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.

There was small care or regard borne either to the name of fréends, factions, or fauourers;The reader is to tol [...]erate the report of this historie though sauouring of superstition. and much lesse was respected the authoritie of cardinalles and prelats, or dignitie of temples and monasteries; and lastlie, not reserued from violation, the holie reliks brought thither from all parts of the world; yea e|uen things sacred, and speciallie dedicated, were pro|faned from their shrines and holie places, and made subiect to the furious wils and discretion of the soul|diours. It is not onelie impossible to reaccount, but also to imagine the calamities of that citie raised to a woonderfull greatnesse, and appointed by Gods ordinance to suffer manie fortunes and directions, hauing beene sacked by the Goths within ix.C. and lxxx yeares. It is hard to particulate the great|nesse of the preie, both for the generall wealth and riches which the gréedie hands of the souldiours had made vp in heaps, and for other things more rare and pretious drawne out of the store-houses of mer|chants and courtiers. But the matter which made the spoile infinit in value, was the qualitie and great number of prisoners redéemed with most rich and huge ransomes.

And to make vp a full tragedie of miserie and infamie,This spec|tacle could not but affoord plentie of hart-greéfe. the lanceknights being so much the more insolent and cruell, by how much they bare hatred to the name of the church of Rome, tooke prisoners cer|teine prelats, whom with great contempt and indig|nitie they set vpon asses and leane mules, and with their faces reuersed to the crowp of the beasts, they led them thorough the citie of Rome, apparelled with the habits and markes of their dignitie: yea they passed manie of them to cruell torments, who either died in the furie of the action, or at least with the painefulnesse thereof they liued not long after, first yéelding a ransome, and afterwards rendering their liues. The generall slaughter as well at the assault as in the rage of sacking, was about foure thousand bodies. All the palaces of the cardina [...]les were sac|ked, except some particulars, who to saue the mer|chants that were retired thither with their goods, to|gither with the persons and goods of manie others reserued of the generall calamitie, made promise of great summes of monie. To whom notwithstand|ing was vsed this iniquitie, that some of them that had compounded with the Spaniards, were after|wards sacked by the lanceknights, or at least con|streined to a second ransome.