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

36
HISTORY OF THE POPES.
But Farnese now definitely declared himself against him, and
thus rendered his election impossible.^
There was great excitement when, on January 4th, a
Spanish courier arrived, and the rumour spread throughout
Rome that Philip II. had nominated one Cardinal alone as
acceptable to him, namely Ghislieri.- According to Requesens
Este's party had spread this rumour in order to stir up feelings
of resentment against Spain among the more influential
Cardinals : with Borromeo, because his uncle had not been a
special friend of the Dominican Cardinal ; with Morone,
because Ghislieri had opposed him in the conclave ; with
Ferreri and the older members of the Sacred College, because
they thought they had a better right than one of the younger
Cardinals.^ At the same time the rumour was prevalent that
the King of Spain, in accordance with the advice of his ambas
sador in Rome and the Viceroy of Naples, preferred a man who
had been Grand Inquisitor, because he was himself thinking
of introducing the Inquisition into all his kingdoms ;
for this
reason the three or four Neapolitan Cardinals took great alarm,
^ HiLLiGER, 140. The efforts that were being made on behalf
of Morone, however, caused a Florentine agent much anxiety,
so much so that he even advised the support of Morone. *Serris-
tori, January 2, 1566, State Archives, Florence, Medic. 3285, p. 3.
2 Requesens to Philip II., January 11, 1566, Corresp. dipl., I.,
82 seq. According to *Arco " e stato detto, che porta commes-
sione al commendatore [Requesens] perche favorisca Alessandrino
et Araceli, ma il commendatore nega et dice che'l re cathoUco
non vuole raccomandar alcuno. Nondimeno si sa che procura
quanto puo di parlare al card. Borromeo." To Maximilian II.,
January 5, 1566, State Archives, Vienna.
' Requesens, loc. cit. *" Le brigate tutte stupiscano che
Alessandrino sia nominato et questa cosa ha messo il cervello
a partito a molti." Este saw with satisfaction the disunion
among the adherents of Borromeo, as showing how httle Philip
II. took them into consideration. Farnese thought otherwise,
" il quale e stato con Ferrara piii d'un hora et di mesto che vi
entr6 ne usci lieto assai, essendosi visto piu lieto di lui Ferrara."
List of the conclave of January 4, attached to a *letter of Arco
of January 5 1566, State Archives, Vienna.