There is nothing to be said of this Ladies Daughters, except that the Popedom is come in good time into the Family of the Chigi, for else they and their Husbands had been brought very low; for when they were married they had nothing, and their Husbands but very little, which was almost consum’d by the charge of children coming on every day.
The Pope, to content the Father and Mother, gave these Ladies leave to appear in Rome, where they were receiv’d and treated very obligingly, by their brother the Cardinal Padrone, and were also visited by all the Roman Nobility, and by the Ambassadours and Princes.
Don Agostino was also very kind to them, though with reserve, being somewhat jealous to see them so near the Pope, whose benevolence and good will he would fain ingross for the Masculine line of the Family: And in publick the Pope did not give any demonstrations of particular favour to them, that he might not increase Don Agostino’s jealousies, and the Courts murmurs; but in private he bestowed upon each of them three thousand Crowns; and in giving them this money, he said two or three times, That what he did was out of charity; and that it was not his design to dissipate and spend the Churches Revenue upon his Kindred: And these Ladies, who were born in Siena, and not in Spain, were not so scrupulously addicted to preserve the honour of their Gentility, as to refuse such Almes, as a Spaniard would have done: And I believe, Reader, that you would be of the same mind, and be well pleased, if any body would give you a good sum of money, for the love of God, and out of pure charity.
Besides this, Don Mario, and his Lady, have without doubt, been liberal to them out of that heap of Treasure, which they so well know how to get together; so that these Ladies journey to Rome, hath been, no doubt, a golden journey for them, which we may conjecture, by the state they live in now at Siena, having bought divers Lands and Houses.
This is all that hitherto can be said of this Nipotismo: But besides these, the Pope hath another Nipotismo, of a remoter consanguinity; who are so many, that they are innumerable; and the Pope hath been hitherto averse to their coming to Rome, I believe, because he is unwilling to disoblige the nearest Nipotismo; but if his Pontificate last, as it is thought it may, the Pope, who is naturally inclin’d to do good, may by little and little give them a share in his good fortune, by Employments, Benefices, or some wayes.
Neither doth the Pope for all this, set aside his own content, which is, to erect noble Buildings and stately Edifices, wherefore he hath doubled the Workmen, in that vast Enterprize of Saint Peter’s Church, being very desirous to see it finished; and having often said to some Cardinals, his Confidents, that he should not dye content, if he dyed before that were ended.
The Nipotismo is strangely displeased at this expensive humour of the Popes, seeing him every day changing and streightning some Street, and mending some publick Edifice, for they would that that money were spared for them and the family of the Chigi. Some dayes ago, Don Mario, and Don Agostino, went about to put some other less expensive design into the Popes head, and particularly to oblige him, to give over the Porch of Saint Peter, which is of so vast a charge: but the Pope is not to be remov’d from his inclination, and takes it very ill, that they should controul him in his pleasure, he, who not only doth not controul them, but hath given them all the means they have; and he persists in this resolution the rather, because he is resolved to have the glory of this Enterprize, and not leave it to his Successour, who by a little addition would perfect so great a Work, and then place his Armes in the front of it as his.
Of late, Alexander hath been fain to furnish to another expence, which is the Legation of the Cardinal Padrone, to meet the Empress at Milan; and the Spaniards pretend, that he appear’d in greater Splendour, then he did at the Court of France, as well to win their good will, as to please his own ambition, in being seen in such pomp, in a place where most Ambassadours of Princes were to meet, nay, and many Princes themselves.
To say truth, the Pope deserves no small praises for his noble inclination, in honouring sometimes one Prince, sometimes another, but particularly for the zeal and piety he hath shewed, in the choice of those persons that he hath promoted to be Cardinals; for in three or four promotions he hath alwayes picked out those, who were most worthy of this eminent Dignity, having in that little regard to any bodies recommendation, if the Subjects themselves did not answer the expectation conceiv’d of them; and whosoever would enquire into the life of these his Creatures, will be satisfied of their integrity and learning, and confess, that many of them are worthy of the Popedom, and it may be, it may fall upon some of them, after the death of Alexander, who now thinks of little less then of dying; for at his first coming to be Pope, he thought so much of it, that now being weary of those thoughts, he thinks of nothing but living.
All his drift now is, to oblige the Cardinals to a good correspondence with Don Agostino, but he perpetually disobliging them with his haughty carriage, ’tis thought, that after the Popes death they will little regard his recommendations in the choice of a Successour, if things do not much change.