The Borgias

Previously on The Borgias...

The sentence is banishment.

Cardinal Versucci will be stripped

and his property will be donated

to our Holy Mother Church.

Cardinal Versucci was the last person

in the room.

No one can find him.

May I introduce Francesco Gonzaga,

Duke of Mantua,

and his bride, the lovely Bianca.

Divine indeed.

You know what I want.

You wish your son to be acknowledged.

To separate a mother from her child -

Her bastard child.

My feelings on that matter

have already been made abundantly clear.

You sat there, meek as a girl,

and said not one word.

Catherina Sforza Riario,

Countess of Forli.

We had almost lost hope of having you kneel before us.

You invite her here?

Into the heart of Rome onto the steps of the Vatican

for the whole world to see?

My invitation of Catherina Sforza

is a move in the game -

as is your marriage to the pope's daughter.

My marriage is no game.

I love Lucrezia.

Who did this?

Only my brother would've -

Is this what I am to your brother?

A question mark?

Is this what I am to your family?

I would confound this pope.

Our little pack of wolves.

If they pledge their swords to me,

and the Borgia estates I'll divide among them.

What on God's earth?

Am I so hard to love?

Only a Borgia, it seems, can truly love a Borgia.

Why deny ourselves the pleasure

of which we're already accused?

== sync, corrected by elderman ==

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 Pope's whore, Giulia Farnese?

That's the brother.

God help us all.

You shall report to Cardinal Grimani

who is in charge of the Treasury.

We need a comprehensive account of all funds and outlays,

with each transaction recorded twice.

I am sure you are aware of the principle of double entry?

Tithes and taxes are garnered in the Treasury and deposited here;

these dockets record the amounts,

the various funds, sub-funds

and sub-funds of sub-funds to which the amounts 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 are 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 is sometimes best to burn it down and sow again.

Are they competent?

Do any of them 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.

Ah!

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?

Oh!

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.

Uh-huh... 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, 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, uh,

kind, and gentle.

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?

Dog 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.

Father. 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 - it was her idea.

So, you are not like the others.

No ambition.

I am deeply honoured by the - 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