y.

The Vallombrosan monk, who thus bestead the Viceroy at his need, was, as
Varchi records, rewarded by the bishopric of Muro, in the kingdom of
Naples, which, adds the historian, "he still holds."

The fate of Rome was no longer doubtful. Clement, who by his pennywise
parsimony had left himself defenceless, made a feeble and wholly vain
attempt to put the city in a state of defence. The corrupt and cowardly
citizens could not have opposed any valid resistance to the ruffian
hordes who were slowly but surely, like an advancing conflagration,
coming upon them, even if they had been willing to do their best. But
the trembling Pope's appeal to them to defend the walls fell on the ears
of as sorely trembling men, each thinking only of the possible chances
of saving his own individual person. Yet it seems clear that means of
defence might have been found had not the Pope been thus paralyzed by
terror.

Clement, however, was as one fascinated. Martin du Bellay tells us that
he himself, then in Italy as ambassador from Francis I, hurried to Rome,
and warned the Pope of his danger in abundant time for him to have
prepared for the protection of the city by the troops he had at his
disposal. But no persuasion availed to induce Clement to take any step
for that purpose. Neither would he seek safety by flight, nor permit his
unfortunate subjects to do so. John da Casale, ambassador of Henry VIII
at Venice, writes thence to Wolsey on May 16th--the fatal tidings of the
sack of the city having just reached Venice--as follows:
"He"--Clement--"refused to quit the city for some safer place. He even
forbade by edict that anyone should carry anything out of the gates on
pain of death, though many were anxious to depart and carry their
fortunes elsewhere." Meantime Florence, for her own protection, had
hastily induced Francesco Maria, Duke of Urbino, to place himself at the
head of the remaining forces of the Italian league, and to take up a
position at Incisa, a small town in the Upper Valdarno, about twenty
miles from the city, on the road to Arezzo. Thus the torrent was turned
off from the capital of the commonwealth. Probably as soon as the
invading army once found itself to the south of Florence, that wealthy
city was in no immediate danger. Rome was metal more attractive to the
invaders, even had there not been an army between them and Florence.

And now it became frightfully clear that the doom of the Eternal City
was at hand. O