questions of literary authority, and the investigation of ancient records, chronicles, and other documents similar to the Diary of Burchard. Muratori cites it in confirmation of his own. statements. It is hardly necessary to say more in its defence from Rochrbacher's puny efforts to impugn its veracity and validity.

In the Annals of Muratori of the year 1501, a passage occurs, which will be found elsewhere in extenso, in the original Italian, wherein he states, that Alexander took a favourable opportunity of breaking down the noble houses of Colonna and Savelli, which were in favour of Frederic, king of Naples. "Against them, in the first place, he fulminated the censures of the church, all penalties both spiritual and temporal; he made war on their territories, he went in person to the siege of Sermoneta, and committed, as John Burchard has it in his diary, the whole camera, the entire palace, and the current affairs to his daughter, Lucretia Borgia, who in his absence inhabited the apartments of the pope. And he gave to her authority to open his letters, and any difficult matter should arise, she was to have the counsel of the Cardinal of Lisbon and some others (of the cardinals) whom she might call on for this purpose.'

if

This mode of government did honour to the pope, "poco ci vuole per conoscerlo."

Rochrbacher makes two unavailing attempts to discredit Burchard's testimony against Alexander the Sixth. He tells his

readers "they must guard against giving credence to the testimony of Guicciardini, who dissimulates not his hatred, toute Florentine, against the Borgias, still less to a diary of a German, who truly German, en veritable Teuton, seeks always to find fault with a man of the south. . .Ӡ

"The author of the 'Galerie Universelle,"" he continues, "in spite of his philosophic tendency, permits himself to laugh at those suppers of Trimal cion at which Burchard makes him, 'Alexander,' assist too often."

Annales D'Italia Muratori, Anno 1501, tom. xiv. p. 12.
Rochrbacher, tome xxii. p. 325.

There is not the least reason to believe that the journal of Burchard has been falsified by Protestants or by any others; on the contrary, there is in it intrinsic evidence of authenticity. The Jesuit Feller says of its author: "He held the office of master of the ceremonies, and in 1483 was nominated bishop of the see of Castello, and died the 6th of May, 1505. He is author of the Journal or 'Diarium' of Alexander the Sixth, a curious work, written in a simple style, quaint and unpolished-ouvrage curieux d'un style simple naif et barbare-which has not been yet entirely published. He wrote also the Ordo Pro Informatione Sacerdotum.'

Roscoe speaks of the explicit evidence of Burchard, who appears to have intruded himself into the most secret transactions of the Apostolic See, as conclusive on the subject he refers to.t

In several other references to his Diary, he speaks of it as the production of a blunt, truth-telling man.

I proceed to give some extracts from the Diary, translated from the work of Burchard, in the original Latin, existing in the library of Trinity College, Dublin. The edition I quote from is entitled-" Specimen Historia Arcana sive Anecdota de Vita Alexandri VI. Papa Seu Excerpta ex Diario Johannis Burchardi, Argentinensi Capella Alexandri VI. Papa Clerici Ceremoniarum Magistri.-Edente G. G. L. Hanoveræ, 1696” (4to. 108 pages).

In the preface, the editor, G. G. L., fills up the initials, and signs himself in full, Godefridus Gulielmus Leibnitius. That honoured name is a guarantee that the Diary of Burchard suffered no falsification or interpolations at his hands, and that as it was published by him, he believed it to be genuine and authentic. He states that it made its first appearance in the reign of Louis the Eleventh, but it had not come down to the times in which he, Leibnitz, wrote, entire and perfect—“ Integrum ejus Diarium ad manus, nostras non pervenit. Excerptis itaque contentos nos esse apportet." . . . . Those specimens, he observes, are illustraFeller's Dictionnaire Historique, art. Burch. tom. i. p. 397. † Roscoe, Life of Leo X.

tive of the affairs, not only of "a court, than which, perhaps, Rome nor the universe ever saw anything more flagitious, and amongst the enormities prevailing in it, the three capital viceslust, perfidy, and cruelty"—but of political affairs and diplomatic matters of great moment.

"The transactions," says Leibnitz, "in which Alexander the Sixth and Cæsar Borgia were concerned, have been eloquently treated of by many distinguished writers, but it is profitable and desirable also to read of them in journals written in a simple style, and as far as we can judge of them, by an author equally removed from the influence of feelings of hate and love, an eyewitness of the things he relates, in a respectable position, enlarging on many things, from which a more correct judgment may be formed."*

The Diary begins with the election of Alexander the Sixth, the 12th August, 1492. At the commencement, the entries in the journal are made in different languages, the Latin, however, prevailing throughout the whole Diary. The Latin sometimes is strangely jumbled with French and Italian, without any apparent design, the French sometimes running into Italian, and the Italian into Latin; but the sense of the passages where this occurs, is never confused or obscured.

But this very circumstance tends to establish the authenticity of this portion of the Diary. It would appear as if occurrences were noted down by this author, an officer having numerous avocations, on the spur of the moment, and probably the introduction of those passages in foreign languages was owing to interruptions in his journal, and communication at the time with natives of the countries in which those languages were spoken.

This Diary likewise exists in the "Corpus Historiæ Mediava," A Johanne Georgio Eccardo, under the title of " Diarium Curiæ Romanæ Sub Alessandro Sexto."

Among the remarkable events recorded in the Diary for the year 1493, is the news, being received in Rome, of the sudden and unprovided death of Ferdinand, king of Sicily and Naples

*Prefatio Leibnisii ad Diarium Burchardi, p. 1.

"qui obiit sine lume sine cruce et sine Deo."

"The son

of Ferdinand Alphonzo, of Arragon the Second, had the right of succession to the throne of Naples by the ordinance of Pope Innocent the Sixth, nevertheless the king of France, who pretended a right to that throne, pressed his suit on the Pope to have the investiture' of that kingdom- pour traverser le droit du dit Royasime au dict Alphonse á quoi le Pape n'eut aucun regard."" The Pope, on the contrary, created the cardinal of Montreal to invest Alphonzo with the kingdom of Naples, to consecrate and crown him, which was accordingly done with great pomp at Naples by the legate.*

"At the same time," (1493) says Burchard, " as this ceremony, the new king, Alphonzo, created John Borgia, son of the Pope, the Duke of Gandia-Prince de Clarmont, Count of Laura, and of and also Jeoffrey Borgia, another son of the Pope, he created Prince of Squillace, and of Cariatta, Prothonotary and Lieutenant of the king of Sicily-citra Pharum-and also made him a knight of St. George.

"The 17th of November, 1494, the King of France entered Florence (Charles the Eighth) with great pomp, with inscriptions, some having these words-Rex et Restaurator Libertatis.'

"The 31st of December, 1494, the King of the French having arrived in Rome, the master of the ceremonies (Burchard) was sent by the Pope to confer with his Majesty. Also some deputies from the Roman citizens, but the king was not communicative- parvum respondit et nihil ad propositum.'

"There were evident signs of rejoicings in the streets. The keys of the city were given up to the king. Fires were lighted, torches were kept burning, and houses were illuminated, all crying out Francia, Francia, Colonna, Colonna, Vinc ula, Vincula.'

"It was observed that there were great robberies committed in Rome by the French; the Colonnas at their head entering the houses and palaces, pillaged and carried away everything they * Diarium, p. 6.

could. They entered even the house of the master of the ceremonies (Burchard himself), and put up their horses in the stables, and took away his own, and carried away every thing they wished. On the 6th of January, 1495, some French spoiled and plundered the house of Paul de Branda, a Roman citizen. His two sons were killed, and many others of the Jews were killed, and their houses spoiled, and in like manner the house of lady Rosa, the mother of the most reverend Cardinal Valentinus'simmiler domus Domina Rosa Matris, R. D. Cardinalis Valentini.'

(It is well to bear in mind that this outrage was offered to the mother of Cæsar Borgia, the man of a long hand and a long memory for injuries and insults).

"In January, 1495, when the treaty was made with the king of France, Charles the Eighth, then in possession of the city, Alexander was shut up in the castle of St. Angelo with four cardinals, one of whom was Valentinus.†

"On the 18th of the same month, the king obtained an interview with his holiness. The Pope met his Majesty in the garden of the castle. When the king saw his holiness, at some short distance, he made two genuflexions, which his holiness feigned not to see; then the king made a third genuflexion, and the Pontiff approached his majesty, still kneeling, and kissed him. Both were uncovered, but the king kissed neither the hand nor the foot of his holiness- sicque Rex nec pedem, nec manum Papæ osculatus est.'+

"The Pope, with the left hand, taking the king's right hand, led him to the apartment prepared for the interview, The Camera Papagalli.' When they entered that apartment, the Pope feigned one of his fainting fits, and was conducted to a low seat near a window, while the king was placed in a high chair beside his holiness.

"On the 19th, a consistory was held to receive the king's 'obedience.' The master of the ceremonies, Burchard, was sent to the king the day previously, to tell his majesty what he was * Diarium, p. 15. + Idem, p. 26.

Idem.