Giulio's Letter to Lucretia –

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The dwelling place of my soul, my beloved, the flower of my Holy Spirit

Dear Lucres, may the grace of the Virgin Mary be with you.

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My love, I hope you don't blame me for coming so slowly. In fact, I wanted to take out my inkwell and parchment to write to you when we finally left the horse, and went into the room or tent, and sat down in the chair, even if they had not yet been able to set up the table, but Caesar, your brother thought that too dense letters would reveal our secrets and attract the enemy's attack, so I had to hold back my thirst and wait for the right moment, Luclesia, for which I almost stayed awake, alas, in the desert of love, The graceful handwriting of your slender fingers may be a lifesaver, but I have to endure it for safety.

To add insult to injury, your brother Caesar, though I hate to say that, the sturdy stallion, once free from the bridle of his robe, became more and more presumptuous, and we could have hurried to Loire in France in October to meet their new king, Louis XII, but he insisted on taking with him hundreds of priests, jesters, musicians, and courtesans, and, of course, retinues and attendants, to stay in every city we passed—I don't mean to accuse him, for Caesar, These compliments and flatteries are not for nothing, after all, he needs to erase his previous impression now, and you know, to this day, there are still people who call him the Prince of Christ, and regard him as a priesthood rather than a secular general or duke, which will be very detrimental to his future career.

It is also worth mentioning that these people have given him countless gifts, Luclayia, even after deducting future military expenses, I think you may still need to leave one or three boxes of jewelry empty, and he constantly asks me for my opinion with a necklace or brooch, but I will say that there is only something in this world that cannot be matched with you, and there is absolutely nothing that you cannot match - I cannot give an opinion, in addition to the reasons mentioned above, there is also this kind of behavior that is simply a form of torture, whenever I think of you, Luclayia, My heart is pierced by the sword of distance.

I want to come back to you.

But I still have my duty to keep, but from the bottom of my heart Caesar's recent situation has not been as good as he has appeared, no, I do not mean that he is now undertaken, although I admit that the rejection of the King of Naples and his daughter has put him under considerable pressure, but for this family business, that is to say, the cousin of King Louis XII of France, the sister of King John III of Navarre, who is determined to achieve and can hardly go wrong, given that Louis XII is eagerly awaiting him to bring, There should be no problem with his previous wife, Jeanne of France, to invalidate the marriage contract.

What I want to say is...... Lucretia, his unsettling irritability and recklessness, he hardly listened to any advice, even me, many times, he would yell at me, but before I could leave, he apologized to me in a low voice, kept me, sorry, I don't know what to say, but ...... I think that when you come back this time, you should have a good talk with him, and we may be able to keep secrets between us, but I think that you and I are still worthy of his trust, especially for Caesar, who is both friend and brother.

And one more thing, and I may complain to you, that before I set out, I studied the French court and their kings and courtiers, and it is no secret that they may not be able to accept the Italians for the time being, as can be seen from their attire, which is as simple and old-fashioned as the Germans, and I think that the people they want to see, who want to marry French princesses, should not at least be so...... According to them, "debauchery and frivolity". It is a pity that Caesar did not agree with me at all, and look at his outfits and accessories these days—dark purple velvet, scarlet brocade, snow-white cashmere, sewn with gold and silver threads, pearls and precious stones at the junction of each thread, his hat adorned with ostrich and peacock feathers, or red gold insignia, his horses nailed with sterling silver horseshoe, saddle reins and stirrups inlaid with gold...... He himself had thirty noble squires of high birth, and twenty more in the various cities who had received allegiance from him, and had given them a suit of fine armor second only to him, and his servants and maids could be arranged from one street to another, and beside them, as I had described before, a procession of musicians, clowns, and prostitutes, and he even brought bears and monkeys, and my dear Lucresia, I think, for these Frenchmen, who were so old-fashioned as to wear only black clothes, We're probably like bears or monkeys, especially when they flock here and there, vying to see us.

I don't think it's something to be happy about, but Caesar insisted that such extravagance would deter those who were disgruntled with the Holy See, the Holy Father, and even the Borgias, and he believed that the curious people, with their admiration and affection for him, reciprocated by the constant holding of feasts and tournaments, in which anyone could eat and drink and talk to him, and receive a reward from him—I don't know what to say, but this behavior, Perhaps a thousand years ago, the emperors of Rome did what Caesar did—free food, bloody amusement, and silver coins thrown from the bridge.

Some people may be temporarily dazzled by his actions, but I have been looking at him coldly, Luclessia, the two kings of France in a row, Charles VIII before him, and now Louis XII, are people who advocate frugality, and you know, the subjects of every country will only revere their king, and the king loves luxury, and his subjects will be keen to chase vanity and wealth, and vice versa, from the heart and bluntly, Caesar's behavior, or even a kind of transgression, I don't know how to describe it, But I swear, as far as I have seen, that the nobles of France are very dissatisfied with Caesar, and as for Louis XII, the king of France, who is a young but calm man, he may be angry in his heart, but he does not show it, which worries me even more, if you can, Lucrecia, as Caesar's favorite little sister, please use your power to try to persuade him that he may fulfill the commission of His Majesty the Pope as soon as possible, instead of using that important document as a sword and shield, where no one is his enemy, and he does not have to be so aggressive.

(Here, the blue-black handwriting clearly has a large dot caused by hesitation)

And, if possible, ask our venerable Father in a quiet place whether he is satisfied with the work I have done, and if he wishes to know more deeply, and in more detail what it says, he may wait for me and Caesar to return to Rome-Luclayia, and if the Father doubts it, whether it is true or faithful, then tell him that I have been deeply captured by his daughter, and that I am the deer at your feet and the bow and arrow in your hand, and that you can use me as well as you can, Let me stab thy enemies, and I will be completely subservient, like Samson who was seized by the hair by Delilah, and my weakness and strength are derived from you, my love, my dependents, my most precious of all, what a favor it is to receive your love, which perhaps only the peace that God has given me can match, and I have chosen the former. And now, I am almost going to punish myself, I am a blind man without a mind, or perhaps a deaf man who lacks emotion, or a fool who has lost his courage, to turn a blind eye to your affection, to turn a deaf ear, it is my fault, love, you have dedicated to me, and now, it is my turn to dedicate to you.

Please don't say no.

Also, if you want to reply (which is almost inevitable), tell the messenger not to go to the Loire, and when he comes to France, Caesar and I will not be in the Loire, for Anna of Brittany has returned to her realm to mourn her deceased husband in a convent, and Caesar's fiancée, Charlotte, the cousin of the King of France, and the sister of King John III of Navarre, have gone to serve and accompany her sister-in-law, who are now in Brest, a prosperous seaport city, from here to Rennes, It is a wide and long coast, the shore is full of roses and crimson boulders, so people call it the Rose Coast, I love, when the sun shines on them, they are like rubies scattered in a dumped jewel box, the white tide, the deep blue sea, and the light golden sand are the base of the jewel and the silk that covers it, when I first saw it, how I wish you could also stand by my side, and look at this miracle that God has given to mankind.

King Louis XII of France has promised your brother to marry Princess Charlotte, but both he and Caesar think that it is a good thing to be able to get the love of the bride before the marriage, so we will leave for Brest in three days, I believe that Caesar will finally achieve what he wants, and I hope that he will achieve another victory as neatly as before, I miss you, and before and after every prayer I long to see you, to kiss you, to touch you, more than anything else.

Well, please kiss the reliquary that I entrusted the messenger to bring you (carved from the red granite that people have collected from the Rose Coast), for I have kissed it deeply, and it has the temperature and imprint of my lips on it, so that it is as if we were kissing, and I have sent you cider, please have a drink every night before going to bed, so that it can warm your body instead of me, and when you are done, please do not rush to throw away the bottle, look at the bottom of the bottle, you will find a little surprise, it is not expensive, But I want to be there for you all the time.

(Another pause)

Look at me, how careless I am, I forgot to ask my attendant for a few more candles, the candles are about to burn out, and my ink is about to run out, and if you see the light handwriting, don't blame me, because I had to put the tip of the pen in my mouth and make my mouth black, and if you saw me at this time, you would be amused—how beautiful your smile is!

(The handwriting here is so faint that it is almost indecipherable)

I would like to conclude by saying, may God bless you and wish you all the best and good health.

Always think of your faithful servant

Julio. Medici

Loire, November 20, 1498

Lucrecia's letter to Giulio:

To: My master, my myrrh, my agarwood, my stag.

How glad I was to be able to call you so, Giulio, for I thought I could only watch you give this glorious title (more enviable than the title of princess, the crown of the Queen) to another woman, though her face was indistinct in my imagination and her voice was muffled—an imagination that pierced my heart like a sharp sword.

My heart was burning, at that time, and now, it is still burning, I love you, I love you, Julio, my master, my beloved.

(The handwriting trembles here)

It is the middle of the night, O and my love, I am very hungry and thirsty like a donkey in the field, but not because I do not listen to the word of God (note 2), but because you say that you are a deer that falls at my feet, and because of your words I have fallen into a scorching purgatory.

Thy fur is abundant, my stag, and thy body is strong, and thy undulating lines are like hills, thy eyes are like honey, and the tip of thy tongue is like cherries, and thy hooves and horns are as hard and white as sugar, and thou art by my side, that I may be satisfied.

I even had to leave the desk, Giulio, otherwise the boiling blood would not have been cooled.

(It can be seen here that the color of the ink is different)

Forgive me for my previous incoherent words, but I didn't replace a piece of parchment because my mind is so messed up precisely because of my love for you, and I want you to see it, though it's not so perfect.

- I regret that the ink has been in contact with the air for so long, and the color has changed, and it was my favorite color, dear Julio, the cobalt blue, which was as dark as your hair color, now it looks a little light, but it reminds me of the sun shining on you, and the wind of the Gulf of Brest blowing through your cheeks and hair, which is my soul on it, although it is a little cold, but it caresses and kisses you, close your eyes, imagine, I imagine it, In every night and early morning when you are away.

I kissed everything the messenger brought, for they could have touched your hand, and the reliquary, which I tasted like food, almost hid it between my lips and tongue, if not for which I could not have done. I put it closest to my heart, my love, is this a part of you, it is made of stone, but it is hotter than the bread in the oven.

I put the cider in a place where I could see it at first sight, and even my most trusted maid was not allowed to touch it, it was the best wine I have ever tasted, second only to the tip of your tongue, and I could have drunk it in a decade, but I will obey your every command, my lord, this jar of wine is about the weight of an arroa (the Spanish medieval unit of weight, about eleven .5 kilograms), and according to your arrangement, it will be bottomed out before Easter—will you return to me at this time? If that were the case, I would have been willing to wait, whether it was you, or whatever you had given me, as much as it would have been, though it would have been torture and torment.

As for Caesar, dear Julio, you don't have to back down again and again because of me, he is a young bull, our Holy Father has said that he is too reckless and impulsive, and he is also a little arrogant, especially after poor Juan left us, not only you, but even I feel that he is a little out of control, but this may only be temporary, after all, he is also a Borgia, just like the Holy Father, he also made many mistakes when he was young, wait quietly by Caesar's side, Some flames don't hurt if you don't touch him with your own hands, and failure will calm him down, but don't stop him when he's on a rampage, it will only hurt you.

In any case, even our Holy Father can't help him now—it's his fault, he doesn't cherish you enough, and when he comes to his senses, he will feel remorse, and I'm sure he won't be angry at your indifference at this time, but will only feel sorry and embarrassed for it, and maybe now he is already thinking about how to get your forgiveness.

You are his friend and brother.

I (here are some of the rubbed out handwriting) have not been able to see our Father alone lately, he is very busy, but I will find an opportunity to ask him about the things you mention, but again, I don't want you to make sacrifices for me, Julio, my love for you, and your love for me, is not a shackle or a shackle, and I rejoice in your merits, not in your submission, even if it is my brother and father.

Let me say something selfish, Julio, the love you have given me has been so great that it has overflowed my hands, and I will toss and turn every night in pain to the point that I cannot sleep, so please take some back, hide it, and don't let me worry that it will one day dry up like that jar of cider.

I asked the messenger to bring me my reliquary, in which I hid my hair, and a tear bottle filled with the tears I shed when I thought of you.

May God grant you peace, holiness and happiness.

Your most humble servant Lucresia. Borgia

Rome, December 3, 1498

Note 1: The Jewish judge in the book of Judges of the Bible of Samson (San Sūn), born in Israel in the 11th century BCE, the son of Manoah, struck down the lion with his bare hands with great divine strength and fought alone against Israel's foreign enemies, the Philistines

The Philistines asked Samson's woman, Delilah (also a Philistine), to reveal the secret of Samson's divine powers, which she cut off in her sleep and called for his people to capture him, who was tormented in prison by gouging out his eyes and imprisoned.

Note 2 – Amos 8:11 The Lord God said, "The days are coming, and I will send a famine to the earth." It is not because men are hungry because they have no bread, and they are thirsty not because they have no water, but because they do not listen to the voice of the LORD. Lucracia's words are quoted from this.