a Cardinal at twenty-three Years of Age, by Pope Clement X. of the Altieri Family. He commonly resided, after he was a Cardinal, at Benevento, of which he was Archbishop. ’Twas there that he heard of the Death of his Predecessor Innocent XIII. of the Family of Conti. When he received the News, he had just given away all his Money to the Poor, so that he was fain to borrow of Fini, whom he afterwards made a Cardinal, the Sum of eight hundred Crowns, to enable him to repair to the Conclave at Rome. The Division of the Sacred College, who could not agree in the Choice of a Pontiff, was the Cause of his Advancement. The Cardinals aimed at placing the Tiara upon the Head of a Man who might wear it just long enough, either to dissipate, or to form their Cabals, and no longer. They were all convinced, that by chusing the Cardinal Ursini, they should give a holy Pope to the Church, but an indifferent Prince to the State; however, they thought to remedy this Deficiency, by planting such Ministers about the Pope, as they did not doubt would make him do what they pleased. But they were egregiously mistaken; for the Cardinal Ursini, when he was advanced to the Pontificate, was resolved to be Pope; and he chose his own Ministers, without consulting the Sacred College. One Coscia, a Neapolitan Clergyman, born of mean Parents, had for a long Time a great Ascendant over him. The Pope advanced him to the Purple, preferred him to the highest Offices both in the Church and the State, and made him Archbishop of Benevento.
This new Creature bore greater Sway than ever any Cardinal Nephew had done, when Nepotism was in its Meridian. He was guilty of a thousand Oppressions. Nothing was to be seen, but Rapine and Injustice; and he converted all Things, even the most sacred, into Money. Every body groan’d;
but it was to no Purpose to complain, for the Pope was so byassed in his Favour, that he turned a deaf Ear to all his Accusers. Even the Cardinals, sensible of the public Misery, vigorously represented to the Pope the Grievances that happened under his Administration; but he would not hear them, and imputed their Remonstrances to Envy. Coscia confirmed him every Day too in this Sentiment. They will accuse me of every thing that is ill, said he to the Holy Father, but God is my Witness, that I discharge my Duty; and they hate, and strive to blacken me, for no other Reason, but because perhaps I am in this respect too strict. I have been very well assured, that the Cardinal, when he made his Defence to the Pope, often shed Tears, which wrought so much on his Good-nature, that he wept too.
I know not whether I dare vouch the Truth of the following Story, which however is firmly believed by all the People of Rome. Certain Cardinals represented to the Pope one Day, that Coscia was not only guilty of innumerable Extortions, but that he led the most irregular Life in the World, and diverted himself every Day with Prostitutes. The Pope said, he would inquire into the Matter, and punish Coscia, if what they alledged was true. Accordingly he taxed him with it the very same Day, but Coscia easily brought himself off. He said, ’twas all Calumny; swore with Tears in his Eyes, that he was innocent; and desired the Pope to hear him in Confession. The Pope agreed to it; he said what he pleased, and his Holiness almost took him for a Saint. But Coscia, fearing lest the Pope should at length open his Eyes, thought to blind him the more by writing an anonymous Letter, which he caused to be delivered to him by a trusty Valet de Chambre, importing in Substance as follows: ‘Your Holiness being so prepossessed in Favour of Cardinal Coscia, that you will give Credit
to nothing that is told you of his Debaucheries, ’tis thought proper to acquaint you, that this very Night, at Nine o’Clock, the Cardinal will have some Mistresses in his Chamber. Your Holiness may be an Eye-witness of the Intrigue, if you will but take the Trouble to repair to the Cardinal’s Apartment, and peep thro’ the Key-hole.’ The Pope did not fail to go at the Time mentioned; but instead of seeing what he expected, the Cardinal, who imagined he would come, took care to be on his Knees at Prayer, with his Beads in one Hand, and a Crucifix in the other, which he kissed with a great Air of Contrition. The Pope, beholding the crafty Cardinal in this Posture, cry’d out to somebody that was with him, Do but see that holy Man, who has been represented to me in such a wicked Light! Would to God that all the Clergy were like him. Then entring into the Cardinal’s Chamber, Dear Coscia, said he, embracing him, They have accused you to me as the greatest of Sinners, and I was so weak as to think you guilty; I ask your Pardon, and I pray God to forgive me the Injury I have done you. He afterwards joined with Coscia in reading the Litanies of the Holy Virgin; and he wanted no other Proof of his being a Saint. Thus was the honest Pope made the Dupe of the greatest of Hypocrites. But, to the Pope’s Sorrow, this was not all; Cardinal Coscia was not the only Man who abused his Credulity; for all that served him being Beneventines, and as cunning as Coscia, whose Creatures they were, they tried who should bubble the Pope most; which made Cardinal Buoncompagno say, That the Pope was like the Holy Sepulchre, in the Hands of the Turks.
This good Pope never knew what Money was, nor the Value of it; but gave away all that he had, and especially to the Poor, for whose Relief he sold all the Presents he received. He could never
understand how a Piece of Gold could be sometimes worth less than a Piece of Silver; and I have been told, that one Day, as he was selling some Presents he had received from the Emperor of China, to his unworthy Beneventines, one of them offered thirty Crowns for a thing that was perhaps worth five hundred. Another came and offered a gold Crown-piece. The Pope, surprized at the golden Proffer, said to him that had offered the thirty Crowns, ‘I am sorry I can’t let you have the Thing; you offered me only Silver, but here’s one offers me Gold; what I sell, is for the Poor, and I will not wrong them.’ Accordingly, he that held out the gold Coin had the Preference; and thus did those Knaves juggle together to trick the Pope. They had one common Purse, and what they bought of the Holy Father at their own Price, they sold afterwards in Rome, and shared the Profit.
At the Beginning of his Pontificate, the Governor of Rome having complained to him that Pharao and Basset proved the Ruin of a great many People, he answered him smartly, Alas! are not you the Governor? Send the Gamesters to the Gallies. He never loved to talk of State Affairs, and would never read the Relations given by Nuncios, who, he said, were only Newsmongers and Spies, with whom he did not care to have any Concern; nor would he ever advance them to the Purple, but always put them back, tho’ perhaps the Term of their Nunciature had been long expired.
This holy Pope, for I really believe him a Saint, lived in the very midst of Rome, and of his Court, like a Hermit, always at Prayer, or employed in the Functions of the Priesthood. He was an Enemy to Luxury and Pageantry, would never suffer a Clergyman to kneel at his Feet, but always made him rise, and sit down by him; being as humble as ’twas possible for any mean Priest, and perhaps
too humble for his Character. He went out every Day in a sorry Coach, with only a Pair of Horses, without Guards, without any Companion, as I said before, besides a Brother of his Order, viz. the Dominican, to the Rules of which he always adher’d, and without any Attendants but a Couple of Footmen, and six of his Swiss Guards. If he happened to meet with any Carriage in a narrow Street, he bade his Coachman stop, saying, he did not desire to fall out with any body. So much is enough for Benedict XIII. who was a pious Pope, and would have been a good Prince too, if his Ministers had been Men of Honour. I now return to the Vatican.