CHAP. which he was endowed by nature to early per- A. t. 44. A. Pont. VII. which, under the name of the cardinal Ippolito de' Medici, he afterwards obtained. Yet Alessandro more equivocal was the origin of Alessandro de' Medici. de' Medici, usually denominated the first duke of Florence. The time of his birth may be placed in the year 1512, and he has generally been considered as the son of Lorenzo duke of Urbino, by a Moorish slave, or woman of low rank; but it is much more probable that he was the son of the cardinal Giulio de' Medici afterwards Clement VII. and the earnestness displayed by that pontiff in raising him to the high station which he afterwards filled, may be considered as no slight indication that the latter supposition is well founded. The obsequies of Lorenzo were celebrated at Florence with a magnificence suitable to his the death of high station, as chief of the Tuscan state and Consequences of Lorenzo. duke of Urbino; but the respect paid to the and XVIII. and early death of his father, the education CHAP.. of Lorenzo had been principally left to his mother Alfonsina, who had instilled into him such ideas, and brought him in such habits up and manners, as would better have suited an Italian baron of high birth than a Florentine citizen. Hence he devoted himself wholly to projects of ambition and aggrandizement, in which, through the partiality and assistance of Leo X. he flattered himself with the most sanguine hopes of success. It was supposed, and not without reason, that by these means and by the concurrence of the French monarch, he meant to possess himself of Siena and Lucca, and by uniting them with the duchy of Urbino and the Florentine state, to establish a dominion extending from one coast of Italy to the other, and to assume the title of king of Tuscany. With this view he had in the latter part of the year 1518, paid a visit to Rome, expecting to prevail on the pontiff to assent to his ambitious design; but found that Leo was not inclined to favour the attempt.(a) By the true friends to the ho M M 2 nour (a) Nerli, Commentar. lib. vi. p. 131. 5 A. D. 1519. A. Et. 44. A. Pout. VII. XVIII. CHAP. nour and character of the pontiff, the information of the death of Lorenzo was received A. D. 1519. with satisfaction rather than with sorrow. A. Et. 44. A. Pont. VII. The earnestness which Leo had shewn in promoting the advancement of his nephew, and the unjustifiable, expensive, and dangerous methods which he had in some instances resorted to for that purpose, were attributed by them to his affection for one who was endeared to him no less by a similarity and participation of misfortunes, than by the ties of blood, and it was now generally expected that the pontiff, having no equal object of his partiality, would consult only the dignity of his own character and the honour and interest of the Roman see. These expectations were in some degree confirmed by the conduct of the pontiff, who on this event expressed his submission to the will of God, and appeared to resume the natural rectitude of his character. That he had not on all occasions fulfilled the hopes that had been entertained of him, is sufficiently apparent from the bold and remarkable language of Canossa bishop of Bayeux, who in giving his sentiments on this event to the cardinal da Bibbiena, considers it as a cause of universal satisfaction, and expresses his hopes "that his holiness will now "become 1 "become such as he was expected to be, on CHAP. "the day when he was created pope."(a) XVIII. A. D. 1519. State of the the ment. The death of Lorenzo rendered it neces- A. Pont. VII. sary for the pontiff to adopt new measures for government of the Florentine state, which Florentine had now become wholly subservient to the govern authority of the Medici, although it still retained the name and external form of a republic. This undertaking was attended with no inconsiderable difficulties. Leo might, indeed, at this period have assumed the sovereignty, and extinguished even the pretext of a free government; but if we suppose that he would have felt no reluctance, in sacrificing to his own ambition the liberties of his native place, yet he was perhaps aware, that his dignity of supreme pontiff was scarcely compatible with the assumption of a monarchical power. He might also reasonably suspect that such a measure would not be regarded without jealousy by the principal sovereigns of Christendom; and might enter tain (a) 66 534 THE LIFE OF XVIII. CHAP. tain apprehensions that notwithstanding the devotion and subservience of the Florentines, he might by too severe a pressure occasion an elasticity and resistance, which would entirely throw off his authority. On the other hand, to restore the Florentines to the full enjoyment of their ancient liberties, although the attempt would have conferred great honour on the pontiff, would have been a total surrender of that power and influence, which his family had maintained for so many years and preserved by so many sacrifices; nor could it with certainty be presumed that the citizens of Florence were now capable of preserving the palladium of their freedom, even if the pontiff had been inclined to restore it to them. In this emergency, Leo judged it expedient to resort to the advice of Niccolo. Machiavelli, whose general knowledge on political subjects, and whose intimate acquaintance with the state of his native place, pointed him out as the fittest person to be consulted on such an occasion. The memorial which Machiavelli presented to the pope on this subject yet remains, (a) and like his other works, A. D. 1519. A. Pout. VII. A. Ft. 44. Memoir of Machiavelli. (a)" Discorso sopra il Riformar lo Stato di Firenze. "Fatto ad istanza di Papa Leone x. Machiavelli publicate da Baretti." vol. iii. p. i, |
