OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

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of Benedict, received them with hospitality andhonour, acknowledged the innocence of their so-vereign, excused his distress, applauded his mag-nanimity, and displayed a clear knowledge of thestate and revolutions of the Greek empire,whichhe had imbibed from the honest accounts of aSavoyard lady, an attendant of the empressAnne.' If Clement was ill endowed with thevirtues of a priest, he possessed however thespirit and magnificence of a prince, whose libe-ral hand distributed benefices and kingdoms withequal facility. Under his reign Avignon wasthe seat of pomp and pleasure; in his youth hehad surpassed the licentiousness of a baron; andthe palace, nay, the bed-chamber of the pope, wasadorned, or polluted, by the visits of his femalefavourites. The wars of France and Englandwere adverse to the holy enterprise; but his va-nity was amused by the splendid idea; and theGreek ambassadors returned with two Latin bi-shops, the ministers of the pontiff. On their ar-rival at Constantinople the emperor and thenuncios admired each other’s piety and elo-quence ; and their frequent conferences werefilled with mutual praises and promises,by whichboth parties were amused, and neither could bedeceived. “ I am delighted,” said the devout

ltalicarum, tom. iii, p. ii, p. 550-589), Matteo Viliam (Cliron. 1. iii,G. 43, in Muratori, tom. xiv, p. 186), who styles him, molto cuvalla-re.co, poco religioso; Fleury (Hist. Eccles. tom. xx, p. 126) ; and theVie de Petrartjue (tom, ii, p.42-45). The abbe de Sade treats him withthe most indulgence; but he is a gentleman as well as a priest.

e Her name (most probably corrupted) was Zampea She bad ac-companied, and alone remained with her mistress at Constantinople ,where her prudence, erudition, and politeness, deserved the praises otthe Greeks themselves (,Cautacuzen. 1. i, c. 42).

CHAP.LX VI.