Medici-it would be impossible for Colonna to obtain the necessary majority among his own followers. And, on the other hand, he felt perfectly sure that Colonna would rather see him (Medici) Pope than an Orsini.

When this was reported to Colonna, he set to work actively to procure the exclusion of Orsini, declaring that he would be content with any election that might be made save that one. Eleven voters, on whom he could perfectly depend, would suffice to render the election of Orsini impossible, and so many he was, he thought, able to command. But votes are given secretly. Should an election not be accomplished in that scrutiny for which they are tendered, the names of the givers are never known. And should an election bet effected, the value of treason which has availed to make a Pope is apt to be so highly assessed by him who has profited by it, that defection from him who might have been, but is not, Pope, is not likely to count for much. In the state of dead-lock to which this policy of De' Medici had brought the Conclave, an attempt was made to elect Farnese, who was popular in Rome and with the members of the Sacred Cilege. There was no very valid or ostensible ground for refusing to join in such an election, and the heads of the other parties were obliged to pretend that the welfare of the Church, and, pro tanto, the speedy election of a due and fitting successor to the Papacy, were the main and paramount objects they had in view; and for a moment it seemed likely that Farnese would have carried the day. He did succeed, as we know, at the next election, ten years subsequently, and then held the Papacy for fifteen years.

But he always was wont to say that Giulio de' Medici had robbed him of ten years of his reign!

Meanwhile, the days went on; scrutinies took place twice every day, and continued to give results not very much varying from each other, and all equally futile. The Conclave had lasted more than a month; and indications of the discontent of the people and of the Roman world generally, at the prolongation of the interregnum, were made to reach the cardinals in their retreat. And still Colonna, though perfectly sincere in his declaration that he would rather see De' Medici, or any other member of the Sacred College, in St. Peter's Chair, than his hereditary foe, Orsini; and fully decided to give his support to the Medicean cardinal, if there was no hope of placing himself there; could not yet quite bring himself to believe that there was no such possibility. The contest, in short, between Colonna, Orsini, and De' Medici, had assumed very much of similitude to a game of brag; with, however, the additional complicating and disturbing element,-that there was a continual danger, a danger of every day and every hour, that the cardinals who were not mainly and personally interested in the elevation of either of the three great rivals, might suddenly and secretly coalesce and make a Pope of their own, Farnese probably, or possibly even some outsider, whom nobody had seriously thought of. That "adoration" plan of making a Pope was such a dangerous thing, and so difficult to be guarded against! thing might be done by sudden impulse, in a moment, without any warning, except such as was afforded by

The

observing any unusual and suspicious gathering together

of cardinals! And then, if such a thing were to happen, the disadvantage of having taken no part in it was obvious and much to be avoided.

Still Colonna, though he had caused it to be whispered to De' Medici that he was ready to give him his vote and interest, rather than that Orsini should be elected, was not willing to give up; and in order to gain time, and at the same time to make it appear that he was really anxious to bring the injurious prolongation of the Conclave to an end, caused his followers to put forward sundry other candidates whom he knew well would not have the necessary majority of votes. One of these, the Cardinal di Santiquattro, however, was very nearly elected in this manner, and instances are not wanting in the history of the Conclaves of precisely similar accidents having happened.

But one morning, when this sort of work had been going on for nearly fifty days, De' Medici determined on a plan to make Colonna declare himself one way or another. Having caused his friends to assemble in the vicinity of Orsini's cell, he himself paid a visit to his rival, and so contrived as to come out of the cell, he and Orsini together, and the latter apparently in high good humour and jovial mood. They walked towards the great hall, and a crowd of the special friends of either following them. Care had, moreover, been taken that all this should be breathlessly reported to Colonna on the instant. "At last, we are going to elect a Pope!" cried De' Medici in a loud voice as Colonna came out of his cell. "Are you going to elect Orsini ?" asked one of Colonna's friends of one of those who were following

him and De' Medici. "Well, it looks very like it!" replied the dignitary questioned. "But," cried Colonna, who felt that, if he was to avoid having his old enemy Orsini as a master over him and all the other Colonnas, there was not a moment to be lost, "I thought it had been understood that we-I and my friends-were ready to give our votes to the Cardinal De' Medici! I am not the man to promise what I do not mean. We are ready to elect De' Medici Pope on the spot, and this instant ! " Whereupon a shout was raised for De' Medici, and an "Adoration" followed, unanimous, or nearly so, on the part of all present. Giulio De' Medici, however, who was as careful and cautious a man, as his relative, Leo X., was the reverse, begged his friends to proceed to the more regular process of a scrutiny, which was done accordingly, and he was duly elected as Clement VII. by an unanimous vote, on the fiftieth day of he Conclave, the 18th November, 1523.

Clement reigned ten troublous and disastrous years. His life as Pope was like that of a hunted hare. He lived in perpetual fear-fear of the lawless bands of the Constable Bourbon, who sacked his capital and threatened his life; fear of the raising of the question of the canonical validity of this election, on the ground of his illegitimacy; fear of the rivals Charles V. and Francis I.; fear of the treacheries by which he strove to cheat and deceive both of them being found out; fear, perhaps the worst of all, of the General Council, which he did manage to stave off, but which could no longer be staved off by his equally unwilling, but bolder

successor.

The Papacy of that successor, Paul III., was a notable and highly important one. But the Conclave which preceded it was one of the shortest and most uneventful in the whole list.

The cardinals went into Conclave on the 11th of October, 1534, and elected Alessandro Farnese Pope by the name of Paul III. unanimously, and at the first scrutiny. In fact, there are few, if any other, instances in the history of the Popes, of its having been so well known, and so entirely a foregone conclusion, who the Pope was to be, as in the case of Paul III. All Rome knew perfectly well that Farnese was to be Pope, before the Conclave was begun. In fact, he was abundantly marked out for the choice of his colleagues. then in his sixty-eighth year, and he had been forty years a cardinal! He was a man of good character, born to rule, and of a very noble presence. And had he had no nephews or sons, would have made a very good Pope. As it was, he made one very fatal to the interests of the Church.

He was

This election was certainly untainted by simony. The Farnese proceeded with refractory voters otherwise than by buying them. It is related that, having heard that one of the younger cardinals in the Conclave was speaking against him, and striving to organize a party in opposition to his election, he proceeded straight to the cell of the offender, and there-voice, eye, and mien assisting him-administered such a verbal castigation to the offender, that he professed repentance, implored pardon, and on receiving it became one of Farnese's fastest friends.