On the evening of the last mentioned day, the 'pontiff quitted the city of Florence and proceeded to Bologna, where he met with a very different reception from that with which he had been honoured in his native place. The inhabitants, still attached to their banished chiefs of the family of Bentivoli, and mindful of the severities exercised upon them by Julius II. received the pope in sullen silence; except when the sound of Serra, Serra,(a) resounded in his ears, as he passed in procession through the streets. This circumstance gave great offence to many of the cardinals, who thought that the pontiff should have manifested his displeasure on such an occasion. Leo, however, judged much better than his attendants, and availed himself of this opportunity of displaying his moderation and forbearance și qualities for which he was remarkable, and which in "Hanc mihi, Sancte Pater, Cosmus cum conderet aedem, .66 Quorum ope creverunt Templa sacrata mihi. "Sed, Pronepos, majora dabis pietate; Parentes "Pontificem turpe est non superasse suos." (a) A saw, the impresa, or arms, of the Bentivoli. XIII. in general not only disarm resentment, but of- CHAP. ten convert an unjust or mistaken adversary into a faithful friend. Three days afterwards, Francis I. who had been accompanied from Parma by four prelates sent for that purpose by the pope, was received on the confines of the ecclesiastical state by the cardinals de' Medici and Flisco, and conducted to Bologna, where all the members of the sacred college proceeded to meet him beyond the gate of S. Felice.(a) After they had waited there a short time, the king made his appearance between the two pontifical legates, and was welcomed by a short address in Latin from the cardinal bishop of Ostia, who remained uncovered whilst he delivered it, as did also the other cardinals. To this the king, who was also uncovered, replied in French, assuring them that he considered himself as the son of his holiness, that he was thoroughly devoted to the apostolic see, and desirous of rendering every service in his power to the college of cardinals, as & VOL. III. being (a) The particulars of this interview are related by, Paris de Grassis. The reader may consult the original in the Appendix to the present work, No. CXXX. A. D. 1515. A. Pont. III. CHAP. being his fathers and his brethren. Having addressed himself particularly to every one of XIII. A. Et. 40. A. Pont. III. A. D. 1515. the cardinals, they then approached him in succession, and gave him a fraternal kiss; the master of the pontifical ceremonies at the same time informing him of the name and quality of each cardinal as he approached. After this exhibition, they proceeded together towards the city, the king being placed between the cardinals Sanseverino and Este; but the attendants of the monarch disregarded the admonitions of the officer whose duty it was to regulate the proceedings of the day, and followed in a disorderly and tumultuous manner. He was thus conducted to the apart, ments provided for him in the palace, where four cardinals remained as his companions and dined with him at the same table. The pope, having in the mean time been arrayed in his pontifical garments and seated in full consistory, expected the approach of the king, who was introduced by the master of the ceremonies between two cardinals, attended by six prelates, and followed by such an immense multitude as well of the populace as of French and Romans, that great apprehensions were entertained for the safety of the building. The king was himself upwards of half an hour in XIII. in making his way through the crowd; a cir- CHAP. cumstance which he seems however to have borne with great good humour. Arriving at length in the presence of the pope he made his due genuflexions, and having complied with the humiliating ceremony of kissing the foot and the hand of his holiness, was next allowed the more familiar honour of kissing his cheek. The king then expressed, in a few words in his native language, his great satisfaction in having been allowed a personal interview with the supreme pontiff, the vicar of Christ upon earth; professing himself desirous of obeying all his commands as his dutiful son and servant. The pope replied in Latin, with great gravity and propriety,j vat↓ tributing so happy and satisfactory an event entirely to the goodness of God. Francis then took a seat provided for him on the right hand of the pope, whilst his chancellor delivered a Latin oration, in which, in the name of his sovereign, he acknowledged the supre macy of the holy see, and commended the fide lity of the French monarchs and particularly that of his sovereign Francis I. to the church. (a) Ma Trobe 11 At G 2 555 70904 12707 THE 0. (a) This oration of the chancellor du Prat is given in the Appendix, No. CXXXI. AD. 1515. A. Et. 40. A. Pont. ILL. XIII. CHAP. At the same time the king would have uncovered his head, but the pope prevented him. At the conclusion of the harangue Francis bowed in token of his assent, when the pope again addressed him in a few words, commending his dutiful fidelity. Such of the French nobility and attendants as could force their way through the crowd were then admitted to kiss the feet of the pontiff, but the dukes of Bourbon and of Orleans, with Monsignor de Vallebrune, were the only persons who were allowed to kiss his hand and face. This ceremony being performed, the led pope the king into a chamber which commanded a view of the principal street of the city; where having left him for a short time he hastened to remove the incumbrance of his pontifical robes, and on his return entered with him into familiar conversation. On this occasion, the vigilant master of the ceremonies cautioned his holiness against touching his cap J 家 in token of respect to the monarch, whilst they were seen together by the populace; a mark of attention which it seems Alexander VI. had imprudently shewn to Charles VIII. on their interview; this ecclesiastical Polo A. D. 1515. A. Pont. III. A. Et. 40. nius contending that it did not become the vicar of Christ to exhibit any reverence toy be sub wards 43449 t |