CESAR, natural son of Pope Alexan- der VI. was a brave general, but a most abandoned vil- lain. 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 inconve- nient to him. He experienced various turns of fort- une; and was sometimes very prosperous, sometimes the reverse. He very narrowly escaped dying by poi- son, 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 poison- ed wine, destined for the purpose, was by mistake brought to and drank by themselves. The pope died of it; but Cesar, 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 incen- diary, and the Italian princes from those dangers which the turbulent and restless spirit of Cesar made them fear, even though he was unarmed. He escaped from thence; and got safe to Navarre to King John his bro- ther-in-law, who was then at war with his subjects. Cesar served as a volunteer in that war, and was killed in 1507.