapolitan
war, had been left without protection. The confiscation of this property
was, as we shall soon see, part of the scheme which included the
marriage. As early as June, 1501, he had taken possession of a number
of cities belonging to these families. Alexander, accompanied by troops,
horse and foot-soldiers, went to Sermoneta July 27th.

This was the time that--just before his departure--he made Lucretia his
representative in the Vatican. Following are Burchard's words: "Before
his Holiness, our Master, left the city, he turned over the palace and
all the business affairs to his daughter Lucretia, authorizing her to
open all letters which should come addressed to him. In important
matters she was to ask advice of the Cardinal of Lisbon.

"When a certain matter came up--I do not know just what it was--it is
said Lucretia went to th