The Family - Mario Puzo [160]
Cesare laughed, and clapped the Florentine on the back. “By God, Machiavelli, you are matchless—simply matchless. Your candor is breathtaking, and your cynicism a delight,” he said.
Although in an almost impossible position, Cesare moved with great speed. He pulled his loyal forces out of Urbino and Camerino, concentrating them farther north in the well-protected fortresses of the Romagna.
Moreover, he sent delegates riding in all directions throughout the day and night, to search for replacements for the condottieri who had betrayed him. He wanted skilled new captains, and veteran mercenary troops, hopefully with cannons, and he also wanted to mobilize the vaunted Val di Lamone infantry—the best infantrymen in the whole of Italy—from the area near Faenza, a place that had been well treated and governed since his occupation. He even contacted Louis seeking French troops.
Within a week Machiavelli sent a report to the Council of Ten. “There is a firm conviction held here,” he wrote, “that the king of France will help Borgia with men, and the Pope will provide him with money. The delay of his enemies in closing in on him has given Cesare an advantage. Now I judge that it is too late to do Cesare Borgia much harm, for he has provided all the important cities with garrisons and has adequately stocked all the fortresses.”
The conspirators soon saw the same thing Machiavelli had. And so the conspiracy began to unravel.
Bentivoglio was the first to approach Cesare, to ask forgiveness and swear his allegiance. Then the Orsini expressed a willingness to establish peace—or, if the other conspirators were unwilling, to betray them. Only Guido Feltra stayed away.
Finally, Cesare met with and offered all his enemies generous terms: First, he assured them there would be no punishment. But on Camerino and Urbino, which had been occupied by the conspirators, unfortunately, he could not budge. They must be returned to him. Yet he reassured Bentivoglio that he could keep Bologna, for the Pope had signed a treaty with Bentivoglio at the urging of the king of France. In exchange, Bentivoglio agreed to provide both lances and horses, with soldiers for the next campaign.
The condottieri—Orsini, Vitelli, Gravina, and da Fermo—would resume their positions as commanders in Cesare’s armies.
For six weeks, peace reigned. When the French army arrived, Cesare sent them back to Louis with his thanks.
The conspiracy had ended.
In Rome, however, without Cesare’s knowledge, Alexander had also taken it upon himself to help his son. He knew that Franco and Paolo Orsini could not be punished as long as Cardinal Antonio Orsini remained alive—for as the patriarch of the family the cardinal would see to it that there was brutal retaliation, and the Pope was unwilling to risk the loss of another son.
And so, in a friendly manner, Alexander invited the cardinal to the Vatican, telling Antonio that he was considering another of his nephews for a position in the church.
Antonio Orsini accepted the invitation to the Vatican not without misgivings, though feigning humility and gratitude.
Once seated in the Pope’s quarters, the cardinal was served a sumptuous dinner, with countless delicacies, and several varieties of wine. They disputed each other good-naturedly on political issues, and joked with each other about certain courtesans they had both known. To all appearances they seemed to enjoy each other’s company, and an onlooker could not have guessed what lay in the heart of either holy man.
But the cardinal, always alert and wary of the Borgia, refused to drink the wine for fear it had been poisoned. Still, noting that the Pope ate with gusto, he also ate heartily, only requesting fresh water in the place of wine, for water was clear and any cloudiness of intention could not be hidden from him
After the dinner was finished, just as the Pope was inviting the cardinal to join him in his study,