第4部分 (第5/7頁)
季提示您:看後求收藏(奇妙書庫www.qmshu.tw),接著再看更方便。
y knife at his side。 The barbarity ofthis spectacle caused the people to be at once satisfied and dismayed。But let us return whence we started。 I say that the duke; findinghimself now sufficiently powerful and partly secured from immediatedangers by having armed himself in his own way; and having in a greatmeasure crushed those forces in his vicinity that could injure him if hewished to proceed with his conquest; had next to consider France; for heknew that the king; who too late was aware of his mistake; would notsupport him。 And from this time he began to seek new alliances and totemporize with France in the expedition which she was making towards thekingdom of Naples against the Spaniards who were besieging Gaeta。 It washis intention to secure himself against them; and this he plished had Alexander lived。Such was his line of action as to present affairs。 But as to the futurehe had to fear; in the first place; that a new successor to the Churchmight not be friendly to him and might seek to take from him that whichAlexander had given him; so he decided to act in four ways。 Firstly; byexterminating the families of those lords whom he had despoiled; so asto take away that pretext from the Pope。 Secondly; by winning to himselfall the gentlemen of Rome; so as to be able to curb the Pope with theiraid; as has been observed。 Thirdly; by converting the college more tohimself。 Fourthly; by acquiring so much power before the Pope should diethat he could by his own measures resist the first shock。 Of these fourthings; at the death of Alexander; he had acplished three。 For he hadkilled as many of the dispossessed lords as he could lay hands on; andfew had escaped; he had won over the Roman gentlemen; and he had themost numerous party in the college。 And as to any fresh acquisitio