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Rh He could not, therefore, depend on them, because they were in the power of the Orsini and the Colonni, and their partisans.

It was consequently necessary to overturn this order of things, and to overthrow the Italian states, in order to secure the sovereignty of a part. This was easy to accomplish. The Venetians, influenced by motives of a different tendency, had determined to invite the French into Italy. The pope made no opposition to their design; he even favoured it, in consenting to annul the first marriage of Lewis XII. who therefore went into Italy with the aid of the Venetians and the consent of Alexander. He was no sooner at Milan than the pope obtained of him troops to overrun Romagnia, which he acquired by the renown of the arms of that monarch with whonm he was allied.

The duke having thus acquired Romagnia and weakened the Colonni, wished at the same time to preserve and increase his own principality. He did not confide in troops on which he had little reliance, and he could not depend on the consent of France; that is to say, he found that the Orsini, of whom he had availed himself, would fail him at the critical moment, and not only prevenț his further acquisitions, but even deprive him of those he had made.

He had even the same conduct to dread on the part of France; he had been convinced of the