The Borgias (2011–2013): Season 3, Episode 4 - The Banquet of Chestnuts - full transcript
The Pope consecrates new Cardinals including Giulia Farnese's brother. He's put in charge of the Vatican's financial records and finds that the treasury has been emptied. The Pope orders that former Cardinal Versucci, who is traveling the countryside, be found and taught the error of his way. Giulia proposes a way to assure the future loyalty of the consistory. Alfonso admits to his cousin King Ferdinand that he and Lucrezia did not spend their wedding night together. When he does get into her bed, she proposes a different kind of relationship. Ferdinand raises the issue of the unconsummated marriage with the Pope and demands that proof be provided that the marriage contract is complete. The Pope hosts a dinner for bankers and merchants from Venice where he accedes to their request to do something about Turkish interference in their trade routes. He declares a crusade against the Turks....and then new taxes are announced. Caterina Sforza's new ally strikes.
We hereby invest you,
Alessandro Farnese...
...with the dignity of cardinal
of the Holy Roman Church.
Receive this ring
from the hand of Peter...
...and know that through the love
of the prince of the apostles...
Who is he?
...your love towards the Church
is strengthened.
Remember the pope's whore,
Giulia Farnese?
That's the brother.
God help us all.
You report to Cardinal Grimani
who is in charge of the treasury.
We need an account of funds
and outlays.
Each transaction recorded twice.
You are aware of the principle
of double entry?
Taxes are garnered in the treasury
and deposited here.
Dockets record the amounts
of various funds, sub-funds...
...sub-funds of sub-funds
to which the accounts are due.
You will make two books: one of credit,
one of debit. This is your desk.
Here.
I'm sure your sister impressed
on you the importance...
...of counting the money before the
client has rinsed off and walked away.
What happened here?
Cardinal Versucci happened here.
Sister, more water.
There, Brother.
The title deeds to the alum mines...
...so graciously transferred
to the Office of Public Works...
...are now restored in perpetuity
to the Little Sisters of the Poor...
...with all the income resultant.
You're a strange messenger
to bring such good tidings.
You look like a man in a hurry.
What is it
you're hurrying from, Father?
Oh, at first I thought
I was hurrying from...
...but now I rather think
I am hurrying towards.
Towards God?
Towards whatever destiny
I have wrought for myself.
So Rome is well-stocked
with cardinals once more.
With loyal cardinals. When the garden
is overcome with weeds...
...it's sometimes best to burn it down
and sow again.
Are they competent?
Do they know their duties?
Their only duty is loyalty to us.
The rest they can learn
as they go along.
Father, the envoy from Venice.
What does Venice want?
An audience.
He's been waiting three days.
The new bride finally appears.
How are you, my dear?
Are you well?
Yes, Father.
Married life suits you?
Last night brought you
everything you could desire?
We brought a blush to your cheeks.
Look, Cesare, your sister...
...the blushing bride.
Well, there we are.
So...
...what brings Venice so far south?
The price of indigo?
The illiberal duties charged
on imports from the Baltic states?
Or are mosquitoes in the lagoon
getting too much to bear?
- It is the Turks, Your Holiness.
-The Turks?
We have lost
three trade convoys this year.
Innumerable smaller
merchant vessels.
The price of doing business.
This past month they've been raiding
the coastal towns along the province.
They've not done that before.
If trade suffers, we all suffer.
Rome as well.
So Venice's suffering
is Rome's suffering.
Exactly so, Holiness.
Except with rather more mosquitoes.
Well, we thank you for bringing
our suffering to our attention.
We were not aware.
We will give this matter
the consideration that it merits.
So our cousin has married the woman
all of Italy talks about.
Who would have thought,
out of all those suitors...
...she would choose
our little Alfonsito?
You've done well...
...for our family and yourself.
Very, very well, I might say.
Lucrezia Borgia.
Even a king hears tales, so tell me,
what's she like?
She is...
...kind and gentle. She--
You idiot, not like that.
I mean in bed.
What's she like in bed?
She's everything
you could wish for, I suppose.
You suppose?
Cousin, we're men talking here.
I mean, how does she like it?
D09 Style?
Up the back alley? How?
The usual way.
The usual way?
What is it you're not telling me?
What happened
on your wedding night?
- Nothing.
-Nothing?
What do you mean, nothing?
Nothing happened.
- The marriage wasn't consummated?
-Nothing happened.
Nothing happened? Nothing at all?
But it must happen.
For the sake of both our families,
it must happen.
- And it will.
-Yes, it most certainly will.
- Holy Father.
-Your Holiness.
- Your Holiness.
-Your Grace.
Cardinal Farnese.
Your Holiness.
Hard at work, I see.
Yes, Holiness.
I am reconciling dockets, Holiness.
Ascertaining the true level
of Vatican funds.
Please, don't let me stop you.
Your sister Giulia requested
that you be created a cardinal.
Yes, Holiness.
- You did not put yourself forward.
-No, Holiness.
Not even to her?
A suggestion?
- The merest hint?
-No, Holiness...
...it was her idea.
So you are not like the others.
No ambition.
- I am deeply honoured by the trust--
-Yes, yes, yes.
She told me that you have a felicity
for numbers, for accounts...
...which is why we have placed you
in a position in our treasury.
Holiness.
- Now, listen to me very carefully.
-Yes, Holiness.
You'll not report to Cardinal Grimani.
You will not report
to Cardinal Sforza.
To none of them.
You will detail the full extent
of Vatican finances...
...and your report you will place
in our hands and our hands alone.
Am I clear?
Yes, Holiness.
Good.
Giulia.
What brings you here?
A sister's devotion.
Is your head above the water still?
In truth, I fear the waves
closed over me long ago.
What is this?
I no longer know.
Lies and confusion.
Would sisterly devotion go so far
as to help me make sense of it?
Are you awake?
Yes.
I wanted to say
I'm sorry for last night.
I wish it never happened.
Can we pretend it never happened
and start anew?
I'm sorry.
Icannot
We're married now. We're married.
Last night...
...something more happened than
just a question mark on a place setting.
What happened?
I don't understand.
What else happened?
A cloud descended on me...
...my heart.
Let me lift it, then.
Can you feel nothing?
I feel your hand.
Help me to love you.
Please, just--
Maybe...
Maybe our love...
...has to be more of the soul.
Like...
...brother and sister?
No, not like that.
- We've been stripped bare.
-Yes.
Extraordinary, isn't it?
With such ease.
You're laughing?
Where is the outrage, the fury?
Because we never would have
thought he had it in him.
Oh, we'll replenish the coffers.
Meanwhile, seek him out,
the old goat.
Teach him the error of his ways.
Find him.
Leave us.
Holy Father...
...if you wish me to visit you,
you have but to say the word.
There is no need
for Vatican guards in the night.
Your handwriting
on Vatican accounts.
Your notes.
Here and here.
- Don't try and deny it.
-I was helping Alessandro make sense--
You told us he was capable,
that he had a felicity for numbers.
- We took your word.
-He does.
That nest of figures
would make a saint weep.
- You lied to gain your brother a position.
-He is capable.
Moreover, we ordered him explicitly
to answer to no one but us...
...and he runs straight to you.
-I was merely helping him.
As I once helped you.
Give me one reason why we should
not have him defrocked this instant.
There is nothing underhand here.
- He could not understand the numbers.
-Could not understand--
That is all. I helped him.
No one else, nothing more.
Just a sister helping a brother
to serve his pope.
But he is a man, is he not?
What do you mean?
Men are false.
We had thought
to purge our Vatican.
As though the fresh blood
of new cardinals would wash it clean.
But it will not.
New cardinals become old cardinals
and it will all begin again.
The plotting, the scheming.
We can see it all...
...as inevitable as the tide.
You are not yourself, Holiness.
But we are not mistaken either.
We are so utterly alone.
You are not alone, Holiness.
- How can I prove it?
-You can't...
...unless you can ensure
the loyalty of an entire consistory.
If that will bring me your forgiveness
and you some peace of mind...
...then I shall find a way.
It does require your attention.
You wished to speak to us?
In private?
It's a matter of delicacy, Holiness...
...but a matter that can
no longer go unattended.
Then speak.
The marriage
of your daughter to our cousin.
It has come to my attention
that it is a marriage in name only.
It is unfulfilled.
- Unconsummated.
-What?
-It's only been a few days.
-Still, a few days become a few weeks.
- And then come the lovers and--
-Do not speak of our daughter thus.
- You are a guest here.
-Forgive me, Holiness...
...but God himself tells us,
"Thou shalt enter unto her...
- Do not preach to us about God.
-...and thou shalt know her...
...and she shall be to thee
for a woman."
Now, unless this is done,
this marriage is a sham.
If it is unconsummated...
...then whose fault is that?
-How am I to tell?
You tell me.
You seem to know everything else!
I will tell you what I know.
I know your daughter
is married to my kinsman.
Now, he's an honourable man.
- Meanwhile, your daughter...
-You--
...has a son already
whose father is unknown.
- You tread carefully, sir.
-I am careful, my lord.
I'm careful of myself and my family.
Now, I will see this marriage
consummated...
...lest there be any doubt...
...any confusion,
weeks or months hence.
- Just tell your cousin to get on with it.
-No.
I will take no one's word
on this matter, do you understand?
There must be proof.
What do you mean, proof?
It is a petty revenge
for the slight you gave him.
It is an insult to Lucrezia.
- It is an insult to us!
-Now, look, quieten yourself.
On how many fronts
would you have us fight?
And besides, there is a precedent.
- I will see him burn for this.
-There is a precedent.
It may stick in your gullet
as it sticks in mine...
...but when all is said and done,
he is in the right.
- Do you think it matters one jot to me?
-Well, it should. It must.
Would you have this alliance soured
with Naples the moment it is struck?
Naples was, and always will be,
an infected swamp.
What about Lucrezia?
She must be told.
I will tell her.
No, no.
I Will.
What perversion is this?
You would put me on display...
...for every vile, lecherous creature
to fondle himself to?
- We had no choice.
-You weak, shameless, pitiful excuse.
If I was a man,
I would have run him through.
I would have cut out his tongue...
...before I let him speak about
my own sister in this way.
It was for the family.
We had no choice.
You had every choice!
Where is your honour?!
Where is your strength?!
Where is your love for me?!
I love you!
I would have killed him
where he stood.
I would have cut his heart
out of his body.
But I stayed my hand
for the good of the family.
So the king of Naples
is to watch me in bed...
...for the good of the family.
Very well.
Very well.
When is it to be?
Tonight.
And from our family,
who is to bear witness?
Whomever you wish.
Then I want you.
Just tell us who is who.
Bankers, guilds, merchants.
Dear friends...
...we have invited you
to break bread with us tonight...
...because the news we bring
affects you most of all.
God is our guide,
but trade is our lifeblood.
Hear, hear.
As bankers, as merchants,
you know this best of all.
But a dusky menace
shadows our prosperity.
The Turk threatens our shipping.
Our cousins in Venice
find their storehouses raided...
...their cargoes stolen...
...their lifeblood seeping
into the sand.
But Venice is suffering.
And I ask you, if Venice suffers...
...does not Rome suffer also?
-Yes, indeed.
We must meet this menace head-on.
With God's help,
we will raise a mighty crusade...
...to drive the Turk back
into the desert whence he came.
- Back to the desert!
-And protect our homeland.
And to sweep the seas clean
once more.
Christ walked upon the water.
If the infidel would prevent us...
...then we will consign him
to the gates of hell.
Yes! Yes!
Venice will do everything in its power
to be behind this crusade, Holiness.
- We could not have asked for more.
-Then it is agreed.
In the name of Christ,
we thank you for your unhesitating...
...and unstinting support for this,
our Holy War.
In order to fund the Holy Crusade
against the Turk...
...the following papal levies
are enacted...
...upon goods outgoing from Rome
to Venice...
...and incoming from Venice to Rome.
-More taxes?
And also on assets in coin,
note of hand...
...draughts upon banking houses,
promissory notes...
...gold, silver, precious metals,
and stones.
The matter of which we spoke before
needs to be set in motion.
- Is he ready to join our cause?
-He is.
He has many reasons to hate Rome.
And does he fully understand
what will be required?
More than that. He relishes it.
I believe I have found a way,
Holy Father...
...to bring you some peace of mind.
-Go on.
You fear treachery.
Now, a compromised man
cannot plan treason.
The sword hangs above his head
day and night.
He never knows when it may fall.
But if he's compromised and weak,
that's when he's loyal.
Go on. We are listening.
Let me ask you this.
What compromises a man
more than anything else?
His prick.
And the horns of a cuckold
are only sharpened by time.
My Lord Gonzaga.
My lady.
Please, join us.
They are men, Holy Father.
And as you said, all men are false.
And because they are also weak...
...l propose a night's festivities that
might expose just how weak they are.
- It would need to be chronicled.
-Why?
For posterity's sake.
Well, Master Burchard
would enjoy that.
Now, if all goes according to plan...
...that chronicle would, I believe...
...ensure the loyalty
of the entire consistory.
If this succeeds,
we will grant you a cardinaFs hat.
Now, leave us, if you please.
Our daughter's ordeal approaches.
Do I look pleasing?
You look beautiful.
Beautiful enough
to satisfy a king of Naples?
One night, and it will be done.
It will soon be behind you.
The act may be done in a night...
...but I will have blood for this.
It is time.
Dear God. God's sake.
My eyes. Remember.
Beautiful.
Hey, hey, here with me.
- Here with me.
-Okay.
Just me.
Just me.
Just me.
Excellent.
Your sister's a lucky woman
to have a husband...
...that can bring her to ecstasy
on his very first time.
I didn't know the boy had it in him.
Now you may tell your father the matter
has been dealt with to my satisfaction.
And you may get out of my house.
Father, a man has come for you.
I have been expecting him.
Tell him he will find me
at the old Roman baths at dusk.
Any French princess
of your choosing?
I believe that was
the ambassador's suggestion.
The French king must truly desire
to be rid of his wife.
Look at me.
What happened before...
...what all but happened again
last night...
...it belongs in the past.
It has no place in your future,
nor in mine.
All is done now. You can go off
and love your husband...
...and I can go off
and find myself a bride.
Maybe we both can
work our way to happiness.
Come back soon.
Listen now. There will be a dinner
tonight here in the Vatican.
All the cardinals are to be invited.
You will not attend.
- Why not?
-Because your sister tells you so.
Become ill, stay at home.
Don't come to the Vatican.
Francesco Gonzaga, the Duke
of Mantua, requests an audience.
Has he brought the duchessa
with him?
Oh, well, fit him in.
So all set for France?
Now, before you give Louis
his annulment, look to our advantage.
Get him to renounce his claim
on Naples, and beyond that...
...whatever else you can
to strengthen our position.
I understand.
You hold the fate of Rome
in your hands.
Go on, then.
Rider!
So you have found me.
Yes, I have found you.
Now I would find the money
you have stolen from His Holiness.
How could I steal that
which was already stolen?
From good men and bad,
from rich and poor...
...the pope steals from all Italy,
regardless.
I have merely redistributed.
- Where is it?
-Gone.
- Where?
-Gone.
All gone.
I have wiped him clean away.
Did I hurt His Holiness
where it hurts most...
...in his pocket?
- You wish to know the truth?
-Yes.
He laughed.
Be seated.
Eminencies, Sisters.
Now, the Holy Father calls upon us all
to give what we can...
...to support his endeavours.
Sister, please, stand up.
- Your name, please.
-Sister Angela, my lady.
Step to the front now.
Don't be shy. Come on.
May I ask you to begin?
But, my lady,
we have sworn a vow of poverty.
L have nothing to give.
All I own is the clothes I wear.
Then they will have to do.
Who will give 10 ducats to
the Crusade for Sister Angela's veil?
Cardinals, this is your night.
D0 not be shy.
I know you have gold.
Sister Angela only has her clothes.
Now let's exchange the one
for the other.
- Ten ducats.
-Cardinal Grimani.
Please, Sister Angela,
show us what you have.
There we go.
Look at that, Sister Angela.
Eminencies, how much
for Sister Angela's habit?
- Fifty ducats.
-Fifty ducats. Anyone?
- Sixty.
-Sixty ducats.
- Eighty ducats!
-Eighty ducats.
Item: 21 nuns' habits from
the Carmelite convent in Trastevere.
Item: 21 decent prostitutes
from the best Roman establishments.
And as chronicler to our beloved
Vatican, it is my sad duty to report...
...that the said habits did not remain
on the comely maidens...
...long beyond the first course.
Sister Angela.
They divested themselves for gold
and silver of garment after garment...
...till they were naked
as the day they were born.
They flaunted their nakedness
for the cardinals...
...with the abandon for which
Roman prostitutes are renowned.
And as they auctioned their clothes,
soon they auctioned their bodies...
...to the considerable delight
of the cardinals assembled.
Who's there?
Guards!
Guards!
It is a friend, Your Holiness,
who means you no harm.
Leave us!
How did you get past the guards?
They know rne well enough by now.
My Lord Gonzaga
had business in Rome.
I know. He requested an audience.
As do I.
Knowing this pope, I'd say
he's entering your wife just about...
...now.
Consider the bitch's insanity
my contribution...
...to your lady's war on Rome.
Item: 200 candied chestnuts.
Dear Sisters, Eminences,
please, follow me.
The festivities began at 10...
...and descended into debauchery
around midnight.
Go at it!
La Farnese distributed
the chestnuts on the floor...
...and challenged the valiant damsels
to pick them up...
musing only their nether regions...
...in which enterprise
they showed considerable invention.
Prizes were offered
for those cardinals...
...most successful
with the prostitutes.
Cardinal Constanzo...
...was awarded six silken doublets.
Dear Lord.
Who would have thought
that youngster had it in him?
Cardinal Pertucci...
...seven pairs of shoes.
Seven? Enough for a lifetime.
Cardinal Grimani...
...three feathered hats.
Master Burchard, we will spare you
further elucidation.
We will keep this record
under lock and key...
...for posterity.
For history, Your Holiness?
You think future generations will
be interested in such shameful antics?
No,no,n0.
This will be for our eyes alone.
You request from us
a decree of annulment.
- You heard me, Holiness.
-But annulment can only be granted...
...with a papal brief
in the gravest of circumstances.
The circumstances are grave...
...and gross and constant.
Infidelity.
With whom?
With His Holiness, the Pope of Rome.
The night before
the Battle of Fornovo...
...where I spilled my blood
for our Holy Mother Church...
...and subsequently.
- The very implication is outrageous.
-lndeed it is.
It would scandalise
the whole of Italy.
Where is this wife
of whom you speak?
Your Holiness, I presume,
has no idea?
No, no idea.
Well, if you happen upon her...
...please inform her of my desire.
And of your decision.
Alessandro Farnese...
...with the dignity of cardinal
of the Holy Roman Church.
Receive this ring
from the hand of Peter...
...and know that through the love
of the prince of the apostles...
Who is he?
...your love towards the Church
is strengthened.
Remember the pope's whore,
Giulia Farnese?
That's the brother.
God help us all.
You report to Cardinal Grimani
who is in charge of the treasury.
We need an account of funds
and outlays.
Each transaction recorded twice.
You are aware of the principle
of double entry?
Taxes are garnered in the treasury
and deposited here.
Dockets record the amounts
of various funds, sub-funds...
...sub-funds of sub-funds
to which the accounts are due.
You will make two books: one of credit,
one of debit. This is your desk.
Here.
I'm sure your sister impressed
on you the importance...
...of counting the money before the
client has rinsed off and walked away.
What happened here?
Cardinal Versucci happened here.
Sister, more water.
There, Brother.
The title deeds to the alum mines...
...so graciously transferred
to the Office of Public Works...
...are now restored in perpetuity
to the Little Sisters of the Poor...
...with all the income resultant.
You're a strange messenger
to bring such good tidings.
You look like a man in a hurry.
What is it
you're hurrying from, Father?
Oh, at first I thought
I was hurrying from...
...but now I rather think
I am hurrying towards.
Towards God?
Towards whatever destiny
I have wrought for myself.
So Rome is well-stocked
with cardinals once more.
With loyal cardinals. When the garden
is overcome with weeds...
...it's sometimes best to burn it down
and sow again.
Are they competent?
Do they know their duties?
Their only duty is loyalty to us.
The rest they can learn
as they go along.
Father, the envoy from Venice.
What does Venice want?
An audience.
He's been waiting three days.
The new bride finally appears.
How are you, my dear?
Are you well?
Yes, Father.
Married life suits you?
Last night brought you
everything you could desire?
We brought a blush to your cheeks.
Look, Cesare, your sister...
...the blushing bride.
Well, there we are.
So...
...what brings Venice so far south?
The price of indigo?
The illiberal duties charged
on imports from the Baltic states?
Or are mosquitoes in the lagoon
getting too much to bear?
- It is the Turks, Your Holiness.
-The Turks?
We have lost
three trade convoys this year.
Innumerable smaller
merchant vessels.
The price of doing business.
This past month they've been raiding
the coastal towns along the province.
They've not done that before.
If trade suffers, we all suffer.
Rome as well.
So Venice's suffering
is Rome's suffering.
Exactly so, Holiness.
Except with rather more mosquitoes.
Well, we thank you for bringing
our suffering to our attention.
We were not aware.
We will give this matter
the consideration that it merits.
So our cousin has married the woman
all of Italy talks about.
Who would have thought,
out of all those suitors...
...she would choose
our little Alfonsito?
You've done well...
...for our family and yourself.
Very, very well, I might say.
Lucrezia Borgia.
Even a king hears tales, so tell me,
what's she like?
She is...
...kind and gentle. She--
You idiot, not like that.
I mean in bed.
What's she like in bed?
She's everything
you could wish for, I suppose.
You suppose?
Cousin, we're men talking here.
I mean, how does she like it?
D09 Style?
Up the back alley? How?
The usual way.
The usual way?
What is it you're not telling me?
What happened
on your wedding night?
- Nothing.
-Nothing?
What do you mean, nothing?
Nothing happened.
- The marriage wasn't consummated?
-Nothing happened.
Nothing happened? Nothing at all?
But it must happen.
For the sake of both our families,
it must happen.
- And it will.
-Yes, it most certainly will.
- Holy Father.
-Your Holiness.
- Your Holiness.
-Your Grace.
Cardinal Farnese.
Your Holiness.
Hard at work, I see.
Yes, Holiness.
I am reconciling dockets, Holiness.
Ascertaining the true level
of Vatican funds.
Please, don't let me stop you.
Your sister Giulia requested
that you be created a cardinal.
Yes, Holiness.
- You did not put yourself forward.
-No, Holiness.
Not even to her?
A suggestion?
- The merest hint?
-No, Holiness...
...it was her idea.
So you are not like the others.
No ambition.
- I am deeply honoured by the trust--
-Yes, yes, yes.
She told me that you have a felicity
for numbers, for accounts...
...which is why we have placed you
in a position in our treasury.
Holiness.
- Now, listen to me very carefully.
-Yes, Holiness.
You'll not report to Cardinal Grimani.
You will not report
to Cardinal Sforza.
To none of them.
You will detail the full extent
of Vatican finances...
...and your report you will place
in our hands and our hands alone.
Am I clear?
Yes, Holiness.
Good.
Giulia.
What brings you here?
A sister's devotion.
Is your head above the water still?
In truth, I fear the waves
closed over me long ago.
What is this?
I no longer know.
Lies and confusion.
Would sisterly devotion go so far
as to help me make sense of it?
Are you awake?
Yes.
I wanted to say
I'm sorry for last night.
I wish it never happened.
Can we pretend it never happened
and start anew?
I'm sorry.
Icannot
We're married now. We're married.
Last night...
...something more happened than
just a question mark on a place setting.
What happened?
I don't understand.
What else happened?
A cloud descended on me...
...my heart.
Let me lift it, then.
Can you feel nothing?
I feel your hand.
Help me to love you.
Please, just--
Maybe...
Maybe our love...
...has to be more of the soul.
Like...
...brother and sister?
No, not like that.
- We've been stripped bare.
-Yes.
Extraordinary, isn't it?
With such ease.
You're laughing?
Where is the outrage, the fury?
Because we never would have
thought he had it in him.
Oh, we'll replenish the coffers.
Meanwhile, seek him out,
the old goat.
Teach him the error of his ways.
Find him.
Leave us.
Holy Father...
...if you wish me to visit you,
you have but to say the word.
There is no need
for Vatican guards in the night.
Your handwriting
on Vatican accounts.
Your notes.
Here and here.
- Don't try and deny it.
-I was helping Alessandro make sense--
You told us he was capable,
that he had a felicity for numbers.
- We took your word.
-He does.
That nest of figures
would make a saint weep.
- You lied to gain your brother a position.
-He is capable.
Moreover, we ordered him explicitly
to answer to no one but us...
...and he runs straight to you.
-I was merely helping him.
As I once helped you.
Give me one reason why we should
not have him defrocked this instant.
There is nothing underhand here.
- He could not understand the numbers.
-Could not understand--
That is all. I helped him.
No one else, nothing more.
Just a sister helping a brother
to serve his pope.
But he is a man, is he not?
What do you mean?
Men are false.
We had thought
to purge our Vatican.
As though the fresh blood
of new cardinals would wash it clean.
But it will not.
New cardinals become old cardinals
and it will all begin again.
The plotting, the scheming.
We can see it all...
...as inevitable as the tide.
You are not yourself, Holiness.
But we are not mistaken either.
We are so utterly alone.
You are not alone, Holiness.
- How can I prove it?
-You can't...
...unless you can ensure
the loyalty of an entire consistory.
If that will bring me your forgiveness
and you some peace of mind...
...then I shall find a way.
It does require your attention.
You wished to speak to us?
In private?
It's a matter of delicacy, Holiness...
...but a matter that can
no longer go unattended.
Then speak.
The marriage
of your daughter to our cousin.
It has come to my attention
that it is a marriage in name only.
It is unfulfilled.
- Unconsummated.
-What?
-It's only been a few days.
-Still, a few days become a few weeks.
- And then come the lovers and--
-Do not speak of our daughter thus.
- You are a guest here.
-Forgive me, Holiness...
...but God himself tells us,
"Thou shalt enter unto her...
- Do not preach to us about God.
-...and thou shalt know her...
...and she shall be to thee
for a woman."
Now, unless this is done,
this marriage is a sham.
If it is unconsummated...
...then whose fault is that?
-How am I to tell?
You tell me.
You seem to know everything else!
I will tell you what I know.
I know your daughter
is married to my kinsman.
Now, he's an honourable man.
- Meanwhile, your daughter...
-You--
...has a son already
whose father is unknown.
- You tread carefully, sir.
-I am careful, my lord.
I'm careful of myself and my family.
Now, I will see this marriage
consummated...
...lest there be any doubt...
...any confusion,
weeks or months hence.
- Just tell your cousin to get on with it.
-No.
I will take no one's word
on this matter, do you understand?
There must be proof.
What do you mean, proof?
It is a petty revenge
for the slight you gave him.
It is an insult to Lucrezia.
- It is an insult to us!
-Now, look, quieten yourself.
On how many fronts
would you have us fight?
And besides, there is a precedent.
- I will see him burn for this.
-There is a precedent.
It may stick in your gullet
as it sticks in mine...
...but when all is said and done,
he is in the right.
- Do you think it matters one jot to me?
-Well, it should. It must.
Would you have this alliance soured
with Naples the moment it is struck?
Naples was, and always will be,
an infected swamp.
What about Lucrezia?
She must be told.
I will tell her.
No, no.
I Will.
What perversion is this?
You would put me on display...
...for every vile, lecherous creature
to fondle himself to?
- We had no choice.
-You weak, shameless, pitiful excuse.
If I was a man,
I would have run him through.
I would have cut out his tongue...
...before I let him speak about
my own sister in this way.
It was for the family.
We had no choice.
You had every choice!
Where is your honour?!
Where is your strength?!
Where is your love for me?!
I love you!
I would have killed him
where he stood.
I would have cut his heart
out of his body.
But I stayed my hand
for the good of the family.
So the king of Naples
is to watch me in bed...
...for the good of the family.
Very well.
Very well.
When is it to be?
Tonight.
And from our family,
who is to bear witness?
Whomever you wish.
Then I want you.
Just tell us who is who.
Bankers, guilds, merchants.
Dear friends...
...we have invited you
to break bread with us tonight...
...because the news we bring
affects you most of all.
God is our guide,
but trade is our lifeblood.
Hear, hear.
As bankers, as merchants,
you know this best of all.
But a dusky menace
shadows our prosperity.
The Turk threatens our shipping.
Our cousins in Venice
find their storehouses raided...
...their cargoes stolen...
...their lifeblood seeping
into the sand.
But Venice is suffering.
And I ask you, if Venice suffers...
...does not Rome suffer also?
-Yes, indeed.
We must meet this menace head-on.
With God's help,
we will raise a mighty crusade...
...to drive the Turk back
into the desert whence he came.
- Back to the desert!
-And protect our homeland.
And to sweep the seas clean
once more.
Christ walked upon the water.
If the infidel would prevent us...
...then we will consign him
to the gates of hell.
Yes! Yes!
Venice will do everything in its power
to be behind this crusade, Holiness.
- We could not have asked for more.
-Then it is agreed.
In the name of Christ,
we thank you for your unhesitating...
...and unstinting support for this,
our Holy War.
In order to fund the Holy Crusade
against the Turk...
...the following papal levies
are enacted...
...upon goods outgoing from Rome
to Venice...
...and incoming from Venice to Rome.
-More taxes?
And also on assets in coin,
note of hand...
...draughts upon banking houses,
promissory notes...
...gold, silver, precious metals,
and stones.
The matter of which we spoke before
needs to be set in motion.
- Is he ready to join our cause?
-He is.
He has many reasons to hate Rome.
And does he fully understand
what will be required?
More than that. He relishes it.
I believe I have found a way,
Holy Father...
...to bring you some peace of mind.
-Go on.
You fear treachery.
Now, a compromised man
cannot plan treason.
The sword hangs above his head
day and night.
He never knows when it may fall.
But if he's compromised and weak,
that's when he's loyal.
Go on. We are listening.
Let me ask you this.
What compromises a man
more than anything else?
His prick.
And the horns of a cuckold
are only sharpened by time.
My Lord Gonzaga.
My lady.
Please, join us.
They are men, Holy Father.
And as you said, all men are false.
And because they are also weak...
...l propose a night's festivities that
might expose just how weak they are.
- It would need to be chronicled.
-Why?
For posterity's sake.
Well, Master Burchard
would enjoy that.
Now, if all goes according to plan...
...that chronicle would, I believe...
...ensure the loyalty
of the entire consistory.
If this succeeds,
we will grant you a cardinaFs hat.
Now, leave us, if you please.
Our daughter's ordeal approaches.
Do I look pleasing?
You look beautiful.
Beautiful enough
to satisfy a king of Naples?
One night, and it will be done.
It will soon be behind you.
The act may be done in a night...
...but I will have blood for this.
It is time.
Dear God. God's sake.
My eyes. Remember.
Beautiful.
Hey, hey, here with me.
- Here with me.
-Okay.
Just me.
Just me.
Just me.
Excellent.
Your sister's a lucky woman
to have a husband...
...that can bring her to ecstasy
on his very first time.
I didn't know the boy had it in him.
Now you may tell your father the matter
has been dealt with to my satisfaction.
And you may get out of my house.
Father, a man has come for you.
I have been expecting him.
Tell him he will find me
at the old Roman baths at dusk.
Any French princess
of your choosing?
I believe that was
the ambassador's suggestion.
The French king must truly desire
to be rid of his wife.
Look at me.
What happened before...
...what all but happened again
last night...
...it belongs in the past.
It has no place in your future,
nor in mine.
All is done now. You can go off
and love your husband...
...and I can go off
and find myself a bride.
Maybe we both can
work our way to happiness.
Come back soon.
Listen now. There will be a dinner
tonight here in the Vatican.
All the cardinals are to be invited.
You will not attend.
- Why not?
-Because your sister tells you so.
Become ill, stay at home.
Don't come to the Vatican.
Francesco Gonzaga, the Duke
of Mantua, requests an audience.
Has he brought the duchessa
with him?
Oh, well, fit him in.
So all set for France?
Now, before you give Louis
his annulment, look to our advantage.
Get him to renounce his claim
on Naples, and beyond that...
...whatever else you can
to strengthen our position.
I understand.
You hold the fate of Rome
in your hands.
Go on, then.
Rider!
So you have found me.
Yes, I have found you.
Now I would find the money
you have stolen from His Holiness.
How could I steal that
which was already stolen?
From good men and bad,
from rich and poor...
...the pope steals from all Italy,
regardless.
I have merely redistributed.
- Where is it?
-Gone.
- Where?
-Gone.
All gone.
I have wiped him clean away.
Did I hurt His Holiness
where it hurts most...
...in his pocket?
- You wish to know the truth?
-Yes.
He laughed.
Be seated.
Eminencies, Sisters.
Now, the Holy Father calls upon us all
to give what we can...
...to support his endeavours.
Sister, please, stand up.
- Your name, please.
-Sister Angela, my lady.
Step to the front now.
Don't be shy. Come on.
May I ask you to begin?
But, my lady,
we have sworn a vow of poverty.
L have nothing to give.
All I own is the clothes I wear.
Then they will have to do.
Who will give 10 ducats to
the Crusade for Sister Angela's veil?
Cardinals, this is your night.
D0 not be shy.
I know you have gold.
Sister Angela only has her clothes.
Now let's exchange the one
for the other.
- Ten ducats.
-Cardinal Grimani.
Please, Sister Angela,
show us what you have.
There we go.
Look at that, Sister Angela.
Eminencies, how much
for Sister Angela's habit?
- Fifty ducats.
-Fifty ducats. Anyone?
- Sixty.
-Sixty ducats.
- Eighty ducats!
-Eighty ducats.
Item: 21 nuns' habits from
the Carmelite convent in Trastevere.
Item: 21 decent prostitutes
from the best Roman establishments.
And as chronicler to our beloved
Vatican, it is my sad duty to report...
...that the said habits did not remain
on the comely maidens...
...long beyond the first course.
Sister Angela.
They divested themselves for gold
and silver of garment after garment...
...till they were naked
as the day they were born.
They flaunted their nakedness
for the cardinals...
...with the abandon for which
Roman prostitutes are renowned.
And as they auctioned their clothes,
soon they auctioned their bodies...
...to the considerable delight
of the cardinals assembled.
Who's there?
Guards!
Guards!
It is a friend, Your Holiness,
who means you no harm.
Leave us!
How did you get past the guards?
They know rne well enough by now.
My Lord Gonzaga
had business in Rome.
I know. He requested an audience.
As do I.
Knowing this pope, I'd say
he's entering your wife just about...
...now.
Consider the bitch's insanity
my contribution...
...to your lady's war on Rome.
Item: 200 candied chestnuts.
Dear Sisters, Eminences,
please, follow me.
The festivities began at 10...
...and descended into debauchery
around midnight.
Go at it!
La Farnese distributed
the chestnuts on the floor...
...and challenged the valiant damsels
to pick them up...
musing only their nether regions...
...in which enterprise
they showed considerable invention.
Prizes were offered
for those cardinals...
...most successful
with the prostitutes.
Cardinal Constanzo...
...was awarded six silken doublets.
Dear Lord.
Who would have thought
that youngster had it in him?
Cardinal Pertucci...
...seven pairs of shoes.
Seven? Enough for a lifetime.
Cardinal Grimani...
...three feathered hats.
Master Burchard, we will spare you
further elucidation.
We will keep this record
under lock and key...
...for posterity.
For history, Your Holiness?
You think future generations will
be interested in such shameful antics?
No,no,n0.
This will be for our eyes alone.
You request from us
a decree of annulment.
- You heard me, Holiness.
-But annulment can only be granted...
...with a papal brief
in the gravest of circumstances.
The circumstances are grave...
...and gross and constant.
Infidelity.
With whom?
With His Holiness, the Pope of Rome.
The night before
the Battle of Fornovo...
...where I spilled my blood
for our Holy Mother Church...
...and subsequently.
- The very implication is outrageous.
-lndeed it is.
It would scandalise
the whole of Italy.
Where is this wife
of whom you speak?
Your Holiness, I presume,
has no idea?
No, no idea.
Well, if you happen upon her...
...please inform her of my desire.
And of your decision.