"Give the ten thousand scudi at once!" said Albani, with decision.
"And the drops?"
"The pope's wine is too strong: I will reduce it a little with this pure
water."(*) (*) The poison, Acqua Tofana, is pure and clear as water,
without taste or smell. It is prepared from opium and
Spanish flies, combined with some other ingredients, which,
however, are only known to the makers of it. That the Acqua
Tofana is made from the foam sometimes found upon the lips
of the dying, is an idle tale. Allessandro Borgia was the
first to bring it into use.