Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. III.djvu/143

117 ARMIES ON THE GARIGLIANO. 1|7 wholly at the disposal of Louis the Twelfth, in re- chapter turn for the countenance afforded by that monarch L_ to the iniquitous schemes of his son, Caesar Borgia. The pope's death was attended with important Eiecuoneer- ^ *■ ^ Ing intrigues consequences on the movements of the French. Louis's favorite minister. Cardinal D'Amboise, had long looked to this event as opening to him the succession to the tiara. He now hastened to Italj, therefore, with his master's approbation, proposing to enforce his pretensions bj the presence of the French army, placed, as it would seem, with this view at his disposal. The army, accordingly, was ordered to advance towards Rome, and halt within a few miles of its gates. The conclave of cardinals, then convened to supply the vacancy in the pontificate, were filled with indignation at this attempt to overawe their election ; and the citizens beheld with anxiety the encampment of this formidable force under their walls, anticipating some counteracting movement on the part of the Great Captain, which might involve their capital, already in a state of anarchy, in all the horrors of war. Gonsalvo, indeed, had sent forward a detachment of between two and three thousand men, under Mendoza and Fabrizio Co- lonna, who posted themselves in the neighbourhood of the city, where they could observe the move- ments of the enemy. ^ At length Cardinal D'Amboise, yielding to pub- 8 Buonaccorsi, Diario, p. 82. — Ammirato, Istorie, Fiorentine, torn. Machiavelli, Legazione Prima a iii. lib. 28. — Zurita, Anales, torn. Roma, Let. 1, 3, et al. — Bembo, v. lib. 5, cap. 47. Tstoria Viniziana, torn. iii. lib. 6. —