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

l8 HISTORY OF THE POPES.
uncle, Pisani, the only Cardinal of Leo X. who was still
alive, the votes of thirty-seven electors, though, when the
matter threatened to become serious, they withdrew their
promises.^
Several more seriously intended attempts and proposals
were made during the first weeks of the conclave by the Spanish
party, but their very endeavours clearly showed to what
straits they were reduced in order to find a candidate against
whom no objection could be raised. At the beginning of the
voting Pacheco was the most prominent, having received
fifteen votes^ at the first scrutiny and a still greater number
after September 22nd. ^ Pacheco, however, was a Spaniard,
and the Italian Cardinals did not wish for him as Pope on
that account. After him Puteo received most votes in the
early days, but he had, as later events showed, the powerful
party of the Carafa against him.* Carpi, after the futile
attempt of September 6th, fell into the background at the
scrutinies in a marked way, so that of the Spanish candidates
there only remained Medici, whom Duke Cosimo repeatedly
and emphatically described as the only possible candidate.^
Since 1556 he had had the election of this man, in whom he
hoped to find an accommodating tool for his political plans,
in view, and had been secretly working for him,^ and now he
championed him almost too openly.' Medici was supported
by Philip II., the Queen-Mother, Catherine de' Medici, also
showing herself, against all expectations, to be well disposed
^Gurous, 613 seq.
* *List of the scrutinies (State Library, Munich) in Appendix
No. I.
^ Ihid., and Bondonus, 520 seq.
*MuLLER, 141 seq.
* See the letter to Concini of September 21, 1559, quoted
supra p. 13, n. 2, and that to Lottino of September 24, 1559, in
SusTA, Pius IV., 125.
^ Cf. SusTA, Pius IV., 66 seq., 76 seqq.
"^
Cf. the **Letter of Caligari of September 12, 1559 (Papal
Secret Archives).