Scene 7

SCENE 7

(Vatican. POPE is sitting on throne. COSIMO hands over a report. FIA stands to side)

POPE.

Twenty three days. Twenty three days!! The whole of our province of Ancona put to fire and sword. This is Visconti's doing. And he swore eternal friendship!

COSIMO.

There were reports -.

POPE.

False and malicious!

COSIMO.

That your Holiness was secretly supporting Venice.

POPE.

Not true. (Pause.) How did he find out?

COSIMO.

It was inevitable that someone would tell him. As was the Duke's desire to retaliate.

POPE.

But you ask too much.

COSIMO.

Holiness. Let us live in the real world. Sforza holds Ancona in fact but not in title, whereas Your Holiness may wish him elsewhere have not the power to make it so. This represents ground for a compromise. Purely in the spirit of Christian unity, if you were to say, legitimise his occupation of Ancona by creating him Marquis of Ancona and Captain General of the papal army.

POPE.

Give him my army as well!

COSIMO.

Before he destroys the rest of it.

POPE.

My other advisers have different proposals, Baldassar da Offida is one.

COSIMO.

I know the name and what he does. Holiness, it is those politicians who are so enamoured of their position that they believe mere possession of office somehow confers skill and expertise that often leads a state to the very brink of ruin.

POPE.

Is there no other way?

COSIMO.

No.

POPE.

Very well.

COSIMO. Francesco!

Enter SFORZA who kneels before the POPE. POPE places his hand above SFORZA'S head but can't bring himself to bless him.

POPE.

No. I will not yield one inch to this b*****d son of Lucifer! The Sforza are a plague upon the earth. There can be no compromise with one such as this.

SFORZA rises and turns to leave.

COSIMO.

Wait. Holiness! A word.

Whispered conversation between COSIMO and POPE, the occasional 'no' and 'never' is heard.

POPE.

Sforza.

SFORZA.

Yes Holiness?

POPE.

Explain yourself.

SFORZA.

Your loyal subjects begged for my help, and as a good Christian I could not in all conscience refuse them.

POPE.

You issued a manifesto that you would free the March of Ancona from my rule?

SFORZA.

From an unjust rule in your name.

POPE. You refused my subjects permission to pay their taxes direct to the Holy See.

SFORZA.

Direct to dishonest tax gatherers operating in your name Holiness.

POPE.

And kept the money for yourself.

SFORZA.

Purely for administrative purposes.

POPE.

How very convenient, yet you made war against my legate. Explain!

SFORZA.

He was deceiving you. The tax records and the amounts sent to the Holy See do not correspond.

POPE.

You can prove this? I heard the tax records were lost.

SFORZA.

Burnt by the legate, but clearly no innocent man would act in such manner.

POPE.

And you have done all this with no thought of yourself or your own ambitions?

SFORZA.

There are no other considerations.

POPE.

(looks to COSIMO who shakes head) Count Francesco our lands are riven by faction, pillaged and plundered by the godless condottiere Fortebraccio and Piccinino, and by other false servants of the church. I am an old man and in poor health, yet in God’s infinite wisdom it has fallen to me to defend our Holy Mother Church in these perilous times.

SFORZA.

Holiness, I have heard of your distress and the ruin of your lands and I consider it my most Christian duty to offer my sword and place it at your service.

POPE.

My son, God has called you to us and it is his will that you will be our standard bearer and Captain General. I charge you to rid our lands of the enemies of Christ.

SFORZA.

Before God and under the banner of Christ I accept it as my sacred duty to preserve the hegemony of St. Peter. I will not fail you.

POPE.

Then my most worthy and Christian son go forth with our blessing and our prayers on your holy work.

Exit SFORZA and COSIMO.

POPE.

Is our most Christian daughter,Fiammetta d'Este, amongst us?

FIA.

Here Holiness. (Kneels before POPE.) I am yours to command.

POPE.

Baldassar da Offida?

FIA.

He waits with his men.

POPE.

He has my blessing. What news from Milan?

FIA.

The Duke commanded Genoa send its fleet against Naples. Alfonso was crushed and is being taken in chains to Milan.

POPE.

Which makes our most noble friend all powerful. So it is as we had heard. We had best come to terms with the Duke's man. I want you to give this letter to Piccinino. (hands over letter) I will explain the details.

Lights Down