228 SAVONAROLA'S ASCETICISM. [CHAP. V. in all the bigotry of the Spanish Courts, Isabella stipulated, as the price of her hand, that Emanuel should banish the Jews from his dominions; and that otherwise enlightened monarch, blinded by the passion which he had conceived for Isabella during her residence in Portugal, consented to a measure which in his heart he disapproved. On the death of Don John, the only male heir to Castile (October 4th, 1497), the succession devolved to Isabella, who, however, also died in giving birth to a son, August, 1498. This child died in his second year, and thus Joanna, Isabella's next sister, became the heiress of the Spanish Crowns. But to return to the affairs of Italy. Alexander VI., in whom Savonarola inspired a kind of terror, and who had long hesitated to attack the Florentine prophet, at length prohibited him from preaching; but Savonarola continued to thunder against the corruption of Rome and to invoke the vengeance of heaven upon that City. His asceticism took every day a more rigid form, and at length began to breed dissension in Florence. On Shrove Tuesday, 1497, he caused to be burnt in the public place a pile of books, pictures, musical instruments, &c., obtained from their possessors either voluntarily or by compulsion; but the charge that rare manuscripts and valuable works of art were destroyed on this occasion seems to be unfounded, or at all events exaggerated.1 It was from the midst of orgies, which might vie in filthiness with those of the worst and most shameless of the heathen Roman Emperors, that the Pope launched against his Florentine censor the most awful of his spiritual weapons. The wickedness and crimes of the Papal family were this year more than usually conspicuous. Julia Farnese, the Pope's mistress, called from her beauty Julia Bella,' with whom he lived in open sacrilegious adultery, and who was accustomed to parade herself with unblushing effrontery in all Church festivals, bore him a son in the month of April. Nor was the stain of blood wanting. In July, Francis Borgia, Duke of Gandia, the Pope's eldest and favourite son, having supped with his brother Cæsar, Cardinal of Valencia, at the house of their mother Vanozza near the Church of St. Peter in Vinculis, they rode home together on their mules, but parted company on the way. The Duke was never more seen alive; but his body, bearing nine wounds, was found next even 1 On this subject see Villari, lib. iii. cap. 6. 2 She was a sister of Cardinal Alessandro Farnese (Pope Paul III.) and married to one of the Orsini family. Alexander VI. caused Pinturicchio to paint a picture of See CHAP. V.] CRIMES OF THE BORGIAS. 2 229 ing in the Tiber, into which it had been thrown, at a place where it was usual to discharge into the river all the filth of the City. Contemporary testimony points almost unanimously to his brother the Cardinal as the murderer.1 It was in fact, as Michelet well expresses it, a change of reign-the accession of Cæsar Borgia. With a few inches of steel the Cardinal of Valencia had achieved much. He had made himself the eldest son-the heir; and compelled his father to unfrock him, to make him a layman, in order that he might found the fortunes of the House, as we shall presently have to tell. But the stroke fell upon Alexander like a thunderbolt. He confessed his sins in open Consistory, and announced his intention of amending his life. His repentance, however, was of short duration. In a few days he resumed his old habits, transferred to the murderer all the affection he had felt for the victim, and recompensed himself for his short abstinence by a new outbreak of debauchery and cruelty. It was about this time also that Alexander pronounced a divorce between his daughter Lucretia and her husband, Giovanni Sforza, Lord of Pesaro, from whose protection she had withdrawn herself. With all his enthusiasm, Savonarola was not yet prepared for schism; he submitted for awhile to the Pope and abstained from preaching. During the carnival of 1498, however, he remounted the pulpit with fresh vigour; and, being now resolved to venture everything upon the struggle, he openly attacked the infallibility of the Pope, and wrote letters to the principal Sovereigns of Europe, urging them to call a General Council and depose him. Enraged by the monk's contumacy, Alexander threatened the Florentines with interdict unless they prohibited him from preaching. An interdict would have injured their trade, and a Pratica, or extraordinary council, forbade Savonarola to mount the pulpit; and at this juncture an incident occurred which put an end to his labours and his life. The supremacy of the Dominicans had long excited the jealousy and envy of the other mendicant orders, and the declining fortunes of Savonarola seemed to offer an opportunity Roscoe, in his Life of Leo X. (vol i. p. 227, ed. 1827), has endeavoured, but without success, to clear Cæsar Borgia of all blame in this transaction; the best recent historians, Sismondi, Ranke, Michelet, and others, still adhere to the old tradition, which has been confirmed since Roscoe wrote, by another contempo rary authority, the Diario of Sebastiano de' Telini, extracts of which have been published by Ranke (see Popes of Rome, Mrs. Austin's transl. vol. i. p. 50). Roscoe is perhaps more successful in his vindication of Lucretia Borgia, whose life, at all events after her marriage with Alfonso d'Este, seems to have been irreproachable. 2 Renaissance, p. 100. 230 A CHALLENGE TO THE FIRE. [CHAP. V. for his destruction. Sta Croce, had in his sermons often denounced Savonarola as a heretic and false prophet, and he now proposed that to prove the truth of their respective doctrines both should enter the fire.' Savonarola took no notice of this challenge; but there was in St. Mark's one Fra Domenico da Pescia, who had recently had a violent personal dispute with Francesco about his Prior's teaching; and being of a warm and fanatical temper, and a devoted disciple of Savonarola, he signified he willingness to accept the proof proposed. With this view he published his master's three "Conclusions:"-1. The Church of God wants renovation: it will be scourged and renewed. 2. Florence, also, after the scourging, Francesco di Puglia, a Franciscan friar of will be renewed and prosper. 3. The Infidels will be converted to Christ. And he invited all to subscribe them who were willing to maintain their truth or falsehood by the ordeal of fire. Francesco declined to enter the flames with Domenico, but offered to do so with Savonarola; who, however, would not sign his own propositions. The party of the Compagnacci, or Libertines, at this time prevailed in the Signory; they thought it a good opportunity to ruin Savonarola, and fomented the quarrel by again publishing the "Conclusions" and inviting signatures. The trial now seemed to be inevitable. Savonarola had often told the people that his words would be confirmed by supernatural signs, and the time seemed to be come. The Piagnoni were as desirous of the trial as the Compagnacci, for they were confident that their Prophet would enter the fire and work a miracle. As to Savonarola himself, though he disliked the experiment in his own person, yet he was inwardly satisfied with Domenico's ardour, and with seeing that fate concurred to make the trial necessary. Domenico, he reasoned, could not be so ardent unless inspired by God; and he thought it natural enough that the Lord should work a miracle to confound his adversaries. One Fra Silvestro, too, in whose visions he believed, had seen the angels both of Domenico and Savonarola, who had told him that Domenico would come out unharmed. As to himself, Savonarola alleged several reasons why he should not enter into such "miserable contests;" and he even somewhat abated his pretensions to prophecy. "For myself," he declared, "I reserve myself for a greater work, for which I shall always be ready to give my life." A pretty plain confession that he thought he should be burnt on this occasion. The following account of this singular contest is taken from Villari, lib. iv. cap. 7. CHAP. V.] PREPARATIONS FOR THE ORDEAL. 231 The Signory had fixed a day for the trial; and they decreed that if Domenico should perish in it, Savonarola must leave Florence within three hours. Several Dominican and Franciscan friars, and many lay people of both sexes, had signed the challenge; but the champions selected were Fra Domenico and Fra Giuliano Rondinelli, a brother of Francesco di Puglia. The Dieci had still remained friendly to Savonarola, who, on the morning of the trial, sent them a message to take care that neither of the champions should be able to get out and leave his opponent in the fire; and with this view he suggested that the pile should be lit at one end before the monks went in, and at the other directly they had entered!1 On the morning of the 7th April, 1498, the Dominican friars of St. Mark, in number about 200, marched in solemn procession to the Piazza della Signoria, the place appointed for this singular ordeal. Domenico went first, having a cope of flame-coloured velvet, and in his hand a cross; his head was erect, his countenance serene. Savonarola, clothed in white and carrying the Sacrament, followed the champion of his doctrines. The Procession was closed by the rest of his community, chanting with sonorous voices the psalm, "Exurgat Deus et dissipentur inimici ejus." Thus they proceeded to the Loggia de' Lanzi, where also the Franciscans had arrived. The Loggia had been divided by a partition in the middle; the side nearest the Palace was assigned to the Dominicans, the further one was occupied by the Franciscans. Before the Loggia was stationed a guard of 300 men, while 500 more were arrayed before the Palace, and an equal number under the opposite Tetto dei Pisani. In the middle of the piazza, from the marble lion called Marzocco near the Palace, towards the Tetto dei Pisani, stretched the pile, composed of wood intermixed with resin and other combustible materials, and having a narrow lane in the middle for the champions. Various feelings agitated the motley crowd in the piazza. Weepers and Libertines, Dominicans and Franciscans, jostled one another in anxious expectation, while a few more indifferent spectators waited quietly as for some scene in a play. Savonarola, excited by the number of beholders, by the chants of his monks, and by the enthusiasm of Domenico, was anxious to obviate all delay; but Francesco and his brother Giuliano had not appeared in the Loggia, and when Savonarola pressed them 1 Villari, vol. ii. p. 125. 232 SAVONAROLA ARRESTED. [CHAP. V. to make haste and not keep the people waiting, they began to find various pretexts for delay. They objected that Fra Domenico's red cope might be enchanted by Savonarola, they made the same objection to the frock with which he had exchanged it, and when this was doffed, offered other objections of the same kind, which were all complied with. The people, who had been waiting many hours, began to murmur at these delays, and seditious cries were raised. Their discontent was augmented by a heavy shower, which, however, did not disperse them. But fresh objections were started. The Franciscans demanded that Fra Domenico should lay aside his crucifix, to which he assented; but he insisted on entering the fire with the Sacrament. Hereupon a long theological dispute: the Franciscans alleging that the consecrated Host would be burnt, while Savonarola and Domenico maintained, quoting the authority of many doctors, that though the accidents might be destroyed the substance could not. The Signory now lost all patience, and directed that the trial should not take place. It is said that the whole affair was nothing but a trick, concerted between the Signory and the Franciscans, in order to ruin Savonarola; but this improbable allegation seems to rest only on a suspicion of Fra Benedetto, the biographer and devoted partisan of Savonarola. However this may be, the indignation of the people at the almost ludicrous result is indescribable. Savonarola was abandoned even by his own followers, who exclaimed that he ought to have entered the fire alone, and thus at last have given an indisputable proof of those supernatural powers which he so loudly claimed. To unprejudiced minds, this opinion will probably appear to be not far from the truth. If such was the judgment of Savonarola's friends, we may imagine the triumphant fury of his enemies at the discovery of his imposture. It was with difficulty that he and Fra Domenico regained their convent in safety, escorted by a few troops under their friend Marcuccio Salviati. Here they had to endure a siege from the Libertines and Weepers combined, in which some lives were lost; but Savonarola with Fra Domenico at last surrendered themselves into the hands of the officers of the Signory. They were conducted to the Palace, and imprisoned in separate chambers. Fra Silvestro, who had concealed himself in the convent, was captured on the following day. The Pope, delighted at these events, gave the Florentines his absolution and benediction, and permitted the Signory to try the captive monks. Savonarola was examined under torture, during which he now asserted, now |