s Diarium, and "Solo lo bacio," in letter
from Rome in Sanuto's Diarii)

It was, as we have seen, in February of 1498 that it was first rumoured
that Cesare intended to put off the purple; and that the rumour had
ample foundation was plain from the circumstance that the Pope was
already laying plans whose fulfilment must be dependent upon that step,
and seeking to arrange a marriage for Cesare with Carlotta of Aragon,
King Federigo of Naples's daughter, stipulating that her dowry should
be such that Cesare, in taking her to wife, should become Prince of
Altamura and Tarentum.

But Federigo showed himself unwilling, possibly in consideration of
the heavy dowry demanded and of the heavy draft already made by the
Borgias--through Giuffredo Borgia, Prince of Squillace--upon this Naples
which the French invasion had so impoverished. He gave out that he would
not have his daughter wedded to a priest who was the son of a priest and
that he would not give his daughter unless the Pope could contrive that
a cardinal might marry and yet retain his hat.

It all sounded as if he were actuated by nice scruples and high
principles; but the opinion is unfortunately not encouraged when we
find him, nevertheless, giving his consent to the marriage of his nephew
Alfonso to Lucrezia Borgia upon the pronouncement of her divorce from
Giovanni Sforza. The marriage, let us say in passing, was celebrated
at the Vatican on June 20, 1498, Lucrezia receiving a dowry of 40,000
ducats. But the astute Alexander saw to it that his family should
acquire more than it gave, and contrived that Alfonso should receive the
Neapolitan cities of Biselli and Quadrata, being raised to the title of
Prince of Biselli.

Nevertheless, there was a vast difference between giving in marriage a
daughter who must take a weighty dowry out of the kingdom and receiving
a daughter who would bring a handsome dowry with her. And the facts
suggest that such was the full measure of Federigo's scruples.

Meanwhile, to dissemble his reluctance to let Cesare have his daughter
to wife, Federigo urged that he must first take the feeling of Ferdinand
and Isabella in this matter.

While affairs stood thus, Charles VIII died suddenly at Amboise in April
of that year 1498. Some work was being carried out there by artists whom
he had brought from Naples for the purpose, and, in going to visit this,
the king happened to enter a dark gallery, and struck his forehead so
violently ag