Rome taken and sacked.In which disorder, some tooke the waie which his fortune and not his wit laid out for him: some in the astonishment séeking to flie, who durst no more fight, were slaine by the enimie afore he could re|solue vpon the waie of his safetie; some either better prepared, or more happilie preserued, found that safe|tie in running away, which they could not but doubt if they had longer endured the fight: and some with that resolution which their present calamitie would suffer, ran by heapes towards the castell, where in place of rescue they found a feare conformable to their owne: insomuch as all things being reduced to confusion and manifest flight, the suburbs were entierlie abandoned & left a preie to the victors. And the person of the pope, who expected with great deuo|tion in the palace of Uatican what would be the issue of the assault, hearing that the enimies were entred, had also (with the others) his passions of feare & frail|tie,The pope with certeine cardinals flie to the castell of saint Angelo. and in that timorous contemplation of his owne perill, he fled with certeine cardinalles to the castell.

His feare kept him from being resolute in a pe|rill that was so desperate, neither did he thinke, that with the presence and maiestie of his person, though it was couered with the vaile of the highest dignitie on earth, he was able to put by the danger, which the valor and fidelitie of his souldiers could not defend with their weapons. There he consulted with the cardinalles, whether it were more for his safetie to remaine there, or during the furie of the astonish|ment, to retire with the light horssemen of his gard into some place of more suertie by the waie of Rome. But he, who was appointed by destinie, to be an example of the calamities that maie thunder vpon popes, and how fraile is the authoritie and ma|iestie of that sée, being certified by the relation of Berard de Padoa, who was fled from the armie imperiall, that the duke of Burbon was dead, and that the whole armie standing abated in courage for the death of their capteine, desired to come to accord with him. In which matter they sent out men to parlée with the principalles there, he wretchedlie left there all his councelles to go awaie, both he and his capteins remaining no lesse irresolute in the prouisions for defense, than they had beene slow in the expeditions.

So that the daie following, the Spaniards nei|ther séeing order nor councell to defend the quarter beyond Tiber, entred the place without anie resi|stance. And from thence, not finding anie impedi|ments to stop their victorie, the same euening they entred the citie of Rome by the bridge Xisto,; where,The Spani|ards enter in|to Rome by the bridge Xisto. except such as reapposed in the confidence of their fa|ction, and certeine cardinalles, who for that they bare a name to embrace the emperours quarrell, be|léeued to find more suertie than the others, all the re|sidue of the court and citie (as happeneth in accidents so furious) was conuerted into fléeing and confusi|on. But the souldiours being within the citie, which they knew wanted nothing to make them right glo|rious, and well satisfied of all things apperteining to their desires, they began to omit no time to execute the thing they had so dearlie bought. Euerie one ran to pillage with the same vnbridled libertie, which in such cases maketh souldiors both insolent and im|pious.