Cæsar, natural son of Pope Alexander VI. was a brave general, but a most abandoned villain. See (History of) Italy.—It is incredible what numbers he caused to be taken off by poison, or by the sword; and it is notorious that swarms of assassins were constantly kept in pay by him at Rome, for the sake of removing all who were either obnoxious or inconvenient to him. He experienced various turns of fortune; and was sometimes very prosperous, sometimes the reverse. He very narrowly escaped dying by poison in 1503; for having concerted with the pope a design of poisoning nine newly created cardinals at once, for the sake of possessing their effects, the poisoned wine, destined for the purpose, was by mistake brought to and drunk by themselves. The pope died of it; but Cæsar, by the vigour of his youth, and the force of antidotes, after many struggles, recovered. He only recovered to outlive his fortune and grandeur, to see himself depressed, and his enemies exalted; for he was soon after divested of all his acquisitions, and sent a prisoner to Spain, in order to free Italy from an incendiary, and the Italian princes from those dangers which the turbulent and restless spirit of Cæsar made them fear, even though he was unarmed. He escaped from thence; and got safe to Navarre to King John his brother-in-law, who was then at war with his subjects. Cæsar served as a volunteer in that war, and was killed in 1507.