The history of the popes, from the close of the middle ages : drawn ...

56 HISTORY OF THE POPES.
dition to this promise : Alfonso Carafa must also give his
approval to the candidate upon whom his uncle should decide.^
Alfonso had previously played no important part in the
conclave ; it was only when Carlo Carafa had made himself
unpopular with his own party, by his perpetual hesitation,
that Alfonso had risen in the esteem of his adherents.
It was easy to tell in what manner the decision between
Medici and Cesi would be made. Cesi was thought to have
French leanings, and this recommended him to the Cardinals
as Httle as the fact that he was not particularly agreeable
to the Spanish king.^ The case was different with Medici.
It is true that he had so far come into very Httle prominence
in the conclave ; he had been unwell when he arrived and
he had been confined to his bed almost ever since. ^ He
received but few votes in the scrutinies,^ and none of the
influential Cardinals showed any particular wish for his
election. On the other hand it was very greatly in his favour
that he was regarded as an acceptable candidate at both the
French and Spanish courts, and, finally, his candidature
was the only measure to which they could now have recourse,
when all other attempts had failed. Vargas, who was one
of the most important figures in the negotiations, had written,
a few days after his arrival in Rome, that they might attempt
the candidature of Medici when everything else had failed,
but, he added, he would prefer someone else.^ Later on he
"Ibid., 581.
* He is mentioned with distinction side by side with C. Carafa,
e.g. by Concini on December 16 (Petrucelli, 156) by Vargas
on December 21 (Dollinger, Beitrage, I., 319, 320).
^ Alessandro Farnese writes on December 29, 1559, that Cesi
had been put on one side, " per esser nominato da' Francesi, e
perche per 1' ultima vostra m' accennaste che non era servizio di
Sua Maesta." Caro, III., 270. Cf. Vargas on October 18, in
Dollinger, Beitrage, I., 279.
*Alberi, II., 4, 61.
* See the *List of scrutinies (State Library, Munich) in Appendix
No. I.
270.
« Vargas to PhiUp II., on September 28, 1559, in Dollinger, I.,
^