The history of the popes, from the close of the middle ages : drawn ...

THE REPORT OF REQUESENS I3
Ricci and Dolcra might be furthered, while the Cardinal of
Ferrara and all Frenchmen must be excluded.
When Pius IV. decided the quarrel about precedence
between the French and Spanish ambassadors against Spain,
Philip II. recalled his ambassador, but kept him at Genoa, and
told him to draw up a statement on the next Papal election,
and the prospects of all the Cardinals. Requesens complied
with these instructions by giving a sketch of the whole College
of Cardinals in a lengthy document.^ The outstanding
personality, in his opinion, was undoubtedly Morone.
Requesens describes him as a vigorous m.an, of but fifty-seven
years of age, and he adds the following remarks : " Morone
is a man of agreeable character and wide experience, and for
thirty years the most difficult missions have been entrusted
to him ; if he were Pope he would do honour to his office, as
no one else could do. On the other hand he is quite inscrut-
able, and no one can say whether in his heart he is well disposed
towards the Spaniards, besides which, he lies under the
reproach of having been in the hands of the Inquisition.
Another very distinguished Cardinal, Alessandro Farnese,
must be regarded with suspicion as far as Spain is concerned,
on account of the whole history of his family. He is not more
then forty-six, but has already some grey hairs ;
he is already
one of the six Cardinal Bishops, has many friends, and a
great gift of making new ones ;
thus the hope which he enter-
tains of gaining the tiara is well founded. Ricci, too, who is
already seventy, but very vigorous, has good prospects, since
he is old and much liked, and has the support of the Duke of
Florence. He has had much experience of Rome, is very
prudent, and would be a friend to Spain. ^ On the other hand,
the Cardinal of Ferrara, Ippolito d'Este, who is clever and well
versed in politics, is altogether on the side of France. He
will never give up his attempts to obtain the Papacy, of which
^Letter of January 5, 1565, m Dollinger, Beitrage, I.,
571-588.
^ Ibid. 573 seq.
''Ibid. 578.