The Borgias, Season One

Giovanni Cybo/Innocent VIII:
(to the Cardinals, as he is dying) You are afraid to enter, but you must. (they enter) I am about to meet my maker, and I have confessed. And, I confess... I am very afraid. (acknowledges several of them, and they bow) Corlona. Sforza. Orsini. Borgia.

Rodrigo Borgia:
(bows) Your Holiness.

Giovanni Cybo/Innocent VIII:
...Della Rovere. (Della Rovere bows) You will fight, like dogs... over this corpse I leave...for this throne, of St. Peter's. (Della Rovere crosses himself) But, it was pure, once. We have all sullied it, with our greed and... lechery. (Borgia and Della Rovere meet each other's eyes) Which of you... will wash it clean?! (Della Rovere seems about to speak, but Borgia speaks first)

Rodrigo Borgia:
It shall be cleansed, Your Holiness- with the tears we shed for you. I swear, before the living God.

Orsino Orsini:
(sneering) You swear thus- a Spanish burano, a white Moor?!

Rodrigo Borgia:
(firmly) As Vice-Chancellor, I swear, before the living God. (kisses the Pope's hand)

Ascanio Sforza:
And so do I, Your Holiness.

Cardinal Versucci:
And I, Your Holiness. (the Cardinals all gather around the bed, voicing their assurances)

Guiliano Della Rovere:
Rest assured, Your Holiness, the glory of our Holy Mother Church will be restored- in my lifetime. (kisses the Pope's hand as Borgia watches him)

Rodrigo Borgia:
We must get you out of here, before they lock the doors.

Cesare Borgia:
And, so it begins.

Rodrigo Borgia:
You know what to do?

Cesare Borgia:
(exasperated) Yes, Father.

Rodrigo Borgia:
Keep our family safe. Until the new Pope is elected, there can be anarchy in Rome- every faction fighting for its' own candidate. And, if, after the first vote, if the smoke is black-

Cesare Borgia:
(impatiently) As you said, Father- I know what to do. (he tries to walk away, but Rodrigo grabs his shoulder and forces him against the wall)

Rodrigo Borgia:
(quietly) I have waited a lifetime for this moment; we will go over it again. If we fail on the first vote, I will send word-

Cesare Borgia:
On the wings of a dove-

Rodrigo Borgia:
Names, of those Cardinals who need persuading.

Cesare Borgia:
With properties, benifaces, and if need be, gold. (pause) They call that simony, Father.

Rodrigo Borgia:
(waves it aside) God will forgive us, my son. (looks him in the eye) But I will not forgive failure. From you, or your brother. Am I understood?

Cesare Borgia:
(pause) We will not fail you, Father. (Rodrigo nods, then kisses him on the cheeks)

Rodrigo Borgia:
Go, now.

Cesare Borgia:
Have you heard?

Vanozza Cattaneo:
(playing cards with her two youngest children) Even Joffrey has heard, have you not?

Joffrey Borgia:
The Pope is dead?

Cesare Borgia:
You know what that means?

Vanozza Cattaneo:
I know there will be an election.

Juan Borgia:
(enters after Cesare) And the city will be bedlam until it is over.

Lucrezia Borgia:
Do you think our father can win, Juan?

Juan Borgia:
Are we allowed to dream, Mother?

Vanozza Cattaneo:
Your father found ways to love and care for us in this house, but I'm not sure that, as Pope, he can do the same.

Juan Borgia:
As Pope, he can do what he wants.

Vanozza Cattaneo:
(gives him a direct look) Are you sure? Kings and Popes and Emperors belong to their people, not to their families.

Cesare Borgia:
So- we allow the election to run its' course, and he won't be Pope?

Vanozza Cattaneo:
What other course is there? It's in the hands of God.

Cesare Borgia:
(smiles) It's in the hands of the College of Cardinals, Mother. Not quite the same thing. (gestures to Joffrey to play a particular card) This one.

Guiliano Della Rovere:
(notices Rodrigo coming down the hall) Cardinal Borgia.

Rodrigo Borgia:
(bows mockingly and keeps walking) My Lord Cardinal.

Guiliano Della Rovere:
Whoever wins this contest-

Rodrigo Borgia:
(turns around) Election.

Guiliano Della Rovere:
... If you were a different man, I might vote for you. You've performed your duties as Vice-Chancellor admirably. (Rodrigo bows his head again) The Church has need of your... organizational genius.

Rodrigo Borgia:
...but?...

Guiliano Della Rovere:
She has other needs, as well.

Rodrigo Borgia:
(sits near Della Rovere) And, they would be?...

Guiliano Della Rovere:
Honesty. Probity. Goodness'.

Rodrigo Borgia:
You find me lacking in those qualities?

Guiliano Della Rovere:
(firmly) Yes. And so, I shall fight you. To the end, and beyond that, if need be, with any means at my disposal.

Rodrigo Borgia:
(nods)... I do tend to win whatever battles I fight. (stands up) But what talk we of fighting? It is all on God's hands. (crosses himself) Goodnight, my Lord.

Cesare Borgia:
I ask to confess to you... Holy Father, because... I have sinned.

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
And how have you sinned, my son?

Cesare Borgia:
I have corrupted my soul. I have pledged estates, castles, benifaces to your brother Cardinals... and transferred the documents in the innards of beasts and roasted fowls. All, to secure your election as Pope.

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
And God will repay us, tenfold.

Cesare Borgia:
But, you must set my soul at ease, Father. Can a family such as ours survive such a prize? (chuckles darkly) We are Spaniards- they hate us. The enemies we have at present will be multiplied tenfold.

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
God will protect his vicar on Earth, Cesare- and those dearest to him-

Cesare Borgia:
(sarcastically) Will you inform God, as to his duties in this regard?

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
... Why this blasphemous tone, my son?

Cesare Borgia:
(grimly) Because, I swear- if God does not protect us, I shall.

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
(sharply) You are a bishop, Cesare- you have no need of such temporal thoughts.

Cesare Borgia:
(angry) You placed this collar around my neck, Father. You made God my calling... but the sins I've committed for you must surely convince you that the Church is not my calling! (pause) I beg you, now, to release me of my vows- and let me live as a layman. As a soldier. I can then protect my family from the storm that surely must engulf it-

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
You are my eldest son, Cesare. You were always destined to be a Prince of the Church!

Cesare Borgia:
I would be a Prince of State, Father, and I think you know that.

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
The Papal Army is small, Cesare. The battles I will fight will be within these sacred walls. This is where I will need your help! (pause) Juan can bear arms for the Borgia family, and lead whatever army the Pope has, and I will not have my authority questioned further on this. Ego te Absolvo.

Cesare Borgia:
(observing the bodies) You planned this massacre thoroughly.

Micheletto Corella:
If I had planned it, my Lord, believe me, we would not be having this conversation.

Cesare Borgia:
You're that meticulous?

Micheletto Corella:
Always. (removes a dagger from a body and throws it aside)

Cesare Borgia:
And who planned it?

Micheletto Corella:
Cardinal Orsini.

Cesare Borgia:
And Della Rovere?

Micheletto Corella:
I know nothing of him. In this affair, I had but one master. (leans against the wall to catch his breath)

Cesare Borgia:
And now?...

Micheletto Corella:
And now, I am like a stray dog- masterless. (glances at Cesare) Unless your kind offer still stands.

Cesare Borgia:
You could've... let things take their course, betrayed me. Most of your kind do.

Micheletto Corella:
My kind? (pause) I do not have a "kind". (glances at his bloody hands, then back to Cesare) And, I suspect, neither do you.

Cesare Borgia:
(sheathes his dagger, approaches) Your name, sweet assassin?

Micheletto Corella:
(straightens up)... Micheletto.

Cesare Borgia:
You must prove yourself worthy of my trust, then.

Micheletto Corella:
(gestures to the pile of corpses) This is not proof enough?

Cesare Borgia:
Perhaps... perhaps not. Can you dispose of these corpses?

Micheletto Corella:
You would keep them secret?

Cesare Borgia:
More than that- I would keep you secret. (pause) Dump them in the Tiber- meet me at the Vatican gates in two hours' time. We shall discuss your future service.

Guiliano Della Rovere:
(dining in the House of Medici) The wealth of Florence astounds me, Don de Medici.

Piero de Medici:
Banking. The Medici family are bankers to the world- to the Vatican itself.

Niccolo Machiavelli:
Father Savanarola calls it "usury".

Piero de Medici:
And what do you call it?

Niccolo Machiavelli:
"Interest."

Guiliano Della Rovere:
He may be wrong about the Medici bank, but he's right about the Borgia Pope. Alexander's great game is the investiture of Naples. He knows France has claims upon it; he knows Spain has claims upon it. He will play them both against each other, like a spider with two flies-

Piero de Medici:
(impatiently) And you? What is your game?

Guiliano Della Rovere:
(smiles) I have no game- but, if I am forced to play... I will head to France, and ask the French King to invade our beautiful Italy. (Medici looks alarmed)

Niccolo Machiavelli:
(pretends to look bewildered) "Italy?" Is there such an entity?

Guiliano Della Rovere:
There is a land, Signor Machiavelli, made up of many principalities. The Duchy of Milan, the Republic of your wondrous Florence, the Dukedoms of the Romagna, the Papal States-

Niccolo Machiavelli:
And to their south, Naples.

Guiliano Della Rovere:
Borgia has betrothed his daughter to a Sforza. He will marry his son to a Spaniard or a Venetian, his younger son to a Florentine or a Neapolitan. (to Medici) He will weave a web around this Italy that may not exist- he will swallow your Florence, your Venice, your Milan- and Italy then will exist, my Liege. Under him.

Niccolo Machiavelli:
(sarcastically) Hmm- prophetic words. Are you... cousin to Savanarola?

Guiliano Della Rovere:
No. But, I would meet with him- I've seen him preach.

Piero de Medici:
Can you explain to me, Cardinal, why the King of France would muster an army and invade his neighbors?

Guiliano Della Rovere:
Because he wants Naples.

Niccolo Machiavelli:
So,you give France Naples, France gives you... Rome.

Guiliano Della Rovere:
(folds his hands together)... I don't want Rome. I want to restore the glory of her Holy Church.

Niccolo Machiavelli:
Mmm- as Pope.

Guiliano Della Rovere:
(smiles uneasily) As her humble servant.

Niccolo Machiavelli:
(smiles thinly) Indeed. And... what do you want of Florence?

Guiliano Della Rovere:
... Nothing.

Niccolo Machiavelli:
(chuckles) Well, then we will charge you nothing!

Guiliano Della Rovere:
You misunderstand. I ask that Florence do... nothing.

Niccolo Machiavelli:
... Ah. We, let those French... barbarians march through our Principality, and do...

Guiliano Della Rovere:
Nothing. (Medici glances between them)

Niccolo Machiavelli:
(coldly)... That's a different kind of nothing. That will cost you something.

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
(to his doctor) Go away! (to Cardinal Sforza) Do nightmares ever plague the Vice-Chancellor?

Ascanio Sforza:
The very office is a nightmare, Your Holiness. Plots, petty intrigues and petitions... which I do my utmost to keep from your presence.

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
(nods slowly) I need your assurance... of the welfare of my daughter- in the castle of your cousin, Giovanni Sforza.

Ascanio Sforza:
You suspect she's ill-used?

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
(sighs worriedly) Our nightmares tell us so.

Ascanio Sforza:
He will be... putty in her soft hands, Your Holiness. Yes, he inherited the Sforza name, the Sforza wealth- but none of its' vigor.

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
And the Sforza appetite for intrigue?

Ascanio Sforza:
(shrugs) Yes, well...yes, that he did inherit. But... intrigue is no match for Borgia intelligence, as all Rome has discovered.

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
So... I need your further assurance that... he, and another cousin, the Duke of Milan, will be constant in their support... for our Papacy. (Cardinal Sforza looks away) We have merged our fortunes with the Sforza name- the consequence of that trust being betrayed... would be most severe.

Ascanio Sforza:
(pause) Do you speak to me as Vice-Chancellor, Your Holiness?

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI':
(coldly)...No. As a Sforza.

Cesare Borgia:
You loved my father?

Vanozza Cattaneo:
... Fool that I am, my son, perhaps I love him still.

Cesare Borgia:
Can it be... cured?

Vanozza Cattaneo:
No. It can be endured, embraced- and suffered. (pause) You are suffering, my son?

Cesare Borgia:
... I have met a woman, Mother(sits across from Vanozza, who smiles slightly)... who is married.

Vanozza Cattaneo:
And she makes you suffer? (Cesare sighs) Well, perhaps she suffers, too.

Cesare Borgia:
She does. (pause) But, if I can rid her of her impediment-

Vanozza Cattaneo:
She will be yours?

Cesare Borgia:
(shakes his head) To endure life, like you did, Mother?

Vanozza Cattaneo:
You could leave the Church (Cesare scoffs, she smiles humorously) And displease your father... if you dare.

Cesare Borgia:
(pause, leans forward) I fear nothing, Mother.

Cesare Borgia:
(having received a report from Micheletto) Della Rovere has left Florence.

Rodrigo Borgia/ Alexander VI:
With, or without satisfaction?

Juan Borgia:
(dismissively) We have the Papal Armies, the Sforza armies, our allies in the Romagna, all under my command. (sits across from Cesare, slams his sword on the table) To hell with Florence!

Cesare Borgia:
(fiddling with a dagger) My fear is, the Cardinal might invite Apocalypse.

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
He would open the Seven Seals.

Cesare Borgia:
No, Father, let us not talk in metaphors. My fear is, he would go to France, conspire with the French to invade us, and arrange free passage of their armies through the Republic of Florence and the Duchy of Milan.

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
And, the French King would-

Cesare Borgia:
Depose you and march south, to Naples. (pause) His armies are hardened by a hundred years of battle with England- there is nothing here to match them.

Juan Borgia:
Duke Ludovico Sforza of Milan- he is cousin to our sister's husband, Giovanni Sforza.

Cesare Borgia:
(scoffs) Lucrezia did not marry Ludovico Sforza, Brother- and they don't call him Il Moro for nothing.

Juan Borgia:
(stands up, crosses the room) I hear he keeps his own cousin, caged beneath his castle floors.

Cesare Borgia:
(stands up, approaches the Pope) He would betray us in a moment, if he thought his Dukedom was in peril. What he fears... is that his nephew would wear his crown.

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
Well... perhaps we should threaten them, with just that possibility. (Juan smiles) And you should go to Florence- tease out their intentions. Those Medici bankers have a preacher, Savanarola, who accuses them of usury. (smiles) Perhaps we should offer them an excommunication- a public burning- if they support our just cause.

Girolamo Savanarola:
(addressing a crowd in a Florentine cathedral) FLORENCE! The time will come when all your finery, goods and chattles will profit you nothing! You have lived in usury, Florence, like pigs in heat! The riches of your banking may astound the world, but one day they will be your undoing -owing to your avarice! Neither you, nor your children lead a good life! You have already discovered, many devices of gaining money...

Niccolo Machiavelli:
(appears next to Cesare, who is watching Savanarola) It was rumored a Cardinal had graced Florence with his presence.

Cesare Borgia:
(glances at him) And, you are?...

Niccolo Machiavelli:
Niccolo Machiavelli, Ambassador to the House of Medici.

Cesare:
(nods to the ranting Savanarola)...This Friar would burn your Florence to the ground.

Niccolo Machiavelli:
Not quite- he would reduce us, to his own status.

Cesare Borgia:
Which is?...

Niccolo Machiavelli:
A pile of straw, upon a monastery floor. He disapproves of... display, ornament, artistry. Even comfort.

Cesare Borgia:
...Perhaps Cardinal Cesare Borgia can be of some help.

Niccolo Machiavelli:
You would meet with my master, Piero de Medici?

Cesare Borgia:
No. He would meet with you, in Macedon.

Niccolo Machiavelli:
(glances quickly at him)... Aha. A conspiracy, then.

Cesare Borgia:
(smiles) No. More like... an Inquisition.

Niccolo Machiavelli:
(smiles briefly) Perhaps you should follow me. (they move away from Savanarola)

Cesare Borgia:
Another Cardinal came through here, some days ago- he left his mark, I believe, upon a confessional door.

Niccolo Machiavelli:
There... was a Friar, found murdered. But, that Cardinal claimed to be a man of peace.

Cesare Borgia:
We all do, Signor Machiavelli.

Niccolo Machiavelli:
You make the same claims?

Cesare Borgia:
For the moment. But, I would hazard, that if this Cardinal passed through Florence, he did more than pin a Dominican Friar to a door.

Niccolo Machiavelli:
You would?

Cesare Borgia:
Yes. I would hazard... he met with the Florentine Ambassador (gives Machiavelli a direct look) and his master, Don Medici.

Niccolo Machiavelli:
And, if he did?...

Cesare Borgia:
I would hazard there was a purpose for that meeting.

Niccolo Machiavelli:
The purpose being?...

Cesare Borgia:
... That Florence unite to his cause?

Niccolo Machiavelli:
No. On the contrary, he asks for nothing.

Cesare Borgia:
(pause) Nothing?

Niccolo Machiavelli:
... Or, to be more specific, he asked that Florence... do nothing.

Cesare Borgia:
(nods slowly) He requested that Florence do nothing... in the event of a great something. (moves past Machiavelli)

Niccolo Machiavelli:
... You are far too clever, for a Cardinal.

Cesare Borgia:
The times have made me so. He requested that Florence do nothing, and allow a great passage of arms through its' Republic?...

Niccolo Machiavelli:
(shrugs) Perhaps.

Cesare Borgia:
And, Florence promised him?

Niccolo Machiavelli:
... Why should I tell you what Florence told him?

Cesare Borgia:
(smiles) I could ensure that, instead of your beautiful Florence... Friar Savanarola himself burns.

Niccolo Machiavelli:
(chuckles briefly) An impressive offer.

Cesare Borgia:
So... Florence offered the good Cardinal...

Niccolo Machiavelli:
What he offered Florence. Nothing. (starts to move away, Cesare grabs his arm)

Cesare Borgia:
So, the arms of France cannot pass through your fair Republic?

Niccolo Machiavelli:
In a sentence. (looks at Cesare thoughtfully) And, if these times have made you clever... the coming months may thrust genius upon you. (leaves)

Lucrezia Borgia:
(concerning her husband, as she rides through the woods escorted by Paolo) Where does he hunt?

Paolo:
In the high mountain passes.

Lucrezia Borgia:
(sarcastically) He is brave, with those deer...

Paolo:
But?...

Lucrezia Borgia:
But, they suffer less than me, do they not? He kills them quickly.

Paolo:
Do you suffer?

Lucrezia Borgia:
Nightly.

Paolo:
(indignant) He must stop! It is a crime, against...

Lucrezia Borgia:
(sadly) Against what?

Paolo:
(looks directly at her) Against you. Your beauty. You're the Pope's daughter; how can he stand it?!

Lucrezia Borgia:
(looks away)... The Pope doesn't know.

Paolo:
If I could write, I would send him a letter.

Lucrezia Borgia:
(looks at him)... Am I beautiful, Paolo?

Paolo:
(smiles)... You're the most beautiful thing I've yet seen.

Lucrezia Borgia:
(smiles) Lift me down. (Paolo helps her dismount her horse)

Paolo:
... I could adjust his saddle.

Lucrezia Borgia:
(puzzled) You could adjust my Lord's saddle? (pause) He would fall. He would fright. (starts to smile) He would return home...tamed.

Paolo:
(nods) Broken.

Lucrezia Borgia:
... What if he died?

Paolo:
From a fall? He would never.

Lucrezia Borgia:
(smiles mischievously) What if I had you whipped, for wickedness?

Paolo:
(shakes his head) You would never.

Lucrezia Borgia:
Are you sure?

Paolo:
(smiles) Yes- of that, I am sure.

Neapolitan Ambassador:
King Ferrante of Naples sends his humble regards-

Juan Borgia:
(smirks) King Ferrante of Naples can neither hear nor see, I believe. (Alexander swats him on the shoulder)

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
Son.

Neapolitan Ambassador:
He nevertheless sends his every good wish. And, in the face of all the spurious claims upon his Kingdom- from Spain, from France, from the Duchy of Milan- he would remind Your Holiness of the justice of the independent claims of Naples. An independent Naples can only be to Rome's... benefit. (Cesare glances at the Pope) And I, as his Ambassador, am proud to present a suit for your consideration, of his last unmarried daughter, Sancha, Duchessa of Squillace. (reaches for the cloth cover to Sancha's portrait)

Juan Borgia:
Where is Squillace?

Neapolitan Ambassador:
(annoyed) In the Kingdom of Naples. (reveals the portrait; Alexander looks approving, while Juan is clearly drawn to Sancha's face; he stands up and takes a closer look)

Juan Borgia:
(clearly jealous) My younger brother Joffre is all of thirteen years old.

Neapolitan Ambassador:
His Highness had understood the prospective groom to be the Gonfaloniere himself- the Duke of Gandia.

Juan Borgia:
(offended) Me? Why, this is most irregular- I would never consider marrying the illegitimate daughter of the King of Na-

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
(cuts him off, sharply) Would you convey our thanks, to our friend and ally King Ferrante- whose claim to independence we fully understand- for his most generous offer?! (Juan looks angrily back and forth between him and the Ambassador) You will have our response... shortly.

Lucrezia Borgia:
(looks into a spring-pool with Paolo) Look at you.

Paolo:
Me?

Lucrezia Borgia:
Like Narcissus, in the spring waters.

Paolo:
Narcissus? (Lucrezia looks at him)

Lucrezia Borgia:
You don't know Narcissus?

Paolo:
I can neither read, nor write, my Lady Lucrezia. (Lucrezia leans close to him and they look back at the pool)

Lucrezia Borgia:
... Narcissus fell in love with his own reflection, in the waters of a spring. Do not move. (she bends and kisses Paolo's reflection in the water)

Paolo:
It is impossible. (pulls her upright)

Lucrezia Borgia:
To fall in love with a reflection?

Paolo:
To kiss it. (they kiss)

Lucrezia Borgia:
... And I thought I would never know sweetness. (they kiss again)

French Captain:
Your Royal Highness, may I introduce you to Cardinal Guiliano Della Rovere? (Charles continues eating) Cardinal Della Rovere, His Royal Highness King Charles of France.

Guiliano Della Rovere:
(bows) Your Royal Highness.

Charles VIII:
We have heard of you.

Guiliano Della Rovere:
And I of you, Your Highness. Your military renown has traveled far and wide-

Charles VIII:
(irritated) Enough of the pleasantries! You are the one who would give us the Crown of Naples. (gestures for Della Rovere to sit opposite him, Della Rovere does so)

Guiliano Della Rovere:
The Kingdom of France has long had claims on the investiture of the Kingdom of Naples. I would-

Charles VIII:
I said, enough pleasantries, did I not? Just tell me, Cardinal (leans forward) How you would place the Crown of Naples on this ugly head of mine. (Della Rovere looks startled) And it is exceedingly ugly, is it not?

Guiliano Della Rovere:
Your Highness bears all the vigor of the French race in his person.

Charles VIII:
(smirks, to his Generals) He's afraid to say it. Is my head not ugly, General?

French General:
(grins) I can hardly bear to gaze at it. (the Generals laugh)

Charles VIII:
So, admit it, Cardinal- I have all the graces of a carnival dwarf.

Guiliano Della Rovere:
Those words would never pass my lips, Your Highness.

Charles VIII:
Well, then we may get nowhere. I appreciate only plain speech. (eats, pause) Tell us, then, what you want of us- plainly.

Guiliano Della Rovere:
... My countrymen are accustomed to the show of war, not the reality. They could never muster the courage to sustain your French fury.

Charles VIII:
... You want me to march to Rome, depose that Borgia, give you the Papal Crown... in the hope that you will place the Crown of Naples on this ugly head. (indicates himself)

Guiliano Della Rovere:
(firmly) I want to restore the universal Church to her former dignity.

Charles VIII:
Couldn't this Borgia do the same?

Guiliano Della Rovere:
(bewildered) Restore the Church?

Charles VIII':
Place the Crown of Naples on this ugly noggin?

Guiliano Della Rovere:
"Noggin?"

Charles VIII:
Head. (his Generals chuckle)

Guiliano Della Rovere:
(curlty) Either way, you must get to Rome, Your Highness.

Charles VIII:
(drinking wine with Della Rovere) You would entice me to battle- but, do you know what that means?

Guiliano Della Rovere:
It means a just war in defense of Christendom.

Charles VIII:
(snorts) No war is just. War is chaos. Brute force, mustered against brute force until one side is destroyed, utterly. (pause) I have read of your Italian battles. Hired mercenaries on feathered horseback, prancing like peacocks one against the other, until one side retires... with something called honor? (stares at Della Rovere, snorts) But, there is no honor in war. (bitterly) The French learned that against the English. There is blood, death, armor against armor until one side... surrenders, in death or domination. (pause) Be careful what you pray for, Cardinal, if you pray for war. You will find yourself in a place... beyond prayer itself. (Della Rovere stares at him)

Ursula Bonadeo:
I asked to meet you here, because... my husband has been found. (Cesare looks at her, then away) Washed up, on the shores of the Tiber- three weeks dead, with stab wounds to his neck. (pause, her voice shaking) For those three weeks, I -gave my body to you. I broke my marriage vows.

Cesare Borgia:
I thought... perhaps I hoped- you did so willingly-

Ursula Bonadeo:
You bought those three weeks with murder! (tearfully) I told you he was riding on the road to Ostia that night. (pulls the veil off her face and stares at him) Admit it, Cardinal!

Cesare Borgia:
I admit nothing.

Ursula Bonadeo:
Yet the crime is written on your face!

Cesare Borgia:
(finally meets her eyes) There was no murder. He fought, he lost! (Ursula claps her hand to her mouth in horror)

Ursula Bonadeo:
(tearfully) I begged you not to meet him!

Cesare Borgia:
You begged me not to place myself in harm's way.

Ursula Bonadeo:
I had no idea you had such capabilities!

Cesare Borgia:
(turns away) And to think, I thought you knew me.

Ursula Bonadeo:
I thought I knew a man! A man conflicted, perhaps, between the world and God, but not a murderer!

Cesare Borgia:
(voice shaking) Is it murder to defend your mother's honor? To procure the freedom of one you could love? (Ursula gives a sarcastic laugh through her tears) Even more than your mother's honor. (stares at her) If it is, I am a murderer born.

Ursula Bonadeo:
Maybe God can forgive you, because I'm not sure if I can.

Cesare Borgia:
You think I care for the forgiveness of God?! (pause) I care for your happiness, your future... and I have now given it to you. Liberame, you asked me-

Ursula Bonadeo:
You have not given me a future! You have given me a lifelong penance! I am party to your crime! (pause, more quietly) I feel for you, still... but I know not this monster beside me. (she starts to rise, but Cesare grabs her arm and pulls her back, scaring her)

Cesare Borgia:
Well, let me tell you. (pause) I was born... with a stain. A mark. Like the mark of Cain. It is the mark of my father, of my family... the mark of Borgia. (pause) I've tried, to be other than I am... and I have failed. (voice breaks) If I have failed you in the process, I am truly sorry. (rests his forehead against hers)

Ursula Bonadeo:
You... you have the Devil's insight, Cardinal. You read what my heart wanted, and you gave it to me. You gave me... joy. Through a crime, I could not have conceived. (pause) And now, I must live my life in penance, praying for forgiveness.

Cesare Borgia:
Where?

Ursula Bonadeo:
... You will not know where. (stands up and walks away, Cesare stands behind her)

Cesare Borgia:
You mean a nunnery?

Ursula Bonadeo:
I mean confinement.

Cesare Borgia:
(voice shaking) I will search you out! Like Abalard and Eloise. You may find a nunnery cell, but you will never be free of me!

Ursula Bonadeo:
(smiles grimly) You are right. I will never be free of you.

French General:
Tell me, Cardinal- what is the Italian word for "cannon"?

Guiliano Della Rovere:
We have no such word, General.

French General:
For... gunpowder? Recoil, battery, cannonball, ordinance?

Guiliano Della Rovere:
... I'm at a loss.

French General:
(grins) You will need a new language, then. Your Italy will soon be deafened by the sound of cannon. (Della Rovere looks uneasy)

Lucrezia Borgia:
I must return to my husband in the morning.

Cesare Borgia:
Why?

Lucrezia Borgia:
Because he is my husband. Because our father needs his allegiance.

Cesare Borgia:
I should keep you here in chains- I suspect you would be happier.

Lucrezia Borgia:
(looks sharply at him) Why do you question my happiness?

Cesare Borgia:
Because something happened. I know it.

Lucrezia Borgia:
What do you know?

Cesare Borgia:
Your eyes. (Lucrezia turns away) You no longer walk on air. (she walks away, he follows her) Where is my young sister hiding?

Lucrezia Borgia:
I am the Lord Sforza's wife, Brother.

Cesare Borgia:
If he does ill by you, I shall do ill by him.

Lucrezia Borgia:
He would be wise to be kind, then. (they both stop)

Cesare Borgia:
What are... his pleasures?

Lucrezia Borgia:
Hunting. (bitterly) The marital bed.

Cesare Borgia:
(exhales angrily) I dislike him already.

Lucrezia Borgia:
(smirks, sits) But he had an accident, Brother- and now, he can indulge in neither.

Cesare Borgia:
A happy accident?

Lucrezia Borgia:
Yes. God is good.

Cesare Borgia:
But he will recover.

Lucrezia Borgia:
Unfortunately, yes. (Cesare sits down, looks at her)

Cesare Borgia:
...You are no longer a child, Sis. I won't forgive him for that.

Lucrezia Borgia:
... There was a reason for my marriage, Brother. (pause, looks at him) Remind me of it. (Cesare looks away, then leaves)

French Scout:
(returning from the gates of the city of Lucca) They would open their gates to you, my Liege, but they would first discuss terms.

Charles VIII:
(curtly)... Let us show them terms. (gestures to his artillery)

Gunners:
FIRE! (the French cannon batteries open fire, doing devastating damage to Lucca's walls and gates and terrifying the civilians; the French soldiers cheer)

Charles:
(to the scout) Those are my terms. (the scout and Della Rovere both look horrified) Captains!

French General:
FORWARD! (the French cavalry charges into Lucca, followed by the infantry)

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
We will excommunicate Florence, if the French armies are admitted! (several of the Cardinals voice their approval)

Ascanio Sforza:
(skeptically) Excommunicate the entire city, Your Holiness?

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
The Medicis, the Paccis, Machiavelli- the whole signoria! (the Cardinals repeat their approval) And we will have that Savanarola burnt! We will bear no more opposition to our work!

Alessandro Piccolomini:
Then you must excommunicate half of Christendom- because half the world is against us!

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
(stands up, furious) We will not tolerate this heresy- this apostacy! (gestures behind him) This is the chair of Saint Peter's; we are the voice of the living God! We will occupy this chair until death, and the fires of Hell shall rain down on those who would oppose us! (the Cardinals look unimpressed by this outburst, Cesare watches his father as he walks down the hall and turns) We are, all of us, about to be... sorely tested. And you... are either with us... or against us. (walks back) We hereby impose an excommunication... upon that heretic apostate, Cardinal Guiliano Della Rovere. We ask for your support in this most solemn declaration. (pause) We demand your compliance, so... (gestures to them) A show of hands, Your Eminences (silence) If you please! (none of the Cardinals, even Cesare, raises their hands; Alexander drops his in frustration. After a moment, Cardinal Sforza lifts his hand)

Ascanio Sforza:
(wearily) Your Holiness, may the Vice-Chancellor speak?

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
... Yes, Cardinal Sforza, he may. (sits)

Ascanio Sforza:
It would be... unwise (stands) to use the Church's most solemn sanction... to so little effect.

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
What does the Vice-Chancellor mean?

Ascanio Sforza:
Excommunication or not, this invasion will proceed. We may all have to adjust ourselves to new realities.

Niccolo Machiavelli:
I have heard a whisper of your excommunication, Cardinal.

Guiliano Della Rovere:
Indeed? I've heard the same of yours. (Machiavelli glances at him)

Niccolo Machiavelli:
Mine?

Guiliano Della Rovere:
I've heard rumors the whole of Florence could be excommunicated, if this city is surrendered to French arms. (they glance back at Charles VIII at the head of his troops, who have almost reached the gates)

Niccolo Machiavelli:
Well, then- perhaps that depends on one's definition of surrender. (he rides forward to intercept the King) I bid His Royal Highness and the Armies of France welcome, to the fair city of Florence. (Charles eyes him suspiciously) But, it would be politic, Your Highness, if you would ride through our gracious city with your lance at rest.

Charles VIII:
(glances at his spear, held in offensive position) At rest?

Niccolo Machiavelli:
(smiles) Your lance at point is a symbol of conquest- and our gracious Florence has not been conquered. On the contrary- we welcome you with open arms.

Charles VIII:
Signor Machiavelli? (Machiavelli turns around)

Niccolo Machiavelli:
Your Highness?

Charles VIII:
Our lance at rest prevents our entry to your "fair city."

Niccolo Machiavelli:
(shrugs) Perhaps, Your Highness, if it were to be angled backwards?

Charles VIII:
(irritated) And of what would that be a symbol?

Niccolo Machiavelli:
(smirks) Of Your Highness' infinite... resourcefulness.

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
(angrily) We granted your King Ferdinand and your Queen Isabella the title of "most Catholic Majesties." We delivered a solemn Papal bull granting them everlasting rights over that vast new continent-

Spanish Ambassador:
But, with respect, Holy Father, what you ask is impossible!

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
(more quietly) The involvement of Spanish forces, in the protection of St. Peter's and the Head of Christendom- (gestures to himself)

Spanish Ambassador:
(cuts him off) Would amount to a declaration of war between France and Spain.

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
(wags a finger at him) Then I warn you, Ambassador, favors granted can be rescinded!

Spanish Ambassador:
(raises his hands helplessly) And I would beg Your Holiness' forgiveness that I cannot meet his full demands!

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexaner VI:
(sighs in despair and goes to the window) Must we face this... French apocalypse alone? The populace is already fleeing Rome. (observes the civilians leaving the city, then turns back to the Ambassador) We thank their Royal Catholic Highnesses, and tell them- (kisses the Ambassador) our savior was kissed thus by Judas Iscariot. (storms out)

Cesare Borgia:
(to a nearby whore) You know this man?

Whore:
No, Father- he had no name last night. (Cesare grabs Juan by the feet and yanks him out of the bed, then drags him upright by the hair, waking him up)

Juan Borgia:
(sheepishly) Brother.

Whore:
(amused) You have a priest for a brother?

Juan Borgia:
A Cardinal. (Cesare frog-marches him across the room)

Whore:
Cardinal? I shoulda charged you double!

Juan Borgia:
(chuckles) I imagine you did- (Cesare dunks him headfirst into a bucket of water, then pulls him back up and shoves him onto a blanket)

Cesare Borgia:
(curtly) Your father would review the forces at his command, Gonfaloniere.

Juan Borgia:
I am out of sorts this morning, Brother.

Cesare Borgia:
It's afternoon. (picks up a bowl of water)

Juan Borgia:
Ah, no!- (vainly trys to shield himself as Cesare throws the water on him)

Cesare Borgia:
(smirks) You know me, Brother- I disapprove of lechery, debauchery, drunkenness.

Juan Borgia:
(grins) Which is why our father made you the Cardinal.

Cesare Borgia:
Why, then, did he make you a Duke? (throws the rest of Juan's clothes at him)

Juan Borgia:
(smugly) Because lechery and debauchery are the very marks of nobility. (Cesare grabs his arm and yanks him upright again)

Cesare Borgia:
Most of Italy has galloped off to the French side. They've heard a sound that is new to their Italian ears: the sound of cannon. (sharply) And the Gonfaloniere has other duties besides lechery and debauchery- there is the tedious business of war.

Cesare Borgia:
(watching Juan lead the Papal Army off to face the French) Will the good Lord see the justice in our cause, Micheletto?

Micheletto Corella:
Where warfare is concerned, Your Eminence, our good Lord will take a holiday.

French General:
We are in danger of losing the initiative, Your Highness! (King Charles motions for him to shut up) Your Highness, I strongly urge you to-

Charles VIII:
You will wait! (pause) I will not harm her.

Juan Borgia:
(to Lucrezia) Lucrezia! My God-

Lucrezia Borgia:
They hold us hostage, Brother.

Juan Borgia:
"Us?"

Lucrezia Borgia:
Julia Farnese and I. We were riding to Rome-

Juan Borgia:
Then ride on.

Lucrezia Borgia:
Would you survive this day, dear Juan?

Juan Borgia:
We have a battle to fight.

Lucrezia Borgia:
Believe me, you have lost it already-

Juan Borgia:
It is hardly begun!

Lucrezia Borgia:
(sharply) I have heard one roar of cannon! A hundred more, and your whole army will be dead and bleeding, and you have yet to see their pikes!

Juan Borgia:
(stubbornly) I will not accept defeat-

Lucrezia Borgia:
Then do not call it that! Call it common sense! Say the French King asked for terms. You offered...

Juan Borgia:
...What did I offer?!

Lucrezia Borgia:
His safe passage to Naples, in exchange for... his bloodless entry into Rome.

Juan Borgia:
Lucrezia, he will pillage the place! Depose our father!

Lucrezia Borgia:
Leave that to me. (she returns to Charles) It was my brother, Your Highness!

Charles VIII:
Your brother?

Lucrezia Borgia:
The Gonfalionere of the Papal Armies. He thought you meant to sack Rome, like the Goths and Vandal hordes! I told him you're a gentleman- you had no such idea. (Charles glances away ashamedly) You had no such idea, had you?

Charles VIII:
... No such idea.

Lucrezia Borgia:
Your goal is Naples. (Della Rovere looks quickly at the King)

Charles VIII:
Naples... of course.

Lucrezia Borgia:
(smiles) So... my brother, the Duke of Gandia, the Gonfaloniere of the Papal Armies, bids you welcome to Rome.

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
Your brother did not fail, Cesare; your father did. Your father, who placed that responsibility on his shoulders- who was blinded by paternal fondness. Your father, that has been abandoned by all that once supported him. Your father, who... who faces his dark night of the soul...alone. (Cesare kneels next to him and grips his hand)

Cesare Borgia:
...I will not leave you, Father. (Alexander kisses his hand and hugs him close, weeping)

Charles VIII:
(enters St. Peter's Basilica and moves towards the altar, looking all about) Holiness? (pause) Your Holiness? (he comes upon Alexander praying in the garb of a simple monk before the altar, and mistakes him for a common priest) Forgive me, Friar- I am seeking an audience with the Pope. (the Pope rises, his back still turned to the King) You have been interrupted at prayer-

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
(shakes his head) Our prayers are ended. (turns around and pulls back his hood) And, perhaps... they will be answered.

Charles VIII:
(stares at him in astonishment)...Can this really be the Pope of Rome? Pope Alexander?

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
Sextus- at your service, my Lord. (comes forward and offers his ring; Charles kneels and kisses it) And you, my Lord, are?...

Charles VIII:
King Charles, of France. (Alexander bows slightly to him, Charles gestures at the Pope's sackcloth robe) It is not as we expected...

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
Does the Pope of Rome disappoint Your Highness? Had you hoped for gold and silver vestments? Display has its' purpose... but simplicity must rule our hearts. (Charles bows his head reverently) We are all of us, naked before God... even the Pope of Rome. Even... the King of France.

Charles VIII:
There are beauteous women in Naples, I have been told. (Alexander nods) Even for this ugly snout of mine? (the French and the Pope chuckle)

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
They will swear it is divine, Your Highness.

Charles VIII:
They can lie in Naples?

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
Exceedingly well. They hardly know what "truth" is.

Charles VIII:
HAH! (he and his generals roar with laughter, Charles turns to Cesare) A most excellent Pontiff, your father, is he not?

Cesare Borgia:
(smiles uneasily) I have... no other to compare him with.

Charles VIII:
Well, he has suited our purpose! We could be said to have an understanding. (glances at the Pope, who returns his gaze)

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
(nods heartily) We could, indeed!

Charles VIII:
But, in case- just in case- we would make a request of Your Holiness.

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
Well, we will respectfully hear it.

Charles VIII:
We would have you nominate a Papal Legate, to accompany our armies to the Kingdom of Naples. To remain with us, for the duration of our visit.

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
(glances away)... Very well. We will nominate a legate of our choice-

Charles VIII:
(smiles and touches his arm) Oh, no- not of your choice, Holy Father. (Cesare tenses) Of ours.

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
... Who would you choose?

Charles VIII:
(smiles slightly) Your son, Cardinal Cesare Borgia. (Alexander hastily looks in Cesare's direction)

Cesare Borgia:
(sharply) You would have me accompany your army as... a hostage?! (Alexander gestures at him to calm down)

Charles VIII:
No, God forbid. (shakes his head, smiles) A hostage implies emnity!

Cesare Borgia:
(angrily) And what does Legate imply?

Charles VIII:
Friendship, surely! And a guarantee that such friendship will continue.

Cesare Borgia:
(observing the ceremonial crowning of Charles by Alexander) It is an august sight, is it not?

Guiliano Della Rovere:
St. Peter's in its' full glory, the Pope of Rome in Cathedra, the Sistine Chapel Choir singing. It would bring tears to one's eyes, Cardinal Borgia.

Cesare Borgia:
I want to compliment you, Cardinal, on your... steadfastness, your probity, your...survival, indeed.

Guiliano Della Rovere:
(nods) It did prove hard, at times.

Cesare Borgia:
In fact, you proved such a worthy opponent, that... I would gladly have you back in Rome. (Della Rovere glances sharply at him)

Guiliano Della Rovere:
You?

Cesare Borgia:
I have my father's ear, as you must understand. And, he needs someone with the steel that your soul has. (Della Rovere looks away)

Guiliano Della Rovere:
He has you, doesn't he?

Cesare Borgia:
I will not be Cardinal forever; surely, you must know that.

Guiliano Della Rovere:
And the other Cardinals?

Cesare Borgia:
Well, my father's problem is he surrounds himself with weakness. (he and Della Rovere meet each other's gaze) And, with your strength, Cardinal-

Guiliano Della Rovere:
I serve God...and can only pray the Papacy survives its' current occupant. (looks towards Alexander)

Cesare Borgia:
... I could've killed you. Twice.

Guiliano Della Rovere:
Perhaps, then, you should kill me now. Because my opposition to the Borgia Papacy will only die with me.

Johannes Burkhardt:
Lady Lucrezia, you have intimated some grave disappointment on your wedding night?

Lucrezia Borgia:
It was disturbing, Your Honor, in the extreme.

Johannes Burkhardt:
Would you be so kind as to elaborate?

Lucrezia Borgia:
I blush with shame, to speak of such matters before this... august company. But...sadly... tragically, my husband revealed himself to be... (she trails off, Sforza frowns at her impatiently)

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
You may speak frankly, Lady Lucrezia. These are grave matters.

Lucrezia Borgia:
My husband, turned out...

Johannes Burkhardt:
Please proceed. (Alexander smiles at his daughter and gestures for her to go on)

Lucrezia Borgia:
(looks Sforza straight in the eye)... Turned out to be impotent. (the Cardinals chuckle)

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
Ah.

Giovanni Sforza:
(smiles and shakes his head angrily) Monstrous. This is monstrous! On the wedding night, I can prove it- (he trails off)

Johannes Burkhardt:
(mockingly)...Yes?

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
You said, on the wedding night?...

Giovanni Sforza:
... I say she lies.

Johannes Burkhardt:
(steps forward) Indeed, but you just mentioned proof.

Giovanni Sforza:
(glares at Lucrezia) She lies.

Johannes Burkhardt:
Ah. (turns back to the Pope) There are precedents, Your Holiness, for a demonstration of proof of...potency. The Lord Sforza could demonstrate his claims to proof of full potency, with the Lady Lucrezia, before a gathering of Canon lawyers.

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
(pretending to be shocked) No, no no, that would surely be distasteful to the lady herself. (smiles at Lucrezia) Indeed, as would the Lord?... (gestures in Sforza's direction)

Giovanni Sforza:
(scoffs) The very thought is an outrage!

Johannes Burkhardt:
Well, then there remains one more possibility. (goes to the Pope) A public demonstration of the Lord Sforza's prowess, with one or two willing maidens, would also constitute proof of potency. (the Cardinals laugh again)

Giovanni Sforza:
Public?

Johannes Burkhardt:
Indeed. In a place of the college's choosing, before a gathering of canon lawyers and a selection of the Roman public.

Giovanni Sforza:
(distastefully) You mean... Courtesans?

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
But we will spare the Lord Sforza such...public humiliation. (stands up, gestures at the room around them) A demonstration here, before our brother Cardinals, would suffice.

1st Prostitute:
Would His Holiness see the Lord Sforza with one, or both of us? (Alexander gives Sforza an inquiring look, shrugs and glances to Burkhardt)

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
Burkhardt?

Johannes Burkhardt:
One demonstration will suffice. (Alexander nods to the girls, who stand up)

1st Prostitute:
Me first, then. (she gets on the bed and hikes up her skirt in Sforza's direction, eliciting giggles from the Cardinals; Sforza approaches her, then stops) Do these thighs not please you? (the Cardinals laugh)

Giovanni Sforza:
Enough! (Burkhardt glances up, Cesare leans forward. Sforza glares at the Pope, who is watching him smugly) Give me a divorce.

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
But, on what grounds?

Giovanni Sforza:
(quietly) Impotence. (the Cardinals laugh)

Johannes Burkhardt:
(dips his quill in ink) We must hear it from the Lord Sforza's own lips. For the record..."On the wedding night"... (glances at Sforza)

Sforza:
On the wedding night, I did not consummate my marriage.

Johannes Burkhardt:
"Did not" or "could not"?

Giovanni Sforza:
Did not. (Burkhardt continues to look expectantly at him)... And could not. (Burkhardt nods and keeps writing)

Burkhardt:
"You were on that night, and remain..."

Giovanni Sforza:
(enraged and humiliated) ...Impotent. (all the Cardinals, including Cesare, laugh)

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
(smugly) We declare the marriage between the Lady Lucrezia Borgia... and the Lord Giovanni Sforza... to be invalid. As if it never existed.

Julia Farnese:
We should give thanks.

Cesare Borgia:
Whom should we thank?

Rodrigo Borgia/Alexander VI:
(holding his newborn grandson) God. (he hands the baby to Lucrezia as everyone gathers around her bed) We should thank God for all the blessings he has visited upon this- our family.