As for religion, Alexander Farnese was, of course, strictly Catholic, regarding all seceders from Romanism as mere heathen dogs.

Not that he practically troubled himself much with sacred matters--for, during the life-time of his wife, he had cavalierly thrown the whole burden of his personal salvation upon her saintly shoulders.
She had now flown to higher spheres, but Alexander was, perhaps, willing to rely upon her continued intercessions in his behalf.

The life of a bravo in time of peace--the deliberate project in war to exterminate whole cities full of innocent people, who had different notions on the subject of image-worship and ecclesiastical ceremonies from those entertained at Rome, did not seem to him at all incompatible with the precepts of Jesus.

Hanging, drowning, burning and butchering heretics were the legitimate deductions of his theology.

He was no casuist nor pretender to holiness: but in those days every man was devout, and Alexander looked with honest horror upon the impiety of the heretics, whom he persecuted and massacred.