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.

This furie of souldiours executed in a place of so great riches and profit, could endure no dispensati|on of anie sort or qualitie of men, seeing the prelats and cardinalles, Spanish and Germans, who made themselues assured that the souldiours of their nati|on would spare them from oppression and taxation, were taken and passed by the same measure of mi|serie and calamitie as others did. Right pitifull were the criengs and lamentations of the women of Rome:The shame|full and la|mentable ab|use which the souldiors offe|red to the fe|male sex. and no lesse woorthie of compassion, the calamitie of nunnes and virgins professed, whom the souldiours rauished by troopes out of their houses to satisfie their lust, no age, no sex, no dignitie or calling was frée from the violation of souldiours, in whom it was doubtfull whether bare more rule, the humor of crueltie to kill, or the appetite of lust to defloure, or lastlie, the rage of couetousnesse to rob and spoile: yea in the violation of these women might be discer|ned a confirmation of the iudgements of God hid|den from mortall men, for that he suffered to be deli|uered vp to the vilenesse of men, barbarous and bloo|die, the renowmed chastitie of women professed and virgins.