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Before Charles, King of France, passed into Italy,[1] this

country was under the dominion of the Pope, the Venetians, the

King of Naples, the Duke of Milan, and the Florentines. These

potentates had two principal anxieties: the one, that no

foreigner should enter Italy under arms; the other, that none of

themselves should seize more territory. Those about whom there

was the most anxiety were the Pope and the Venetians. To restrain

the Venetians the union of all the others was necessary, as it

was for the defence of Ferrara; and to keep down the Pope they

made use of the barons of Rome, who, being divided into two

factions, Orsini and Colonnesi, had always a pretext for

disorder, and, standing with arms in their hands under the eyes

of the Pontiff, kept the pontificate weak and powerless. And

although there might arise sometimes a courageous pope, such as

Sixtus, yet neither fortune nor wisdom could rid him of these

annoyances.