You know that immediately after the Death of Pope Benedict XIII. the Populace ran to Coscia’s Palace, plunder’d it, and wou’d have torn the Cardinal Limb from Limb, if he had not escap’d by a Back-door; after which, he disguis’d himself, and left the City. He ought not to have come back again, or else he shou’d have got a safe Conduct from his Collegues, whereby he might have been sure of a Permission to retire to his Archbishoprick of Benevento, after the Election of the new Pope; but he did not take this Precaution. He came and assisted at the Conclave, and afterwards went to live in his Palace. The new Pope threaten’d him with the Castle of St. Angelo; whereupon he was frighten’d, and march’d out of the Country; which is charg’d upon him as a Crime, because a Bull of Innocent X. of the Pamphili Family, publish’d the 19th of February, 1646, injoins, that no Cardinal shall depart out of the Dominions of the Holy See, without Leave of the Pope; with this Clause moreover, that the Cardinal who disobeys it shall be summon’d three times in the Space of fifteen Months, viz. once at the End of each six Months, and the last Time at the End of three Months after the second Citation; and if then the Cardinal be still obstinate, and does not return, he shall be depriv’d of the
Hat. Coscia has as yet been cited but once, and does not seem inclin’d to return, tho’ his Acquaintance don’t stick to affirm that he will. Mean time, he has been depriv’d of the Archbishoprick of Benevento, which the Pope has conferr’d on[12] M. Doria, the first Gentleman of his Bed-chamber; a Thing so unusual, that Cardinal Coscia complain’d of it bitterly, tho’ to no manner of Purpose. I question whether the Cardinal will ever come hither again, even tho’ the Pope were to give him his Passport: And really, what happen’d to M. Targa, his Brother, is enough to deter him; for this Prelate coming to Venice, after he had been at Vienna, soliciting the Emperor’s Protection for himself and his Brother in vain, the Pope order’d him to return to Rome; which, after having desir’d, and obtain’d Promise of a Safeguard for his Person, he did accordingly, and took up his Lodging in a Convent. But two Days after this, the Pope sent him an Order to remove to another, and not to stir out of it without his Leave. Targa yields Obedience, and the Monks, to whose Guard he was committed, watch him narrowly; yet for all this, there came certain Soldiers one Night, who carry’d him off to the Castle of St. Angelo; which seems to be the very Safeguard that the Pope intended by his Promise; for there he is closely confin’d, and can speak to nobody. These severe Acts of Justice are frequent in the Pontificate of Clement XII. who taking a Fancy to undo every thing that was done by his Predecessor, on Pretence that the said Pope alienated the Rights of the Holy See, we hear of
nothing but Writs and Attachments. The wisest Men, or, if you will, the greatest Criminals, get out of the Way, while others suffer themselves to be arrested, as did Signior Sardini, who was impeach’d of having put the late Pope upon making a Treaty with the King of Sardinia, by which the Holy Father granted that Prince the Nomination to all the Bishopricks and Benefices in his Kingdom. This Prelate was arrested in his House in the Night-time, and committed to the Castle of St. Angelo, where he is kept a Prisoner of State[13]. Not many Days before he was arrested, all his Papers were seiz’d, which he desir’d to have again for the Vindication of his Conduct, but they were refus’d. Some Days ago the Pope sent to tell him, that he had his Leave to justify himself, if he cou’d; to which Sardini made Answer, That he had nothing to say; that the Pope shou’d be his Judge, and Cardinal Corsini, his Holiness’s Nephew, shou’d be his Advocate: But all this has stood him in no stead; he is still in Prison, and ’tis said, that the Pope will either behead or pardon him.
Some time ago Cardinal Ottoboni made Interest for one Nocera, a Canon, who was in Trouble also upon Sardini’s Account; and he desir’d the Pope that he wou’d please to call in the Writ issued for attaching the Person of Nocera, who was retir’d to a Sanctuary at Albano. The Pope made Answer to the Cardinal, That he was sorry he
cou’d not grant him his Request; but that he wou’d not charge his Conference with the Sin of having suffer’d Iniquity to pass with Impunity. ‘We are old, said the Holy Father; and our Age tells us, that it can’t be long before we shall appear at God’s Tribunal; therefore we are desirous of so behaving, that we may hope there to find Mercy; but this is what we dare not expect, if we don’t let Justice take its Course. Who knows, my dear Cardinal, whether we shall live till To-morrow?’ ‘Your Holiness, reply’d the Cardinal, ought not to think of dying so soon: For God generally grants to great Princes two Stages of Life, one wherein to display their Justice, and the other their Mercy. He has permitted your Holiness to finish the Career of Justice, and ’tis to be hop’d, that he will also permit you to run that of Mercy.’
I will conclude my long Letter with a very curious Anecdote, which I had from Cardinal Imperiali, who has had the Purple so long, that he is actually grown grey in it. As he was talking one Day of the Bull of Innocent X. which forbids the Cardinals from departing the Ecclesiastical State without the Pope’s Leave, he told me, That Innocent X. fulminated this Bull by reason of the Elopement of Cardinal Astalli, his Kinsman, when he went to deprive him of his Hat. What gave Occasion to all the Rout was this: After the Portuguese had shook off the Yoke of the Spaniards, and restor’d the Braganza Family to the Throne, the King of Spain, who always took the Title of King of Portugal, pretended that ’twas his Right to nominate to the Bishopricks and Benefices that became vacant in Portugal. The Pope was at that time in so much Subjection to the Spaniards, that this Plea of their Monarch perplex’d him sadly. At last he thought of
extricating himself out of this Difficulty, by referring it to a Consistory to nominate to the Portuguese Bishopricks, and he resolv’d to assemble one with all Speed for that Purpose. He imparted his Design to no Person but the Cardinal Secretary of State, and the Cardinal Astalli, whom he injoin’d not to speak of it on Pain of Death. The Evening when the Consistory was to be summon’d for the next Day, the Ambassador of Spain made such an earnest Application for an Audience of him, that he durst not refuse it. The Minister therein told him, That he was inform’d of his Design; and at the same time protested against every thing that shou’d be done in the said Consistory, contrary to the Pretensions of the King his Master. The Pope, very much incens’d that his Secret had taken Wind, suspected that he had been betray’d by his Secretary of State, and he reproach’d him for it bitterly, threatning him with the Loss of his Head. The Minister swore, that he had not reveal’d it to the Spaniard; and he said moreover, That if the Ambassador knew of his Holiness’s Secret, it cou’d be only from Cardinal Astalli. He desir’d but twenty-four Hours of the Pope to prove his Innocence; and to find out where the Guilt lay. For this End he sent for one of the Spanish Ambassador’s Valets de Chambre, and promis’d him five hundred Pistoles, if, after he put his Master to Bed, he wou’d search his Pockets, and take out a Letter which he said he knew there was in one of them, written in the very Hand of Cardinal Astalli. The Valet de Chambre cou’d not stand the Temptation, but carry’d the fatal Letter to the Cardinal Secretary of State, and he made Haste with it to the Pope; whose Wrath was then wholly turn’d against Astalli, to such a Degree, that he forbad him his Palace, and actually intended to have him
arrested the very next Day: But Astalli disappointed him of that Pleasure, escap’d the same Night in a Felucca from Rome, and sail’d for Sicily. Then it was that Innocent X. issued the Bull in Question. He caus’d Astalli to be summon’d, who indeed return’d to the Dominions of the Holy See; but he stay’d in a little frontier Town of the Kingdom of Naples, where he was accompany’d by a Guard of two thousand Spaniards, who remain’d with him as long as the Pope liv’d, after whose Death Astalli return’d to Rome. I have the Honour to be, &c.