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

292 HISTORY OF THE POPES.
to obtain a verbal declaration of the Pope's intentions.^
Shortly after the departure of Marini, Carlo Visconti, Bishop
of Ventimiglia, arrived in Trent. The Pope had sent this able
Milanese, who was related to, and a friend of Borromeo, in
order that he might have a reliable and impartial agent at
the Council ; he was also to endeavour to bring about the
restoration of unity among the legates. ^ Visconti devoted
himself to this task with great zeal, and distinguished himself
by his calm and tactful behaviour. On June igth he had a
long conversation with Gonzaga, in the course of which the
latter spoke of the reports current as to his resignation as
inventions. The legate at that time believed that he had
dispelled the dissatisfaction of the Pope by the defence
which he had made.^ However, a letter from his nephew,
Cardinal Francesco Gonzaga, of June 17th, which the legate,
who was then staying at Pergine, received on the 23rd,
informed him that Pius IV., once moie roused by the com-
plaints of Simonetta, had expressed his intention of replacing
the president of the legatine college by another, shocild he
continue to act as he had done hitherto.^ Gonzaga was deeply
humiliated by this, as well as by other matters,^ and resolved
himself to ask for his recall. He immediately sent his intimate
friend, Francesco Arrivabene, to Rome for this purpose ;
news caused great excitement and dismay in Trent. ^
the
In view
of the position which Gonzaga held among the fathers of the
Council and with the Catholic princes, his withdrawal would
iHis instructions in Susta, II., 184 seqq. Cf. Pallavicini,
17, I, 7 and 2.
2 See Susta II., viii, 455 seq., 459 seq., 489. Cf.
Pallavicini. 17,3; Ehses in the Hist. Jahrbuch, XXXVII.,
52 seq.
3 See Susta, II., 208.
* See in Bollinger, Tagebiicher, II., 37, the fragment of a
letter of Fr. Gonzaga. Simonetta, on June 25, 1562, wrote
explicitly to Borromeo that it was desirable to recall Gonzaga
from the Council ; see Susta, II., 206.
^ See SiCKEL, Konzil, 346.
« See Baluze-Mansi, IV., 241 ; Susta, II., 209, 487 seq.