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

42
HISTORY OF THE POPES.
Ghislieri himself can hardly have expected his election ^
later on he confessed that he had only accepted it because
otherwise the Papacy might have fallen to Morone, a thing
which might easily have been harmful to the Holy See.^ In
other respects, however, he had, even during the conclave,
held out the hand of friendship to his former adversary.^
That Ghislieri had all the necessary qualities for a dis-
tinguished Pope had often been recognized, but it had not
been thought that he would ever obtain the necessary votes ;*
what had been especially feared was the opposition of
Borromeo, for it was hardly to be expected that the nephew
of Pius IV. would ever give his support to a Cardinal upon
whom his uncle had never looked with favour.^ As a matter
of fact, as he wrote to Phihp II., ever since the death
of Pius IV., Borromeo had had Ghislieri in mind, among
others, as a suitable Pope ;® if he had not at once declared
^ " Trovandosi il Papa posto in questa Sede inaspettatamente,
credo senza averci mai prima pensato." Serristori, January 23,
1566, Legaz. di Serristori 420.
* " Lo avrebbe volontieri ricusato, e lo avrebbe fatto, se avesse
pensato che fosse potuto cadere in una persona ragionevole, ma
vedeva le cose disposte in modo che dubitava non venisse in per-
sona di Morone o qualche altro soggetto, con molto danno di
questa Santa Sede." Ibid. 422.
^ Cf. the *report on the conclave of Clement VIII., Archives of
the Spanish embassy in Rome.
* Cf. supra pp. 3, i^, 21, 32, and Hilliger, 62, 65, 73.
* *" Convenne dunque Borromeo in Alessandrino, et in spatio
di due hore contro ropinioni si puo dire di tutti fu create papa,
perch e pochi volevano credere, che Borromeo fosse mai per
andare in una creatura di Paolo quarto et in uno ch'era stato
offeso non poco da papa Pio." Arco to MaximiUan II., January
12, 1566, State Archives, Vienna.
* " lo in questa attione ringratio infinitamente Dio che mi ha
fatto gratia di attendervi da di de la morte di Pio IV, sino a
quest'hoggi, spogUato d'ogni privata passione e rispetto, con
la sola mira del servitio e gloria di Dio." (Borromeo to Philip
II., January 7, 1566, Corresp. dipl., I., 79).
*" Con determinata
volontd mi diedi a far tutto quello che m'era possible per veder