This is an excerpt from a letter written by Lorenzo de' Medici, the ruler of Florence from 1469-1492, to his son Giovanni, who had just become a cardinal. You are now devoted to God and the church: on which account you ought to aim at being a good ecclesiastic [priest], and to show that you prefer the honor and state of the church and of the apostolic see [the authority of the pope] to every other consideration . . . you should be the link to bind this city closer to the church, and our family with the city . . . you are always to prefer the interests of the church. –Lorenzo de' Medici, to his son Giovanni, 1489 Use the drop-down menu to complete the statement. Lorenzo directs Giovanni to give his first loyalty to .