to this end he entered into a secret negotiation with Peter, king of
Aragon, which took effect in the following papacy. He also had the
design of creating two kings out of his family, the one in Lombardy, the
other in Tuscany, whose power would defend the church from the Germans
who might design to come into Italy, and from the French, who were in
the kingdom of Naples and Sicily. But with these thoughts he died. He
was the first pope who openly exhibited his own ambition; and, under
pretense of making the church great, conferred honors and emolument upon
his own family. Previous to his time no mention is made of the nephews
or families of any pontiff, but future history is full of them; nor is
there now anything left for them to attempt, except the effort to make
the papacy hereditary. True it is, the princes of their creating have
not long sustained their honors; for the pontiffs, being generally of
very limited existence, did not get their plants properly established.

To Nicholas succeeded Martin IV., of French origin, and consequently
favorable to the party of Charles, who sent him assistance against
the rebellion of Romagna; and while they were encamped at Furli, Guido
Bonatto, an astrologer, contrived that at an appointed moment the people
should assail the forces of the king, and the plan succeeding, all the
French were taken and slain. About this period was also carried into
effect the plot of Pope Nicholas and Peter, king of Aragon, by which the
Sicilians murdered all the French that were in that island; and Peter
made himself sovereign of it, saying, that it belonged to him in the
right of his wife Gostanza, daughter of Manfred. But Charles, while
making warlike preparations for the recovery of Sicily, died, leaving
a son, Charles II., who was made prisoner in Sicily, and to recover his
liberty promised to return to his prison, if within three years he
did not obtain the pope's consent that the kings of Aragon should be
invested with the kingdom of Sicily.