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“to the palace. The duke then seated the person in the "mask behind him, and rode, I know not whither; but in "that night he was assassinated, and thrown into the river. "The servant, after having been dismissed, was also as"sauilted and mortally wounded; and although he was at"tended with great care, yet such was his situation, that he "could give no intelligible account of what had befallen his 46 master. In the morning, the duke not having returned to “the palace, his servants began to be alarmed; and one of "them informed the pontiff of the evening excursion of his 66 sons, and that the duke had not yet made his appearance.

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"This gave the pope, no small anxiety; but he conjectured "that the duke had been attracted by some courtesan to pass "the night with her, and not choosing to quit the house in "6 'open day, had waited till the following evening to return "home. When, however, the evening arrived, and he found "himself disappointed in his expectations, he became deeply "afflicted, and began to make inquiries from different per"sons, whom he ordered to attend him for that purpose, Amongst these was a man named Giorgio Schiavoni, who, having discharged some timber from a bark in the river, "had remained on board the vessel to watch it, and being "interrogated whether he had seen any one thrown into the 66 river, on the night preceding, he replied, that he saw two men on foot, who came down the street, and looked dili"gently about, to observe, whether any person was passing. "That seeing no one, they returned, and a short time after"wards two others came, and looked around in the same 66 manner as the former; no person still appearing, they gave a sign to their companions, when a man came, mounted "on a white horse, having behind him a dead body, the head "and arms of which hung on one side, and the feet on the

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"other side of the horse; the two persons on foot supporting "the body, to prevent its falling. They thus proceeded "towards that part, where the filth of the city is usually dis"charged into the river, and turning the horse, with his tail "towards the water, the two persons took the dead body by "the arms and feet, and with. all their strength flung it into "the river. The person on horseback then asked if they "had thrown it in, to which they replied, Signor, si. (yes, Sir.) "He then looked towards the river, and seeing a mantle "floating on the stream, he inquired what it was that ap“peared black, to which they answered, it was a mantle; "and one of them threw stones upon it, in consequence of "which it sunk. The attendants of the pontiff then inquired "from Giorgio, why he had not revealed this to the gover"nor of the city, to which he replied, that he had seen in "his time a hundred dead bodies thrown into the river at "the same place, without any inquiry being made respect"ing them, and that he had not, therefore, considered it as 'a matter of any importance. The fishermen and seamen "were then collected and ordered to search the river, where, on the following evening, they found the body of the duke, "with his habit entire, and thirty ducats in his purse. "was pierced with nine wounds, one of which was in his "throat, the others in his head, body, and limbs. No sooner “was the pontiff informed of the death of his son, aud that "he had been thrown, like filth, into the river, than giving Iway to his grief, he shut himself up in a chamber, and "wept bitterly. The cardinal of Segovia, and other at"tendants on the pope, went to the door, and after many "hours spent in persuasions and exhortations, prevailed "upon him to admit them. From the evening of Wednesday, "till the following Saturday, the pope took no food; nor did

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"he sleep from Thursday morning till the same hour on the “ensuing day. At length, however, giving way to the in“treaties of his attendants, he began to restrain his sorrow, "ad to consider the injury which his own health might "sustain, by the further indulgence of his grief." — Roscoe's Leo Tenth, Vol. I, page 265.

END OF VOL. III.

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