Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen

No one in Italy is foolish enough to trust anyone easily, and everyone understands that a passport is not worth more than the paper on which it is made.The Pope's nephew, Cardinal Borgia, then delivered himself into the hands of Orsini as a hostage.Two days later Paglo, head of the Orsini family, arrived at Imola disguised as a messenger.He was a vain, talkative, effeminate, ridiculous man.He is middle-aged, his body is fat, and the top of his head has begun to bald.He had a round, smooth face and a fussy, casual demeanor.The Duke of Valentino entertained him graciously, gave him a great banquet, and then arranged for a performance of Plautus' The Twin Brothers.The two leaders held long talks, but what was the content of the talks, Machiavelli could not exchange for money or friendship.The duke's secretaries, who had once been very friendly to him, avoided him deliberately.The only useful piece of information was that Agapito da Amalia said with a smile that the conversation was being held only to thwart and delay the enemy's action.In fact, the armies of both sides did not move at all.The Bolognese army even withdrew from the ducal lands they had previously occupied.Before long, the suspense became too much for Machiavelli, who seized upon a letter he had just received from Florence requesting an audience with the Duke.Duke Valentino met him in bed.He listened with his usual sense of humor to the Consulate's statement of the unbreakable friendship, and then turned to a subject of great concern to Machiavelli.

"I think we should have a deal," he said. "All they want is the inviolability of their city-state. We must decide how this is to be arranged. Cardinal Orsini is drawing up the terms of the peace, and we must wait to see what they are. As for As far as you are concerned, you can rest assured that nothing will happen to cause damage to your master's interests. I will not allow the slightest harm to them." He paused, and when he spoke again, he had the sort of smiling indulgence you might describe as moody in a spoiled woman. "Poor Paglo is very angry with Ramilo de Roelca. He accuses the latter of oppressing the people, embezzling public funds, and ill-treating many people under the protection of the Orsini family."

Ramilo de Roelca was one of the Duke's most trusted commanders.After the Battle of Fossom-Brown, he commanded the withdrawal of the broken troops so they could fight the next day.Duke Valentino chuckled. "It seems that once an orderly brought him some wine, and accidentally spilled it, and Ramiro flew into a rage, threw the orderly on the fire, and burned him alive. For some reason Paglow has taken an interest in the boy. I have promised to investigate the allegations and, if true, to give him a satisfactory answer." Word soon came, however, that the leaders of the rebellion were far from unanimous among themselves: while some cautious were prepared to make peace, some warlike were determined to wage war.Vitellozzo took the duke's castle at Fossom-Blanc, and two days later Olivellotto da Fermo took Camerino with lightning speed.As a result, all the land captured by the duke in the previous campaign was lost.It seems that these thugs are deliberately trying to sabotage the peace talks.Paglo Orsini was outraged.But the duke kept his composure.Bentivorius and Orsini were the strongest of his enemies, and he knew that if he could come to an agreement with them, the others would tread carefully.Paglo had traveled to Bologna, and upon his return, Agapito da Amalia told Machiavelli that an agreement had been reached and that it was now only a matter of the assent of Paglo's brother, who was a cardinal. .

Machiavelli was filled with fear.If all this is true, then the Duke of Valentino is ready to forgive the harm done to him by these rebels. If the rebels are ready to forget the fear that prompted them to take up arms, there can only be one reason, In other words, they are preparing to join hands to attack a third city, and this third city can only be Florence or Venice.Venice is strong, Florence is weak.The only thing Florence can rely on is the power of France, but this kind of protection from France is bought with money, and at this time, the cash box of the Republic is already empty.What were the French to do when faced with the brutal fact that Cesare Borgia and his reconciled chiefs had jointly invaded Florence and captured the undefended cities to which it belonged?

Machiavelli did not think highly of the French.Experience tells him that the French are more concerned about the immediate gains and losses, and they are completely insufficient in considering the long-term pros and cons.When they are asked to perform a service, their first instinct is that it will be of some benefit to them, and they keep their word only if it is in their favor.The Pope's Jubilee activities have brought huge sums to the Vatican's coffers, and his imperious practice of confiscating the property of deceased cardinals has been feeding him a steady stream of money at his disposal because The death rate of the princes of these churches has been quite high recently, and some people with malicious intentions have begun to whisper, and the Pope will take advantage of some suitable opportunities from time to time to carefully do a favor to the slow and indecisive God.So once King Louis of France was offended because the order was not carried out, he could have enough money to calm the king's anger.Duke Valentino has a well-equipped and well-trained army.The king may be very hesitant to decide whether to strike at a party which is ultimately a prince and a friend.The more Machiavelli thought about it, the more it seemed to him that that cunning Louis would accept an arrangement in which the benefits were immediately realized, but the danger involved, that Cesare Borgia might Becoming too powerful is a matter of the future.Machiavelli had every reason to worry that his beloved Florence was in danger.