of secondary States, and of little tyrannies, Rome was set on high, the
most exalted, yet the weakest of all, without influence, without lands,
without an army, without gold. It was the concern of the new pope to
secure all this: let us see, therefore, what manner of man was this
Alexander VI, for undertaking and accomplishing such a project.




CHAPTER III

RODERIGO LENZUOLO was barn at Valencia, in Spain, in 1430 or 1431, and on
his mother's side was descended, as some writers declare, of a family of
royal blood, which had cast its eyes on the tiara only after cherishing
hopes of the crowns of Aragon and Valencia. Roderigo from his infancy had
shown signs of a marvellous quickness of mind, and as he grew older he
exhibited an intelligence extremely apt far the study of sciences,
especially law and jurisprudence: the result was that his first
distinctions were gained in the law, a profession wherein he soon made a
great reputation by his ability in the discussion of the most thorny
cases. All the same, he was not slow to leave this career, and abandoned
it quite suddenly far the military profession, which his father had
followed; but after various actions which served to display his presence
of mind and courage, he was as much disgusted with this profession as
with the other; and since it happened that at the very time he began to
feel this disgust his father died, leaving a considerable fortune, he
resolved to do no more work, but to live according to his own fancies and
caprices. About this time he became the lover of a widow who had two
daughters. The widow dying, Roderigo took the girls under his protection,
put one into a convent, and as the other was one of the loveliest women