XIII.

A. D. 1515.

A. Et. 40.

A. Pont. III.

CHAP. into the duchy of Burgundy for the purpose of occupying the French monarch in the defence of his own dominions; for which services they were to receive a monthly subsidy of forty thousand crowns. Ferdinand, on his part, undertook to attack the dominions of Francis on the side of Perpignan and Fontarabia; whilst Maximilian on this as on other occasions seemed to consider the imperial sanction as a sufficient contribution, in lieu both of money and troops.(a)

Marriage

voy.

In determining the pope to the neutrality of Giuliano which he manifested on this occasion, other de' Medici reasons of no inconsiderable importance conwith Filiberta of Sa- curred. Early in the month of February, 1515, the matrimonial engagement which had been entered into at the close of the preceding year between Giuliano de' Medici and Filiberta of Savoy, sister of Louisa duchess of Angoulême the mother of Francis I. was carried into effect; on which occasion Giuliano paid a visit to the French court, where he so far obtained the favourable opinion of Francis, that he declared he esteemed the connexion as highly as if it had been formed with the

most

(a) Ligue de Cambray, liv. iv. tom. ii. p. 405.

most powerful sovereign. Besides the re-
venues of Parma and Piacenza, which Leo
had already conferred on his brother and which
amounted to the clear annual sum of twenty-
eight thousand ducats, he assigned to him the
income to arise from the city of Modena,
which was supposed to amount to about twenty
thousand more. He also conferred on him
the title of captain general of the church, to
the exclusion of the duke of Urbino, to which
he added a monthly salary of four hundred
and eight ducats, whilst a separate revenue of
three hundred ducats per month was granted
to the bride for her own use, although in re-
spect of her high alliances she had been re-
ceived without a portion. (a) Other considera-
ble sums were disbursed in preparing a suita-
ble residence for Giuliano and his bride at
Rome where it was intended they should main-
tain a secular court; and in the rejoicings
which took place in that city on their arrival,
is said to have incurred the enor-
pope
mous expense of one hundred and fifty thou-
sand ducats.(b) Extraordinary festivals were

the

also

CHAP.

XIII.

A. D. 1515.

A. Et. 40.

A. Pont. III.

(a) Lettera del Card. da Bibbiena a Giuliano de' Med. Lettere di Principi. i. 15.

(b) Muratori, Annali d' Ital. x. 110.

XIII.

A. Æt. 40.

A. Pont. III.

CHAP. also celebrated at Turin, where Giuliano and his wife resided for a month after their marA. D. 1515. riage; and again at Florence, where all the inhabitants, either through affection or through fear, were anxious to shew their respect to the family of the Medici. But in case the king proved successful in his enterprise against Milan, the territory from which Giuliano derived a great part of his revenues lay at the mercy of that monarch, and it would therefore have been not only indecorous but imprudent in the pope, at such a juncture, to have espoused the cause of his adversaries and blighted the expectations which Giuliano might reasonably form from the continuance of his fa

to him from

biena.

vour.

Confiden- During the absence of Giuliano de' Medici tial letter from Rome, he received frequent information cardi- respecting the critical state of public affairs nal da Bib- and the dispositions and views of the European powers, as well from Lodovico Canossa the pontifical legate at the court of France, as from the cardinal da Bibbiena at Rome. The letters from Canossa on this occasion contain the fullest assurances of the kind dispositions, as well of the king as of his mother Louisa towards the family of the Medici; and the strongest exhortations to him not to neglect so favourable

an

XIII.

A. D. 1515.

A. Æt. 40.

A. Pont. III

an opportunity of cementing, by a stricter al- CHAP. liance, a connexion so happily begun. (a) But the letters of the cardinal da Bibbiena, who was at this period intrusted with the most secret intentions of the Roman court, are of a much more curious nature, and throw such light on the state of public affairs, the situation of the different members of the Medici family, and the ambitious designs which were formed by them, as might render a specimen of them not uninteresting, even if it were not written by the lively pen of the author of the Calandra.

TO THE MAGNIFICENT GIULIANO DE' ME-
DICI, CAPTAIN OF THE CHURCH.(b)

"His holiness has expressed great surprise "and dissatisfaction at having heard nothing respecting you during so many days, and complains grievously of your attendants, "who have been so negligent that since your "arrival at Nice no intelligence has been re"ceived of your proceedings. The blame of "this is chiefly attributed, both by his holiness "and

(a) Appendix, No. CXXIII.

(b) For the letter in the original, v. Appendix, No.

CHAP.
XIII.

A. D. 1515.
A. Et. 40.

A. Pont. III.

"and myself, to M. Latino,(a) whose province "it was to have written. It is no excuse to say, that from the remote situation of the

66

place he knew not how to forward his letters, "because the expense would have been well "laid out in sending a special messenger, who

66

might at any time have proceeded either to "Genoa or Piacenza, to inform the pope of that "which is dearer to him than any other object; "the state of your own health and person. If you therefore wish to relieve his holiness "from this anxiety and afford him real conso"lation, take care that he may in future be "more particularly apprized of your welfare.

66

"Not only the pope and your own family, your brother, nephew, and sister,(b) but the "whole court are in the most earnest expecta"tion of receiving news from you and your "illustrious consort; nor do I think that the "arrival of any person in any place was ever "expected with an impatience equal to that "which

(a) Latino Juvenale, one of the secretaries of Leo X. and frequently employed by him as an envoy to foreign

states.

(b) Francesco Cibò, Lorenzo de' Medici, and his mother Alfonsina, Orsino.