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130

ESSAYS ON LIBERTY

side of the Cardinal, and received information from those who were about him. The chief anxiety of these men \vas that the official version which attributed the massacre to a Huguenot conspiracy should obtain no credence at Rome. If the Cardinal's enemies were overthrown vvith- out his participation, it \vould confirm the report that he had become a cipher in the State. He desired to vindi- cate for himself and his family the authorship of the catastrophe. Catherine could not tolerate their claim to a merit which she had made her own; and there was competition bet\veen them for the first and largest share in the gratitude of the Holy See. Lorraine prevailed with the Pope, \vho not only loaded him with honours, but rewarded him with benefices worth 4000 cro\vns a year for his nephew, and a gift of 20,000 cro\vns for his son. But he found that he had fallen into disgrace at Paris, and feared for his position at Rome. 1 In these circumstances Capilupi's book appeared, and enumerated a series of facts proving that the Cardinal \vas cognisant of the royal design. It adds little to the evidence of pre- meditation. Capilupi relates that Santa Croce, returning from France, had assured Pius V., in the nanle of Catherine,

secum communicaret, nullam praetermisisse occasionem ubi ei potuit adversari (Cardinal Delfino to the Emperor, Rome, Nov, 29. 1572; Vienna Archives), 1 Fà ogni favor et gratia gli addimanda íl Cardinale di Lorena. il consiglio del quale usa in tutte Ie più importanti negotiationi l' occorre di haver a trattar (Cusano to the Emperor, Rome, Sept, 27. I572),-Conscia igitur Sua Dominatio Illma qllorundam arcanorum Regni Galliae, creato Pontifice sibi in Concilio Tridentino cognito et amico, statuit huc se recipere, ut privatis suis rebus consuleret, et quia tunc foederati contra Thurcam, propter suspicionem Regi Catholico injectam de Orangio, et Gallis, non admodum videbantur concordes, et non multo post advcnit nuncius mortis Domini de Colligni, et illius asseclarum; Pontifex justa de causa existimavit dictum Illmum Cardinalem favore et gratia sua merito esse complectendum. Evenit postmodum, ut ad Serenissimam Reginam Galliarum deferretur, bonum bunc Dominum jactasse se, quod particeps fuerit consiliorum contra dictum Colligni; id quod illa Serenissima Domina iniq uo animo tulit, quae neminem gloriae socium vult habere; sibi enim totam vendicat, quod sola talis facinoris auctor, et Dux extiterit, ldcirco commorationem ips ius Lotharingiae in hac aula improbare, ac reprehendere aggressa est, Haec cum ille Illustrissimus Cardinalis perceperit. oblata sibi occasione utens. exoravit a Sua Sanctitate gratuitam expedition em quatuor millia scutorum reditus pro suo Nepote, et 20 millia pro filio praeter sollicitationem, quam prae se fert. ut dictus Nepos in Cardinalium numerum cooptetur. , . . Cum itaque his de causis authoritas hujus Domini in Gallia imminuta videatur, ipseque praevideat, quanto in Gallia minoris aestimabitur, tanto minori etiam loco hic se babitum iri, statuit optimo judicio, ac pro eo quod suae existimacioni magis conducit, in Galliam reverti (Delfino, 111 supra. both in the Vienna Archives).