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

138 HISTORY OF THE POPES.
although the Duchess was with child, he offered but a feeble
resistance to their will. The Count d'Alife undertook to
strangle his sister with his own hands, and on August 29th,
1559, he appeared with Lionardo di Cardine and a band of
armed retainers at GaUese. They had brought two priests
with them from the Capuchin convent there, who were to
prepare the unhappy victim for death. The Capuchins begged
in vain for a delay in carrying out the deed, in view of the
condition of the Duchess, but the Count answered that he
had to go to Rome, and that he could not show himself there
with this brand upon his brow. Violante was resigned to
her fate ; she confessed and communicated, and protested
her innocence with her dying breath.
This event would have caused a still greater sensation
had it not taken place during the troubled days of the vacancy
in the Papal throne, eleven days after the death of Paul IV.
Nevertheless, the enemies of the Carafa took good care that
it was not forgotten. A report from Rome on January 6th,
1560, announces that the Duke of Paliano had arrived at
the last post -station before Rome, at La Storta, where he had
conferred for three hours with his brother, the Cardinal
" he did not dare to enter the city, for his case looked bad."
A second report, of January 13th, relates that the Duke had
begged for mercy from the Pope, but that the latter intended
to proceed against the murderers. ^ Pius IV. did not hurry
matters, and it was only at the end of March that clear-sighted
observers were able to detect signs that a criminal suit against
the Carafa was impending.
This decision was certainly not an easy one for Pius IV.,
" but if only to secure order he had no choice but to bring the
haughty nephews of Paul IV. to submission."- He at first
set to work with great caution. Girolamo de Federicis and
Alessandro Pallantieri were reinstated on March 27th, 1560,
in the positions of which they had been deprived by Paul
IV. ; the former was again appointed Governor of Rome,
^ See *Avvisi di Roma of January 6 and 13, 1560 (Urb. 1039,
pp. 114b, 117, Vatican Library).
^ Opinion of Benrath in Herzogs Realenzyklopadie, XV., 437.
;