sent to inquire what had prevented his appearance. When the messenger
arrived at the house that Caesar had left the evening before, he learned
that he had gone out at nine o'clock in the evening and not returned
since. He went back with this news to the king, who at once suspected
that he had fled, and in the first flush of his anger let the whole army
know of his perjury. The soldiers then remembered the twenty waggons, so
heavily laden, from one of which the cardinal, in the sight of all, had
produced such magnificent gold and silver plate; and never doubting that
the cargo of the others was equally precious, they fetched them down and
broke them to pieces; but inside they found nothing but stones and sand,
which proved to the king that the flight had been planned a long time
back, and incensed him doubly against the pope. So without loss of time
he despatched to Rome Philippe de Bresse, afterwards Duke of Savoy, with
orders to intimate to the Holy Father his displeasure at this conduct.
But the pope replied that he knew nothing whatever about his son's
flight, and expressed the sincerest regret to His Majesty, declaring that
he knew nothing of his whereabouts, but was certain that he was not in
Rome. As a fact, the pope was speaking the truth this time, for Caesar
had gone with Cardinal Orsino to one of his estates, and was temporarily
in hiding there. This reply was conveyed to Charles by two messengers
from the pope, the Bishops of Nepi and of Sutri, and the people also sent
an ambassador in their own behalf. He was Monsignore Porcari, dean of
the rota, who was charged to communicate to the king the displeasure of
the Romans when they learned of the cardinal's breach of faith. Little
as Charles was disposed to content himself with empty words, he had to
turn his attention to mare serious affairs; so he continued his march to
Naples without stopping, arriving there on Sunday, the 22nd of February,
1495.

Four days later, the unlucky D'jem, who had fallen sick at Capua died at