All language subtitles for Borgia S03E12 - 1505.EN

Lucrezia, I have been locked
in a suite at Castel Sant' Angelo,

rather than the dungeons
of Terra Nuova.

I know not how many days or months
I have been captive.

The closest I have to human contact
is when guards

leave fresh bedding and laundered clothes
or slip a bowl of food inside my door.

My dear sister, this is
now my 11th letter to you.

Perhaps the guards do not forward them.

Perhaps della Rovere reads my pleadings
to you at night for his amusement.

I am and always will be
your devoted Cesare.

Duke Alfonso d'Este, I remind you that
we are tied by both marriage and blood.

I now redeem the favor you owe me.

What does Cesare mean?
He now redeems that which you owe?

I do not know. Rumors swirl
that the prince has lost his senses.

In truth, he was always quite mad.
What he has lost is power.

Because of the treaty between
Pope Julius, Florence and Venice.

A treaty designed to destroy Cesare.

If Lucrezia and I are to remain
duchess and duke of Ferrara,

we must denounce Il Valentino
and reaffirm our fealty to the pope.

- Fealty is the wrong word.
- Fealty is the only word.

Good Pietro...

I have kept Cesare's calamity
a secret from Lucrezia.

The stress of worry must not complicate
her pregnancy.

She does not know her brother
has been captured?

I have lost too many babies.
And she is melancholic.

Lucrezia invited you to our court

to join her band of scholars,
scientists and poets.

Use that opportunity
to cheer her spirits.

I only want what is best for Lucrezia.

A healthy child, Excellency, is best.

Pietro!

Lucrezia, so many years have passed
since I have seen you.

Yet not one hour has passed
without the thought of you.

These last six months trapped
in this room...

Pietro, I do not need poetic words
or lute playing. I need the truth.

My husband tells me that my brother's
campaign in the Romagna is stalled,

but I fear far worse.

Do you know about Cesare?

I shy from politics. As should you.

Until the happy day on which you...

- Why did you punch me?
- Let me up!

- Leave us.
- Yes, Eminence.

I was going to cudgel the guards
and make my escape.

A poorly devised plan. After those guards,
there are ten more, then another 20.

- I would bludgeon them all.
- Yes, of course you would.

Why has della Rovere not incarcerated
me at Terra Nuova?

The reason for my visit.
You have not yet stood trial.

- A trial?
- Before the pope.

- He wishes to publicly deface me.
- Cesare Borgia is larger even than you.

To rule Rome in toto, Pope Julius must
destroy both your person and your myth.

His fatal mistake. He should execute me
in the cruelest way possible.

He cannot!
Five papal cities remain loyal to you.

They will not surrender
without legal proceeding.

And even then, your life will not be
terminated but spent in prison.

I have conquered as many cities
through audacious persuasion

as I have through military acumen.

The bishop of Rome may preside,
but he answers to someone much higher.

The citizens of Rome. If I can win
the common man's love,

then della Rovere will be forced
to set me free.

You will not be arguing for yourself.

- Who will be my defender?
- By order of Pope Julius... me.

- So first I must win your love.
- No. I am a man of God, trained in law.

- I will argue for you as best I can.
- Like we did for Savonarola?

Understand my predicament.

To help you in earnest is
to rebut the pontiff,

impairing the future of the Farnese.

You may tie your reins to his saddle,
as you did with my father,

or you can earn your own glory.

The question is, have you the testes
to ride alone?

- As you have done?
- Yes.

And look where that has delivered you.
Dependent upon me.

No!

I think I am mistaken.

I am not constipated,
I am giving birth.

Summon the midwife!

He is majestic. A true d'Este.

We should wait to name him,
to see if he survives.

Lucrezia, you must exile such thoughts
from your mind, lest, unleashed,

they become a reality.
Be happy.

Until my brother's fate is clear, I cannot
entertain the thought of happiness.

Alfonso, you must no longer
hide the truth from her.

- What do you mean?
- Angela.

Pope Julius holds Cesare a prisoner.

Since when? Why did you not tell me
the instant that you heard?

We could not risk the birth...

When were you planning
to divulge this secret?

Why, now, of course.
With you and the baby safe.

There is more. We must make a public
decree condemning Cesare.

Never.

To risk even the appearance of alliance
with Cesare is to gamble with our lives.

Our son's life. Our entire duchy.

I would sooner kill our son.

How can you say that?

Better him dead than alive in a world
where a sister betrays her brother.

We will finish this conversation when
you are well-rested and less hysterical.

Do not think your complicity forgiven.
You will help me free my brother.

There are rumors that Giovanni Sforza
has returned to Rome.

What Giovanni lacks in dick strength,
he also lacks in charisma.

If he is their chief witness,
we have no worries.

Ask Lucrezia to testify.
Giovanni will wilt.

- No.
- She will make the journey.

Relying on your own sister
as witness to your character implies

that there is no one else to praise you.

- Goffredo? Where were you held?
- Some Florentine tower.

- Did you see Niccolo Machiavelli?
- No, though I was there all these months.

- I only arrived in Rome this hour.
- To be put on trial with me.

Cesare, have you heard?

Ferrara has issued a proclamation stating
that the d'Este love Julius the Second.

They disavow you.

- No. No, not Lucrezia.
- He speaks fact.

Her signature and seal are
said to be present.

A forgery. A slander
created by della Rovere.

Any good lawyer knows that a trial begins
not when the court is convened,

but the moment the accused is accused.

Have you released a letter from
King Louis declaring his faith in me?

Distributed a petition from all the people
in Cesena requesting my release?

- No such documents exist!
- Neither does Lucrezia's betrayal.

Has she written you?

We should not be focusing
on the unknown.

Whatever letters Lucrezia writes are
most likely confiscated.

Do not pity me with your lies.

Lucrezia is a Borgia. If she wrote me,
she would have ensured

by every avenue
that the letters reached my eyes.

No, she would not abandon me.
She is...

Fuck.

Leave me.

Until tomorrow in court.

When a wolf bites your left hand,

you should not feed him with your right.

To approach Julius...

I can think of no other alternative
than to travel Rome.

And if the pope refuses your appeal?

What if he throws you
in Castel Sant' Angelo with your siblings?

- And you suggest that I should...
- Calm yourself.

Write his Holiness a private letter,
absent of accusations,

with logical arguments why Cesare
and Goffredo should not be imprisoned.

A letter? You imply that my penmanship
is more persuasive than my person?

You have just given birth.

Do you truly think that embarking
on a 300-mile trip to see a hostile pope

is the healthiest path to choose?

- Spoken like a loyal Venetian.
- Is that an accusation?

Your doge battled Cesare
for control of the Papal States.

You sabotage my intentions over some
patriotic grudge against my brother.

- My zeal extends only to your well-being.
- Your affections for me are false.

Keep packing.

Come with me to Rome
or go back to Venice. I care not.

Make a bonfire of my poems,
but know that those words

are my pledge of unconditional love.

A love which I will keep
beyond a lifetime.

Justitia est caecus.

His Holiness, Julius,
the second of that name

summons the Supreme Tribunal
of the Apostolic Signatura

for the trial of Cesare Borgia
and Goffredo Borgia.

For the prosecution, Niccolo Machiavelli.

Holiness, I will prove that Cesare Borgia
and Goffredo Borgia

acted treasonously against the Holy See
and contrary to the Ten Commandments.

I will prove that even though
they were raised by Rodrigo Borgia,

a man without equal
in his lack of morals...

So our father is on trial too.

...both Cesare and Goffredo
behaved of their own accord,

bowing to no man,
obeying only their sexual greed

and endless lechery for power.

When Florence cannot control you
through force or bribery, they prosecute.

Silence!

Holy Father.

I will prove that Cesare Borgia
and Goffredo Borgia

birthed by and raised
within Holy Mother Church,

- know but one master: Lord God.
- Oh.

Never did they operate outside
the bounds of Christian morals,

the precepts of Jesus Christ
never far from their hearts.

Is that all?

This is the beginning.

You speak in generalities, but my life
has been one defined by specifics.

The case for the prosecution
may now commence.

Deeds done at just the right time
for just the right effect.

- Holiness.
- Have you forgotten everything

Professor Decio taught us in Pisa?
State the thesis, then provide the facts.

- Are you two finished?
- Yes, Holy Father.

Oh.

The prosecution calls Ottaviano Riario.

This is the most significant Sforza
you could muster against me?

- You swear to speak only God's truth?
- Yes, I do so swear.

Duke Ottaviano, you were a captive
of Cesare Borgia

during his campaign
against your duchy, Forli-Imola.

He locked me in a chest,
freeing me but twice.

The first time, to inform my mother,
Caterina Sforza-Riario,

that he was going to kill us both,
then rape her dead body.

The second time,
on the pretext of beheading me.

Are you aware of the fate of your cousin,
Galeazzo Sforza?

Cesare Borgia roused a mob to revolt
against Galeazzo's brother, the true duke.

Galeazzo was torn to pieces.

There are rumors that Il Valentino,
rather than provide a Christian burial,

donated my cousin's body to the artist
Leonardo da Vinci for unknown purposes.

Holiness, I object.
Rumors are not facts.

Still, they suffice. Go on.

I ask, amongst the dukes of Italy,

are such acts by the Borgia considered
cruel or are they commonplace?

I object to this question.
He asks the witness for opinion.

We value Ottaviano's... wisdom.

Cesare Borgia ran rampant,
overthrowing duke after duke,

sending the entirety of Italy
into upheaval.

When he had no more dukes to kill,
he turned on his own generals.

His craving for blood is unquenchable.

If I am so horrible, why do these duchies
to which you lay claim, Imola and Forli,

as well as Cesena, Pisa and Fano,
why do they remain loyal to me?

Resisting demands by your family
and bombardment by the papal army?

- Do I answer him?
- No. The defendant must remain silent.

No more questions.

The counsel for the defense
will question the witness.

Why was Cesare at war with you,

your mother Caterina Riario Sforza

and your duchies?

We refused to pay the unjust papal tax.

Instead of paying the unjust
Denarii Sancti Petri,

which you were
under sacred oath to pay,

did your mother not attempt to poison
the bishop of Rome?

Kill Alexander the Sixth?

I know nothing of this...

Had the Apostolic Signatura
not lawfully and unanimously deposed

you and the other dukes
who were in arrears?

Was Cesare Borgia not acting under
the orders of the College of Cardinals

to reclaim the Papal States
for the Church?

- Yes, I mean...
- No further questions.

Absurd!

You promised us that your cousin Ottaviano
was a sympathetic creature,

who would fill the room with sobs of pity.

All we heard were guffaws.

- Who is your next witness?
- Giovanni Sforza.

He will be weaker than Ottaviano.

Allow me to testify. I can quote chapter
and verse of Cesare's crimes.

Pride, lust...

The only misdeed we need to prove is
that Cesare disobeyed a papal command.

Rely on me.

Fine.

And...

Tell Farnese to be
a little less of a lawyer.

In order for us to discern the true evil
of Cesare Borgia,

we must establish the desire of God.

How would you propose
that we, lowly humans,

determine with clarity
the Supreme Being's will?

Through the teachings of the Bible
and the word of His vicar, the pope.

Cesare Borgia's actions were
consistently in conflict with both,

committing each of the seven deadly sins.

- Can you provide examples?
- Fourteen ninety-three.

Then a cardinal, Cesare murdered
Pedro Caldes,

a Spanish soldier who held the hem
of the papal cassock.

Fourteen ninety-four.
Cesare resigned his cardinalate,

against Pope Alexander's wishes.

I could not resign without
the explicit approval of his Holiness.

Be quiet!

The pope acquiesced to the decision
of the consistory,

one of the many times Rodrigo Borgia
failed to lead.

You attack me for the very thing
of which you voted in favor.

The defendant will remain quiet
or he will be gagged.

- Eminence, do you have more?
- Hmm...

Fourteen ninety-seven.

Cesare abducted Dorotea Malatesta,
wife of Giovanni Battista Caracciolo

to use as his private carnal slave.

Yes. We appreciate your impressive recall,
but we are allotted only so much time.

Perhaps you can relate an event
more recent?

Hmm.

Fifteen oh-four. Pope Julius,
desiring peace throughout Italy,

requested Cesare Borgia to cease
from his hostilities.

The so-called prince refused
and sent his brother, Goffredo,

to wage war against the Venetians.

Thank you.

November 1, 1503.

Upon ascending to the papacy, did Julius
reconfirm Cesare as prefect of Rome,

gonfalonier of the Church?

- Yes.
- November 3, 1503.

Did Julius convey briefs to the Romagna
ordering obedience to Cesare?

- I cannot remember.
- Suddenly his impressive recall fails.

February 15, 1504. Did Julius approve
five ships to transport Cesare, Goffredo

and their troops to Genoa,
in order to lead a campaign

defending the Papal States
against the aggressions of Venice?

- No.
- You lying hypocrite.

There will be no more interruptions!

Rafaele, do you perjure yourself now
as expiation for the numerous times

- in which you betrayed della Rovere?
- Eminence, control your defendant!

- You do yourself no good by...
- Yet your tongue is never more

than a fraction of a meter
from your cousin's ass!

Holiness, may I suggest
that we try the defendant in absentia.

No. I have the right of a freeborn
Roman male to be present.

That my counselor would suggest otherwise
casts a pall upon his competence.

- I ask to defend myself.
- The request is denied.

You may continue to attend
this tribunal, but...

...make not a single sound.

Continue.

November 3...

Did Cardinal della Rovere promise Cesare
Borgia dominance over the Papal States

in exchange for being elected pope?

Is the vicar of Christ
not guilty of simony

and lascivious pride
and sexual perversity?

Muzzle him!

Justice!

We demand silence!
Silence!

The witness may stand down.

Would the prosecution like to call
another witness?

One more.
Cardinal Alessandro Farnese.

Holiness, as counsel for the defense,
I cannot testify against my client.

I withdraw the request

and, uh, instead call
Giulia Farnese Migliorati.

Cesare was born a perversion of nature.

My brother has time and again attempted
to save his friend, even here, now.

Always for naught.
Cesare is a disease.

- How so?
- Oh, in a very literal sense.

He has the French disease.

How many whores
did you sleep with, Cesare?

Only you.

While he has a wife and a child in France.

- How do you know of his illness?
- No, no. Leave that question for last.

- First ask about his son.
- Excuse me?

- You told her?
- Cesare had a son, out of wedlock

whom he left on a mountainside
as an offering to God, or the Devil,

in exchange for Rodrigo Borgia
becoming pope.

Thankfully, Alessandro would not allow
such cruelty.

He rescued and returned
the innocent infant to the mother,

unbeknownst to Cesare.

- Chain him to the chair.
- You will still keep him here?

Silence! He deserves to hear his fate
the moment we decide.

Until then, Cesare ought to hear
his past as well.

Continue.

Now ask me if there is anything else
I learned from my brother.

Did Cardinal Farnese reveal any other
misconduct by Cesare Borgia?

Many nights Alessandro cursed the name
Cesare, who could not be controlled,

even by Pope Alexander.
Instead, Cesare controlled his father,

deciding against whom
and when to wield the papal army.

I see. So...

But the worst of Cesare's misdeeds,
I saw with my own two eyes.

Now ask me how I know
he has the French disease?

How do you know Cesare Borgia
contracted the French disease?

I have seen the marks on his flesh.

Cesare came to my bedchamber
one night, raving and ranting.

He said he would conquer
the Papal States by force

in spite of the laws of God.
He then held me down...

...tore my clothes and raped me.

I am deeply sorry to hear that.
No more questions.

Would the counsel for the defense
like to question the witness?

Yes. Yes, I would like to question
the witness.

Despite that hardship,
I still believe God exists.

But we do not meet the Lord
until we enter the grave.

All we have in this life is our family.

Those who succeed, know this.

No questions.

The prosecution rests.

We need to piss.

There will be a short recess.

Alessandro. Come back here.
I want to talk to you. Alessandro.

How am I supposed to do what is right
when I cannot tell what is wrong?

Alessandro.

- Do we know each other?
- Why do you stand by Cesare's side?

He has threatened and bullied you,
fucked your own sister,

then made certain that you were not
elected pope.

So, will you always be the victim?

- Why do you prosecute Cesare?
- I was ordered to by the signory.

For a friend to condemn a friend indicts
the guilty all the more.

You were never his friend.

You broke every alliance
you ever made with Cesare.

Florentine troops ambushed Goffredo,
sealing Cesare's fate.

You were and continue to be his downfall.

If we had never visited Florence,
if he and I had never visited Florence,

never met you, never rescued your scrawny,
weak, ineffectual citizens

from themselves, I wonder, would
Cesare Borgia be on trial for his freedom?

Oh, so I am to blame
for Cesare's many misfortunes?

No, Niccolo. No, you will never
be to blame.

You will never be to blame.

If I am always the victim,

you will forever be a pawn
in the games of greater men.

The counsel for the defense
may call his first witness.

Agapito Geraldini.

Hold. You cannot call Agapito Geraldini.

What man knows Cesare Borgia better
than his master secretary?

Agapito was present and complicit
for each of Cesare's crimes.

He should be in chains with his prince.

His freedom is allowed solely
because of our leniency.

- I would like to testify.
- That is not an option.

You may either stand trial
with the Borgia or flee.

The counsel for the defense may call
his second... first witness.

I have no other witnesses.

Concluding remarks by both counsels.
The prosecution will go first.

Anyone who desires
in the infancy of his sovereignty

to defend himself against enemies,
to acquire friends,

to conquer, whether by force or fraud,

to make himself loved or feared
by the populace

to win the devotion of his soldiers,
to crush those who can or may oppose him,

to put new life into old forms,
to be severe or gracious,

magnanimous and liberal,
to be a true and worthy prince,

such a man can find no better model
than Cesare Borgia.

He is censurable for nothing but his steps
during the last conclave.

He may not have had the power
to choose a pope to his liking,

but he could have prevented
the choice of a pope he disliked.

He should never have consented
to the election of any cardinal

whom he had offended or who,
on becoming pope, might fear him.

A man who imagines that current gifts
abolish past grudges deceives himself.

Cesare, therefore, erred in supporting
Giuliano della Rovere.

And this error was the single cause
of his ruin.

Borgia!

Yes! Yes!

- Yes!
- Borgia!

- Yes!
- Borgia!

Borgia!

Um...

Does the counsel for the defense
have closing remarks?

The gentleman from Florence has said
all that I could possibly hope to say.

The defense rests.

- A recess before judgment is rendered.
- No.

No.

We can rule now.

Goffredo Borgia, you are found guilty,
but since you are insignificant,

we suspend your prison sentence.

You are exiled to Squillace,
where you may live in royal fashion,

tortured by your shrew of a wife.

Cesare Borgia,

you have repeatedly declared
that you do not believe in God.

So it is impossible for you
to have acted in His holy name.

Therefore, we find you guilty.

You will receive as much compassion as
you showed the dukes of the Romagna.

None.

Your life will end in the dungeons
of Terra Nuovo.

The trial is adjourned.
Justita est caecus.

I am sorry, Cesare.

You are detritus! May your grave
be a bottomless pit!

Is my mother home?

- Does your mother work in the kitchen?
- You are new?

She's the mistress of the house.
I am Lucrezia.

One moment.

That is her, I say.
Lucrezia Borgia.

Who are you, telling my staff
that I have a mistress?

Excuse me? I am Lucrezia Borgia.

Yes, yes, and I am Nimbus the Great.

I wish to speak
to the owner of this villa.

You're speaking to him.
And he says, "Go away."

Please, I am confused.
Where is the previous owner?

Pope Julius? I imagine at the Vatican,
counting my gold.

Madonna, welcome. How many nights
do you plan on staying?

Is this not... Was this not a bordello
owned by Vannozza Catanei?

We never mention the building's previous
tenants. This is now a respectable inn.

We do not sell sex, we do not allow
gambling and we do not water the drinks.

- But my mother... Where is she?
- When were you in Rome last?

- Three years ago.
- Since the rise of the Genoan pope,

associations with your family
are not favored.

Every inch of Borgia property was seized,
including the Catanei vineyards.

I do not know what became of your mother.

- Lord Jesus.
- Yes. Distressing news.

Duchess... I have
a lovely suite with a view.

Lucrezia d'Este, duchess of Ferrara.

What an honor to be graced
by your presence.

Congratulations on the birth of your son.
A d'Este heir.

I am Galeotto Franciotti dell...
della Rovere,

vice chancellor of the Universal Church.

- Might I ask why you brought a throne?
- Holiness, I believe that is the chair

on which sat the gracious Lady Lucrezia
as chief papal counselor.

Perhaps you too, Holiness, would benefit
from a chief papal counselor?

If so, here I sit.

Bravissimo. How would you advise us
at this moment?

- Your biggest enemy in Italy is...
- You?

What has Ferrara done to you
to consider her less than peaceful?

- Did we say Ferrara?
- Not Ferrara.

You.

Very well.

- Then I will tell you how to appease me.
- Should you not be trying to please us?

The pope is the servant
of the servants of God.

As well as the arbiter of all mankind.
Have you no worry for your soul?

I long ago ceased believing that any being

other than God Omnipotent
can judge my soul.

- You are here about Cesare.
- I am here to speak of Spain.

- King Ferdinand controls Naples.
- His general de Cordova defeated France.

Pope Alexander the Sixth
was a friend to Spain.

King Ferdinand is ill pleased with your
treatment of the late pontiff's family.

Odd that Spain would express such
displeasure to you rather than us

through their ambassadors.

From His Most Catholic Majesty. To me.

Asking for my reaction to Cesare
and Goffredo's incarceration

and for guidance on whether to wage war
on the bishop of Rome, you.

The seals and signatures are correct.
Still a probable forgery.

Are you willing to bargain? Or will you,
instead, tell me where my mother is?

Where is my sister, Isabella?
What have you done with my family?

Last I heard, Vannozza Catanei is living
with Agapito Geraldini in Umbria.

Isabella Matuzzi has settled
in Monterosso al Mare.

- There. Are you satisfied?
- No.

Free my brothers.

Goffredo is already on his way back
to Squillace.

And Cesare?

This is not the first time you have done
business with us, Lucrezia.

In the past your modus operandi
was sweeter.

You did not rely on threats,
real or imagined.

We thought then you were
the smartest of the Borgia.

But you allowed yourself
to be locked away in Ferrara,

used as livestock to birth d'Este heirs.

That took you too long.

Presented to us by General Giovanni
Battista Caracciolo.

We cannot give you Cesare, but we can give
to you the pieces of his dream.

You are the representative
of Jesus Christ on Earth.

Why do you allow your hatred and envy
for my father to lead you to sin?

Not sin. Syncope.

One must strike out all traces
of one's predecessor.

Otherwise we will be tied
to his precedents

and successes will be based on his legacy.

We do this not for ourselves, but
for the spiritual rebirth of the Church.

You shoot at conflicting targets,
Holiness.

The purpose of spirituality
is to expand one's life.

The purpose of religion is to limit it.

Alessandro must help Cesare.
They were once friends.

Once. The past pales in the bright sun
of the present.

Though Alessandro was a rising star,

he now does little but fill a seat
in the consistory.

- I will break into the dungeon.
- Let me hear this. How?

Through bribery of the guards.

A guard who sets Cesare Borgia loose
will incur papal revenge.

- Money is useless to a corpse.
- I will hire mercenaries to rescue him.

This is not a siege on a city.
I would not need many.

Lucrezia, not everyone can be rescued.

There are people who doom themselves,

and there is nothing you can do
but remember them.

If this were Alessandro,
you would never quit.

- I hope you're right.
- Lucrezia.

- Please, do something for Cesare.
- There is nothing to be done.

The two of you, maggots feeding off
my family for years

and then crawling away
when there is no flesh left

I was with your father at the end.
Where were you?

Listen to me. Cesare has escaped.
He escaped Terra Nuova.

Search parties engulf the city.

- Did Ferrara not denounce Cesare?
- This should be a lesson to us.

Everything is a lesson to you, yet somehow
you are always the teacher.

At the trial, I lied in order to guarantee

that you would once again have a seat
in the Vatican hierarchy.

And I remained silent
to preserve your lie.

Tell me, in your expert opinion,
which one of us is worse.

Get away from my son.

- Alessandro, you must hide me.
- Do not harm him.

Why do you think I came here
after escaping Terra Nuova?

- Revenge.
- Hardly. I apologize for the ruse,

but knowing that I'd be found guilty
no matter how well you argued,

I wanted to go to Terra Nuova.

- You did?
- Because I knew I could escape.

I had Leonardo da Vinci redesign
every fortress and prison under my rule.

- Their secrets are mine.
- All of Rome searches for you.

The pope has offered a sizable reward
for your recapture.

Whether or not you desire revenge,
you place my whole family in danger.

By cursing you in public,
I placed you above suspicion.

Would you please release my son?

Go to your grandmother.

I would not hurt the boy.

How could you think that of me
after everything we've been through?

Yes, exactly. You take every
opportunity to abuse me.

These past 15 years,
I have tried to be your friend.

I have tried to be an acquaintance, to be
nothing more than a business associate.

I have tried to actively avoid you
and each time you fuck me.

I have been a valued friend.

Back in school you confessed to me,
that under pressure from your mother,

you needed, above all else, to restore
the Farnese to wealth and achievement.

So, I introduced you to my father. Because
of my friendship, you've succeeded.

No. You fly through life unencumbered
by worry or concern for anyone.

My life has been filled
with responsibilities,

and my back aches from the weight.

Alessandro, we both began our journey
together, ascending the same summit,

both trying to reach the peak.
But I did not abandon you or fly.

I fell. Off the path,
down the cliff's edge.

Your back may ache, but that is because
you still climb towards something greater,

while I plummet.

Look at me.

Let us not pretend my fate
is one worth envying.

I simply ask that you cushion my crash.

Please.

We must devise a way for me
to get to Ferrara.

Cesare, I know that you trust your sister.

Can you trust the d'Este brothers?

Do not go to Ferrara.

France then. To finally see
my wife and daughter.

Has King Louis not proven himself
unreliable? Your mother in Umbria.

No. I will not place her or Agapito
in danger.

- Goffredo in Squillace.
- Squillace? Past Naples.

Yes. That sounds best.

To journey through Naples, you need
the permission of Gonzalo de Cordova.

You double-crossed the viceroy before
having Piccolomini elected pope.

De Cordova will not extradite me to Rome
without negotiation with della Rovere.

That will give me time to empty
my bank accounts and raise an army.

But first, suggest a way for me
to leave the city.

I will send a wagon to Orvieto.
We will put you in an empty wine barrel.

Outside the city limits, you can take
one of the horses for your own.

Brilliant.

Thank you, old friend.

You must never return to Rome.

I will.

To see you crowned pope.

I know where Cesare is.

Such is modern Rome, where even
a diplomat cannot pass unmolested.

- You Romans are barbarians.
- Chancellor?

If Cesare does find his way to Florence...

Cesare knows better than to rely
on the signory,

or for that matter,
any Florentine ever again.

- Clear.
- My signal to leave.

Agapito, are you not in jeopardy
remaining in Rome?

- I will stay until I know you are safe.
- I wish Cesare had contacted you.

He knows if he did, my life and
Vannozza's would dangle precariously.

Now I must ride for Ferrara, should
Cesare be headed to my court.

He will not. For the same reasons
he will not come to Umbria.

- He loves you too much.
- I want to see his face.

Be near Cesare once more.

Halt! The wine barrels!
Cesare Borgia is hiding inside!

Check the wine barrels!

Smash the unopened barrel.

Holiness, he is not here.

Either Cesare Borgia has fooled you
or you have created a distraction

- for him to make his true escape.
- I swear. This was the plan.

Perhaps you are not as much
a Farnese as you think.

- Giacomo, stop here.
- Whoa!

You are safe.
We are out of sight.

How many pretty virgins have
you secreted in here?

No. Mostly ducats,
bribes bound for Florence.

I thank you for holding your gas.

How will you get to your troops
in the Romagna?

To go up you must first go down.

Goffredo will supply me
with a ship in Squillace.

To get to Squillace,
you must pass through Naples

where you have enemies.

Besides, you have
already told Alessandro,

who has, in all probability,
told the pope.

Squillace is my only option,

so I will travel the back roads
and only at night.

De Cordova will not know I have been
through Naples until I am gone.

- I will never be caught again.
- Then you must never trust again.

You, take my horse.

I am sorry, brother.

I train my soldiers to sleep for
eight hours a day, but not at once.

Wake for four, rest for two, that way
it is less likely they'd be surprised.

Yet you, Cesare, still surprise me.

General de Cordova, I am sorry my
sudden appearance disturbed your sleep.

- Perhaps you should return to bed.
- Pope Julius is looking for you.

I have heard that after
you decimated the French,

you commanded a moment of prayer on
the battlefield for the fallen soldiers.

- Is this true?
- Yes.

Here I stand. Pray for me.

I may be a Christian, but my loyalty
lies not with Pope Julius.

This vessel sails for Valencia.

Goodbye, brother.

You are now the property
of King Ferdinand of Spain.

Since you're more despised in my country
than you are in yours,

I will pray for you.

I go to the land of my ancestors
with a gleeful heart.

Perhaps I have a few surprises left.

There you are.

- How was Rome?
- You dare to be angry with me?

After you forged my name
to a declaration castigating Cesare.

You would sooner kill our son
than denounce Cesare. Your words, yes?

You got your wish.
Our baby has died.