cumstances, the vicar of Jesus Christ entered into J.C. 1495. Heg. 900. a league with the emperor of the Muffulmen against the eldest son of the Church. Alexander dispatched a nuncio to Bajazet, to warn him, that the king of France was approaching, at the head of a numerous army, and that he wanted to force fultan Zizim from his hands, in order to employ that prince against him the emperor: that the pope was thoroughly determined to oppofe this enterprife, particularly to hinder Charles VIII. from approaching Rome, but that he could not carry on fuch an important war, without fuck cours, and that he impatiently expected three years of Zizim's penfion. The pontiff reprefented to the Turkish emperor, that the head of his brother was for the highest bidder; he added, that the foudan of Egypt offered him confiderable fums for the ranfom of that prince.

Bajazet, when he fent the pope the money demanded, endeavoured to obtain from him the murder of his brother. He wrote him: “Zi"zim, in the bottom of a prison, does but languifh; he is more than half dead; it would "be doing him a kindness, to fend him by an "eafy death, to the place where he would enjoy "eternal repose." This letter concluded with offering him three hundred thousand ducats. Whether Alexander wanted to make more money of this crime, or that he thought it more advantageous to retain Zizim in fetters, he let him

>

J.C. 1495 live 'till Charles VIII. being arrived in Italy, Heg. 900. without any thing's withstanding him, obliged the pope himself to feek his fafety in the castle of St. Angelo. The pontiff was obliged to have recourse to negociation; the immenfe fums which Alexander had ravished from Chriftendom served to palliate his crimes; he gained over all the minifters and favorites of Charles VIII. and promised to adhere inviolably to the party of the king of France, 'whom he was firmly refolved to abandon as foon as he should be out of his hands. At length, a cardinal's hat for Brifonnet the minister, and the person of Zizim, whom the pope delivered to Charles VIII. were the feal of the

treaty concluded in 1495. But the fovereign pontiff, confidering himself bound in confcience to keep his word with the emperor of the Turks, caufed his unfortunate brother to be poifoned, a few days after the French king, who was anxious to get poffeffion of Naples, had brought that prince to Terracina. Cardinal Borgia, fince duke of Valentinois, a bastard of the pope, whom Charles VIII. had taken with him as a hostage, fled, through favor of the darkness, the fame night that this outrage was committed. It was fupposed, that he had been the worthy inftrument of the policy of his father.*

This

This pontiff, "of all bad men the worft," after having been guilty of every crime, met with the end which he fo justly merited. He declared himself, as pope, not only the heir of the cardinals, but likewife of every

prelate

This happy event for Bajazet encouraged him J.C.1495. Heg. 900. to declare war against the Venetians. The difficulties of commerce, always fubfifting between these two powers, were a pretext for arming. The Venetians, who believed themselves more powerful by fea than the Turks, did not decline the contest. The fultan fitted out a confiderable fleet. The republic, informed of these preparations, which could hardly regard any one but them, armed on their fide, notwithstanding the affurances given their ambaffador by the viziers, that the ancient treaties with them enfured a conftant peace. But Bajazet's refufal to fign anew these treaties, tranflated from the Italian into the Ottoman language, informed the ambaffador, how little the Venetians had to depend on them. And indeed it is a common opinion among the Muffulmen, that they are not obliged to keep their words, not even their oaths, unless Ff2 thefe

prelate who should die at Rome. Alexander, and his fan Cæfar Borgia, having taken an exact account of the fortunes of these deplorable victims, meditated to poison the richest of them. Not daring to invite them to the Vatican, for fear of giving a suspicion, they prepared an entertainment in the country houfe of cardinal Adrian Cornetto, and took care to mix among feveral bottles of the best Italian wine, a bottle empoisoned. The fervant to whom they had confided this horrible fecret being abfent when the pope and Cæfar arrived, and they wanting fome refreshment, he, who fupplied his place, fell by chance on the empoisoned bottle. The effect was fudden and dreadful. The pope fell dangerously ill the fame evening, and died at the end of eight days a prey to grief and remorfe. Though Cæfar, by the vigour of his age, and an antidote taken immediately, faved his life; he remained for a long time in a ftate of imbecility and languishment infinitely worse than death itfelf. Tranflator.

1.C. 1495. thefe engagements be written in their native Heg. 900.

War with

the repub.

tongue.

The two fleets were ready nearly at the fame lic of Ve- time. That of the Turks was composed of two

nice.

J.C. 1500. hundred and fifty fail. The emperor, who did Heg. 905. not like the fea, gave the command of this fleet

to his vizier Mustapha, and went himself by land along the Morea. The Venetians, whofe fleet was compofed only of forty-fix galleys, fifty large veffels, and forty lefs ones, were not intimidated by the inferiority of their number. Admiral beat the Grimani, who commanded them, fought to enby fea, and gage: he foon met the enemy; the combat commenced with all the advantage which fupeLepanto rior manoeuvres always give the Chriftians over

The Turks

Venetians

take the

town of

the Turks. But when Grimani thought himself certain of the victory, the Turks discharged a fhower of inflamed arrows, which fet fire to the fails and cordage; the fire presently produced confufion; Grimani was either frighted or badly obeyed; in an inftant fortune and victory changed; the Venetian fleet was burnt or difperfed, and a great number of failors, in precipitating themselves from the inflamed veffels, met death in the waves which they had endeavoured to hun. The Turks, vanquishers, haftened to improve their advantage; they undertook the fiege of Lepanto by land and fea, and, in a few days, made themfelves mafters of that important place. The Venetians, afhamed of their defeat, preffed their

admiral

́admiral to return to the combat fome days after, J.C. 1500. Heg. 1905. with what veffels he had been able to gather together. But whether Grimani's fleet was too much damaged to give him hopes of beating a victorious enemy, or that he wanted abilities or courage, he refolved to return to Venice, where the refentment of his fellow citizens attended him.

In effect, the fenate demanded of him an account of a conduct, which every one termed cowardice. Grimani appeared before the grand council ('tis thus they term at Venice the general affembly of all the nobles in whom is the fovereign authority). It was convoked, left the culprit should find favor from a too small number of judges. The admiral was conducted into this auguft affembly, loaded with chains, which his fon, a cardinal, sustained for him to leffen their weight. Several were for putting him to death, though Grimani had lent to the republic, a large fum of money, without intereft, to fit out this fame fleet, which he had made such a bad use of. At length, by the plurality of voices, he was ftripped of the dignities of admiral and procurator of St. Mark's, and banished, for the remainder of his days, to the ifle of Cherfo. Trevifano fucceeded the unfortunate Grimani as admiral.

Modon.

The news foon arrived of the Turks' having Taking of befieged Modon by land and fea. The Venetian fleet left Zante and failed to fuccour the be

fieged.