(Malkachini Donna), a woman of a very uncommon character. She flourished about the middle of the last century. She was sister-in-law to Pope Innocent X. and had the address to acquire an unlimited power over this vain, weak, and injudicious ecclesiastic. Her son Camillo was promoted to the cardinalate, under the title of Pamphilio; but falling in love with the Princess Rossana, a beautiful young widow, he laid aside his hat, and married. The crime, if it was one, was esteemed by the Romans in general at least venial. The pope, however, was displeased; and Olympia procured their banishment, being afraid lest her daughter-in-law should lessen her authority in the sacred court. This authority, equally unnatural and uncommon, reflected neither honour on her who held it, nor on the man who allowed her to hold it. Such elevated situations, however, whether they are the reward of merit, the effect of chance, or acquired by cunning, are seldom very secure. Olympia, who had procured the disgrace of many who did not deserve it, and who herself long merited such a fate, at length experienced both disgrace and banishment. This was obtained by means of cardinal Panzirollo, a great favourite of the pope's. The immediate cause of it was this: The pope had determined, in order to lessen his own trouble, to adopt a nephew, and to make him a Cardinal Patron, in order to give audience to ambassadors and ministers, and in his absence to preside at the council. For this purpose, at the recommendation of his favourite, his holiness made choice of Astalli, brother of the Marquis Astalli, who had married a niece of Olympia. Olympia indeed was slightly consulted on the affair, and showed no disapprobation of the appointment. The pope, however, no sooner got him fixed in his new office, than he showed his own weakness by repenting of it. Olympia too was displeased, and by her solicitations procured the disgrace of Astalli, before he had enjoyed either the honours or emoluments of his office. Panzirollo, however, soon managed matters so as to turn the scales; he prevailed on the pope again to countenance and honour Astalli; and, what was more, had influence sufficient to persuade him to disgrace Olympia, and to banish her the court. She had indeed abused her authority in a most scandalous manner, and had gained such an absolute ascendancy over the pope, that in everything his will had been subservient to her dictates. Her avarice and ambition were unbounded; she disposed of all benefices, which were kept vacant till she fully informed herself of their value: she rated an office of 1000 crowns for three years, at one year's revenue, and if for life, at 12 years purchase, one half of which sum she required to be paid in advance: she gave audience upon public affairs, enacted new laws, abrogated those of former popes, and sat in council with Innocent, with bundles of memorials in her hands. It was generally said that they lived together in a criminal correspondence, and that she had charmed him by some secret incantation. In the Protestant countries the loves and intrigues of Innocent and Donna Olympia were represented upon the stage; and severe sarcasms were daily put into the hands of Pafquin at Rome. As she had usurped such an absolute authority, the new cardinal nephew saw the necessity of ruining her credit; he therefore seconded the endeavours of Panzirollo. He intimated to the pope, that his reputation had suffered greatly among the Catholics by her scandalous proceedings, and that his nuncios were treated with disrespect and contempt at the courts of the Emperor, France, and Spain. Upon these representations, Innocent at length, but with great reluctance, banished Olympia, and was reconciled to Prince Camillo and the Princess Rossana; though some authors affirm that her banishment was no more than a political retreat, and that she still in private directed the affairs of the pope. A woman of Olympia's character, however, with such un-

Lounded ambition, such an extravagant lust for power, Olympia, and such an ambitious desire of wealth, and who had once possessed so great an ascendancy over such a man as Innocent, was not to be so easily put off. She was banished in 1650; but in 1653, she again assumed the supreme direction of affairs just as before her disgrace. She again accomplished the disgrace of Astalli, and procured the promotion of Azzolini to the office of secretary of the briefs. In 1654, his holiness resigned himself entirely into the hands of this afflicting woman; who, observing her infirmities daily increasing, redoubled her capacity, disposing of benefices to the highest bidders in all parts of Italy. She was again, however, in hazard of being displaced by a new favourite, viz. the Cardinal de Retz; and had not the pope's dissipation prevented it, it would in all probability quickly have taken place. During his last illness he received nothing but from the hands of Donna Olympia, who was at great pains to prolong his life, watched continually at his bed-side, and prevented the ambassadors or others from disturbing him with discourses upon business. She is said, during the last ten days of his life, when he continued without the use of reason, to have amassed about half a million of crowns. She did not find the succeeding pope (Alexander VII.) so easy to be played upon as his weak predecessor; a number of memorials were sent in against her, and his holiness was well disposed to attend them: he ordered her to retire from Rome, and at the same time began to examine witnesses respecting her conduct. She was cut off, however, before the trial was finished, by the plague, which, in 1656, afflicted Rome and its neighbourhood. Her estate was not confiscated as was generally expected; and the prince Pamphilio was allowed to succeed her. The pope only referred for his own relations about a million of crowns.