SCENE IV

_A room in the_ LORD CARDINAL CESARE BORGIA’S _Palace of Borgo Sant’ Angelo_.

_It is dead midnight: lights are burning._ LORD CARDINAL CESARE, _in the black satin dress of a Spanish gentleman, with jewelled poignard, reclines on a couch. He appears to be sleeping, except that now and again he slowly rolls from hand to hand a gold ball of perfumes. His Spanish page_ JUANITO GRASICA _is asleep. Behind the couch, across a table, the great ceremonial sword lies naked, and near it is a new purchase, the sleeping Cupid with broken foot of_ MESSER BUONAROTTI.

DONNA LUCREZIA BORGIA _enters with_ DONNA ADRIANA ORSINI, _whose hand she clasps: she looses it, and, after a moment’s pause, comes to her brother_.

LUCREZIA.

Madonna Adriana brought me here; She stays without: I go back to the convent. Cesare--tell me all that I should pray.

CESARE.

[_Turning his head back towards her from the couch._

Amanda, that your scruples be removed; That I be Cesar.

LUCREZIA.

Take a little rest.

CESARE.

Shall you, from prayer? To-night you look a sibyl. Who did this deed?

LUCREZIA.

Let Juan play the lute; You must have music through these restless nights. How lost you look!

CESARE.

You startled me. How lost!

[_He closes his eyes._

LUCREZIA.

[_Stealing away to_ ADRIANA.] He is dreaming; he has quite forgotten me. Come, Adriana, soft! As an astronomer He must not be disturbed: he is quite lost.