the spirit that animated
his army, to show that Clement owed his personal safety only to the
strength of the castle of St. Angelo, in which he sought refuge.

The sensation produced throughout Europe by the dreadful misfortune
which had fallen on the Eternal City was immense. John da Casale, in the
letter cited above, says that it would have been better for Rome to have
been taken by the Turks, when they were in Hungary, as the infidels
would have perpetrated less odious outrages and less horrible sacrilege.
Clerk, Bishop of Bath, writes to Wolsey from Paris on May 28th
following: "Please it, your Grace, after my most humble recommendation,
to understand that about the fifteenth of this moneth, by letters sent
from Venyce, it was spoken, that the Duke of Burbon with the armye
imperyall by vyolence shold enter Rome as the 6th of this moneth; and
that in the same entree the said Duke should be slayne; and that the
Pope had savyd Himself with the Cardynalls in Castell Angell; whiche
tydinges bycause they ware not written unto Venyce, but upon relation of
a souldier, that came from Rome to Viterbe, and bycause ther cam hither
no maner of confirmation thereof unto this day, thay war not belevyd.
This day ther is come letters from Venyce confyrming the same tydinges
to be true. They write also that they have sackyd and spoylyd the town,
and slayne to the nombre of 45,000, _non parcentes nec etati nec sexui
nec ordini_; amongst other that they have murdyrd a marveillous sorte of
fryars, and agaynst pristes and churchis they have behavyd thymselfes
as it doth become Murranys and Lutherans to do."

How deeply Wolsey himself was moved by the news is seen by a letter from
him to Henry VIII, written on June 2d following. He forwards to the King
the letters "nowe arryved, as wel out of Fraunce as out of Italy,
confirming the piteous and lamentable spoiles, pilages, with most cruel
murdres, committed by the Emperialls in the citie of Rome, _non
parcentes sacris, etati, sexui, aut relioni_; and the extreme daungier
that the Poopes Holines and Cardinalles, who fled into the Castel Angel,
wer in, if by meane of the armye of the liege, they should not be
shortly socoured and releved. Which, sire, is matier that must nedes
commove and stire the hartes of al good christen princes and people to
helpe and put their handes with effecte to reformacion thereof, and the
repressing of such tirannous demenour."

Even Charles himself affected at