ALE 



Charles VIIT, in an enterpiife for the conquoft of the Wng- 

 doni of Naples, he entered into a leafjue with tl\e Venetians 

 and with Maximilian, to rob him of the fruits of liis vidory ; 

 and, after having obtained a large remittance from the lultan 

 Bajazet, in order to enable him to carry on war againll this 

 king of France, he delivered up to him Zi/.om, the brother 

 of Bajazet. His perfidy was only exceeded by his hypo- 

 crify ; for, notwithllanding his notorious vices, lie propofed 

 to the ChrilUan princes to march at the head of an army 

 againll the Turks ; and under this pretext he ilTucd a bull for 

 B jubilee in 1500, by which he contrived to enrich his Irea- 

 fury. Of his prefumption, as well as of his hypocrify, we 

 have a curious fptcimen in his divifion of America between 

 the Spaniards and thi Portuguefe. For this purpofehe ap- 

 pointed that a line, iuppefed to be drawn from pole to pole, 

 a hundred leagues to the wellward of the Azores, ihould 

 ferve as a limit between them ; and, in the plenitude ol his 

 power, he bellowed all to the call of this imaginary line 

 upon the Portuguefe, and all to the well of it upon the Spa- 

 niards. At the fame time he profeffes, that zeal for pro- 

 pagating the ChrilUan faith, which was the confideration 

 urged by Ferdinand in foliciting a bull for this purpofe, 

 was his chief motive for ifl'uing it. In confcquence of this 

 bull, a great number of Francifcans and Dominicans were 

 employed, with the avowed defign of inllrufling and con- 

 verting the Americans, both in the ifles and on the conti- 

 nent. 



The profligate career of this execrable hypocrite and ty- 

 rant was continued till the year 1 503, when the poifon which 

 he and his fon Csfar had prepared for others, and particularly 

 for Adrian, a wealthy cardinal, who Hood in the way of 

 their avarice and ambition, by a happy millake, terminated his 

 own days. Some writers, amongll wliom is Voltaire, have 

 difputed this account of AleNander's death ; but Guicciar- 

 dini and other reputable hillorians atteft it. The life and 

 actions of this pontiff fhew, fays Molheim, that there was a 

 Nero among the popes as well as among the emperors. The 

 crimes and enormities which hiflory has imputed to this papal 

 Nero, evidently prove him to have been not only dellitutc of 

 all religious and virtuous principles, but even rtgardlefs of 

 decency, and hardened againll the very feelings of (hame. 

 Befides other inllanccs of infamous licentioufneis with which 

 he is chargeable, he is accufed of incelt with his own daugh- 

 ter. And though it may be poffible that the malignity of 

 his enemies may have forged falfe accufations againft him, 

 and in fome inilances exaggerated the horror of his real 

 crimes, yet there is upon record an authentic lilt of un- 

 doubted fafts, v/hich, by both their number and atrocity, are 

 fufficient to render the name of Alexander VI. odious and de- 

 tellable in the elleem of fuch as have the fmallell tincture of 

 virtuous principles and feehngs. His infatiuble avarice is 

 pointedly exprefled, fays one of his biographers, in the fol- 

 lowing lines : 



" Vendit Alexander claves, altaria, Chriftum, 

 Vendere jure poteft ; emerat ille prins." 



" Chrift's akars, keys, and Chriil liimfelf, 

 Werebavter'd by this pope for pelf : 

 Ent who fliall fay he did not well ? 

 That which he bought, he fure might fell." 



Dupin's Eecl. Hid. vol. vi. p. 14. Bower's Pope.-., vol. vli. 

 p. 328. Gen. Did. Gordon's Life of Alex. Vl. by Gor- 

 don. Amil. 1732. Modieim's Eccl. Hill. vol. iii. p. 431. 

 Robcrtfon's America, vol. i. p. 162. 8vo. 



Alkxandfr. VII. pope, was born of the illuftrious fa- 

 r»ily of Chighi, at Sitnna, in 1599, and rccymiucnJed by 



V»L. I. 



ALE 



the marquis Pallavicini to pope Urban VIII. Having been 

 inqnifitor at Malta, and legate at Fcirara, lie was nuncio iii 

 Gennany, and employed at Mundcr in condufting the con- 

 ftrences that were intended to rellore the peace of Europe. 

 Some writers relate, that at this time he had formed the de- 

 fign of abjuring popery, and embracing the protcilant reli- 

 gion, but that he was deterred from executing his pni-pofe 

 by the fate of a civilian, who had been polfoncd on a fimilar 

 account ; and that he was confirmed in his religion by the 

 elevation to the cardinalthip. Upon his return from lhi» 

 mbafly, he was appointed bifhop of Imola, in Romagna, 

 and afterwards cardinal and fecretary totlie pope. His next 

 advancement was to the papal chair, to which he was intro- 

 duced bv the unanimous fuffrage of the 64 cardinals, which 

 he contrived to obtain by that diffimulation and addrcfs, of 

 which he is faid to have been complete mailer. After his 

 eledion, m 1655, he ordered his collin to be placed under hit 

 bed in his apartments in the Vatican, that it might ferve to 

 him as a memento of mortality ; when he was robed in the 

 pontifical habit, he appeared to have a hair-cloth under his 

 iliirt ; and when a wealthy female, fignora Oiympia, waited 

 upon him with congratulation, he difmifTed her with a cold 

 repulfe, faying, " It is not decent for a woman to enter the 

 dwelling of the father of the ci.urch." That the whole of 

 this appearance of humility and felf-denial was a farce, wa« 

 fufficieatly verified by his future condud. The diilingnifh- 

 ing feature of his charader, next to his craft and diffimula- 

 tion, was a'l attachment to his relations, for whom he pro- 

 vided by all the offices and honours which he could command. 

 His /.eal for religion, and his concern for terminating the 

 wars wliich dillraded the Chridian woild, fecm to have fnb- 

 fided after his elevation to the pontificate : nor did he take 

 any pains to conciliate the crowns of France and .Spain. The 

 five propofitions of Janfenius, which contained the fum of 

 his dodriue, had been condemned by Innocent X. ; but the 

 Janfenills havl contrived to evade this fentence by a fubtle 

 dlftindion, which allowed them to acknovvlege that thefe 

 propofitions were juftly condemned by the pope; but at the 

 fame time to maintain, thai they were not contained in the 

 book of Janfenius in the fcnfe in which they were condemned. 

 The benefit of this artful diflindion they were not permitted 

 long to enjoy. At the infligation of their enemies, Alex- 

 ander VII. the fucccfTor of Innocent, ilTued a bull, in 1656, 

 declaring, that the five propofitions which had been con- 

 demned were the tenets of Janfenius, adually cgntaincd in 

 his book. He proceeded, in 16^)5, to fend into France the 

 form of a declaration to this purpole, which was to be fub- 

 fcribed by all thofe who afpired to any preferment in the 

 church. This declaration produced the moll deplorable di. 

 vifions and tumults. It was vigoroufly oppofed by the Jan- 

 fenills, who maintained, that in matters of fad the pope was 

 fallible, efpecially when his decifions were pcrfonal, and not 

 confirmed by a general council; and,confequently, that they 

 were under no obligation to fnbfcribe this papa! declaration, 

 ■ which had merely for its objeft a matter of fac^. Notwith- 

 llanding this unv, ife and intolc.-ant bull, Alexander is faid to 

 have been liberal in his fentiraents ; to have difapprovcd the 

 feveritics exercifed t6wards the Vaudoisin Piedmont, and to 

 have treated the protellaiitswho vifitcd Rome with condefctii 

 fion. It is further related, that when fome Englifu gentlemen 

 prefented themfelves at his feet; to pay him the cuilomary ho- 

 mage, upon finding that they were proteilants, he courieoufly 

 faid, " Rife, you dial! not commit what you think an idolati^ : 

 I will not give you mybleffing, but I pray Gojyou may be 

 worthy to receive it." To the Jcfuits this pontifi manifelled 

 a peculiar partiahty ; for though Innocent X. Iiad, in 1545, 

 condcttiued Uie indulgence which thefe artful miffiouaries had 



4 L fltewK 



