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

12 HISTORY OF THE POPES.
Duke Cosimo of Florence, on the other hand, secretly
endeavoured to obtain a great influence over the proceedings
of the conclave. It was not enough for him that his two
envoys, Bongianni Gianfigliazzi and Matteo Concini, were
present in Rome, but he also sent Bartolomeo Concini there,
who was initiated into all the secrets of his policy. Two of
his agents, one of them the adroit Lottino, were admitted to
the conclave as supposed attendants on Cardinals. ^ Cosimo
tried himself to win over the electors to his plans by letters,
and not everyone had the courage, Uke Cardinal Dandino, to
reject these letters,^ or to answer, like Cardinal Scotti, that
the Duke should attend to the affairs of his dominions and
leave the Papal election to the Cardinals.^ For some years
the Medici family had been connected by marriage with that
of Este, and it is easy to understand that Cardinal d'Este
should now have sought to approach the Duke, and that this
ambitious Prince of the Church should have endeavoured to
win over this powerful ally to the support of his long-cherished
designs on the tiara. Cosimo pretended to accept his proposals
but his concurrence was not sincere.* He also promised his
assistance to the Queen-Mother, Catherine de' Medici, when
she begged for his support for Este, but at the same time he
offered his services to the Spanish king against the Cardinal, ^
i§usTA, Pius IV., 127. MuLLER, 62 seq.
2 Petrucelli, 144.
3 *Avviso di Roma of September 9, 1559 (Urb. 1030, p. 79,
Vatican Library).
* Cardinal Ercole Gonzaga of Mantua, with whom Este had
entered into an alliance for mutual support even before the
conclave of Marcellus II., also appears to have been a party to
the agreement ; there is reason to believe that a formal compact
was even made, according to which the Duke and Gonzaga were
to work for the candidature of Este, while the Duke and Este
were to render a similar service to Gonzaga. Should, however,
neither of the said Cardinals gain the tiara, they were all three to
promote the candidature of Medici. These very conditional
promises were, from the nature of such transactions, of very
little value. Muller, 55 seq.
5 MiJLLER, 63 seq. ; cf. also Susta, Pius IV., 142 seq.
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