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

TRIAL OF THE CARAFA. I5I
absence from Rome, he took no actual part in the tiial.^
The report that Carlo Carafa would be forced to a confession
by means of torture was repeatedly current in the Curia, but
nothing more was done than to make his imprisonment more
rigorous in the last week of July. Till then he had had two
rooms at his disposal, and had been allowed to receive numerous
visits. These privileges were now withdrawn.- He then
sought to obtain a mitigation of his imprisonment by feigning
illness, but the Papal physician, Simone Pasqua, who was sent
to him, soon discovered that it was only a case of pretence.^
This appears to have somewhat broken down the obstinacy
of the prisoner. The Venetian ambassador reports on August
24th :
" The process, which the Pope has more at heart than
anything else, is being carried on with the greatest zeal
interrogations of the prisoners take place every day, morning
and evening ; the authenticity of the handwriting and seal
of Albert of Brandenburg have been proved, whereupon
Cueva has advised Carafa to give up lying, to acknowledge his
guilt, throw himself on the mercy of the Pope, and think of
the salvation of his soul." Carafa, as we are informed by
Mula, now caused Pius IV. to be informed that as a man of the
world and a soldier, he had been guilty of many things, but
that he cast himself upon his mercy, and that he had not even
the means of providing for his bare support. The answer of
Pius IV. was to the effect that he was now suffering nothing
^ Ghislieri had betaken himself to his see of Mondovi on June 28,
1560 (see Maffei, 52), and he appears to have remained there
until the autumn.
^ See *Avviso di Roma of July 20, 1560 (Urb. 1039, p. 175b,
Vatican Library), and the reports of Ricasoli of July 20 and 21,
in Angel, Disgrace, loo. An *Avviso of September 7, 1560,
related that Pius IV. had angrily answered a remark of Cardinal
Puteo to the effect that he did not find it in accordance either
with law or reason that the ' ' corda
should be applied in the case
of Carafa, by saying : " che di qui inanzi non haverebbe piu
carico d' haver il suo esamine et che non se ne dovesse piii im-
pacciare " (Urb. 1039, p. 198, Vatican Library).
*See the *report of Ricasoli of July 25, 1560 (State Archives,
Florence).
;