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.

The ladie marquesse of Mantua compounded for hir palace for the summe of fiftie thousand duc|kats,Composition [...] with the soul|diours to sa [...] certeine pla|ces vnsacked which were paied by the merchants and others retired thither: of which summe the rumor ran, that Ferrand hir sonne had ten thousand for his share. EEBO page image 897 The cardinall of Sienna dedicated in a perpetuall deuotion to the name of the emperor, after he had a|greed with the Spaniards, as well for him selfe as for his palace, was afterwards made prisoner by the lanceknights, who made bootie and preie of his pa|lace; and afterwards leading him all naked with buffets and bastanadoes into the borough, he was driuen to redéeme his life out of their hands, with a promise of fiue thousand duckats. The cardinalles Minerua and Ponsero passed vnder almost the like calamitie, who being prisoners to the lanceknights, were rated at a ransome which they paied, after they had béene in a vile spectacle caried in procession tho|rough the towne of Rome.