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

126 HISTORY OF THE POPES.
from whence he could more easily reach the Catholic parts of
Switzerland than from Lucerne. The exclusion from the cardin-
alate of all those nuncios who had been recommended by a
prince to whom they were accredited, was a most salutary
proceeding. 1
The resumption of diplomatic relations which had been
interrupted during the pontificate of Paul IV., as well as the
development of the nunciatures, indicate the value which
the new Pope attached to the keeping up of friendly relations
with the secular powers. The beginning of the reign of Pius
IV. also showed a strong contrast to that of his predecessor
in the Eternal City itself. How the Romans rejoiced when
the Pope, in February, 1560, again permitted the carnival
festivities ! At the same time, however, steps were rightly
taken to prevent abuses. ^
It was not only the Romans who rejoiced when one of the
first official acts of the new Pope was to limit once more the
powers of the Inquisition to its original and proper sphere,^
and to mitigate many of the excessively harsh reform decrees
of Paul IV. This showed itself first in the matter of the
examination of candidates for bishoprics, as to which, however,
^ See BiAUDET, Nonciatures, 24 seq., 58, 296 seq. Concerning
Volpi, see Reinhardt-Steffens, G. Fr. Bonhomini, Einl.,
p. xxviii, seq. The Florentine nuntiature, as to which Scaduto
makes misleading statements (see Hist. Jahrbuch, IX., 108) is
worthy of a special monograph.
^Cf. Clementi, 218; RoDOCANACHi, Juifs, 209; Arch. stor.
Lomb., XIX. (1908), 353. Things were already fairly free at
the carnival of 1561. One of the principal amusements was
bull-fighting (c/. Koln. Volkzeitung, 191 1, No. 168) against the
holding of which in the neighbourhood of the Jesuit College
Lainez made a complaint ; see the **reports of Fr. Tonina of
January 18 and 29, and February 13 and 19, 1561 (Gonzaga
Archives, Mantua). A new *Bando per le maschere of January
20, 1564 in the Editti, V., 60 p. 9, Papal Secret Archives. Con-
cerning the Roman theatre at the time of Pius IV., see Giorn. d.
lett. Ital., LXXIIL, 296 seq.
' See *Avviso di Roma of January 13, 1560 (Urb. 1039, p. 117,
Vatican Library). Cf. Vol. XVI. of this work.