After he had plaied all his troublesome pageants, and had got by sundrie aspiring practises I wot not what péerelesse primasie, he fell sicke. Guic. pag. 631. And happilie he was then more full of high conceipts and trauelling thoughts than at anie time before: for notwithstan|ding he had brought his fortune to be equall with his desires, & obteined the thing he aspired vnto, yet his deuises and plots did nothing diminish, but grew in|creasing by the same meane which should haue satis|fied them.The purposes of pope Io [...] the second [...] his death. He had determined in the beginning of the spring and first opening of the yeare, to send to the enterprise of Ferrara which he so much desired, and his opinion was, that that state was able to make no resistance, both for that it was naked of all suc|cours, and bicause the Spanish armie was to ioine with his companies: he had secretlie bought of Ce|sar for the price of thirtie thousand duckets, the citie of Sienna for the behoofe of the duke of Urbin, to whome (except Pesera) he would neuer giue anie thing of the estate ecclesiastike, to the end to reserue to himselfe the whole glorie to haue simplie and one|lie studied for the exaltation of the church. He agreed to lend to Cesar fortie thousand duckats, receiuing Modona in gage. He threatned them of Lucquoie, who in the heat of the affaires of the duke of Ferra|ra, were become lords of Garsagnana making in|stance that they would deliuer it to him.

He was out of conceit with the cardinall of Me|dicis,The pope [...] mal content for that he thought him to cleaue more to the king catholike, than to him. And bicause he knew he was not able to dispose of the citie of Florence as he thought, he studied alredie new plots, and new practises to alter that estate. He was ill contented with the cardinall of Sion, from whome he tooke the name of legat, and inioined him to come to Rome, for that in the duchie of Millan he had appropriat to himselfe a yearelie rent of more than thirtie thou|sand duckats, of the estates and goods of diuerse per|sons. The better to assure the duke of Urbin of Si|enna by intelligences of his neighbours, he had of new taken into his paie Charles Baillon, to chase out of Perousa Iohn Paule, who by affinitie was verie neere ioined to the sonnes of Pandolffe Pe|truccio successours to the greatnesse of their father. He would of new create duke of Genes, Octauian Fregosa, deposing Ianus from that dignitie: an action wherevnto did consent the others of the house of Fregosa, bicause for the degrée that his ancestors held in that state, it séemed best to apperteine vnto him.

EEBO page image 831He studied continuallie either how he might worke out of Italie the Spanish armie, or cut it in péeces by the aid of the Swizzers, whome aboue all others he exalted and imbraced. In this deuise hée had this intention, that the kingdome of Naples be|ing occupied by him, Italie should remaine frée from strangers; a speach that often passed out of his mouth: and to that end hée had hindered that the Swizzers did not confederate with the king catho|like. And yet, as though it had beene in his power to batter all the world at one time, he continued his ac|customed rigour against the French king. And not|withstanding he had hard a message from the queene, yet he stirred vp to make warre, the king of Eng|land, to whome he had transferred by publke decree of the councell of Lateran,The king of England in| [...]tuled Christia|n [...]s [...]imo by the p [...]pe. the name of Christianissimo, whereof there was alreadie a bull written, and in it likewise was conteined the priuation of the digni|tie & name of the king of France, giuing his king|dome to who could occupie it.