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It is wonderful how Judith, with her quite unspecialised
knowledge of history can now and then put her finger upon
something vital. I have been racking my brain and searching my
library for the past two or three days for an illustration of
just that nature. I had not thought of it. Here is Tomaso da
Sarzana, a quiet, retired schoolmaster, like myself, an editor of
classical texts, a peaceful librarian of Cosmo de' Medici, a
scholar and a gentleman to the tips of his fingers; he is made
Pope, a King Log to save the cardinalate from a possible King
Stork Colonna; the Porcari conspiracy breaks out, is discovered
and the conspirators are hunted over Italy and put to death; a
gentleman called Anguillara is slightly inculpated; he is invited
to Rome by Nicholas, and given a safe-conduct; when he arrives
the Pope is drunk (at least Stefano Infessura, the contemporary
diarist, says so); the next morning his Holiness finds to his
surprise and annoyance that the gentleman's head has been cut off
by his orders. It is an amazing tale.


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