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THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LADIES 
 OF THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE 
 
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(Mr. 
 
 THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS 
 LADIES OF THE ITALIAN 
 RENAISSANCE m m m 
 
 By CHRISTOPHER HARE author 
 
 OF " FELICITA : A ROMANCE OF OLD SIENA," 
 " IN THE STRAITS OF TIME," ETC. J^ M 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 
 
 1904 
 
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PREFACE 
 
 The Period of the Renaissance has ever been so 
 attractive to the historian that many learned volumes 
 have been written on the subject, and it has been 
 illustrated by much brilliant eloquence. An army of 
 patient students have devoted long years to serious 
 research, in hunting out forgotten treasures buried in 
 foreign libraries, archives, chronicles, diaries, and 
 letters innumerable. 
 
 Yet I venture to hope that there may still be room 
 for a modest attempt to bring some of these vast stores 
 of knowledge — more especially as they touch upon 
 woman's life — ^within reach of those readers who have 
 no leisure for profound and special study. 
 
 To them I would dedicate these sketches of some 
 typical women of the Italian Renaissance, which may 
 be regarded as brief appreciations, rather than full and 
 complete biographies. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 . . PAGE 
 
 Preface v 
 
 List of Illustrations ix 
 
 Books and Documents consulted . . . . . xi 
 
 Daughters of the Renaissance; their Life and Sur- 
 roundings . . I 
 
 NOBLE LADIES OF THE HOUSE OF 
 
 MEDICI 
 
 Lucrezia Tornabuoni, Wife of Piero dei Medici . 47 
 
 Clarice degli Orsini, Wife of Lorenzo dei Medici . 60 
 
 TWO QUEENS OF NAPLES. PRINCESSES OF 
 THE HOUSE OF ANJOU 
 
 GlOVANNA 1 75 
 
 GlOVANNA II. 94 
 
 A GROUP OF LOMBARD PRINCESSES 
 
 Beatrice d'Este, Duchess of Milan .... 105 
 
 BiANCA Maria Sforza, Wife of the Emperor 
 
 Maximilian 135 
 
 Isabella d'Este, Marchesa of Mantua . . . .151 
 
 Renee of France, Duchess of Ferrara . . . 171 
 
 vii 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 DAUGHTERS OF VENICE 
 
 Caterina Cornaro, Queen of Cyprus .... 187 
 BiANCA Capello, Grand Duchess of Florence . . 204 
 
 GREAT LADIES OF ROME AND ROMAGNA 
 
 Caterina Sforza, Countess of Forli . . . 229 
 
 Lucrezia Borgia, Duchess of Ferrara .... 257 
 
 VlTTORIA COLONNA, MaRCHESA OF PeSCARA . . . 38l 
 
 Elisabetta Gonzaga, Duchess of Urbino. Also an 
 
 ACCOUNT OF " II CoRTIGIANO" BY CoUNT BaLDASSARE 
 
 Castiglione ; being Conversations at the Court 
 
 OF Urbino 313 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 Caterina Cornaro, Queen of Cyprus. Titian 
 Lucrezia (Tornahuoni) del Medici. Sandro 
 
 Botticelli 
 
 Lorenzo dei Medici. Benozzo Gozzoli . 
 Beatrice d'Este, Duchess of Milan. Leonardo 
 
 DA Vinci 
 
 Lucrezia Crivelli. Leonardo da Vinci . 
 Isabella d"Este, Marchesa of Mantua. Titian . 
 Bianca Capello, Grand Duchess of Tuscany 
 
 Bronzino 
 
 Caterina Sforza, Countess of Forli. Marco 
 
 Palmezzani 
 
 Count Baldassare CastigUone. Raphael . 
 
 Frontispiece 
 
 -'' 
 
 Face page 
 
 48 
 
 5) 
 
 64 
 
 5? 
 
 112 
 
 „ 
 
 128 
 
 
 160 
 
 208 
 240 
 
 336 
 
BOOKS AND DOCUMENTS CONSULTED 
 
 Archivi Toscani. Pietro Berti. 
 
 Chronice Florentine. Villcmi. 
 
 La Vita Italian© nel Cinquecento. Milano. 3 vols. 
 
 Istoria d'ltalia. Guicciardini. 
 
 Rime Sacre della famiglia dei Medici. Pub. da Cionacci. 
 
 Lettere di una Gentildonna Fiorentina del secolo XV. Pub. da 
 
 Cesare Guasti, 
 Annali d' Italia. Muratori. 
 La Guerra di Ferrara. SajiiUo, 
 Relazione di Isabella d'Este con Ludovico Sforza . . . A. Luzio 
 
 R. Renier. 
 Opere Complete. Ariosto. 
 Le Rime di Francesco Petrarca. 
 Lucrezia Borgia. F. Gregorovitis. (With original letters and 
 
 documents.) 
 Bianca Maria Sforza, Regina dei Romani, Imperatrice di 
 
 Germania. F. Calvi. 
 Annali Veneti. Archivio Storico Italiano. D, Malipiero. 
 Vita di Caterina Sforza. DalF Abate Antonio Burriel. 
 Caterina Sforza. P. Pasolini. 
 " II Cortigiano " del Cpihte Baldassare Castiglione. 
 Lettere di Baldassare Castiglione. 
 Caterino Cornaro, e il suo Regno. A . Centilli. 
 Rime Spiritual! di Vittoria Colonna. Venezia, 1548. 
 Asolani. Pietro Bembo. 
 
 xi 
 
BOOKS AND DOCUMENTS CONSULTED 
 
 Ricerche intorno a Leonardo da Vinci. G. Uzielli. 
 
 La Renaissance en Italic et en France, k I'epoque de Charles VIII. 
 
 M. Eugene Mimtz. 
 Histoire de la Republique de Venise. P. A . Dam. 
 Histoire Secrete de la maison de Medicis. Vaillas. 
 Memoires Historiques sur Naples. Count Orlaff. 
 Les Femmes de la Renaissance. De Maulde Claviere. 
 Vittorin de Feitre. Benoit. 
 
 Les Origines de la Renaissance en Italie. Emile Gebhart. 
 Louis XII. et Lodovico Sforza. Louis Pelissier. 
 Histoire des Republiques Italiennes. M. S. de Sismondi. 
 Life and Times of Macchiavelli. Villavi. 
 History of the Papacy. Dr. Creighton. 
 The Renaissance in Italy. /. A. Symonds. 
 The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy. /. Burckhardt. 
 Memoirs of the Dukes of Urbino. James Dennistoun. 
 The Renaissance. W. H. Pater. 
 Life of Lorenzo dei Medici. William Roscoe. 
 Life of Leo X. (Dissertation on Lucrezia Borgia.) William Roscoe. 
 Life of Isabella d'Este. Jttlia Cartwright. 
 Life of Beatrice d'Este. Julia Cartwright. 
 
 etc. etc. 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 THEIR LIFE AND SURROUNDINGS. 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE: 
 THEIR LIFE AND SURROUNDINGS. 
 
 It has been well said that each country has made to 
 itself a Renaissance after its own image. 
 
 In that glorious dawn which succeeded the gloom of 
 the Middle Ages, Italy was the first to awaken. Her 
 clear vision, her intellectual energy, her enthusiasm for 
 art, gave to all Europe the key-note of the future. The 
 secret of her pre-eminence, so willingly accepted by the 
 world, will not be found only in her "favourable 
 situation, her language, her commercial prosperity, her 
 political freedom," when other nations were scarcely 
 emerging from barbarism. We shall rather attribute 
 it to the spirit of intuition, to a nobler conception 
 of man's place in the world, to higher aspirations ; in 
 a word, to all that constitutes the true Renaissance. 
 
 Italy created that " new spiritual atmosphere of 
 culture and intellectual freedom " which broadened 
 man's horizon, and made all things seem possible to 
 him, in his new-born keen enthusiasm. 
 
 In the Middle Ages, scarcely left behind, the ascetic 
 ideal of life taught that beauty and pleasure were deadly 
 perils to the soul, and that ignorance was safer than 
 knowledge. The Renaissance dared to rebel against 
 this mediaeval preaching, to set free the reason of man, 
 
 3 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 and to awaken in him a passionate appreciation of the 
 glories of art and nature, and of all the beauty of this 
 living world. The prison doors were thrown open, 
 and in the newly awakened joy of life, the men of the 
 Renaissance raised their eyes from contemplation of 
 the cloister and the grave, and cried aloud in exultation, 
 " It is good for us to be here 1 " 
 
 Then a wonderful thing happened. At this moment 
 of new intellectual birth, of enfranchisement from old 
 prejudices, the beautiful dead past came back, newly 
 revealed, to a generation eager to see, to comprehend 
 all things. The world of classical antiquity, the beauty 
 and strength of ancient Greece and Rome, was a revela- 
 tion to the far-off sons and daughters of that heroic 
 breed, all unconscious of their glorious heritage. A 
 very fever of enthusiasm was aroused, not alone for 
 the priceless treasures of sculpture in marble and 
 bronze, found beneath the Italian soil, but also for the 
 classics of language and literature, the works of Homer 
 and Plato, of Aristotle and Virgil, of the philosophers 
 and the tragedians of ancient fame. Then came the 
 fall of Constantinople in 1453, and the ruin of the 
 Eastern Empire brought a fresh impulse to the West, 
 in rediscovered treasures and learned exiles. 
 
 The religious ideal of the Middle Ages had appealed 
 alike to all — to rich and poor, to the learned and the 
 ignorant ; but the cultured spirit of the Renaissance 
 was almost exclusively the possession of those classes 
 who enjoyed wealth and leisure. This mighty intel- 
 lectual impulse touched women even more deeply than 
 men, for it not only gave them a new independence, 
 but raised them to a high position in social life and the 
 encouragement of art. Sharing the same learned educa- 
 
 4 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 tion as the men, they had perhaps in a more marked 
 degree, the passionate love of the beautiful, and the keen 
 desire to collect antique sculptures, paintings, musical 
 instruments, and rare classics brought within their 
 reach by the new wonder of the printing-press. 
 
 Thus it comes to pass that in so many a brilliant 
 Court — of Mantua, of Urbino, of Milan, of Naples, of 
 Ferrara, of Asola, and others — we find that a cultured 
 woman is the central figure, who gives harmony to 
 the whole group. So, in making a special study of 
 women in the Italian Renaissance, we find the most 
 typical instances amongst the princesses and great 
 ladies of the day. 
 
 Before entering upon individual studies, it will be 
 interesting to consider the conditions of life during the 
 whole period, and to recreate the very atmosphere of 
 that long-past day, to us so strange and remote. 
 
 We will attempt to trace the surroundings of an 
 Italian woman of the Renaissance, through the varied 
 scenes of her life, beginning at the hour of her birth. 
 Here, on the threshold, we are met with the knowledge, 
 sharply accentuated in the case of a princess, that too 
 often she is not welcome. Thus we read in a chronicle 
 of Ferrara : 
 
 "A daughter was born this day to the Duke. , . . 
 And there were no rejoicings, because every one wished 
 for a boy." 
 
 And in the case of a little girl born to Isabella d'Este, 
 we find that the mother would not use the splendid 
 golden cradle with which she had been presented, but 
 put it aside for ten years, until at length the hoped-for 
 son arrived, and it was brought forth in state for his use. 
 
 Yet although so vastly inferior to her brothers; a 
 
 5 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 daughter was of some value as a counter in the fgame 
 of politics. While she was still an infant, her father 
 would cast an anxious glance towards the neighbouring 
 Courts of Italy, or his ambition might even stretch out 
 as far as Paris, Madrid, or Innsbruck, to consider by 
 what alliance he could best strengthen his position. 
 Then would follow long and shrewd negotiations with 
 some prince who was fortunate enough to possess a 
 son, and in due time, often at a very early age, the little 
 maiden was betrothed — married by proxy — to an unseen 
 bridegroom. In this "marriage for the future" between 
 Vittoria Colonna and Ferrante of Pescara, neither of 
 the children was more than four years old, while in 
 that of Beatrice d'Este, she was five, and Lodovico 
 Sforza, Duke of Bari, was twenty-nine. 
 
 When a father's mind was thus set at rest as to the 
 future of his little girl, he had leisure to consider her 
 education. In some cases it was part of the bargain 
 that the child-bride should be brought up in the house- 
 hold of her future husband, that she might enter upon 
 her new life as soon as possible, before she had formed 
 ideas of her own, and could still be moulded to suit 
 the place she had to fill. This was often quite suc- 
 cessful, as in the case of Vittoria Colonna, who owed 
 so much of her future distinction to the cultured train- 
 ing of Ferrante's elder sister, Costanza d'Avalos, in 
 the fair isle of Ischia. The children were both sweet- 
 tempered and grew up happily together; indeed Vittoria's 
 devotion to her young husband is a theme of romance. 
 
 But in other cases, the plan of bringing up together 
 a future husband and wife has had disastrous con- 
 sequences, and resulted in mutual dislike ; as with 
 Giovanna I. of Naples and Andreas of Hungary, whose 
 
 6 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 tragic story is told later on. There were other dangers, 
 too, with regard to sending a little girl to the Court of 
 her future husband. Sometimes a change of policy 
 or some other cause would break the contract, and 
 then the result was most unfortunate. For instance, 
 Margarita, the daughter of the Emperor Maximilian, 
 was sent to France to be educated as the wife of 
 Charles VIII., but this young king decided to marry, 
 for the sake of her goodly heritage, Anne de Bretagne, 
 who was already betrothed to Maximilian, and poor 
 Margarita was sent back to her father. The result of 
 this cruel insult was a long and devastating war. 
 
 An alliance having been arranged for the future, 
 the matter of first importance was the little maiden's 
 education. No longer, as in the Middle Ages, was 
 it governed by Gerson's rule : "All instruction for 
 women should be looked at askance." In the days of 
 the Renaissance this was changed indeed. "A little 
 girl," said Bembo, "ought to learn Latin; it puts the 
 finishing touch to her charms." We can only marvel 
 at the amount of their learning. Music and dancing 
 were taught from earliest childhood ; and we hear of 
 a baby-girl performing the most wonderful ballet to 
 entertain a distinguished guest. She would also learn 
 to play the lute and viol, and to sing a canzone to her 
 own accompaniment. It was not unusual for her to 
 talk " with grace and inteUigence " at six years old, 
 and by that time she would already have begun her 
 more serious studies. Some distinguished classical 
 scholar would be selected as her tutor, and with him 
 she would certainly learn enough Latin to read Cicero 
 and Virgil, to recite Latin verses, or repeat an oration. 
 She would be taught Greek and Roman history, and 
 
 7 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 would be familiar with Dante, Petrarch, and other 
 Italian poetry, study modern languages to some extent, 
 and in many instances the young girl would learn to 
 read Plato in the original. 
 
 In the "Life of Vittorino da Feltre," tutor to the 
 Gonzaga family, we have a delightful account of a great 
 "humanist," who was marvellously successful as a 
 teacher, and carried out a high ideal of education, as 
 it was understood in the days of the Italian Renais- 
 sance. We find him in 1420 at Mantua, in the Casa 
 Zoisa, close to the Castello, on the border of the lake. 
 Here a group of high-born youths and maidens were 
 trained in body and mind ; taught to live a simple life, 
 to tell the truth, and remember that learning was 
 inseparable from virtue and religion. Their course 
 of study included Latin, Greek, philosophy, mathe- 
 matics, grammar, logic, music, singing and dancing, 
 varied by outdoor games. 
 
 Vittorino had a lofty ideal of a schoolmaster's mis- 
 sion, and inspired his pupils with a passion for learn- 
 ing. He would begin by reading chosen selections 
 from the writings of Virgil, Cicero, Homer and Demos- 
 thenes, explaining as he went on ; then he would make 
 his class learn passages by heart to form their style. 
 One of his rules was, " First be sure that you have 
 something to say . . . say it simply." He paid special 
 attention to those who were slow to learn, and would 
 take poor scholars without pay, " for the love of God." 
 
 In the long summer days he would take his class to 
 the rising ground at Pietole,* the birthplace of Virgil, 
 about two miles south of Mantua ; and here, in the 
 
 * According to Donatus, Virgil was born at Andes, which a local 
 and very ancient tradition has identified with Pietole. 
 
 8 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 shady groves, he would tell them the story of .Perseus, 
 of Hercules . . . while they rested after their games. 
 His most distinguished girl-pupil was Cecilia Gonzaga, 
 the youngest daughter of his patron, Gian Francesco 
 di Montefeltro, who recited Latin verse and could 
 read Chrysostom at eight years old, at twelve years 
 wrote Greek with "singular purity," and continued 
 her classical studies till she was the marvel of the age. 
 Margherita, her elder sister, married the cultured 
 Leonello d'Este, and he wrote to his wife with regard 
 to Vittorino, " that for virtue, learning, and a rare 
 and excellent way of teaching good manners, this 
 master surpassed all others." 
 
 : Another princess distinguished for her learning was 
 Ippolyta Maria Sforza, daughter of Francesco, Duke 
 of- Milan, and wife of Alfonso of Naples. When Pope 
 Pius II. paid a visit to her father, the little girl was 
 chosen before her elder brothers, to pronounce a Latin 
 oration in honour of his Holiness. It was for Ippolyta 
 that Constantine Lascaris composed Ihe earliest Greek 
 grammar ; and in the convent library of Santa Croce, 
 at Rome, there is a transcript by her of Cicero de 
 Senectute, followed by a youthful collection of Latin 
 apophthegms. 
 
 It is very curious to notice, in passing, how our 
 feelings have changed of late years towards learning 
 in women. Dennistoun, in his " Dukes of Urbino," 
 written only fifty years ago, remarks that " feminine 
 erudition in professorial chairs " was a " questionable 
 practice." Thus he dismissed the long roll of learned 
 ladies of the Renaissance. 
 
 The wonderful little girls of this period seem to 
 have borne all their weight of learning with so light a 
 
 9 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 grace that they had leisure to sit over the embroidery- 
 frame, and produce the most delicate triumphs of 
 needlework. We read of a design of tapestry repre- 
 senting "shepherds and shepherdesses feasting on 
 cherries and walnuts," or *'a device of little children 
 on a river bank, with birds flying overhead," worked 
 in gold, silk, and wool ; or again of a counterpane with 
 "a cherry-tree and a dame and squire gathering 
 cherries in a basket," and another with a " group of 
 children, their heads meeting in the middle," the 
 whole embroidered with gold thread, on brocade, or 
 with coloured wools. 
 
 As the Este children bent over their needle, there 
 was read to them a romance of Spain or Provence, 
 sueh as " I reali di Francia," the last fairy tale of Matteo 
 Boiardo, or a new canzone of Niccolo di Correggio. 
 The Italian girls of the Renaissance were brought 
 up with a love of poetry ; Dante, Petrarch, and Ariosto 
 were familiar to them, but above all they had a passion 
 for the drama, and learnt at a very early age to take 
 parts in a classical play. Yet with all this study of 
 books, the training of the body was not neglected, for a 
 high-born maiden's education was not complete unless 
 she could ride boldly, go hunting, and fly a hawk. 
 
 Riding was, indeed, an indispensable accomplishment 
 in those days, when most of the long journeys were 
 made on horseback. If a young girl of high degree 
 did not travel much before her marriage, she would 
 certainly have to do so when her betrothal became an 
 actual marriage, and she left her father's home for that 
 of her husband. 
 
 At the present time, when with a light heart we set 
 forth on a journey, and accomplish several hundred 
 
 10 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 miles with ease and comfort in a day, it is almost 
 impossible for us to realise what travelling must have 
 been for the ladies of the Renaissance. A sea voyage 
 in a clumsy sailing-ship was a weary matter ; it took 
 nearly two months for Queen Caterina to sail from 
 Venice to Cyprus in her gorgeous Bucentaur ; but 
 a Jjourney by land was infinitely worse. Mule-drawn 
 litters were occasionally used where the roads were 
 possible, but the usual way of travelling on state 
 occasions was on richly caparisoned horses, in splendid 
 dresses, day after day, in all weathers. It is a curious 
 fact that most of the great weddings, described in the 
 following pages, took place in the depth of winter ; 
 and the luckless brides had to face heavy snow-storms 
 and tempests, cross rivers in flood, or ride over the 
 Alpine passes in mid-December. We have a very 
 interesting contemporaneous account of the wedding 
 journey of Lucrezia Borgia, when she rode like a 
 queen across Italy from Rome to Ferrara. Her escort 
 numbered about a thousand persons, with a gay young 
 Cardinal, Ippolyto d'Este, at their head. Lucrezia 
 had left Rome in a red silk dress trimmed with ermine, 
 and a plumed hat, riding a white horse with crimson 
 trappings and a golden bridle. 
 
 The other costumes were splendid ; there were 
 dwarfs and jesters to beguile the way, a company of 
 trumpeters, and hautbois to make martial music, and 
 as the cavalcade noisily crossed the wintry plains, it 
 might well have been taken by a stranger for a travel- 
 ling circus. 
 
 As for the time taken in a journey, we may notice 
 that ambassadors who left England on February 22 
 reached Rome on May 12. 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 In the [time of the Renaissance we begin to find [an 
 interest in travel and a new-born love of Nature, but 
 only in her most smiling aspect. A beautiful sunny 
 day, a soft horizon, scented flowers in a trim garden, 
 the glistening waters of a blue lake — all these things 
 appealed alike to men and women. But for Nature 
 wild and untamed, they had no sympathy ; a stormy 
 ocean, bleak mountain-tops were terrible to them, 
 unless, indeed, they were harmonised by some Platonic 
 or ethical thought. Thus when Petrarch had read 
 a passage in Livy, " King Philip ascends Mount 
 Hsemus," it occurred to him that he would climb the 
 Mont Ventoux, near him at Avignon. His feelings on 
 the way were full of awe and anxious alarm. He met 
 an old man who implored him to turn back, but he 
 bravely persevered, and when he had reached the 
 summit he opened the " Confessions of St. Augustine " 
 at the loth chapter, " And men go forth, and admire 
 lofty mountains and broad seas, and roaring torrents, 
 and the ocean, and course of the stars, and forget their 
 own selves while doing so." Then Petrarch closed 
 the book and read no more. 
 
 Here we have the ideal spirit of the Renaissance, 
 which looked upon Nature merely as a setting for the 
 intellectual life. 
 
 Returning to the question of travel, not as a luxury 
 but a necessity, as in the case of a young bride's 
 wedding journey, we notice that a train of baggage- 
 mules is usually sent on beforehand with the princess's 
 trousseau. This brings us to the subject of dress, 
 which in the Renaissance attained a sumptuous mag- 
 nificence, undreamt of before. Having alluded to 
 Lucrezia Borgia, we will describe a few dresses worn at 
 
 la 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 her wedding. The first day she wore a robe of cloth 
 of gold, with underbodice of crimson satin, and over 
 these a mantle slashed on one side with black satin, 
 and trimmed with marten's fur. On her jbare neck 
 she wore a string of large pearls with a garnet pendant 
 ... on her head a gold cap. 
 
 Another day she wore a dress with wide sleeves in 
 the French mode, of gold tissue and black satin 
 slashed in stripes, and over that a mantle of woven 
 gold, brocaded in relief, which was open at the side 
 and lined with ermine, as were also the sleeves of her 
 robe. She was riding on a black mule, with furniture 
 of velvet covered with gold, and studded with nails of 
 beaten gold, "a most beautiful and rich sight." On 
 her throat was a collar of diamonds and rubies, and on 
 her head a jewelled cap. 
 
 Next day she appeared in a dress of gold thread in 
 the French mode, and a mantle of dark satin with 
 narrow stripes of beaten gold, studded with small 
 gems and trimmed with ermine, on her head a cap 
 bossed with garnets and pearls, and on her neck a 
 jewelled collar. 
 
 Her new sister-in-law, Isabella d'Este, wore a robe 
 of green velvet embroidered in gold, and a black velvet 
 mantle trimmed with lynx skin, and the next day a 
 gown of white silver tabi, and her head and neck were 
 decked with pearls. The Duchess of Urbino had a 
 dress of velvet striped with woven gold. Another 
 dress mentioned is of black velvet lined with crimson 
 satin, slashed and bound with lacets of massive gold, 
 and buttoned down the front with ruby studs, her cap 
 being formed of certain gold bars set with precious 
 stones. . . . 
 
 13 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 These are only a few of the gorgeous costumes 
 described with loving minuteness by the old chroniclers. 
 But it was not only on a special occasion like this, that 
 so much extravagance was displayed. At an earlier date 
 in Florence, a Rucellai bride* had in her trousseau: 
 (i) a white velvet gown richly trimmed with pearls, 
 silk and gold, with open sleeves lined with pure white 
 fur ; (2) a dress of zetani, a stuff of very rich thick silk, 
 trimmed with pearls and the sleeves lined with ermine; 
 (3) gown of white damask brocaded with gold flowers, 
 the sleeves trimmed with pearls ; (4) one of silk tabi 
 with crimson, gold and brocaded sleeves, and many 
 others ; a rich necklet of diamonds, rubies and pearls 
 worth 100,000 gold pieces ; a pin for the hair and neck- 
 lace of pearls with a large pointed diamond ; a hood 
 embroidered with pearls ; a net for the hair, also 
 worked with pearls ; a hood of crimson cloth wrought 
 with pearls ; also two caps with silver, pearls and 
 diamonds. ... 
 
 The absence of '' massive gold" must have made the 
 dresses of the Florentine bride much more comfort- 
 able to wear. It would be easy to fill many pages with 
 such details, but this is enough to give some idea of 
 the unlimited extravagance displayed in the dress of the 
 period. It is only fair to add that the men must have 
 spent quite as much on their own gorgeous Court array. 
 There was much art needed in wearing those splendid 
 clothes. The young girl had to be taught that the robe 
 must be slightly lifted in front to show the dainty feet, 
 and the mantle (the albernia) must from time to time 
 be held open with both hands wide in front, "as a 
 peacock spreads his tail." 
 
 * Nannini, sister of Lorenzo del Medici. 
 14 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 A lady's complete costume would consist of a 
 long under garment of fine and costly linen, then a 
 " doublet," a linen bodice to which a white full skirt 
 was sewn. A long-waisted, stiff bodice of stout cloth 
 was worn above this, and by means of lacets or hooks 
 a pair of long, closely-fitting sleeves of rich material 
 could be fastened on, and changed to suit the outer 
 dress. This was a long robe sweeping the ground, 
 tight in the bodice, and sometimes without sleeves, 
 but usually with loose hanging sleeves lined with 
 ermine or some other costly fur. The girdle would be 
 studded with gems on great occasions. Outside this 
 a long mantle (albernia) of costly satin or velvet 
 lined with fur, would be worn out-of-doors. The 
 passion for extravagant dress spread to all ranks, and 
 in sober Florence, the grave and careful city fathers 
 sought to check it with the terrors of the law. 
 An account has been preserved in the archives of 
 one " forbidden gown " worn by a certain Donna 
 Francesca. 
 
 " A black mantle of raised cloth ; the ground is 
 yellow, and over it are woven birds, parrots, butterflies, 
 white and red roses, and many figures in vermilion 
 and green, with pavilions, and dragons, and yellow and 
 black letters, and trees, and many other figures of 
 various colours, the whole lined with cloth in hues of 
 black and vermilion." 
 
 It must have been a thankless and fearful task for 
 the censor of dress- ! An accusation would be lodged 
 against some one for wearing a forbidden number of 
 buttons. " Buttons, say you ! " would cry the irate 
 lady. " But where be the button-holes ? Nay, these 
 be only harmless bosses. . . ." And so the sumptuary 
 
 15 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 laws would be in vain, as they have ever been against 
 the quick wit of women. 
 
 To return from these lower regions of society, to 
 the illustrious lady whose career we are following 
 through life. She was above law, and the chroniclers 
 of her day would exclaim that nothing was too costly 
 or too magnificent to be lavished on her surpassing 
 loveliness. 
 
 So far as the bride's dress is concerned, we have 
 certain facts to deal with, but when we come to her 
 personal beauty, it becomes a much more difficult 
 task, for the biographer always deals in superlatives in 
 describing his princess, while her portrait may seem 
 to us much open to criticism. From careful study 
 we can at least learn what was the ideal of beauty in 
 those days. The hair must be thick and long, and if 
 possible fair or golden, as this hue was admired above 
 all others. The forehead smooth and serene, broader 
 than it is high ; a good space between the eyes, which 
 should be large and full, the white of the eye faintly 
 blue. The eyebrows must be dark and silky, the skin 
 bright and clear, a delicate colour on the cheeks, the 
 chin round, with the glory of a dimple ; a small mouth, 
 the neck white, round and long ; the hand also white 
 and plump ; and the figure slender and willowy. 
 
 False hair was much used by older women, and it 
 was often made of white or yellow silk. Many ladies 
 would pass the whole day in the open air, with the 
 hair spread out in the sun, to bleach it. On her 
 wedding journey a bride would delay the cumbrous 
 procession for a whole day, that she might have her 
 wonderful golden locks washed and fitly cared for. 
 As for the modes of dressing the hair, it would take a 
 
 i6 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 volume in itself to do justice to the subject, and would 
 then need the most elaborate illustrations. 
 
 Paint was almost universally used and as constantly 
 preached against, but in vain ; and in the craze for 
 golden hair, there is very little doubt that the radiant 
 hue was often obtained by artificial means. 
 
 When the high-born young bride had successfully 
 accomplished her wedding journey, and had made a 
 splendid entry into the city of her adoption, the next 
 step was to welcome her with magnificent entertain- 
 ments. In these the princes of the Renaissance 
 specially excelled, shedding on them such artistic 
 splendour and lustre as was unknown to classical or 
 mediaeval days. It is very difficult to make a selec- 
 tion, but possibly one of those prepared at Milan for 
 the coming of Beatrice d'Este, is amongst the most 
 interesting. 
 
 In this Giostra, or tournament, the knights wore 
 strange symbolical costumes. Thus a Mantuan troop 
 wore green velvet and gold lace, and carried lances of 
 gold and olive boughs. The Knights of Bologna 
 arrived on a car of triumph drawn by unicorns and 
 stags ; then came twelve gallant horsemen in black 
 and gold Moorish dress, with a Moor's head on their 
 helmets and white doves on their sable armour. They 
 were followed by a band of wild Scythians who 
 thundered into the piazza on their Barbary steeds, and 
 then suddenly threw off their disguise, while a Moorish 
 giant came to the front to recite in poetry the praise of 
 the bride. It is with special interest that we find 
 some of the designs on this occasion were by Leonardo 
 da Vinci. 
 Then tilting matches were carried on during four 
 
 17 B 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 days, and the pallium of gold brocade was the reward 
 of the winner. Never was there seen a finer show, and 
 these outdoor entertainments were extremely popular, 
 for all the citizens could enjoy the sight. 
 
 Here is the description of a festa at Venice, that 
 fair city which is so marvellously adapted for gay 
 doings. Amidst a number of decorated barks, galleys 
 and gondolas, a raft slowly arrives with figures of 
 Neptune and Minerva, armed with trident and spear, 
 seated on each side of a mimic hill. . . . Neptune 
 began to dance and gambol and throw balls into the 
 air to the sound of drums and tambourines, and then 
 Minerva did the same. Afterwards they both joined 
 hands and danced together. Next Minerva struck the 
 mountain with her spear, and an olive-tree appeared, 
 Neptune did the same with his trident, and a horse 
 jumped out. Then other personages made their appear- 
 ance on the mount with open books in their hands. 
 
 This was interpreted to mean that states are founded 
 on treaties of peace. 
 
 The following account of a Miracle-play is given in 
 a letter of Isabella d'Este : " A young angel spoke the 
 argument of the play, quoting the words of Prophets 
 who foretold the Advent of Christ, and the said 
 Prophets appeared speaking their prophecies, trans- 
 lated into Italian verse. Then Mary appeared under 
 a portico supported by eight pillars, and began to 
 repeat some verses from the prophets, and while she 
 spoke, the sky opened, revealing the figure of God the 
 Father surrounded by a choir of angels. No support 
 could be seen either for his feet or those of the 
 angels ; and six seraphs hovered in the air, suspended 
 by chains. 
 
 i8 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 " In the centre of the group was the Archangel 
 Gabriel, to whom God the Father addressed his word, 
 and after receiving his orders Gabriel descended with 
 admirable artifice and stood half-way in the air. Then 
 all of a sudden an infinite number of lights broke out 
 at the feet of the angel choir and] hid them in a blaze 
 of glory, which really was a thing worth seeing, and 
 flooded all the sky with radiance. At that moment 
 the Angel Gabriel alighted on the ground, and the iron 
 chain which held him was not seen, so that he seemed 
 to float down on a cloud, till his feet rested on the 
 ground. 
 
 " After delivering his message, he returned with the 
 other angels to Heaven, to the sound of singing and 
 music and melody, and there were verses recited by 
 spirits holding lighted torches in their hands, and 
 waving them to and fro, as they stood supported in 
 the air, so that it frightened me to see them. When 
 they had ascended into Heaven, some scenes of the 
 Visitation of St. Elizabeth and St. Joseph were given, 
 in which the heavens opened again, and an angel 
 descended with the same admirable contrivance to 
 manifest the Incarnation." So the festa ended. 
 
 But the most interesting of all Renaissance enter- 
 tainments were the dramatic performances, which were 
 always a great feature in the reception of a bride. 
 Thus Lucrezia Borgia had, during a whole week, the 
 comedies of Plautus acted before her with marvellous 
 interludes ; the germ of our modern ballets. One of 
 the best accounts of these is given in a letter of 
 Castiglione. He is describing a play by Cardinal Ber- 
 nardo Bibbiena, first performed at Urbino, called the 
 Calandra, and afterwards a great favourite with Leo X. 
 
 19 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 " The scene was laid by a city wall with two great 
 towers, on one of which were bagpipers, on the other 
 trumpeters. . . . Another scene represented a beautiful 
 city, with streets, palaces, churches, towers, all in relief 
 . . . statues, columns, and a brilliant light of torches 
 over all. . . . The interludes were as follows : First, 
 a moresca of Jason, who came dancing on the stage in 
 fine antique armour, with a splendid sword and shield, 
 whilst there suddenly appeared on the other side two 
 bulls vomiting fire, so natural as to deceive some of the 
 spectators. These the good Jason approached, and 
 yoking them to a plough made them draw it. He then 
 sowed the dragon's teeth, and forthwith there sprang 
 up from the stage, antique warriors inimitably managed, 
 who danced a fierce moresco, trying to slay him ; and 
 having come on, they each killed the other. After them, 
 Jason again appeared, with the Golden Fleece on his 
 shoulders, dancing admirably. 
 
 "In the second interlude there was a lovely car 
 wherein sat Venus with a lighted taper in her hand ; it 
 was drawn by two doves which seemed alive, and on 
 them rode a couple of Cupids with bows and quivers 
 . . . preceded and followed by more Cupids dancing 
 a moresco. They set fire to a door, out of which leaped 
 nine gallant men all in flames, who also danced to per- 
 fection. . . ." Then followed other interludes, Neptune 
 on his sea-horses, . . , and Juno in her car drawn by 
 peacocks, &c., " of which no description can afford an 
 idea," says the enthusiastic beholder. 
 
 Yet if this kind of amusement went on day after 
 day, for five hours or so at a time, preceded by 
 state balls all the afternoon, we can quite under- 
 stand that even the most cultured lady, such as 
 
 30 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 Isabella d'Este, was sometimes overcome with "in- 
 finite weariness." 
 
 When our " illustrious lady " has passed through the 
 ordeal of religious ceremonies and splendid entertain- 
 ments in connection with her wedding, the next point 
 of interest to consider, will be the home in which she is 
 henceforth to rule. This, of course, would vary greatly, 
 according to the city whither it has pleased Fate to 
 waft her. 
 
 In Florence, for instance, in the days of the early 
 Medici, we should see the fair city of to-day as a 
 gloomy mass of battlemented towers, in the midst 
 of densely foliaged trees and tangled undergrowth, 
 encompassed by massive bulwarks and high walls. 
 Where now stands the Piazza di Santa Croce the Arno 
 flowed, passing from the Ponte a Rubicante and the 
 Castle of Altafronte. The corn-market was held where 
 now stands the Loggia of Or San Michele ; the tower 
 begun by Giotto was but recently completed, the double 
 dome of Brunellesco was built in 1434 ; and the Palazza 
 dei Priori stood out in its grim strength, while from its 
 tower, the great bell, the Vacca, summoned the people 
 to elections or sounded the note of war. But the 
 merchant city was growing fast, and each year saw 
 new and splendid palaces rising in its sombre streets, 
 while monasteries and churches kept pace with them. 
 
 One of the earliest Medici palaces was in the Via 
 Larga (now Cavour), but both Cosimo and his grandson 
 Lorenzo the Magnificent built delightful villas in the 
 fair country outside Florence, where their families 
 dwelt during most of the year. The Renaissance 
 brought with it a taste for gardens and flowers, fruit- 
 trees and rare shrubs, on which we shall dwell 
 
 31 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 later in describing more fully those of the Este 
 princesses. 
 
 The simple severity of Florentine life, in the early 
 part of the fifteenth century, will scarcely give us an ideal 
 presentment of the magnificence found in an ItaHan 
 palace of the Renaissance. For this we shall have to 
 pass on to a somewhat later date, and seek out the huge 
 square Castello of red brick in the heart of Ferrara, 
 home of the Este princes; the lake-encircled Palazza. 
 of the Gonzaga at Mantua ; the hill city of classic 
 TJrbino ; or the far-famed Castello of Pavia, the pride of 
 Milan's dukes. We cannot do better than suffer our 
 choice to fall upon this last. 
 
 In the ancient capital of the Lombard kings stands 
 this splendid monument of Renaissance architecture ; 
 a great quadrangle flanked by four massive towers. 
 The inner court was surrounded by a double cloister 
 with colonnades of low round arches, while the Gothic 
 windows of the upper loggia and the banqueting-hall 
 were relieved by delicate tracery and shafts of marble, 
 and beautiful mouldings in terra-cotta. The stately 
 palace stood in the midst of exquisite gardens, with 
 avenues of plane-trees, groves of cypress-, mulberry-, 
 orange-, and lemon-trees, myrtle and cystus ; broad 
 lawns with fountains of choice design, and dainty 
 pavilions for summer days. In the park beyond, there 
 were artificial lakes, the charm of running water, groups 
 of forest trees, and upland stretches of picturesque 
 wildness which harboured a number of stags and wild 
 deer for the chase. 
 
 But the landscape without, " divinely .beautiful," as 
 Commines calls it, was not to be compared with the 
 magnificence within the palace walls. Never has that 
 
 22 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 princely lavishness of space been carried to a greater 
 pitch. In the immense ball-room, the banqueting- 
 hall, the vast Sala in which the favourite game of 
 "la Palla " was played, and the whole suite of splendid 
 chambers — the groined ceilings were ablaze with gold 
 and ultramarine in quaint emblem and device — and the 
 frescoed walls were masterpieces of the great artists 
 of the day ; Leonardo da Vinci being chief amongst 
 them. The upper chambers were hung with priceless 
 tapestries, and the whole fittings of a room would often 
 be embroidered to match in silk and worsted, and gold 
 and silver thread. These would include hangings for 
 the walls, doors'and windows, a baldaquin and counter- 
 pane for the bed, and curtains to draw all round it ; a 
 coverlet for the low couch, and cushions for the various 
 chairs and benches, which were delicately carved, or of 
 inlaid wood. 
 
 There is a most interesting list from an unpublished 
 MS.* of sixty sets of hangings which Valentine Visconti 
 took with her to France, part of the colossal dowry by 
 means of which the daughter of a soldier of fortune 
 found a royal alliance. Amongst these we find : 
 
 "Item: A 'chamber' (or set of hangings), the 
 baldaquin worked with a design of angels ; the long 
 curtain depending from the tester behind the pillows 
 represents shepherds and shepherdesses feasting on 
 cherries and walnuts ; the counterpane, a shepherd and 
 a shepherdess within a park ; the whole embroidered 
 with gold thread and coloured wools. 
 
 " Item : Wall hangings to match. . . . 
 
 " Item : Another chamber with hangings complete, 
 with all the Victories of Theseus. 
 
 * Madame Duclaux. 
 33 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 " Item : A great tapestry, with the history of the 
 destruction of Troy the Great ; green velvet cover for 
 a couch, and chair cushions of green velvet richly 
 emboidered to match. 
 
 " Item : A white ' chamber ' sown with gladiolus, 
 bed furniture, and all hangings. 
 
 "Item : A set of green tapestries with the Fountain 
 of Youth and several personages, with bed hangings, 
 counterpanes, couch-covers, and six wall hangings, all 
 worked very richly with gold, without guards (linen 
 coverings). 
 
 "Item : A set of hangings complete of cloth of gold, 
 also another * chamber ' representing a lady playing 
 with a knight at the game of chess." 
 
 This would be about a tenth part of one collec- 
 tion. It was not only in palaces that the spirit of the 
 Renaissance had brought such order and beauty into 
 the domestic life of Italy, for when Sir Thomas Hoby, 
 the translator of the " Cortigiano," was entertained 
 as a private gentleman at Salerno, by the Marquis of 
 Capistrano, he says : 
 
 " Whithorn and I were had into a chamber hanged 
 with clothe of gold and vellute, wherin were two 
 beddes, thon of silver worke, and the other of vellute, 
 with pillowes, bolsters, and the shetes curiouslie 
 wrought with needle worke." 
 
 To appreciate how far England was behind in such 
 matters, it may be interesting to quote a few words 
 from the letter written by Thomas Sackville (Lord 
 Buckhurst) to the Lords of the Privy Council, when 
 he was ordered to entertain the Cardinal de Chatillon 
 at Shene, sixteen years later than Hoby's letter. He 
 had no proper plate or glass or " napery " : 
 
 24 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 "One onlie tester and bedsted not occupied I had, 
 and thos I delivered for the Cardinall him self, and 
 when we cold not by any menes in so shorte a time 
 procure another bedsted for the bushop, I assighned 
 them the bedsted on which my wiefes waiting wemen 
 did lie, and laid them on the ground. Mine own basen 
 and ewer I lent to the Cardinall, and wanted me 
 self . . . ." 
 
 To return to Italy. We have a description of a 
 Renaissance bed, raised upon a dais above a floor of 
 wood mosaic, with a carved canopy of wonderful 
 design and workmanship, supported by four demons 
 of terrible aspect. The furnishing of the chamber 
 would be in keeping, with one or two great carved and 
 painted chests, containing the lady's wedding dowry of 
 rich garments and jewels, and a couch and carved 
 chairs covered with rich tapestry or velvet to match 
 the hangings. On the floor we should find Eastern 
 rugs, and skins of leopard or tiger, and in a secluded 
 corner a reliquary and the image of the Madonna or 
 a saint, before which a lamp would be always kept 
 burning. We read of the jug and ewer being of silver 
 or gold on special occasions, and Infessura tells us 
 how on a certain visit to Rome of the Duchess Leonora 
 of Mantua, every lady in her suite had a washing basin 
 of gold given her by the Cardinal of San Sisto. " Oh, 
 guarda ! " he adds, " in such things to spend the 
 treasure of the Church ! " 
 
 The household and chamber linen, or other material, 
 would be on the same scale of magnificence, for we 
 find such a list as this in the dowry of a noble lady : * 
 
 " Item : Seven pairs of sheets of spun silk striped with 
 * Vittoria Colonna. 
 25 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 gold ; twenty pairs of sheets embroidered in different 
 coloured silks ; fourteen pairs of Olana (Dutch linen) 
 fringed with gold ; . . . two pairs of thin sheets wrought 
 with gold and silk. 
 
 " Item : A silk coverlet with stripes of gold ; . . . 
 pillow-slips of crimson silk; . . . eighteen counter- 
 panes of silk, one ' alia moresca ' ; . . . and great 
 stores of splendid bed and table napery, &c." 
 
 In the banqueting-hall we should specially notice 
 the immense buffets, or sideboards, ten feet high, 
 loaded with gold and silver plate for use at banquets, 
 with majolica of Urbino and vases from Faenza (called 
 fayence in France). On the floor there would be more 
 Eastern rugs ; in front of the seats, great mats of em- 
 broidered Hungarian leather, and skins of animals 
 killed in the chase or sent from distant lands. The 
 chairs are embossed with gilt, or if of wood, are 
 covered with stamped leather and adorned with clamps 
 of bright metal. Armchairs are sometimes protected 
 with a great carved head, or with a top and curtains, to 
 keep away the draught in those vast apartments, and 
 perhaps stand on either side of the great hearth with 
 its dogs of shining metal, where burn massive trunks 
 of wood, cut in special lengths. Above the fireplace 
 there will rise a magnificent carved overmantel, and in 
 one of the rooms we shall probably find some wonder- 
 ful clock of copper and brass, with not only a peal of 
 bells, but a complete solar system, showing the move- 
 ment of all the heavenly bodies, the sun, moon, and 
 stars, as taught by Ptolemy. 
 
 As for the library, whether at the villa of Lorenzo 
 dei Medici, at the splendid home at Pavia of the Duke 
 of Milan, or at the cultured and courtly Palace of 
 
 36 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 Urbino, it would be full of priceless manuscripts, 
 adorned with exquisite miniatures and treasures of 
 classical learning until, as time advanced, the wonder 
 of the printing-press brought the whole learning of the 
 ancient world within the reach of a generous and 
 studious patron. But to do full justice to a splendid 
 library of the Renaissance would require a volume in 
 itself. 
 
 With regard to the famous artists and scholars and 
 learned men who were so eagerly welcomed by every 
 cultured princess at her Court, their story will be 
 found in all the chronicles of the period, where 
 women meet with so scant a mention. The kindred 
 subject of intellectual and artistic conversation and 
 of literary coteries is so fully treated later on in 
 the history of Elisabetta Gonzaga and the Court of 
 Urbino, that it will not be needful to touch upon it 
 here. 
 
 The ladies of the Renaissance in Italy were not only 
 distinguished in social life and conversation, but were 
 usually great letter-writers, and many quotations from 
 their correspondence are given in the following pages. 
 Fortunately for us, the written word was looked upon 
 with respect in those days, for we are told that of one 
 lady, Isabella d'Este, for instance, nearly two thousand 
 letters have been preserved. It is very interesting to 
 note the difference in handwriting, which betrays 
 many curious secrets. In the sixteenth century it is 
 usually large and free, often very characteristic of 
 the writers. The strokes are delicate and somewhat 
 angular, with many strange contractions and flourishes. 
 The handwriting of Vittoria Colonna, for example, is 
 plain, distinct, and somewhat masculine in style, but 
 
 27 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 slightly nervous and irregular, with various abbrevia- 
 tions and dashes. 
 
 " With mine own hand" is a very needful addition, 
 as it was much the custom for a great lady to dictate 
 letters to her secretary, who was often given to embroider 
 on his own account. The following simple little note 
 of Isabella d'Este is an interesting specimen of a 
 dictated letter : 
 
 " My Lord, — I pray you mock not at my letter, and 
 say not that all women are poor things, and' ever fearful, 
 for the mahgnity of others is far greater than my fear 
 and your lordship's mettle. I would have written this 
 letter with my own hand, but the heat is so great that, 
 if it last, we are like to die. The little lad is very well, 
 and sends your lordship a kiss, and for my own part, I 
 do ever commend myself to you. 
 
 " With sore desire to see your lordship, 
 
 " Isabella, with 'mine own hand. 
 
 " Mantua, July 23^^." 
 
 Here we plainly see that the signature alone was 
 hers ; but "it was so hot 1" 
 
 Every married woman was expected to rule her 
 household well and wisely, according to her rank in 
 life; with magnificence on state occasions, yet with 
 due regard to economy. The young bride of a prince 
 would often find that the expenses of her splendid 
 wedding and reception had been so enormous, as to 
 require careful retrenchment in the Court expenditure 
 for years. Banquets given in honour of distinguished 
 guests would be amongst the most costly items. In 
 the records of Florence we find a detailed account of 
 a series of banquets given on the occasion of a Medici 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 wedding, that of Lorenzo's sister, Giovanna, which 
 lasted from Sunday morning to Tuesday evening. To 
 these all the relations, friends, and the chief citizens 
 were invited, and they sat down five hundred at a time, 
 under great awnings in the Piazza opposite the palace. 
 The cooking was done in the street, by fifty cooks 
 and their helpers. Hither came " quartered bullocks, 
 casks of Greek wine, and as many capons as could 
 hang on a staff borne on the shoulders of two stout 
 peasants ; bars of buffalo cheese, turkeys in pairs, 
 barrels of ordinary wine and choice sweet wine, 
 baskets full of pomegranates, hampers of large sea fish, 
 crates of little silver-scaled fish from the Arno, birds, 
 hares, cream cheese packed in fresh green rushes, 
 baskets full of sweetmeats, tarts, and other confec- 
 tionery prepared in the convents." 
 
 With the refreshments there came twenty confec- 
 tioners, who distributed a profusion of caramels made 
 of pine-seeds. These banquets cost more than 150,000 
 francs ; including " 70 bushels of bread, 2800 white 
 loaves, 4000 wafers, 50 barrels of sweet white wine, 
 1500 pair of poultry, 1500 eggs, 4 calves, 20 large basins 
 of galantine. . . ." 
 
 These were public entertainments ; but where the 
 company was more select, the extravagance was no 
 less, for the table was idealised with the most fanciful 
 decorations that could be devised. Thus, at a banquet 
 given to welcome the Princess Isabella of Naples, we 
 read of each course being introduced " by some mytho- 
 logical personage. Jason appeared with the golden 
 fleece ; Phoebus Apollo brought in a calf stolen from 
 the herds of Admetus ; Diana led Actaeon in the form 
 of a stag ; Atalanta followed with the wild boar of 
 
 39 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 Calydon ; Iris came with a peacock from the car of 
 Juno ; and Orpheus carried in the birds whom he had 
 charmed with his lute. Hebe poured out the wines ; 
 Vertumnus and Pomona handed round apples and 
 grapes ; Thetis and her sea-nymphs brought every 
 variety of fish ; and shepherds, crowned]with chaplets 
 of ivy, arrived from the hills of Arcady, bearing jars of 
 milk and honey to the festive board." 
 
 At a banquet given at Venice in honour of the 
 Duchess of Milan, we hear thati the different dishes 
 and confetti were carried in to the sound of trumpets, 
 accompanied by an infinite number of torches. *' First 
 of all came figures of the Pope, the Doge, and the 
 Duke of Milan, with their armorial bearings ; then 
 St. Mark, the adder and the diamond, and many other 
 objects — all in coloured and gilded sugar, making as 
 many as three hundred in all, together with every 
 variety of cakes and confectionery, and gold and silver 
 drinking-cups, all of which were spread out along the 
 hall, and made a splendid show." 
 
 On the marriage of Sigismond, King of Poland, with 
 Bona Sforza, at the Court of Naples, Vittoria Colonna 
 was a guest, and Passari gives a very curious account 
 of the supper which followed, "On quitting the 
 church they sat down to table at six in the evening 
 and began to eat, and left off at five in the morning." 
 There was a stupendous menu, and twenty-seven 
 courses are enumerated. We notice amongst them, 
 Hungary soup ("putaggioUngarese"), stuffed peacocks, 
 quince pies, thrushes stuffed with bergamott (scented 
 citrons), and " bianco mangiare con mostardo ". . . . 
 
 This banquet may have had somewhat of a barbaric 
 touch in honour of the Hungarian guests, who possibly 
 
 30 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 spent the night in appreciating the wines of the sunny 
 South after the ladies had retired. It was the usual 
 custom to play at " scartino," or " I'imperiale," and 
 other card games, or at chess or backgammon, after 
 dinner ; and there appears to have been much gambling. 
 Beatrice d'Este once won three thousand ducats, and 
 we are told-she spent it at once. 
 
 An interesting book was published in 1543, which 
 throws much light on household expenditure in the 
 days of the Renaissance. It bears the title, "Con- 
 cerning the Management of a Roman Nobleman's 
 Court." It thus enumerates the members of the 
 house : 
 
 Two chief chamberlains. 
 
 One general controller of estates, receiving 10 scudi 
 
 a month. 
 One chief steward, receiving 10 scudi a month. 
 Four chaplains, each receiving two scudi a month. 
 One master of the horse. 
 One private secretary and assistant secretary. 
 One auditor and i lawyer. 
 
 Four Litterati, who among them must know the 
 four principal languages of the world, viz., 
 Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and Italian. Each 
 receiving 100 scudi yearly. 
 Six gentlemen of the chambers. 
 One private master of the table. 
 One chief carver, ten waiting men. 
 One butler of the pantry, and assistant. One butler 
 
 of the wines. 
 Six head grooms. One marketer, with assistant, 
 A storekeeper, a cellarer, a carver for the serving 
 gentlemen. 
 
 31 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 A chief cook, under cook, assistant, and a chief 
 
 sculleryman. 
 A water-carrier and a sweep. 
 Last in the list comes a physician, " not because a 
 doctor is not worthy of honour, but in order not to 
 seem to expect any infirmity for his lordship or his 
 household." The physician was required to be not 
 only " learned, faithful, diligent and affectionate," but 
 also, and above all, " fortunate in his profession." 
 
 The food in this Roman household cost 4000 scudi 
 (or dollars) ; 1400 being spent on wine alone. The 
 allowance was a jug holding rather more than a 
 quart of pure wine daily to gentlemen, and the same 
 quantity, diluted by one-third of water, to all the 
 rest. 
 
 *' Sixteen ounces of beef, mutton or veal allowed 
 
 for each person. 
 " Twenty ounces of bread to each person, of more 
 
 or less fine quality. 
 " One lb. of cheese to each, monthly ; other 
 
 eatables are all enumerated. 
 " Four or five large wax candles daily for his lord- 
 ship. Also an allowance of wax for torches 
 to accompany dishes to table, and to accom- 
 pany his lordship and gentlemen out-of-doors. 
 "Wax candles for the altar in the chapel. Tallow 
 candles for use in the house." 
 It may be well to note here that the ducat of Italy 
 varied in nominal value from about four francs to four 
 shillings of our money ; but the coin would buy nearly 
 twelve times the value, in necessaries or luxuries, 
 which that amount represents at the present day in 
 England. 
 
 33 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 There were other inmates of a great house, not 
 mentioned in the inventory above. The trade with 
 the East had one curious result, in a traffic of slaves, 
 who were much used as domestic servants in Italy, 
 during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. In the 
 markets of Venice, of Genoa, or of Naples an able- 
 bodied young woman might be bought at a price 
 varying from six to eighty-seven ducats. We find 
 interesting testimony to this fact in the letters of 
 Alessandra Macinghi to her son Filippo Strozzi, at 
 Naples. She writes : 
 
 " Al Nome di Dio. A di' x^ di Setiembre 1465. 
 "FiGLIUOL MIO DOLCE, 
 
 " I would remind you that we have need of a 
 slave ... if you give orders to have one bought, let it 
 be a Tartar, as they are the best for hard work, and 
 are simple in their ways. The Russians are more 
 delicate and prettier, but it seems to me that a Tartar 
 would be best. . . . Iddio di male vi guardi. 
 
 " Per la tua Alessandra, in Firenze." 
 
 De Maulde reminds us that " the mother of Carlo 
 dei Medici was a lovely Circassian girl, bought by the 
 grave and aesthetic Cosimo il Vecchio." A poem of 
 the period tells us that " The loving slaves shook out 
 the dust from their masters' dress every morning, 
 looking fresher and happier than the rose." But when 
 we see, from Madonna Alessandra's letters, how much 
 trouble they often gave, we must look upon this as a 
 poetical licence. 
 
 No great household could be without its dwarfs and 
 jesters, and we hear a great deal about them in the 
 
 33 c 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 life of Isabella d'Este, whose palace at Mantua had 
 a suite of apartments specially built for them. She 
 occasionally gave away a baby dwarf to a friend, as we 
 should a kitten. When Alfonso d'Este was incon- 
 solable for the loss of his wife, a certain Martello, pet 
 dwarf and jester, was lent to him for his comfort. 
 " He could not express the delight which the buffoon 
 had caused him, and esteemed his presence better than 
 the gift of a castle." 
 
 But Martello fell ill and died ; the poor fool making 
 jokes even on his death-bed. On hearing of the sad 
 event, Francesco, Duke of Mantua, writes : 
 
 "Most people can be easily replaced, but Nature will 
 never produce another Martello." This was his elegy 
 written by the bard Pistoia : 
 
 " If Martello is in Paradise, he is making all the 
 saints and angels laugh ; if he is in hell, Cerberus will 
 forget to bark." 
 
 In time of sickness, the first thing which occurred 
 to a friend was to lend the patient a jester or pet dwarf, 
 to keep up his spirits at any cost. 
 
 The ladies of the Renaissance had no lack of other 
 pets — their horses, their greyhounds, their falcons ; 
 for hunting was a passion with many of them. We 
 read that Isabella d'Este's presence was heralded by 
 the barking of her little dogs, and that she sought far 
 and wide in the convents of Venice for rare Persian and 
 Syrian cats. When a pet animal died it was buried 
 with great solemnity in the gardens of the Castello, 
 and a cypress was planted, or a tombstone inscribed 
 with the name was placed on the grave. All the ladies 
 and gentlemen of the household, and the favourite dogs 
 and cats, joined in the funeral procession, we are told. 
 
 34 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 Visitors to Lord Pembroke's park at Wilton House 
 will remember the pathetic little cemetery, over- 
 shadowed by sombre trees, where the pet dogs have 
 been buried since the days of Queen Elizabeth. The 
 idea may have come from Italy. 
 
 While on the subject of pet animals, we must include 
 a wonderful giraffe, which was sent to Florence in 
 
 1488, a present from the Soldan of Babylonia to 
 Lorenzo dei Medici. He was seven braccias high, and 
 was led about the streets by two Turks, to the intense 
 delight of the citizens. So great was the curiosity felt 
 about him, even by the nuns, that he had to be taken 
 round to the convents to be inspected. Such a plea- 
 sant beast ! " It eats everything, poking its head into 
 every peasant's basket, and would take an apple from 
 a child's hand, so gentle is it." It had a stable in the 
 Via Scala, where fires were kept up, for it was much 
 afraid of cold. But, alas ! notwithstanding all this 
 affectionate care, the poor giraffe died on January 2, 
 
 1489, and " everybody lamented it, for it was such a 
 beautiful animal 1 " 
 
 Beyond the due ordering of her Court and house- 
 hold, many and various were the talents needed by a 
 princess of the Renaissance days. In the absence of 
 her husband she would be called upon suddenly to 
 pilot the ship of state, and form a decision upon 
 important political matters. As a reigning sovereign, 
 Giovanna of Naples showed great presence of mind 
 on various critical occasions, and her defence of her 
 conduct at the Court of Avignon, was a masterly stroke 
 of talent. 
 
 Ludovico Sforza could find no more astute and 
 capable ambassador to send to the Signoria of Venice 
 
 35 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 than his Duchess Beatrice, who succeeded admirably 
 in her diplomacy. Again, at a critical moment, when 
 Louis of Orleans was at his gates, and the Duke was 
 seized with sudden and unaccountable panic, it was 
 his wife who came to the rescue with marvellous 
 presence of mind, and took prompt measures for 
 defending the city. 
 
 When Francesco, Marchese of Mantua, was a pri- 
 soner at Venice, it was his wife Isabella who ruled the 
 state, and by her untiring efforts at length obtained 
 his release. But all these, and many other peaceful 
 incidents, fade into insignificance before the stirring 
 adventures of Caterina Sforza, told in the story of her 
 life. Few women have mounted the ramparts with 
 such mettle as the gallant Madonna of Forli, when 
 she held the Fort of St. Angelo for her husband, or 
 defended her own citadel of Ravaldino. 
 
 Italy was very proud of her warrior women ; the 
 " virago " is always spoken of with loving admiration. 
 We have an anecdote from Venice, when on a certain 
 Sunday, June 14, 13 10, the eve of San Vito's Day, there 
 was an insurrection against the Doge. During the 
 fighting a woman aimed a stone mortar from a window 
 at the standard-bearer of the rebels ; it struck his 
 head ; bearer and banner fell to the ground. There- 
 upon panic seized the conspirators ; they fled and 
 surrendered. 
 
 The heroine, Lucia Rosso, was requested to name 
 her own reward. She only asked that " she might 
 have the right to fly the standard of San Marco from 
 her window on every festa-day ; and that the pro- 
 curators of San Marco would not raise her rent of 
 fifteen ducats, either to her or her successors." 
 
 36 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 The ladies of Siena were noted for their pluck. In 
 that last heroic siege of 1554 the Gascon general, 
 Blaise de Monluc, pays them this testimony : 
 
 " It shall never be, you ladies of Siena, that I will 
 not immortalise your names so long as the Book of 
 Monluc shall live ; for in truth you are worthy of im- 
 mortal praise if ever women were. At the beginning 
 of the noble resolution these people took to defend their 
 liberty, all the ladies of Siena divided themselves into 
 three squadrons ; the first led by Signora Forteguerra, 
 who was herself clad in violet, as also those of her 
 train, her attire being cut in the fashion of a nymph, 
 short, and discovering her buskins ; the second was 
 the Signora Piccolomini, attired in carnation satin, and 
 her troop in the same livery ; the third was the Signora 
 Livia Fausta, apparelled all in white, as also her train, 
 with her white ensign. In their ensigns they had very 
 fine devices. . . . These three squadrons consisted of 
 three thousand ladies, gentlewomen and 'citoyennes' ; 
 their arms were picks, shovels, baskets and bavins ; 
 and in this equipage they made the muster, and 
 went to begin the fortifications. . . . Never was there 
 so fine a sight. . . ." 
 
 We can well believe it, for when did warriors ever 
 go forth in so gay and gallant a spirit, save in dauntless, 
 ardent Siena ? 
 
 There would be death to face, wounds to bind up, 
 and much patient nursing would fall to the share of 
 these fantastic " nymphs." This leads us to the subject 
 of sickness and medicine in the olden days. We have 
 already seen that the first great requisite for a physician 
 was that he should be "fortunate in his profession." 
 It was also desirable that he should practise astrology, 
 
 37 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 more especially in princely houses, or he would lead 
 but a sorry life. He points to his phials in vain ; 
 " against death he has no medicine." 
 
 Every woman could brew simples, bind a broken 
 limb, nurse a fever, and dabble a little in medicine. 
 These were some of the most popular drugs : Bark of 
 Indian wood, turpentine, poppy, mustard, myrrh, 
 wormwood, lichen, peppermint and aniseed water. 
 Quassia amara, essence of cinnamon, camphor, hops, 
 rue, privet, crocus, marjoram, figs, honey, and much 
 sulphur. Coughs were cured by milk of almonds 
 mixed with sugar and starch, barley sugar, tea of roses 
 and camomile, and infusions of mallow, violet, &c. ; 
 in short, most of the favourite French "tisanes" of 
 to-day. Another remedy for a cough was to " take the 
 lungs of a fox and wash it with wine, and dry it in a 
 furnace to a cinder ; then powder it and mix well with 
 yolk of egg." 
 
 The Sun was supposed to govern the heart and 
 nerves, Jupiter the liver, and Venus the rest of the 
 body. 
 
 Complete discord reigned in the scientific world 
 with regard to the treatment of disease ; the physicians 
 opposed the surgeons and apothecaries, and such 
 terms as " fool " and " mountebank " were freely 
 bestowed. Paris remained faithful to the traditional 
 and philosophic spirit, while Paracelsus burnt the 
 works of Galen and Avicenna. 
 
 " A certain pious author advised that the doors of the 
 medical school should be thrown open freely to women, 
 that they should be taught all that men were taught, 
 indeed, a little more — Greek and Arabic — and that 
 they should then be sent off to the Holy Land to aid 
 
 38 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 in the conversion of the infidels." Did he see from afar 
 the mission of medical women to the Zenanas ? 
 
 But the ruling principle in illness, with both men 
 and women, was to keep up the patient's spirits. We 
 can quite understand this, when we think of the un- 
 healthy conditions of life, and of that terrible scourge, 
 the Plague, which recurred six times between 1348 to 
 the end of the fifteenth century. Fear or melancholy 
 would be a certain precursor of death. 
 
 People were strongly impressed with the necessity of 
 keeping in good health ; and to this end they were to 
 eat well, to avoid damp, to spend generously without 
 stint or economy, to refrain from melancholy or gloom, 
 not to think of dull, sorrowful things, but to play, ride, 
 and amuse themselves ; in short, to be happy. As we 
 have noticed before, on receiving news of a friend's 
 illness, the greatest charity was at once to send a pet 
 dwarf or jester to the sick-room, and do anything to 
 amuse the patient. 
 
 The Cardinal d'Este, hearing that his sister Isabella 
 was ill at Mantua, in 1507, sent Ariosto to read his 
 " Orlando Furioso " to the sick lady as he sat by her 
 bedside. Happily she recovered. 
 
 We cannot leave the subject of sickness without 
 touching upon that of poison, which was supposed to 
 account for so many deaths, being so difficult of proof 
 in former days. Doubtless, in many cases the suspicion 
 was justified ; but in any sudden illness it was always 
 the first cry of ignorance. Our worthy old Fuller, in 
 writing of his special incarnation of evil, Cassar Borgia, 
 remarks : " He exactly knew the operations of all hot 
 and cold poysons, which would surprise nature on a 
 sudden, and which would weary it out with a long 
 
 39 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 siege ; for in truth Italians have poysoning at their 
 fingers end. This Caesar could contract a loo toads 
 into one drop, and cunningly infuse the same into any 
 pleasant liquour." There was a notorious poison used 
 in Italy in the seventeenth century, called "aqua 
 tofana," made by a woman of Palermo. Four to six 
 drops was a fatal dose, and it has since been discovered 
 to have been a solution of arsenic. 
 
 Closely akin to poisons were the various potions 
 obtained from witches and Egyptians, for securing good 
 luck, or as love philtres, or antidotes to love. These 
 were often used for evil purposes, and bore the name 
 of " selling the devil in bottles." Opium was used to 
 produce delightful dreams ; nightshade gave pleasant 
 illusions. Witches were reputed to indulge in midnight 
 orgies, and were constantly consulted by people who 
 wanted to have their fortunes told ; they were also 
 believed to bring hail and rain, and to cure diseases by 
 means of amulets and charms. 
 
 The boundless ambition of Julius II. was said to 
 spring from the prediction of a sorceress, who had told 
 him to be of good cheer, for he would be elected Pope, 
 and rule the world. Astrology was in high favour, and 
 Savonarola fought in vain against it. The Roman pre- 
 lates, the great soldiers and sovereign princes, such as 
 Lodovico Sforza and Francesco of Mantua, never 
 moved a step without consulting the stars. The Court 
 astrologer was a man of considerable influence and 
 position, usually a foreigner, and often a Moor or gipsy. 
 His occupation was most lucrative, and a great opening 
 for ambition, as no public ceremony or journey was 
 ever undertaken without his permission. He puts on 
 airs and keeps his clients waiting. If some one sends 
 
 40 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 him a birth date to have his horoscope cast, he sends 
 no reply ; " his eyes are weary with gazing into the 
 boundless heavens." 
 
 But there are certain risks. As, for instance, when 
 Messer Ambrogia da Rosate, the Duke of Milan's 
 favourite astrologer and physician, after careful study 
 fixed a day for the wedding journey of Bianca Sforza, 
 the bride of the Emperor Maximilian, a terrible storm 
 nearly wrecked the whole party. " Infelice ! " was the 
 mildest term applied to the unlucky astrologer ; but we 
 may remark, as some slight excuse for him, that the 
 wedding journey, across the Lake of Como and over 
 the passes of the Alps, had to be undertaken in the 
 midst of a severe winter. 
 
 We cannot close the story of a woman's life in the 
 days of the Renaissance, without touching on the subject 
 of her religion. 
 
 In the earlier days of the period, little girls still went 
 to church every day, and worked chasubles and altar- 
 cloths. At Florence we find Lucrezia dei Medici, a 
 devout woman, given to good works ; taking her little 
 son Lorenzo to vespers with her every evening, in the 
 Dominican church of San Paolino. Her "rime sacre," 
 written for her children, are preserved to us, charming 
 in their simplicity, delicate little Christian carols. In 
 the next generation, the great complaint of the learned 
 tutor Poliziano against Lorenzo's wife Clarice, was 
 that she wanted the boy Piero to sing hymns when 
 he should have been learning Greek, and that she 
 interfered with the lessons of the four-year-old Gio- 
 vanni (afterwards Pope Leo X.) by keeping him to 
 read the Psalter. No great event can take place with- 
 out the sanction and benediction of the Church. A 
 
 41 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 baptism, a marriage, a funeral — they are each the 
 occasion of a stately and splendid pageant. 
 
 The progress of the Renaissance brought a changed 
 outlook in thought and feeling, although in Italy it was 
 not greatly complicated by the religious reform which 
 shook the rest of Europe. Thus an Italian chronicler 
 can write : " At that time, in the furthest part of 
 Germany, the abominable and infamous name of 
 Martin Luther began to be heard." 
 
 A new feeling pervaded the whole of intellectual life 
 and "widened the sundering of the Church's claims 
 and the joy of life. St. Augustine's dream of a city of 
 God waxed pale and faint, like a student's midnight 
 taper." The Renaissance, with all its mysticism, 
 was not partial to the dim religious light or shadowed 
 mysteries : it loved clearness, daylight, illumination. 
 For a brief space all Italy was moved by the tremendous 
 question of Savonarola : " Was not the soul the one 
 thing more precious than the sin-stained body ? Was 
 it not greater than the living world ? Was not the 
 true path to heaven that of sacrifice, and consecration 
 of every thought and every passion to the inner mystic 
 life?" 
 
 Like Felix, they heard and trembled, but no mediaeval 
 teaching could reach those men and women of the 
 Renaissance, and bring them back to the faith of their 
 forefathers. Yet, if fewer splendid cathedrals were 
 built and not so many convents were endowed as in 
 the earlier days, there was no lack of deep and strong 
 religious feeling. Amongst the writings of Vittoria 
 Colonna we read such words as these : 
 
 " With a cable of love and fidelity welded together 
 I fasten my barque to a never-yielding rock, to Christ, 
 
 42 
 
DAUGHTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE 
 
 the living stone, whereby I may at any time return to 
 port." She was not alone, for Vergerio, the Pope's 
 nuncio in France, writes : " Praise be to God who in 
 our troublous times hath raised up such intelligences 
 — here the Queen of Navarre, of whom I speak ; at 
 Ferrara, the lady Renee of France ; at Urbino the lady 
 Leonora Gonzaga, with whom I conversed for some 
 hours, and who seemed to me endowed with eminently 
 lofty minds, filled with charity, all on fire with Christ ; 
 at Rome the lady Vittoria Colonna — to speak of none 
 but your own sex." 
 
 We cannot do better than end with the words 
 of Gebhardt: "The astonishing intellectual freedom 
 with which Italy treated dogma and discipline ; the 
 serenity she was able to preserve in face of the great 
 mystery of life and death ; the art she devoted to the 
 reconciliation of faith with rationalism ; her dallyings 
 with formal heresy, and the audacities of her mystic 
 imagination ; the enthusiasm of love, which often 
 carried her up to the loftiest Christian ideal — such was 
 the religion of Italy in the Renaissance." 
 
IN TUSCANY. 
 
 NOBLE LADIES OF THE HOUSE 
 OF MEDICL 
 
 LUCREZIA (TORNABUONI) DEI MEDICI, WIFE OF 
 PIERO DEI MEDICI, MOTHER OF LORENZO THE 
 MAGNIFICENT. 
 
 CLARICE DEGLI (ORSINI) DEI MEDICI, WIFE OF 
 LORENZO THE MAGNIFICENT. 
 
HISTORICAL SUMMARY. 
 
 1430. Birth of Lucrezia Tornabuoni. 
 
 1447. Marriage of Piero dei Medici, son of Cosimo, to 
 
 Lucrezia Tornabuoni. 
 
 1448. Birth of Lorenzo dei Medici, January i. 
 
 1451. Alfonso of Naples and the Republic of Venice joined 
 
 against Milan and Florence. 
 1454. Capture of Constantinople by the Turks, who threatened 
 
 Italy. Under guarantee of the Pope, a league formed 
 
 between the sovereigns of Naples and Milan, and 
 
 the Republics of Florence and Venice, to preserve 
 
 Italy. 
 1464. Death of Cosimo dei Medici, after a glorious rule of 
 
 thirty years. Succeeded by his son Piero. 
 1469. Marriage of Lorenzo, son of Piero, to Clarice Orsini. 
 1469. State visit of Lorenzo dei Medici to Milan, to the 
 
 christening of the Duke's son, Gian Galeazzo. 
 ,, Death of Piero. His son, Lorenzo the Magnificent, 
 
 succeeds him. 
 1472. The Turks first appeared in Italy, at Friuli. 
 
 1478. Conspiracy of the Pazzi, who murdered Giuliano dei 
 
 Medici, brother of Lorenzo, in the Duomo of 
 Florence. 
 
 1479, Madonna Clarice dismisses the tutor Poliziano. 
 
 1485. Lorenzo dei Medici and Lodovico Sforza of Milan 
 make alliance with Ferdinand, King of Naples, 
 against the Pope. Battle of Lamentana, gained by 
 the Duke of Calabria, son of Ferdinand. 
 
 1487. Death of Clarice dei Medici. 
 
 1490. Public faith and credit of Florence violated to save 
 Lorenzo dei Medici from bankruptcy. 
 
 1492. Death of Lorenzo the Magnificent. He is succeeded 
 by his son Piero, who in 1487 married Alfonsina 
 Orsini. 
 
LUCREZIA (TORNABUONI) DEI MEDICI. 
 
 LucREZiA (Tornabuoni) DEI Medici, was the wife of 
 Piero dei Medici. As we look upon the portrait, by 
 Sandro Botticelli, of this gracious lady, we see her 
 once more as she lived in those bygone days of the 
 Renaissance ; we seem to read her character and 
 pierce the very secret of her soul. The thoughtful 
 brow, the calm steadfast eyes, the firm delicate chin, 
 the sweet placid mouth, even the erect stately bearing, 
 all speak of that noble woman, the mother of Lorenzo 
 the Magnificent, to whom he owed so much. 
 
 Lucrezia was one of the Tornabuoni family, those 
 merchant princes of Florence from whose proud 
 energetic stock she seemed to have inherited the more 
 homely virtues, which do not always flourish in a 
 palace. She was a clear-eyed, high-minded woman of 
 business, and ever her son's wisest and most trusted 
 counsellor. Her political insight was keen and just ; 
 indeed, there were not wanting those who said that her 
 princely alms, her endowments of poor convents, her 
 dowries to orphan girls, were all so many bids for 
 popularity. 
 
 Yet surely in this they wronged her, for her cha- 
 racter was deeply religious, and she devoted herself 
 with special care to the pious bringing up of her 
 children. She even wrote hymns for them which 
 
 47 
 
LUCREZIA DEI MEDICI 
 
 are high in the rank of spiritual poems ; and one of 
 Lorenzo's earliest memories, was his daily attendance 
 with her at vespers, in the Dominican church of San 
 Paolina, of which his friend, the learned Poliziano, was 
 afterwards curate. 
 
 At the same time, Lucrezia had broad views, and a 
 love for literature and art, which we should expect 
 from the sister of that Giovanni Tornabuoni, who com- 
 missioned Ghirlandajo to paint the marvellous frescoes 
 in the choir of Santa Maria Novella. Here we find a 
 vivid illustration of the Florentine life, in which Lucrezia 
 herself bore so dignified a part. 
 
 In this great series of the Life of the Virgin and of 
 St. John the Baptist, the artist makes the charming ana- 
 chronism of representing the public and official life of 
 the Tornabuoni, their processions and stately ban- 
 quets. We recognise them crowding to the temple 
 court, or seated as guests at Herod's feast, with their 
 kinsmen, the partners in the Medici bank, and their 
 learned friends, amongst whom Angelo Poliziano is 
 conspicuous. 
 
 But still more picturesque and striking is it to see 
 the young Tornabuoni bride, Giovanna, in her rare 
 jewels and stiff brocaded dress, accompanied by her 
 ladies in rich attire, entering the chamber where the 
 mother of the Virgin lies on her couch, and her friends 
 wish her joy. 
 
 Lucrezia dei Medici was herself a patroness of 
 literature also ; and to her encouragement we owe the 
 poem " Morgante," rich in description and even pathos, 
 leading the way for Tasso and Ariosto, while in its 
 humour we see a foreshadowing of Cervantes' greater 
 work. The work had grown from verses sung or 
 
 48 
 
LUCREZIA DEI MEDICI 
 
 recited at the table of the Medici, but Luigi Pulci was 
 overbold for his day, and his great romance was con- 
 demned by the Pope, and burnt by Savonarola in the 
 Pyramid of Vanities. 
 
 For those troublous times of feud and faction, the 
 story of Madonna Lucrezia was peaceful and unevent- 
 ful. During most of her married life her father-in- 
 law, Cosimo il Vecchio, was the head of the house of 
 Medici, and with him, the scarlet gown of a Florentine 
 citizen was but a vain symbol of humility for the 
 despotic ruler of the Commune. 
 
 Yet on a certain morning of August, in the year 
 1458, the young wife must have needed all her courage. 
 She was spending the summer with her children in the 
 priucely villa of Cataggiuolo, far beyond Fiesole, amid 
 the slopes of the Apennines, when Piero was sum- 
 moned to join his father in Florence for a great coup 
 d'etat, of which the result was more than doubtful. 
 As she watched him ride away beneath the plane- 
 trees, followed by his armed retainers and a motley 
 throng of peasants from the Mugello, devoted to the 
 Medici, her heart must have been heavy with dark 
 misgivings. 
 
 In Florence the great bell of the palace tolled, and 
 the piazza was thronged with the excited populace, 
 while on each side was posted an army of horse and 
 foot soldiers. It must have been an anxious moment 
 for Cosimo and Piero within the walls, when the 
 Signoria appeared on their platform outside the palace, 
 the Chancellor read the proposal for the Balla, and 
 the list of the 350 members proposed by the ruling 
 faction. But, to the amazement of the Milanese 
 Podesta, there was no disturbance; the people shouted 
 
 49 » 
 
LUCREZIA DEI MEDICI 
 
 assent, and the danger of a popular revolution was at 
 an end. Henceforth the power of the Medici was 
 assured. 
 
 Cosimo lived six years after this, but broken in 
 health, and his spirit clouded by the loss of his favourite 
 son Giovanni, he appeared but little in public. He 
 was succeeded by his only surviving son Piero, who 
 was inferior to him in every way, and did not inherit 
 his popularity. He was surnamed " II Gottoso," from 
 his bad health, and showed Httle talent as a politician. 
 Indeed, he would have been more suited to the quiet 
 life of a merchant, than that of a great ruler and patron 
 of the arts ; and the five years of his nominal rule 
 were chiefly spent in retirement, in the Villa Careggi, 
 built by Michelozzi in the most lovely situation, a few 
 miles to the north of Florence. The gardens are still 
 exquisitely beautiful, and we can imagine Mona 
 Lucrezia's leisure spent amidst her books and her 
 flowers, while her more serious thoughts were given 
 to the education of her children, still continued under 
 the guidance of the famous humanist Gentile de' 
 Becchi, and especially to the constant watchful counsel 
 of her sons, Lorenzo and Giuliano, now the practical 
 representatives of the dynasty. 
 
 This must have been a gay time for Florence, with 
 these two brilliant youths as masters of the revels ; 
 and even in these early days, Macchiavelli attributes 
 to the lad of fifteen, the deliberate design of corrupting 
 the State by pandering to its senses. But Lorenzo, 
 with his keen zest for animal enjoyment, tempered by 
 artistic beauty, was only a type of his city and his 
 age. Constant festivals were the order of the day, 
 from the triumphs and masquerades in the streets to 
 
 50 
 
LUCREZIA DEI MEDICI 
 
 carnival songs, and country dances, and sacred repre- 
 sentations. 
 
 We read of a great tournament given in the play- 
 ground of Florence, the vast oblong piazza of Santa 
 Croce, in the year 1467, where Lorenzo viras first 
 attracted by Lucrezia Donati, a brilliant, highly 
 cultured girl, of the same family as the wife of Dante. 
 We can still see her beautiful face with its delicate 
 refined features and rippHng hair, in a portrait of 
 Andrea Verocchio, and we hear of her later as the bride 
 of Niccolo Ardinghelli. On this occasion the lady 
 gave Lorenzo a wreath of violets, and he promised her 
 in return, a still more splendid tournament. 
 
 In the meantime, his mother Lucrezia thought that 
 the time had arrived for a marriage to be arranged for 
 him. There must have been long and anxious con- 
 sideration on the subject, for Piero does not seem to 
 have been content to wed his son with the daughter of 
 a citizen of Florence ; he would choose a lady from 
 some princely house of another State. His choice fell 
 upon the great Orsini family, whose possessions spread 
 from Rome, far and wide, joining those of the Colonna 
 to the east, and extending from the sea to the Apen- 
 nines. 
 
 It was characteristic of her loving caution that Mona 
 Lucrezia herself took the important journey to Rome, 
 that she might make all inquiries on the spot with 
 regard to the young girl's qualifications, other than 
 those of wealth and position. She seems to have been 
 well satisfied with all she heard, and to have convinced 
 herself that Clarice Orsini would be, in behaviour and 
 beauty, a suitable bride for her young hero. 
 
 The story of Clarice will be told hereafter. On 
 
 51 
 
LUCREZIA DEI MEDICI 
 
 Lucrezia's return to Florence she must have been pre- 
 sent at the promised tournament, which was pubHcly 
 announced as being held in honour of the coming 
 marriage. But it is a significant fact that, as an old 
 chronicler tells us, "It was the name of the lady Lucrezia 
 Donati which was on the lips of all the lookers-on and 
 in the heart of Lorenzo, and not that of the Roman 
 bride, Clarice Orsini." It was a gorgeous spectacle. 
 We hear of the ten young men on horseback and the 
 sixty-four on foot, all clad in complete suits of armour, 
 who followed in the procession, with an array of drums 
 and fifes and trumpeters. Young Medici himself wore 
 a surcoat of velvet fringed with gold and adorned by 
 the golden lilies of France upon an azure ground, and 
 a helmet with three blue feathers. His horse was 
 decked out in red and white velvet, embroidered with 
 pearls. The prize was assigned to him, and this is 
 how he modestly mentions the fact in his own 
 memoir : 
 
 " That I might do as others, and follow the custom, 
 on the Piazza Santa Croce I gave a tournament at 
 great cost and with much magnificence ; about ten 
 thousand ducats were spent upon it. I was not a very 
 mighty warrior nor a strong striker, yet to me was 
 assigned the first prize, a helmet inlaid with silver, 
 having a figure of Mars on the crest." 
 
 His marriage took place the following year, when he 
 was only nineteen ; but he seems to have remained as 
 devoted as ever to his mother. His three sisters were 
 already provided with husbands, the first obligation 
 of a parent in the Italy of those days. Maria was mar- 
 ried to Lionetta de' Rossi ; Bianca, his favourite, was 
 the wife of Guglielmo Pazzi ; and in 1466 the youngest, 
 
 52 
 
LUCREZIA (TORNABUONI) DEI MEDICI 
 Sandro Botticelli 
 
LUCREZIA DEI MEDICI 
 
 Nannina, was married to Bernardo Rucellai. She 
 seems to have been a Hvely girl with strong religious 
 feelings, and we are told of her strenuous efforts to 
 convert the mercurial Pulci, a constant guest at her 
 father's table, to more devout thought and a stricter 
 life. In his merry jests and in his sonnets, he laughed 
 at sacred things, and although he would recant in his 
 " Confessions," yet it does not appear that Nannina's 
 exhortations had any permanent effect upon his 
 conduct. 
 
 Bernardo seems to have been a most desirable 
 husband, if we are to judge from his high character, 
 intellect, refinement, and passionate love for his 
 beautiful gardens. An interesting story is told of 
 him that, under the influence of Lorenzo, who was 
 a champion of the Italian tongue, he refused to write 
 to Erasmus in Latin, much to the embarrassment of 
 his correspondent, who never would learn Italian lest 
 his Latin style should be spoilt. 
 
 We next hear of Mona Lucrezia, when her son had 
 gone to Milan, in July 1469, to be godfather to the baby 
 Giovanni Galeazzo. He writes from thence : " I have 
 given to the Duchess a gold necklace with a large 
 diamond, worth about three thousand ducats. In con- 
 sequence the Duke wishes me to stand for all his future 
 sons." 
 
 Lorenzo, indeed, was so much feted and flattered 
 during his visit, that he was disposed to go beyond 
 his credentials. Piero was willing that his son should 
 take the first place at home, but he kept a strict hold on 
 his foreign relations. He entrusted his wife with the 
 delicate task of warning her son not to act on his own 
 account, as though he were head of the State. "Tell 
 
 53 
 
LUCREZIA DEI MEDICI 
 
 him that while I live, I will not permit that the goslings 
 should lead the geese to drink." 
 
 The lesson may have been needed, but the young 
 Lorenzo was learning his part, and preparing for the 
 high position which was so soon to be his. Piero 
 died in December 1469, aged and infirm beyond his 
 years, for he was but fifty-three. He wished for a 
 quiet funeral, and his desire was carried out by his 
 widow and sons. His monument may still be seen in 
 the old sacristy of San Lorenzo, of simple grandeur, 
 the work of Verocchio — an urn of red porphyry with a 
 dark inlaid plaque of green marble and great acanthus 
 leaves round the sides. The urn is fastened by ropes 
 of bronze, and the cords pass behind the tomb to the 
 ceiling of the niche. 
 
 After her husband's death, Mona Lucrezia seems to 
 have lived in retirement in her beautiful villa near 
 Florence, with its delightful gardens, full of the choicest 
 flowers and fruit. In the year 1476 we find her little 
 grandson, Piero, then barely five years old, writing to 
 her from the Villa of Cafaggiolo ; " Send us some 
 more ripe figs, I mean those very ripe ones, and send 
 us some peaches with their kernels, and other of those 
 things which you know we like, sweetmeats and tarts 
 and some such little things." 
 
 From the somewhat masterful tone of this letter we 
 seem to gather that the small boy had great confidence 
 in the indulgence of his grandmother, who had never 
 spoilt her own children. Although there cannot have 
 been much sympathy between this cultivated woman 
 and her daughter-in-law, Clarice Orsini dei Medici, yet 
 she appears to have been on the most friendly terms 
 with her. Mona Lucrezia kept up an interesting corre^ 
 
 54 
 
LUCREZIA DEI MEDICI 
 
 spoiidence with the learned Agnolo Poliziano, who 
 writes thus to her on one occasion when tutor to 
 Lorenzo's children, and imprisoned by bad weather in 
 the cold Mugello : 
 
 "The only news I can send you is, that we have 
 here such continual rains that it is impossible to quit 
 the house, and the exercises of the country are changed 
 for childish sports within doors. Here I stand by the 
 fireside, in my great coat and slippers, that you might 
 take me for the very figure of Melancholy. Indeed I 
 am the same at all times ; for I neither see, nor hear, 
 nor do anything that gives me pleasure, so much am I 
 affected by the thought of our calamities ; sleeping 
 and waking they still continue to haunt me. Two days 
 since we were all rejoicing upon hearing that the 
 plague had ceased ; now we are depressed on being 
 informed that some symptoms of it yet remain. Were 
 we at Florence we should have some consolation, 
 were it only that of seeing Lorenzo when he returned 
 to his house ; but here we are in continual anxiety, and 
 I, for my part, am half dead with solitude and weariness. 
 The plague and the war are incessantly in my mind. 
 I lament past misfortunes and anticipate future evils, 
 and I have no longer at my side my dear Madonna 
 Lucrezia, to whom I might unbosom my cares." 
 
 In the allusion to the " calamities " and " troubles " 
 and also in Poliziano's anxiety about Lorenzo, we 
 must understand a reference to the terrible, heart- 
 breaking calamity which overshadowed with gloom 
 the closing years of Mona Lucrezia's life — the murder 
 of her passionately loved son Giuliano. Of this dark 
 
 55 
 
LUCREZIA DEI MEDICI 
 
 stain on the page of history, a brief account will be 
 sufficient in these pages. 
 
 In the conspiracy of the Pazzi against the Medici, 
 a shameful plot hatched at Rome, the young and 
 gallant Giuliano, the idol of the populace, fell a victim 
 within the sacred precincts of the Duomo. During 
 the Mass, while the solemn strains of the Agnus Dei 
 echoed through the choir, the dagger of the assassin 
 pierced his heart as he stood by the Chapel of 
 the Holy Cross. No circumstance was wanting to 
 aggravate the sacrilege. As the wounded man stag- 
 gered forwards and fell, he was pierced again and 
 again. Nineteen wounds were found upon his body. 
 
 Assailed by a priest, who struck too high and missed, 
 Lorenzo escaped. He had time to draw his sword, 
 his friends rallied round him, and there was a deadly 
 fight in the choir itself, while the terror-stricken 
 Cardinal crouched by the high altar. The fugitives 
 reached the northern sacristy, and, in face of the 
 pursuers, closed the heavy bronze gates of Luca della 
 Robbia. 
 
 The plot had failed, for henceforth the power of the 
 Medici was assured, and a fearful vengeance awaited 
 the conspirators in torture and hanging. The whole 
 house of the Pazzi was disqualified from office — their 
 very name was accursed. No citizen might marry a 
 daughter or sister of the condemned, their palaces were 
 looted, their scutcheons were hacked from the walls. 
 
 The beloved Giuliano was borne to his grave in San 
 Lorenzo, on Ascension Day, with the pathetic honour 
 of a people's grief. He had been beloved of all, a 
 picturesque and striking personality. Skilled in all 
 athletic pursuits, for which he was so well suited by 
 
 56 
 
LUCREZIA DEI MEDICI 
 
 his tall, magnificent figure, he was also a courteous, 
 refined gentleman, who delighted in music and pictures, 
 and all beautiful things. He wrote poetry, as was the 
 fashion of his day ; he could hold his own in the gay 
 witty company at his brother's table ; he was a faithful 
 friend and a devoted son and brother.* 
 
 With this brief elegy to her youngest son, we will 
 leave the story of the noble Mona Lucrezia dei Medici, 
 well assured that her later years were sweetened and 
 comforted by the unchanging love and respect of 
 Lorenzo the Magnificent, by the duties and wide 
 charities of her high position, and by that keen 
 devotion to learning and literature which outlives 
 all other tastes. 
 
 I cannot resist the temptation of inserting two of 
 those "spiritual poems" of Madonna Lucrezia which 
 she wrote for her children. In their charming sim- 
 plicity and naive devotional feeling they bear a strong 
 resemblance to some of our old English carols. 
 
 LAUDA II 
 
 Venite Pastori 
 A veder Gesu, ch' e nato 
 Nel Presepio ignudo nato, 
 Piu che '1 Sole risplendente. 
 
 Venite prestamente 
 
 A vedere il bel Messia 
 Col Giuseppe con Maria 
 La sua Madre gloriosa. 
 
 * Giuliano died unmarried, but a posthumous son was born to 
 him, who was adopted by Lorenzo, and subsequently became 
 Pope Clement VII. 
 
 57 
 
LUCREZIA DEI MEDICI 
 
 Ma non fu si preziosa 
 Creatura, ne mai fia ; 
 Evvi ancora in compagnia 
 Solo il bue e I'asinello, 
 
 Pezze, fasce, n^ mantello 
 
 Non ha' 1 Signer de' Signori ; 
 E dal Ciel discendon cori 
 Per veder la Deitate, 
 
 Quivi vien le Potestate 
 
 Quivi viene e Cherubini 
 Le Virtu, h Serafini, 
 Con tutta la Gerarchia 
 
 E con dolce melodia 
 
 Ringraziandol con disio : 
 Gloria in Cielo all' alto Dio 
 E in terra pace sia. 
 
 O Pastor venite via 
 
 El Signore a visitare 
 Vo' sentirate cantare, 
 E vedrate il Re di Gloria. 
 
 Oggi h il di della vittoria, 
 Che' 1 nimico fia dolente, 
 E li Padri allegramente 
 Sentiranno tal novella. 
 
 Apparita h una Stella 
 
 Tutto' 1 Mondo alluminare ; 
 Venite a ringraziare 
 Gesu Christo omnipotente. 
 
 Tutte le devote mente 
 
 Contemplando con dolcezza 
 Come la divina altezza 
 Patir vuol pe' nostri errori.* 
 
 * To be sung to the tune of " Quando sono in questa Cittade. 
 
 58 
 
LUCREZIA DEI MEDICI 
 
 LAUDA IV* 
 
 Ecco il Re forte 
 
 Ecco il Re forte ; 
 
 Aprite quelle porte ; 
 O Principe infernale ; 
 
 Non fate resistenza 
 
 Gli e il Re celestiale 
 
 Che vien con gran potenza ; 
 
 Fategli riverenza 
 
 Levate via le porte. 
 
 Ecco il Re forte ! ecco il Re forte ! 
 
 Chi b questo potente 
 
 Che vien con tal vittoria ? 
 Egli h Signor possente 
 Egli k> Signor di Gloria 
 Avuto ha la vittoria 
 Egli ha vinto la morte. 
 
 Ecco il Re forte ! ecco il Re forte 1 
 
 Egli ha vinto la guerra 
 Durati gia molt 'anni ; 
 E fa tremar la terra, 
 Per cavarci d' affanni, 
 Riempier vuol gli scanni, 
 Per ristorar sua Corte. 
 
 Ecco il Re forte ! ecco il Re forte ! 
 
 * To be sung to the tune of " Ben Venga Maggio." 
 
 59 
 
CLARICE (ORSINI) DEI MEDICI. 
 
 The wife of Lorenzo dei Medici should have had a 
 position unique amidst the ladies of the Renaissance, 
 yet Clarice appears to have been somewhat over- 
 weighted by it. She was the daughter of Giacopo 
 Orsini, of the noble and powerful Roman family, 
 whose great possessions spread over half a province, 
 and her mother was of the still more distinguished line 
 of the Bracciano, a sister of the splendid Napoleone. 
 Her uncles were amongst the most influential cardinals 
 in the Curia, and her soldier family was rich in great 
 military captains. 
 
 This was the first of the foreign alliances of the 
 Medici, and had many advantages, besides the more 
 obvious one of giving them influence at the Papal 
 Court. The Orsini were traditional enemies of the rival 
 republic of Siena ; they could bring a large force into 
 the field, and were in possession of a chain of strong- 
 holds which crossed the high road to the south, and 
 would be invaluable in case of home or foreign attacks. 
 
 Had Piero chosen a bride for his son in Florence, 
 it would have caused endless jealousy and offence. 
 Lorenzo himself seems to have had very little choice 
 in the matter, but he had seen the lady more than 
 once, and had acquiesced in the choice. She had also 
 met with his mother's approval. 
 
 60 
 
CLARICE DEI MEDICI 
 
 Clarice is described as having a tall shapely figure 
 and a delicate white neck, but her carriage was some- 
 what ungraceful, from a shy habit of bending her head 
 forward. Her face was too round for classical beauty, 
 but she had a pink-and-white colour, and her abundant 
 hair shone with a ruddy glow. We are specially told 
 that her hands were pretty, with long well-shaped 
 fingers. No doubt they were skilled in all the elaborate 
 embroidery and fine needlework of the times, for 
 Clarice does not appear to have been highly edu- 
 cated, according to the Medici standard, in classical 
 learning and philosophy. Yet her stately home at 
 Monte Rotondo, outside the Porta Pia, had been a 
 local centre of Renaissance culture in the previous 
 century, and it was unfortunate for her future happi- 
 ness tbat the young girl was dependent on chance 
 visits to her uncle, Cardinal Latino, for any training 
 in art and literature. 
 
 One of her earliest letters to Lorenzo has been 
 preserved : 
 
 " I HAVE received your letter which has given me 
 great pleasure, and in which you tell me of the tourna- 
 ment where you won the prize. I am glad that you 
 are successful in what gives you pleasure, and that my 
 prayer is heard, for I have no other wish than to see 
 you happy. Give my regards to my father Piero and 
 my mother Lucrezia, and all who are near to you. 
 At the same time I send my regards to you. I have 
 nothing else to say. 
 
 " Yours, 
 
 •"Clarice de Ursinis." 
 
 6i 
 
CLARICE DEI MEDICI 
 
 Simple words, doubtless written with much thought 
 and anxiety. 
 
 The betrothal took place in December 1468, and in 
 the following May Clarice was brought to Florence. 
 The marriage was celebrated on Sunday, June 4, and 
 the festivities lasted for several days. There is a curious 
 little note in the Ricordi of Lorenzo on that date : 
 
 " I, Lorenzo, took for wife Clarice, daughter of the 
 Lord Giacopo, or rather she was given to me." 
 
 It was doubtless a marriage of state, but there is 
 every reason to believe that a real affection grew up 
 between husband and wife, for there is much simple, 
 tender feeling in the numerous letters preserved, and 
 Lorenzo always treated her with courtesy and kindness. 
 
 We have a very full account of the great festivities in 
 Florence at the wedding, which was celebrated with 
 true princely prodigality. The dress of the bride was 
 of the richest white-and-gold brocade, and the splendid 
 horse she rode in the procession, was a gift from the 
 royal stables of Naples. She had other rich presents 
 and great wedding-chests ; but it may be mentioned 
 here as a significant fact, that she received no dowry. 
 No doubt the proud house of the Orsini was of opinion 
 that the lady herself was sufficient to bestow on the 
 son of the great banking-house of Florence. The 
 relative position had changed some years later, when 
 her own son Piero married another Orsini, for then a 
 very large dowry was part of the contract. 
 
 But, all the same, Clarice was royally welcomed. 
 Pipers and trumpeters, and a gallant train of noble 
 youths and fair maidens bore her company. In the 
 palace of the Via Larga an immense ball-room was 
 made ready to receive the bride, hung with tapestry, 
 
 62 
 
CLARICE DEI MEDICI 
 
 adorned with the arms and devices of the Orsini and 
 Medici families, and covered with priceless Eastern 
 carpets. On this occasion the ladies and knights, the 
 old and young, seemed to have dined apart. Clarice 
 and fifty of the younger ladies had the broad balcony 
 above the garden, while the older matrons dined with 
 Madonna Lucrezia in the inner chamber. Round the 
 courtyard were places for seventy of the more grave 
 and reverend citizens, while the hall was given up to 
 all the yoimg gallants. On the ring of tables, costly 
 wine stood in immense vessels of brass. 
 
 More than a thousand guests were entertained each 
 day at the Via Larga, and in the house of.- Carlo dei 
 Medici. 
 
 Lorenzo's ingenuity devised the most gorgeous 
 spectacles to amuse the people. There were mimic 
 battles, in which troops of horsemen in armour charged 
 each other, and a fort was built up, to be picturesquely 
 attacked and stoutly defended. There was music and 
 dancing, and probably some of the songs to which the 
 dancers kept time as they sang, were composed by the 
 young poet himself. 
 
 We will not dwell further on the details of the 
 banquets, as the full description of a great wedding 
 feast is given in a previous chapter. 
 
 Soon after his marriage, the bridegroom went on a 
 journey to Milan, from whence he writes as follows : 
 
 " I HAVE arrived here safely and am quite well. 
 This, I believe, will please you better than any other 
 news, if I may judge by my own longings for you and 
 home. Be good company to Piero, Mona Contessina, 
 and Mona Lucrezia, and I will soon come back to you, 
 
 63 
 
CLARICE DEI MEDICI 
 
 for it seems a thousand years till I can see you once 
 more. Pray to God for me, and if there is anything 
 you want, let me know before I leave. 
 " Your own 
 
 " Lorenzo dei Medici. 
 
 " Milan, July 22, 1469.'' 
 
 The death of Piero dei Medici in December of the 
 same year, must have made a difference in the position 
 of his young daughter-in-law. It was a critical time 
 for Lorenzo ; but when, on the morrow, he and his 
 brother received the unanimous petition of the citizens 
 " that they would assume the place vacated by their 
 father," the Medici took their stand as ''signori 
 naturali," born-lords of Italy. Then, indeed, Clarice 
 became the first lady, I will not say the uncrowned 
 queen, of Florence, for the fact was simply accepted 
 without assertion or ostentation. 
 
 A very difficult task was before the young ruler, but 
 he seems to have behaved on the whole with great 
 wisdom and tact. Naturally impatient and hasty, yet 
 his sister Bianca spoke of him in after years, as recon- 
 ciling the malcontents of his father's rule with infinite 
 patience. The drudgery of that complicated political 
 government must have been sometimes an intolerable 
 burden. He had all the literary and artistic tastes 
 which he might have enjoyed in leisured wealth ; he 
 loved the country, and keenly enjoyed the company of 
 men of letters and artists. But most of these pleasures 
 he had to sacrifice to his ruling passion of ambition. 
 
 The young bride, fresh from seclusion in the home 
 of her girlhood, must have found it difficult to play 
 her part in this new literary society of Florence. 
 
 64 
 
LORENZO DEI MEDICI 
 Benozzo Gozzoli 
 
CLARICE DEI MEDICI 
 
 It may have been a welcome change when she had to 
 receive, in March 147 1, the Duke of Milan, Galeazzo 
 Sforza, and the Duchess Bona, who came with such a 
 display of wealth and luxury that they brought 2000 
 persons in their suite. They consisted of 100 men-at- 
 arms and 500 infantry as a guard, fifty running foot- 
 men richly dressed in silk and silver, and many 
 noblemen and courtiers and their different retinues. 
 Five hundred couple of dogs, with an immense number 
 of hawks and falcons, completed this astounding show. 
 It is said that this arrogant and pretentious excursion 
 cost Galeazzo 200,000 golden ducats. 
 
 It was well for his hosts that this army of retainers 
 was entertained at the public expense. This visit of 
 state was probably made in return for that paid by 
 Lorenzo, two years before, when he stood godfather 
 for the ill-fated baby, Gian Galeazzo, and gave the 
 mother a splendid gold necklace with a great diamond 
 pendant. If she wore it on this occasion, Clarice must 
 have looked at it with a touch of envy. 
 
 Grandeur like misery brings strange company, and 
 we cannot but wonder what sympathy there was 
 between these two great ladies. Bona of Savoy, whose 
 youth had been spent with her sister, the Queen of 
 Louis XL, at the French Court, and who for some years 
 had been the wife of such a profligate and cruel man as 
 Galeazzo, must have had far other experiences than the 
 simple Roman girl-wife, whose first baby was barely a 
 month old. 
 
 Those men of the Renaissance were often a strange 
 combination. This Duke of Milan, whom chronicles 
 of the day describe as another Nero in his crimes, was 
 a great patron of art and learning, founded a library^ 
 
 65 B 
 
CLARICE DEI MEDICI 
 
 and collected singers from all Europe to form the 
 choir of his chapel. He is said once to have insisted 
 that his artists, under pain of death, should paint a hall 
 in the Castello of Pavia with portraits of the whole 
 ducal family in a single night. 
 
 Such was the visitor of Lorenzo, and we are not 
 surprised to learn that he professed great admiration 
 for the splendid art treasures of the Medici. He was 
 shown the famous statues, vases, intaglios, and gems, 
 the priceless collection of manuscripts and drawings, 
 the paintings of the greatest masters the world has 
 ever seen, and he seems to have had the good taste or 
 the tact to exclaim that, " in comparison with what he 
 had seen, gold and silver lost their value." 
 
 Machiavelli speaks with horror of the riot and dis- 
 sipation of the Milanese guests, but the remark comes 
 somewhat strangely from him that " this was the first 
 time Florence openly disregarded the command not to 
 eat flesh in Lent." 
 
 For the entertainment of the visitors, there were three 
 extraordinary public spectacles. First, the Annuncia- 
 tion of the Virgin, then the Ascension of Christ, and 
 lastly the Descent of the Holy Spirit. This was acted 
 in the Church of St. Spirito, and in the unskilled use of 
 many flaring lights, the sacred building caught fire and 
 was entirely destroyed. 
 
 The accident was of course ascribed by the people 
 to the wrath of heaven. 
 
 During the years which followed, Clarice must have 
 been almost entirely engaged with her family of young 
 children, to whom she was a devoted, if somewhat 
 injudicious mother. Some of these died in infancy, 
 but three sons and four daughters lived to grow up. 
 
 66 
 
CLARICE DEI MEDICI 
 
 These boys were destined to have so great a future 
 that everything connected with their early history is 
 intensely interesting, and fortunately the records of the 
 time give us a very full account of them. The picture 
 of life in the Medici household is very simple and 
 pleasant. Lorenzo was devoted to his children, he 
 was never so happy as in their company, in the villas of 
 Caiano or Careggi ; he played with them, rode with them, 
 joined in their music, and even wrote a little play for 
 them to act. But above all he took the keenest interest 
 in their education, a matter on which the unlearned 
 Clarice had quite different ideas, and which seems to 
 have been almost the only cause of discord between 
 them. The renowned and learned Agnolo Poliziano 
 was persuaded by Lorenzo, to whom he owed every- 
 thing, to undertake the uncongenial task of teaching 
 the Medici children. He accompanied the family away 
 from his beloved Florence, when after the conspiracy 
 of the Pazzi Lorenzo thought it desirable to send them 
 to Pistoia, and afterwards to Cafaggiolo, in the winter. 
 From thence little Piero, the eldest, wrote the most 
 delightful letters to his father in an unsteady childish 
 hand, and chiefly in Latin, which his master left un- 
 corrected. 
 
 In 1478, when he was seven years old, he tells his 
 father that he has already learned many verses of 
 Virgil ; " and the master makes me decline and 
 examines me every day." Then he adds with pardon- 
 able pride : " Also I know the first book of Teodoro 
 by heart, and I think I understand it." He must mean 
 Teodoro Gaza's Greek Grammar. 
 
 The child evidently makes good progress, for the 
 following year he writes more easily : 
 
 67 
 
CLARICE DEI MEDICI 
 
 " I wish you would send me some of the best setters 
 that there are. I do not desire anything else. All the 
 company here, everybody, specially asks to be 
 remembered to you, and I also. I pray you to be 
 careful of the pestilence and to bear us in mind, 
 because we are little and have need of you." 
 
 In his next letter, on the strength of his Latin, he 
 feels justified in begging for greater favours. 
 
 "Nondum venit equulus, magnifice pater" (That 
 little horse has not yet made his appearance). He 
 gives an amusing account of his brothers and sisters : 
 " Giuliano thinks of nothing but laughter ; Lucrezia 
 sews, sings and reads ; Maddelena knocks her head 
 against the wall, but does not hurt herself ; Luisa can 
 already say a few things ; Contessina makes a great 
 noise all over the house." 
 
 He does not receive the pony, and writes again : 
 " To give a tone to my letters I have always written 
 them in Latin, and yet I have not had the little horse 
 you promised me, so that everybody laughs at me." 
 
 Then again later : " I am afraid something must 
 have happened to the horse, because if it had been all 
 right you would have sent it to me as you promised. 
 In case that one cannot come, please send me 
 another." 
 
 But at last the pony arrives, and little Piero writes a 
 pretty letter of thanks, promising to be very good. 
 
 One of Poliziano's letters about the children is worth 
 quoting in part : " Piero attends to his studies with 
 tolerable diligence. We daily make excursions 
 through the neighbourhood, we visit the gardens with 
 which this city abounds, and sometimes look into the 
 library of Maestro Zambino, where I have found some 
 
 68 
 
CLARICE DEI MEDICI 
 
 good pieces both in Greek and Latin. Giovanni rides 
 out on horseback, and the people follow him in 
 crowds. 
 
 " Raccomandomi a V.M. Pistoii, 31 Augusti, 1478." 
 
 This Giovanni, who was only three years old, was 
 the future Pope Leo X. These letters give the sunny 
 outward aspect of life, but beneath, there was a 
 rumbling of thunder, and two lives were very far from 
 happy. Poor Mona Clarice, whose instinct was to 
 spoil her children, and who cared for nothing but their 
 religious education, was at constant feud with this very 
 learned tutor, who was so strict about Latin, and 
 altogether so terribly conscientious about the lessons. 
 To make matters worse, she was clear-eyed enough to 
 see that he despised her for her ignorance. Indeed in 
 his letters to Lorenzo, he complains in no measured 
 language of her interference, " being unlettered and a 
 woman." 
 
 " As for Giovanni," he continues, " his mother 
 employs him in reading the Psalter, which I by no 
 means commend. Whilst she abstained from inter- 
 fering with him, it is astonishing how rapidly he 
 improved : insomuch that he read without assistance." 
 
 Then again with regard to Piero when, according to 
 the time-table, he should have been reading his Greek, 
 she called him away to sing hymns. 
 
 This divided control had long been a standing 
 grievance between the lady and the tutor, but it came 
 to a climax in that long dull winter of 1478 which, by 
 the desire of Lorenzo, they most unwillingly spent 
 together at the villa of Cafaggiolo, in the cold 
 Mugello. Imprisoned by incessant rain, longing for 
 the various delights of far-distant Florence, and the 
 
 69 
 
CLARICE DEI MEDICI 
 
 delightful company of Lorenzo himself, they both 
 became irritable and intolerant. At length Clarice, 
 unable to endure the provocation which she received, 
 compelled the tutor to leave the house, and wrote the 
 following characteristic letter to her husband : 
 
 " Magnifice Conjux ec. . . . I shall be glad to 
 escape being made the subject of ridicule in a tale of 
 Franco's as Luigi Pulci was ; nor do I like that Messer 
 Agnolo should threaten that he would remain in the 
 house in spite of me. You will remember I told you 
 that, if it was your will he should stay, I was perfectly 
 contented ; and although I have suffered infinite abuse 
 from him, yet, if it be with your assent, I am patient. 
 But I do not believe it to be so. . . . And the children 
 are all well and have much desire to see you, and still 
 greater have I, who have no other longing than this, 
 having to remain here at this time. 
 
 " Sempre a voi mi raccomando. In Cafaggiolo, 
 28 Maii, 1479." 
 
 Lorenzo seems to have quietly acquiesced in the 
 change ; but he gave Poliziano the use of a villa at 
 Fiesole, and their friendship remained unbroken. The 
 banished scholar, no longer worried by opposition or 
 weary teaching, devoted his leisure to a much-admired 
 poem, " Rusticus," in which he sings the praise of his 
 beloved patron. 
 
 Of Clarice's three daughters the eldest, Lucrezia, 
 married Jacopo Salviati. We hear of her courage 
 some years later when, cross-questioned by the magis- 
 trates of the Republic as to the share she had taken in 
 a conspiracy to restore Piero dei Medici, she boldly 
 replied that he was her brother, and she wished for 
 his success. 
 
 70 
 
CLARICE DEI MEDICI 
 
 Contessina married Piero Ridolfo, and Luisa was 
 engaged to Giovanni dei Medici, but died before the 
 appointed wedding-day. Maddelena seems to have been 
 her mother's favourite, and when a marriage was sug- 
 gested for her with Franceschetto Cybo, the son of 
 Pope Innocent VIII., there are pathetic letters from 
 Lorenzo, begging that she might be allowed to stay a 
 little longer with her mother, who was in ill-health, 
 and the girl was the very " eye of her head." 
 
 This was in 1487, and in March of that year Piero, 
 who was only sixteen, was married by proxy to Alfon- 
 sina Orsini, who received a dowry of 12,000 Neapolitan 
 ducats from the head of her noble house. Probably 
 this was the last important event in the life of Clarice, 
 for she died in the following July, not yet forty years 
 of age. She had been dangerously ill, but the end 
 must have come suddenly, for Lorenzo was away from 
 home that week, taking sulphur baths for his gout. It 
 is pleasant to think that the poor mother had her will, 
 and that the dear Maddelena was with her to the end. 
 
 Clarice was neither beautiful nor talented, but she 
 was a kind, warm-hearted woman, always ready to 
 befriend those in trouble, and to bring their petitions 
 before her husband, sure of a favourable hearing. 
 Lorenzo mourned for her deeply, and after her death 
 the shadows seemed to gather round his path, and he 
 only survived her a few years. 
 
TWO QUEENS OF NAPLES 
 PRINCESSES OF THE HOUSE OF ANJOU 
 
 GIOVANNA I GIOVANNA II 
 
HISTORICAL SUMMARY 
 
 1328. Birth of Giovanna of Anjou. 
 1341. Petrarch crowned at Rome. 
 1343. Giovanna I. succeeds her grandfather. King Robert, on 
 
 the throne of Naples. Already married to Andreas, 
 
 son of the King of Hungary. 
 1345. Murder of Andreas, the queen's husband. 
 
 1347. Giovanna I. marries Louis of Taranto. 
 
 1348. Great plague in Europe. Giovanna I. sells Avignon to 
 
 Pope Clement VI. She visits Avignon, and pleads 
 
 her own cause. 
 1356. Giovanna I. crowned Queen of Sicily. 
 1362. Death of her husband, Louis of Taranto. 
 1376. Giovanna marries Otho of Brunswick. 
 1382. Murder of Giovanna I., Queen of Naples, by her 
 
 nephew, Charles^of Durazzo, after her defeat by the 
 
 King of Hungary. 
 
 1 37 1. Birth of Giovanna II. of Naples. 
 
 1382. Charles of Durazzo succeeds to the throne of Naples. 
 
 1386. Charles, King of Naples, is murdered. 
 
 1399. His son Ladislaus firmly established on the throne of 
 
 Naples. 
 1403. Marriage of Giovanna of Naples with Gugliemo, son of 
 
 the Duke of Austria, Leopold III. 
 1406. Death of Gugliemo. 
 
 14 12. Sicily is united to the Kingdom of Aragon. 
 
 1413. Ladislaus, King of Naples, takes possession of Rome. 
 
 Flight of Pope John XXIII. 
 
 1414. Giovanna II. succeeds to the throne of Naples on the 
 
 death of her brother, Ladislaus. 
 14 1 6. Marriage of Queen Giovanna II. with Jaques de 
 
 Bourbon, Comte de la Marche. 
 1421. Giovanna II. summons Alfonso of Aragon to her 
 
 assistance. 
 1423. Giovanna II. adopts Louis III. of Anjou as her 
 
 successor. 
 
 1434. Death of Louis of Anjou. 
 
 1435. Death of Giovanna II., 2nd February. 
 
GIOVANNA I 
 
 ..." By my troth 
 I would not be a queen ! " 
 
 Such is our instinctive cry as we read the story of this 
 unfortunate lady. Nowhere do we find in history so 
 close a parallel to the hapless Mary Queen of Scots — 
 in her beauty, her disposition, her many marriages, the 
 sea of troubles which overwhelmed her, and her tragical 
 end. Indeed the resemblance does not end here, for 
 the same bitter controversy has raged ever since as to 
 her character and deserts, the share she had in more 
 than one murder, and the part she played in the drama 
 of her life. 
 
 In this slight sketch it will be possible to take a 
 dispassionate view, inclining rather with the poet 
 Boccaccio to the side of mercy and kindly appreciation, 
 for none can deny that, in any case, she was more 
 sinned against than sinning. 
 
 All the circumstances of her position were against 
 the poor little princess from the beginning, and it was 
 her fate during life, to suffer from the sins and follies 
 of her nearest relations, while even her own good 
 qualities were fatal to her ; for she was trusting where 
 she ought to have been suspicious, and forgiving when 
 sternness was her only chance. 
 
 Giovanna was born at Naples in the month of 
 
 75 
 
GIOVANNA I 
 
 February 1328. She was the granddaughter of Robert 
 of Taranto, King of Naples, known to fame as " II 
 buon Re Roberto," the patron of Boccaccio, the friend 
 of Petrarch, himself a distinguished man of science 
 and letters, a wise monarch, a munificent protector of 
 artists and learned men — one of the most interesting 
 personalities of his day. His father. King Charles II. 
 of Naples, a prince of the house of Anjou, had married 
 Maria, who was heiress to the throne of Hungary, and 
 he succeeded to that kingdom in right of his wife. He 
 must have felt that the union of these two great 
 countries was unwieldy and unnatural, for on his 
 death-bed, he called his sons to his side and divided 
 his dominions, bequeathing to Charles Martel, the 
 elder, the throne of Hungary, and leaving to his 
 younger son Robert, the fair provinces of Naples and 
 Provence. It was in the year 1309 that King Robert 
 entered into possession of his patrimony, just at the 
 earliest dawn of the Renaissance, for Dante and 
 Giotto, Petrarch and Boccaccio, those great fore- 
 runners, were all his contemporaries and friends. 
 
 He had one son, Charles Duke of Calabria, who 
 married Marie de Valois, sister of Philip of France, 
 and he seems to have been a most accomplished 
 prince, a great favourite with the people of Naples, 
 who gave him the title of " The Illustrious." During 
 two years he held the post of " Captain of the People " 
 at Florence. But he did not long enjoy the honours 
 of his position, for he died young, leaving two infant 
 daughters, Giovanna, the subject of this notice, and a 
 younger sister, Maria. 
 
 King Robert, heartbroken at the loss of his only and 
 dearly loved son, raised a splendid monument to his 
 
 76 
 
GIOVANNA I 
 
 memory in the vast church of Santa Chiara. This 
 beautiful Gothic design was the work of Masuccio II., 
 and has been engraved by Cicognara, as a fine example 
 of the sculpture of the fourteenth century. On a bas- 
 relief — in front of the tomb on which the young prince 
 rests, in his royal robes covered with fleurs-de-lis — he is 
 represented sitting in the imidst of the great officers 
 and barons of the kingdom, his feet resting on a wolf, 
 and a lamb drinking at the same fountain, to typify the 
 peace which his reign would have brought. 
 
 The bereaved father turned from these ruined hopes 
 to devote himself to the tender care of his orphaned 
 grandchildren, who were still almost babes when they 
 lost their mother. In 133 1, when Giovanna was not 
 quite four years old, he proclaimed her heiress to his 
 throne, and all his nobles were assembled with great 
 ceremony, to take the oaths of allegiance to her as 
 Duchess of Calabria. With the title she also inherited 
 all the rights of her father in Naples and Provence. . 
 
 Poor little motherless duchess, weighted at that 
 early age with functions of state and grandeur, when 
 she should have been playing with her dolls ! Still 
 her grandfather may have been justified in this as an 
 act of policy, for in those stormy times sovereignty was 
 nought without pomp and show, and it was needful to 
 secure the loyalty of powerful vassals to the heir of the 
 throne. But the next step taken by " Robert the Wise" 
 was fated to prepare the way for much misfortune and 
 calumny. 
 
 Some one was required to take charge of the royal 
 children, and he unfortunately made choice of Philippa 
 the Catenese, a name of dark and tragic repute in the 
 annals of Italy. She was born at Catania in Sicily, 
 
 77 
 
GIOVANNA I 
 
 the daughter of a poor fisherman, and had entered the 
 service of Violante, the first wife of King Robert, to 
 nurse her infant son Charles. The Queen became so 
 fond of her that she remained at the palace, and 
 gradually rose to a position of great trust and influence, 
 as first maid-of-honour. 
 
 Philippa seems to have been a clever, handsome 
 girl, and must have had most attractive qualities, for 
 after the death of her first mistress, she was in still 
 higher favour with the second wife of Robert, Queen 
 Sancha, a lady of high reputation and capacity. The 
 Duke of Calabria, her foster-child, was devoted to her. 
 She married the seneschal of his palace, and became 
 lady of the bedchamber to his wife, and was the first 
 to welcome the baby Giovanna into the world. It was 
 only natural that the favour and affection of the royal 
 family for this woman of the people should give rise 
 to much jealousy and even scandal. Indeed it ap- 
 peared so incomprehensible in those days that she was 
 accused of being a witch. Orloff speaks of her as 
 " f emme intrigante et sans moeurs," but he does not 
 give any sufficient ground for that statement. 
 
 Still it was no doubt unwise and impolitic to advance 
 a woman of peasant birth, to a post which must have 
 been eagerly desired by many high-born ladies of the 
 court, and the influence which she gained over the 
 child-duchess caused much ill feeling and evil gossip, 
 and in the end led to her own ruin and destruction. 
 
 King Robert the Wise made a yet more fatal mistake, 
 with the most kindly and generous intentions. His 
 fertile realms of Naples and Provence were so much 
 more desirable than the arid wastes of Hungary that 
 the princes of the elder branch had never been satisfied 
 
 78 
 
GIOVANNA I 
 
 with this division, although it had been ratified by a 
 formal decree of the Pope. So it occurred to the 
 chivalrous gentleman that, if he could make a match 
 between his little heiress and her second cousin, a son 
 of the King of Hungary, it would put an end to all 
 jealous feuds and be a perfect settlement of the family 
 dispute. Negotiations were entered into with impul- 
 sive haste, and King Carobert was only too willing to 
 accept such a splendid offer, of a bride with a future 
 kingdom as her dowry, for his second son Andreas. 
 
 The boy was only seven years old and Giovanna was 
 five, when this ill-fated marriage took place at Naples 
 with the utmost magnificence. Princely feasts were 
 given to the people, and the rejoicings continued for 
 several days. In distinguished families of that epoch 
 such solemn betrothals, or *' marriages for the future," 
 were by no means unusual for political considerations. 
 At that early age, the children of course had no voice 
 in the matter, and the parents had it all their own 
 way. 
 
 But in this case, the grievous error was made of 
 bringing up the children together under the same 
 roof, with the knowledge that they were destined for 
 each other. Can we conceive any plan more likely to 
 be fatal to their ultimate happiness ? Affection is not 
 usually secured to Order, and the very fact that it was 
 expected of them would probably end in mutual dis- 
 like. As it happened, the two children were absolutely 
 different in character and tastes. 
 
 Full of enthusiasm himself for learning, King Robert 
 devoted great care to the education of his grandchild, 
 who had the best teachers in Italy. All historians agree 
 as to Giovanna's brilliant talent and passion for litera- 
 
 79 
 
GIOVANNA I 
 
 ture ; and an old chronicle says that before she was 
 twelve years old " she wa« already excelling in under- 
 standing, not only every child of her age, but most 
 women of mature years." She must have grown up 
 amid the paintings of Giotto, in Santa Chiara and in 
 the Castel Nuovo, which contained the finest library of 
 the age, and she must have been on intimate terms 
 with Petrarch and Boccaccio when they were at the 
 Court of Naples. 
 
 There is a story told of Giotto that when he was at 
 work one summer day. King Robert, who enjoyed his 
 -genial company, said to him : 
 
 " If I were you I would leave off painting when the 
 weather is so hot." 
 
 " So would I if I were King Robert," was the artist's 
 ready reply. 
 
 Meantime all this cultured society seems to have 
 been wasted on Andreas. He grew up in the midst of 
 his boorish Hungarian attendants, lazy and ignorant, 
 full of dislike for the Neapolitans he was some day to 
 govern. The King of Hungary, his father, had chosen 
 for his tutor a monk, Fra Roberto, who had a most 
 evil influence over his pupil, and kept him in absolute 
 subjection. Too late the good King became aware of 
 the unfortunate choice which he had made ; he fore- 
 saw the trouble in store for his darling Giovanna, and 
 he sought to obviate it, by excluding her husband from 
 any share in the government. But this only prepared 
 the way for new dangers, by awaking the rage and 
 jealousy of the Hungarians. 
 
 Giovanna's happy childhood soon drew to an end, 
 for at the age of fifteen, she and Andreas began their 
 married life. They were known as the Duke and 
 
 So 
 
GIOVANNA I 
 
 Duchess of Calabria, and lived with King Robert and 
 Queen Sancha in the Castel Nuovo, at once a citadel 
 and a magnificent palace, overlooking the lovely Bay 
 of Naples. It must have been a curious household 
 under that princely roof : with the younger sister of 
 Giovanna, the Princess Maria, future Empress of Con- 
 stantinople, and another Maria, the reputed daughter 
 of Count Aquino, whose wife had been attached to the 
 Court of King Robert — who was, in fact, supposed to 
 be the girl's real father. She was the frail and beautiful 
 lady immortalised by Boccaccio as his "Fiammetta," 
 and the portrait he has left of her, brings her image 
 vividly before us. We are told that he first saw Maria, 
 as he stood leaning against one of the columns of the 
 Church of San Lorenzo. 
 
 " Her tresses of a blonde hue, for which it is scarcely 
 possible to find any comparison, shadowed a snow- 
 white forehead, admirable for its well-proportioned 
 width, in the lower portion of which two jet black and 
 infinitely slender brows rise in circling arches, divided 
 from each other by a candid space ; and beneath them 
 two lovely eyes, such rogues in their movement that 
 the light flashing from their beauty renders it scarcely 
 possible to be sure what they really are. The slender 
 nose is exactly proportioned to what the perfect beauty 
 of the face requires ; the cheeks have no other colour 
 than that of milk which the living blood has just newly 
 tinged, and the vermilion mouth is in appearance that 
 of roses among the whitest lilies ; the chin, not pro- 
 truding but rounded and dimpled in the centre, is 
 poised above the milk-white and straight throat and 
 soft neck" (" Ameta," p. 59). 
 
 Boccaccio is said to have written his " Decamerone " 
 
 81 F 
 
GIOVANNA I 
 
 to please this fair Maria, who was afterwards the wife 
 of Robert Count d'Artois. 
 
 On the death of her grandfather, the good King 
 Robert, Giovanna became, in 1343, Queen of Naples, 
 Provence, and Piedmont, a goodly heritage. The 
 regency having been refused by the gentle and pious 
 Queen Sancha, a council was appointed to govern 
 during the minority. But Fra Roberto, by his influ- 
 ence over Andreas, set at nought the late king's wishes, 
 and became the ruler and tyrant of Naples. Petrarch, 
 sent on a special mission by Pope Clement, gives a 
 deplorable account of Naples at this time, in a letter to 
 Cardinal Colonna. He speaks of the Court as corrupt, 
 vicious and barbarous, and thus alludes to the ferocious 
 and ignorant ruler, Fra Roberto. 
 
 " May heaven rid the soil of Italy of such a pest ! — a 
 horrible animal, with bald head and bare feet, short in 
 stature, swollen in person, with worn-out rags, pur- 
 posely torn to show his naked skin. He not only sets 
 at nought the pitiful supplications of the citizens, but 
 on the ground of his feigned sanctity, treats with scorn 
 the embassy of the Pope." 
 
 Giovanna would have kept the poet at her Court, but 
 she was a sovereign only in name, and could but give 
 him the nominal title of her chaplain and almoner. It 
 is important to mention that Petrarch seems to have 
 had a great admiration for her character and talent. 
 He was full of pity for her position, and describes her 
 as " a lamb in the midst of wolves." 
 
 Meantime, troubles were thickening around her. 
 The next year her young sister Maria, who had been 
 promised in marriage to Louis King of Hungary, was 
 persuaded to make a clandestine marriage with another 
 
GIOVANNA I 
 
 cousin, the Duke of Durazzo ; a cause of endless mis- 
 fortune in the future. 
 
 Great preparations were made for the coronation of 
 Giovanna, which was to take place on September 20, 
 1345, and to escape the tropical heat of that August, 
 she and her husband went for change of air to the 
 Celestine monastery at Aversa, about fifteen miles from 
 the capital. They spent some weeks of apparent peace 
 and happiness, in the exquisiteigardens of that enchant- 
 ing spot, when the terrible event occurred, which has 
 ever remained one of the unsolved riddles of history. 
 
 It was on the night of September 18, that Andreas 
 was roused by the news that an urgent courier had 
 arrived from Naples. He had scarcely crossed the 
 threshold of his chamber, when he was suddenly 
 attacked by armed men, strangled, and hurled down 
 from a balcony overlooking the garden. 
 
 The enemies of the young queen at once accused her 
 of complicity in the murder, yet no proof of her guilt 
 was ever brought forward. It is said that she listened 
 to the awful tale in speechless horror, without a tear ; but 
 with regard to this she says in her letter to the King of 
 Hungary : "I have suffered so much anguish for the 
 death of my beloved husband, that, stunned by grief, I 
 had well-nigh died of the same wounds." 
 
 It seems impossible to believe that a young girl of 
 seventeen, of gentle, mild disposition, should be the 
 cold-blooded assassin of her young husband, the father 
 of her unborn child. We have seen the testimony of 
 Petrarch to her fine character, and Boccaccio says of 
 her : " She was so gracious, gentle, compassionate and 
 kind, that she seemed rather the companion than the 
 queen of those around her." 
 
 ^3 
 
GIOVANNA I 
 
 When the news of this crime reached Naples there 
 was consternation and tumult in the city, and the 
 Hungarians fled in haste. Giovanna returned at 
 once to the Castel Nuovo, where two months afterwards 
 her son was born. Her first step on resuming the 
 government was to give a signed commission to a 
 certain Hugh del Balzo, that he might seek out the 
 murderers of her husband and bring them to judg- 
 ment. He appears to have lost no time in seizing and 
 putting to the torture some of the chamberlains of 
 Andreas, who, on the rack, were induced to accuse, 
 amongst others, Philippa the Catanese, who held a 
 position of the highest honour with her mistress, her 
 son Count Evoli, and her young granddaughter 
 Sancha, recently married to Count Terlizi. 
 
 Giovanna heard nothing of all this, and when Hugh 
 del Balzo asked for an audience, she received him at 
 once within the Castel Nuovo. Availing himself of the 
 authority which the Queen had given him, he sum- 
 moned all her dearest friends before him and accused 
 them of Andreas' murder. In spite of her anguish 
 and despair, she was helpless to protect them ; they 
 were torn from her presence and put to death with 
 atrocious cruelty. 
 
 The loss of all whom she loved and trusted at one 
 fell swoop, was a crushing blow from which the young 
 girl never recovered, and from that time her sunny 
 nature was saddened and overcast, and she was never 
 known to have an intimate friend. 
 
 Two years later, Giovanna gave much satisfaction to 
 her people by marrying her second cousin. Prince 
 Louis of Taranto, a man of distinguished courage and 
 talent, and so strikingly handsome that he was spoken 
 
 84 
 
GIOVANNA I 
 
 of as another Phoebus. At this time Louis, King of 
 Hungary, who coveted the crown of Naples for him- 
 self, invaded her kingdom on the pretext of avenging 
 his brother's murder. He also laid a solemn accusa- 
 tion against Giovanna before the Roman tribunal of 
 Cola Rienzi, who heard the pleading on both sides, 
 but seems to have been unable or unwilling to pro- 
 nounce judgment. 
 
 Meantime the Hungarian king adopted a horrible 
 device to enlist the sympathy of the multitude. In 
 front of his invading army a black standard was borne, 
 on which was pictured the murder of Andreas, while a 
 train of black-robed mourners followed it in grim 
 procession. Thus escorted, Louis crossed the frontier 
 and arrived at Aversa. Amongst his followers was the 
 husband of Princess Maria, the Duke of Durazzo, who 
 was false and foolish enough to think that if Giovanna 
 were deposed, his wife and children would succeed to 
 the throne. But a far other fate awaited him. The 
 King requested him to point out the scene of the 
 murder, and on his refusal, led the way to the Celes- 
 tine convent, and on the fatal balcony accused him of 
 complicity, and bid him prepare for death. In vain he 
 protested his innocence and pleaded for mercy ; he was 
 stabbed and cast into the garden below, where he was 
 left unburied. 
 
 After this deed of treachery, Louis advanced to 
 Naples and took the city by surprise, but the young 
 Queen was warned in time, and with her household, 
 set sail in three galleys for the coast of Provence, Her 
 fickle subjects, who had failed in courage to defend 
 her, made bitter lamentation over her departure. She 
 landed at Nice and made her way to Avignon, where 
 
 85 
 
GIOVANNA I 
 
 she demanded of Pope Clement VI. that he and his 
 
 cardinals should try the justice of her cause. She 
 
 pleaded in her own person, and the Latin speech which 
 
 she composed, was said by those who heard her to be 
 
 " the most marvellous example of a woman's eloquence 
 
 ever recorded in history." 
 
 The Hungarian envoys sent to confront her, seem to 
 
 have been reduced to silence. Giovanna had a great 
 
 ovation ; she was acquitted with the highest honour 
 
 and admiration, and the gallant knights of Provence 
 
 crowded to offer their loyal service. At Avignon she 
 
 was joined by her sister, the widow of the unfortunate 
 
 Durazzo, whom she welcomed with tender affection 
 
 and adopted the orphan children. 
 
 In all the annals of history no year has a darker 
 
 record than that of the Queen's visit to her dominions 
 
 in Provence, 1348, noted for the coming of the Black 
 
 Death. It had swept all over Europe, with terror and 
 
 destruction in its train, and nowhere had its ravages 
 
 been more fearful than in this city of the exiled Pope, 
 
 who had actually consecrated the river Rhone for 
 
 burial of the plague-stricken dead. Laura, the beloved 
 
 of Petrarch, had fallen a victim to the pestilence soon 
 
 after the arrival of Giovanna. 
 
 After an orgy of horror and bloodshed, the King of 
 
 Naples was driven away from Naples by the dread of 
 
 infection, leaving behind a ferocious deputy, Conrad 
 
 Wolf, whose tyranny and cruelty at length roused the 
 
 Neapolitans to resistance. They rose against the 
 
 Hungarians, and sent an abject petition to their queen, 
 
 promising to deliver her from her enemies if she would 
 
 consent to return. With a goodly retinue of Provenfal 
 
 nobility, she lost no time in travelling back to her 
 
 86 
 
GIOVANNA I 
 
 capital, where she was welcomed with enthusiasm, and 
 the Court over which she and her husband presided, 
 soon regained its former magnificence. But while 
 rewarding those who had remained faithful, they showed 
 mercy in the hour of victory, and gave a free pardon to 
 their disloyal subjects. 
 
 Enraged at this reverse, the King of Hungary re- 
 newed the war, which with varied success and many 
 gallant fights lasted for more than two years, leaving 
 everywhere devastation and misery in its track. Louis 
 of Taranto, who had greatly distinguished himself as a 
 general, at last made the chivalrous offer of ending the 
 struggle by challenging the King of Hungary to single 
 combat. The duel did not take place, but peace was 
 at length concluded in 1353 by the mediation of the 
 Pope, who also granted a Bull for the coronation of 
 Giovanna and her husband. Never were there such 
 rejoicings, and the whole city seemed to have gone 
 wild with exultation. But even in that hour of 
 triumph a new sorrow awaited the unfortunate queen, 
 for on her return home after the coronation, she 
 found her baby-girl, a four-year-old darling, dead in 
 her cradle. 
 
 She was destined to be a childless mother, for she 
 had already lost her boy, the son of Andreas ; and 
 another daughter, born later, also died in infancy. 
 ' Still her life had no lack of outward prosperity, for 
 in 1356 she was offered the throne of Sicily, and crowned 
 with great state at Messina. 
 
 But she was soon recalled from her new kingdom by 
 fresh disturbances at home. Louis of Durazzo, the 
 brother of her sister's murdered husband, was defeated, 
 and on his death Giovanna kindly took his orphan son 
 
 87 
 
GIOVA|NNA I 
 
 Charles under her care, little dreaming how her devotion 
 would be repaid. 
 
 Three years later she lost her idolised husband, who 
 died of fever, brought on by his own intemperate 
 habits. But she was not very long suffered to remain 
 a widow, for her Ministers felt great anxiety to secure 
 an heir to the kingdom. She was willing to abide by 
 their choice, which fell on Giacomo, the son of the 
 King of Majorca, and for the third time she went 
 through the marriage ceremony. The bridal festivities 
 were held by the lovely Bay of Gaeta, and the Prince 
 of Majorca bore so high a character that once more 
 there seemed to be a prospect of happiness for 
 Giovanna. But within three months, her husband set 
 off on an expedition to Spain to avenge the murder of 
 his father by Pedro of Aragon. He was defeated and 
 taken prisoner, notwithstanding the generous help of 
 Edward the Black Prince. His wife paid an immense 
 ransom for him, but, once free, nothing would deter 
 him from repeating the same rash enterprise, in the 
 course of which he fell a victim to malarious fever. 
 
 Again was the poor queen urged to marry by her 
 council, but she had suffered too much, and refused to 
 tempt Providence again by the chances of matrimony. 
 She set herself with great earnestness to the task of 
 ruling her turbulent people, and the following years 
 during which she reigned alone, were the most success- 
 ful both at home and abroad. With a strong hand, she 
 put down the desperate bands of brigands who infested 
 the high roads, she kept a strict watch on the adminis- 
 tration of justice, she gave wise encouragement to 
 commerce, until peace and plenty reigned through- 
 out the land. Her Court was the most brilliant in 
 
 88 
 
GIOVAINNA I 
 
 Italy, and she was a magnificent patron of learning 
 and art. 
 
 She built various churches, amongst others St. 
 Antonio Abate, near the Albergo de' Poveri, with its 
 famous picture of St. Anthony surrounded by angels 
 and saints. But she is best remembered by the Gothic 
 church of L'Incoronata, built to commemorate her 
 coronation and her marriage with Prince Louis of 
 Taranto. She built into it the ancient chapel of King 
 Robert's Palazzo di Giustizia, in which her wedding 
 had taken place, and the frescoes of the school of 
 Giotto give a most curious and interesting representa- 
 tion of incidents in the life of her family. 
 
 She also founded and richly endowed the Carthusian 
 Hospital near this church, and one of the paintings in 
 the Chapel del Crocifisso represents the monks doing 
 homage to her. On the beautiful shore of the Mergel- 
 lina, where Posilippo stretches out into the blue sea, 
 there are still pointed out the picturesque ruins of an 
 unfinished palace, popularly called " della Regina 
 Giovanna." Not far away is the famous tomb of 
 Virgil, where as a child she must have seen the 
 laurel planted by Petrarch, and may even have heard 
 of his interesting visit to the Grotto with her grand- 
 father. 
 
 The poet tells us that in his time it was believed to 
 have been formed with magic art by Virgil, and King 
 Robert asked his opinion on the subject. Petrarch 
 replied : " Trusting to the royal humanity, I answered 
 in jest, that I had nowhere read that Virgil was a 
 magician." To this the King, with a nod of assent, 
 confessed that the place showed traces not of magic 
 but of iron : " Non illic magici, sed ferri vestigia 
 
GIOVANNA I 
 
 confessus est." A very appropriate remark for a man 
 of science in his day. 
 
 Queen Giovanna was not suffered to enjoy to the 
 end her peaceful tastes for the intellectual and artistic 
 revival of her day and her works of charity. New 
 misfortunes awaited her. She had become greatly 
 attached to the young Charles of Durazzo, whom she 
 had adopted at the age of twelve, and, after lavishing 
 endless care on his education, granting him every 
 desire of his heart, and fulfilling every whim and fancy 
 he could conceive, she had married him to her favourite 
 niece Margaret. It is possible that life may have been 
 made too smooth for him, as he seems to have been of 
 a restless and ambitious temper ; still we cannot ex- 
 plain his conduct, for Giovanna meant him to succeed 
 her on the throne. Instead of remaining to help and 
 protect his benefactress, he actually left her, to fight 
 under the banners of her old enemy. King Louis of 
 Hungary ! 
 
 Thus forsaken, with fresh troubles arising on every 
 side, the usual remedy was once more pressed upon 
 the poor Queen, and at the age of forty-eight she was 
 induced to take as her fourth husband Otho of Bruns- 
 wick, Prince of a Guelph family, and about her own 
 age. The choice seems to have been good, for we hear 
 of him as a brave, handsome man, of cultivated taste 
 and kindly disposition, who won the affection of his 
 wife and never failed in his devotion to her. For 
 some years they seem to have reigned in tranquil 
 security, beloved by their people and at peace with the 
 outer world. 
 
 But the time came when all Christendom was torn 
 asunder by the conflict between two rival popes : 
 
 go 
 
GIOVANNA I 
 
 Urban VI. at Rome and Clement VII. at Avignon. 
 Naples took the side of this last, and Pope Urban, 
 while professing friendship with Queen Giovanna, 
 secretly offered her throne to Charles of Durazzo, at 
 the price of large territorial concessions. The ambitious 
 young prince listened, hesitated, and was lost. He 
 yielded to the shameful temptation, and his first step 
 was to send for his wife and children, who had always 
 lived in the palace of his benefactress and received 
 from her the most devoted affection. Giovanna had 
 received some hint of the conspiracy, but when 
 Margaret asked leave to join her husband, she was 
 treated with the utmost generosity and allowed to set 
 forth on her journey with every honour and respect. 
 It was their first parting and their last farewell, for they 
 met never more. 
 
 After this, Charles of Durazzo lost no time, and 
 invaded Italy with a large force of mercenaries, to 
 claim the kingdom of Naples, by right of the Pope's 
 gift. When he reached the capital, he found that Otho 
 of Brunswick had levied an army to protect it, and 
 when fighting began outside the walls, the Queen and 
 her household took refuge in the fortress of the Castel 
 Nuovo and ordered the gates to be closed. But a 
 throng of women and children, and helpless or infirm 
 people crowded before the archway, and with pitiful 
 cries besought protection from the brutal Hungarian 
 soldiery. The tender-hearted Giovanna was deaf to 
 the advice of her companions, and gave orders that 
 the unfortunate creatures should be admitted. This 
 generous deed was fatal, for the store of provisions 
 which should have lasted many months came to an end 
 in a few weeks. 
 
 91 
 
GIOVANNA I 
 
 The Queen was in hourly expectation of help from 
 Provence in the way of men and food, and she also 
 trusted to the success of her husband, and held out to 
 the last, although by treachery Durazzo had gained 
 admittance to the city. She had two of her nieces 
 with her, and we are told that the elder one, Agnese of 
 Durazzo, a rich woman, had refused to lend money 
 to help in defending the citadel. When the last 
 extremity of famine was reached, she brought her gold 
 and jewels and laid them at the feet of the Queen, who 
 gently told her that it was now too late. 
 
 " A sack of wheat were more precious to us now, my 
 fair niece, than all this treasure ! " she sighed. 
 
 A desperate battle was fought under the walls of the 
 city, and the brave Otho was wounded and taken 
 prisoner, while his troops were defeated and fled. 
 There was no more hope, and Giovanna was compelled 
 to surrender. Four days later the long-looked-for 
 galleys from Provence, laden with provisions, sailed 
 into the Bay of Naples — alas ! too late. 
 
 Charles of Durazzo now endeavoured, by persuasion 
 and threats, to induce the unhappy lady to yield her 
 kingdom to him. In full confidence that he would 
 succeed, he permitted her friends from Provence and 
 other loyal nobles to see her. With undaunted spirit 
 she called upon them to witness that she made Louis 
 of Anjou her heir, and that she solemnly revoked all 
 she had ever said in favour of the traitor, who now 
 held her prisoner. 
 
 Furious at the failure of his plan, Charles treated 
 her with insult and cruelty, and after eight months of 
 close confinement sent her to the lonely castle of 
 Moro, far away in a deep ravine of the Apennines. 
 
 93 
 
GIOVANNA I 
 
 While she lived he would never feel safe, so he caused 
 her to be put to death by some Hungarian soldiers. 
 This was in May 1382, when she was fifty-four years of 
 ago. She was buried in Santa Chiara, amid the tombs 
 of her own people — the most unfortunate of her race. 
 She was well-beloved and long lamented by her 
 subjects, and the legend of her pitiful story still lingers 
 in the land. 
 
 " A rare and noble lady," says the poet Boccaccio. 
 " I not only esteem her illustrious and resplendent by 
 conspicuous excellence, but the singular pride of Italy, 
 and such as altogether no other nation has ever seen 
 her equal." 
 
 93 
 
GIOVANNA II., QUEEN OF NAPLES. 
 
 The historian of the Renaissance must not shrink 
 from touching on the darker side of that great move- 
 ment, which tended to place women on an equal 
 height with men. In earlier medieval days they were 
 more rarely entrusted with absolute power, and in 
 later times they were at least expected to wear a mask 
 of outward decorum. As we have seen, even in this 
 age of licence, there were many great ladies of high 
 and unblemished character, but assertion of such fact 
 was necessary, and it was by no means taken for 
 granted. On the other hand, when they yielded to the 
 temptations which surrounded them, they were wont to 
 cast away all moral restraint, and glory in their shame. 
 
 In this second Giovanna of Naples we see a striking 
 instance of a woman swayed only by her desires, 
 whose weakness and vice were unredeemed by any 
 noble qualities, and who brought two centuries of 
 desolation upon her unfortunate country. 
 
 Burdened by an evil heritage, she was the only 
 daughter of the traitor, Charles of Durazzo, and her 
 early life was spent at Naples under the loving care of 
 Queen Giovanna I. One of the most striking memories 
 of her childhood must have been that hurried journey, 
 at the age of ten years, to join her father when he was 
 on the point of invading the kingdom of hjs benefaC' 
 
 94 
 
GIOVANNA II 
 
 tress, and she cannot have been ignorant of his 
 subsequent murder of that gracious lady. The girl 
 seems to have had neither beauty nor accomplish- 
 ments, save for the art of dancing, of which she was 
 passionately fond. 
 
 Her father did not long enjoy the throne which he 
 had so shamefully usurped, and after his violent death 
 in Hungary, Margaret, his wife, asserted herself as 
 Regent for Ladislaus, the young brother of Giovanna. 
 Many years followed, of ruthless war and perfidious 
 intrigues, in the long struggle between Margaret of 
 Durazzo and her son on one side, and the brave Marie 
 de Blois on the other, fighting for the rights of the boy 
 Louis of Anjou, grandson to the chosen successor of 
 the late Queen. Not until the year 1399 was Ladislaus 
 firmly established in the government, which he dis- 
 graced by his crimes. 
 
 Meantime the life of his sister Giovanna was spent 
 in strange vicissitudes ; now in a beleaguered fortress, 
 or in the passing shelter of a convent ; in a camp of 
 rough soldiers or amid the dissipation of a profligate 
 Court. She was already thirty-two years of age 
 before, as a political alliance, a husband was found for 
 her — Guglielmo, the son of Leopold HI,, Duke of 
 Austria. Three years later she became a widow and 
 returned to Naples, where, on the death of her brother 
 Ladislaus, she succeeded to the crown, notwithstanding 
 the shameful notoriety of her evil conduct. 
 
 One of her favourites at that time was a man of low 
 birth but imposing presence, Pandolpho Alopo, who, 
 from being her cup-bearer, she promoted to be Grand 
 Seneschal, and whose influence over her was so great 
 that he practically ruled in her name, hated and 
 
 95 
 
GIOVANNA II 
 
 despised by all. But he was soon to meet with a rival. 
 The famous Condottiere Sforza had entered the service 
 of the late king, and was now commander-in-chief of 
 the army. His real name was Jacopo Attendolo, a 
 peasant of Cotignola, on the plain of Faenza, who 
 enlisted in one of those companies of I adventurers 
 always ready to fight for pay under any banner ; and 
 rising to high command by his skill and bravery, he 
 received the name of " Sforza," inherited by an illus- 
 trious line of princes. 
 
 The rivalry of these two favourites caused so many 
 troubles and dissensions, that Giovanna was persuaded 
 to seek protection in marriage with some foreign 
 prince. Her choice fell on Jaques de Bourbon, Comte 
 de la Marche, a distant relation of King Charles of 
 France, who brought a train of French knights with 
 him, and the marriage was celebrated with much 
 splendour. Her husband can scarcely have been 
 ignorant of the lady's reputation, but as he gradually 
 learnt the whole triiith with regard to her, his indigna- 
 tion knew no bounds, and he sternly imprisoned her in 
 her own apartments, taking upon himself the absolute 
 government of the realm. 
 
 The people of Naples were naturally indignant at 
 this high-handed conduct on the part of a foreigner ; 
 and when he further committed the natural imprudence 
 of promoting his French followers to honour and 
 office, a strong conspiracy was formed against him, at 
 the head of which was a young man of great ability, 
 Gianni Carraccioli. A plot was formed by which the 
 Queen was carried off to the Castel Capuana, an ancient 
 fortress of the Suabian rulers of Naples. The people 
 were called upon to rise for her protection, and respond- 
 
 96 
 
GIOVANNA II 
 
 ing with enthusiasm, the King had barely time to escape 
 with a few friends to the Castel del Ovo, which stands 
 on a rock out in the Bay, and can only be reached by 
 a narrow mole, well fortified by drawbridges. Here he 
 shut himself up, but the place was not provisioned for 
 a siege, and he was forced to surrender on humiliating 
 terms. 
 
 He was to content himself with the title of Prince of 
 Tarento, to leave all the sovereign power in the hands 
 of the Queen, and to send away all his French suite 
 and retainers. His position in the palace was now one 
 of constant humiliation, exposed to the scarcely veiled 
 insult of his wife's favourites, and he took no trouble 
 to hide his anger and disgust. Meanwhile Giovanna, 
 who had never forgiven him, only bided her time to 
 get rid of his accusing presence. 
 
 One night at supper, there was a dispute in which 
 such strong language was used, that the Prince left the 
 table in a storm of indignation ar d retired to his own 
 chamber. Carraccioli, who was now highest in favour 
 of all the Queen's parasites, had prepared for this ; by 
 her order the doors were strongly barred, and guarded 
 night and day, and her husband was kept a close 
 prisoner for three years. He must have had ample 
 leisure to repent of the ambition which led him to this 
 fatal city, before he was at length released by the inter- 
 cession of Pope Martin V. 
 
 Broken in health and crushed by misfortune, he 
 went back to his native land ; and resting on the way 
 at Besan9on, in a Franciscan convent, by a sudden 
 impulse of religious enthusiasm he joined the Order. 
 Weary of the world which had so betrayed his hopes, 
 he dwelt there for the rest of his life. 
 
 97 <^ 
 
GIOVANNA II 
 
 Meanwhile Carraccioli, absolute master of Queen 
 Giovanna, under the title of Seneschal, practically- 
 ruled the kingdom. With infinite skill, he contrived to 
 get rid of his rivals by giving them some important 
 post away from the Court. The Condottiere Sforza 
 was sent on an expedition to Rome, but all his best- 
 laid plans failed for want of money and supplies, and 
 as the Queen remained blind to the treachery of 
 Carraccioli, Sforza formally renounced her cause and 
 offered his services to Louis of Anjou. Victory would 
 have been assured to them, but that a brilliant stroke 
 of policy occurred to their enemies. 
 
 Giovanna appealed to Alfonso, the young king of 
 Aragon and Sicily, and as she could not offer to marry 
 him at her age, she promised that he should be her 
 adopted son, and heir to her kingdom, if he would 
 help her to defend it. The gallant young prince 
 was delighted to accept the splendid offer, and to 
 become the champion of a lady in distress. He lost 
 no time in sending a strong fleet, laden with his 
 picked soldiers, and landed in triumph at Naples in 
 July 1421. 
 
 After this, the affairs of the weak and fickle Giovanna, 
 became one tangled mass of intrigues. Sforza is again 
 allured to fight under her banner, then Carraccioli 
 becomes jealous of the influence of Alfonso, and 
 poisons the mind of his mistress against the popular, 
 and possibly vain-glorious young man. She is re- 
 minded of the conduct of her own father in a like 
 position, and in a wild panic of fear, she shuts herself 
 up in the fortress of Castel Capuana and summons 
 Sforza to her help. A fierce struggle and much fighting 
 ensues, until at length Alfonso is defeated, his adoption 
 
GIOVANNA II 
 
 as heir is revoked, and he is compelled to return to 
 Sicily. 
 
 At this point there is a most unexpected turn in 
 fortune's wheel. The young Louis of Anjou, whose 
 father and grandfather have fought in vain for the 
 prize during the last forty years, suddenly finds him- 
 self chosen as the adopted son and heir of his 
 hereditary foe ! 
 
 It was at the ancient city of Nola, in the plain of 
 Campania, that Queen Giovanna signed this remark- 
 able treaty, which led later on to the invasion of Italy 
 by the French, and to a European war. But person- 
 ally she had no reason to regret her choice, for Louis 
 behaved to her with unchanging kindness and devotion 
 to the end of her life. Meantime Carraccioli had been 
 taken prisoner by Alfonso, but he was shortly ex- 
 changed for several Spanish prisoners, and returned to 
 his old position of absolute authority. Again there 
 was fighting, this time against the Condottiere Bi-accio, 
 who had taken Capua and had laid siege to the fortified 
 city of Aquila. It was in the middle of winter that 
 Sforza marched against him into the Abruzzi, but in 
 fording the river Pescara, which was in flood after 
 heavy rain, his horse was carried along by the rapid 
 current and the great general was drowned. 
 
 Astrologers had predicted that neither Braccio nor 
 Sforza would long survive each other, and it is possible 
 that this superstitious belief may have had some slight 
 part in the defeat of Braccio shortly after, and his 
 death. This victory of Aquila should have brought 
 peace to the troubled kingdom, but for the perfidy of 
 Giovanna's seneschal, who, becoming jealous of Louis, 
 made secret efforts to bring back Alfonso. He held 
 
 99 
 
 L. of 0. 
 
GIOVANNA II 
 
 many important offices which brought him in immense 
 wealth, he had many titles and great possessions but, 
 not satisfied with all this, Carraccioli had the audacity 
 to demand the Principality of Salerno, which was 
 reserved for princes of the blood. To his surprise his 
 mistress refused, whereupon, beside himself with rage, 
 he treated her with the utmost insolence and violence, 
 even going so far as to strike her. The wretched 
 Queen was found in tears by her new lady-in-waiting, 
 Covella Rufo, Duchess of Sessa, who was a deadly 
 enemy of the favourite, and she seized her oppor- 
 tunity. 
 
 A warrant was signed for the arrest of Carraccioli, 
 and the Duchess accompanied it with secret orders 
 that he was to be put to death. This was done, after a 
 ball given in honour of his son's wedding, and the weak 
 Giovanna was at first inconsolable when she heard of 
 it, but Covella asserted her power, and for the next 
 three years was the real head of the State. She was a 
 crafty, unprincipled woman, and did all the mischief 
 she could, with her exactions and intrigues. But the 
 end was drawing near. Louis of Anjou died of fever 
 in 1434 and the Queen, broken-hearted at his loss, only 
 survived him a short time. 
 
 Thus ended her miserable reign of twenty years, a 
 time of ceaseless unrest, and bitter suffering to her un- 
 fortunate people. For the sake of her love to Louis, 
 she bequeathed the kingdom of Naples to his brother 
 Ren6, but he never enjoyed the possession of it. 
 Alfonso of Aragon asserted his right to the crown, and 
 seized it by force of arms. The softer climate of Italy 
 and the higher civilisation, seem to have had a special 
 charm for him, as he spent the rest of his life at Naples, 
 
 100 
 
GIOVANNA II 
 
 leaving his brother Prince Juan to rule in Aragon, and 
 ultimately bequeathing to him all his hereditary posses- 
 sions in Spain, Sicily and Sardinia, while he left the 
 kingdom of Naples to his illegitimate son Ferdinand. 
 This prince was acknowledged by a special Bull of the 
 Pope, and was the founder of an illustrious race. His 
 daughter Leonora married Ercole, Marquis of Ferrara, 
 and was the mother of the famous Isabella d'Este. 
 
 lOI 
 
A GROUP OF LOMBARD PRINCESSES. 
 
 BEATRICE D'ESTE, DUCHESS OF MILAN. 
 BIANCA MARIA SFORZA, WIFE OF THE EM- 
 PEROR MAXIMILIAN. 
 ISABELLA D'ESTE, MARCHESA OF MANTUA. 
 RENJ^E OF FRANCE, DUCHESS OF FERRARA. 
 
 HISTORICAL SUMMARY. 
 
 1472. Birth of Bianca Maria Sforza, at Milan. 
 
 1474. Birth of Isabella d'Este, at Ferrara. 
 
 1475. Birth of Beatrice d'Este, at Ferrara. 
 
 1476. Murder of Galeazzo Maria, Duke of Milan. 
 
 1480. Lodovico Sforza (il More) usurped the government of 
 Milan in the name of his nephew, Gian Galeazzo. 
 
 1482. Pope Sixtus IV. made a league with Venice to despoil 
 the House of Este. War carried on. The Pope 
 withdrew, but Venice continued, until, by the 
 Treaty of Bagnolo, she acquired much Este property. 
 
 1484. Death of Sixtus IV. 
 
 1485. Lodovico Sforza, for Milan, makes alliance with 
 
 Florence and Naples against the Pope. 
 
 1490. Marriage of Isabella d'Este with Francesco, Marchese 
 
 of Mantua. 
 
 1491. Marriage of Beatrice d'Este with Lodovico Sforza, 
 
 Duke of Bari. 
 
 1492. Pope Alexander VI. (Roderigo Borgia). 
 
 1493. Lodovico Sforza, at war with Naples and Florence, 
 
 invites the King of France, Charles VIII., to 
 invade Italy. 
 
 1493. Marriage of Bianca Sforza with the Emperor Maxi- 
 
 milian. 
 
 1494. Charles VIII. crosses the Alps. Lodovico Sforza joins 
 
 him at Pavia. Florence, Rome and Naples submit 
 to the French. Death of Gian Galeazzo, young 
 Duke of Naples. His uncle, Lodovico, is crowned 
 Duke of Milan. 
 
 1495. Alarmed at the success of Charles VIII., Lodovico 
 
 forms a league against him, with Venice, Naples, the 
 Emperor Maximilian, &c. Francesco Marchese of 
 Mantua is Captain of the League. The French win 
 the battle of Fornova. They are driven from Italy. 
 
I497« Death of Beatrice d'Este, Duchess of Milan. 
 
 1498. Louis XII. of France, successor to Charles VIII., lays 
 
 claim to Naples, Sicily and Milan. 
 
 1499. The French cross the Alps, conquer Milan. Lodovico 
 
 returns and has a temporary success. 
 
 1500. Lodovico, a fugitive, takes refuge at the Court of his 
 
 niece, the Empress Bianca, at Innspriick. He 
 makes a fresh attack on the French, is defeated and 
 taken prisoner to France. 
 1503. Pope Julius II. Birth of Federico, son of Isabella 
 d'Este. 
 
 1508. Death of Lodovico Sforza in the prison of Loches. 
 
 1509. Francesco, husband of Isabella d'Este, made prisoner by 
 
 theVenetians and kept captive for thirteen months. 
 
 15 10. Death of Bianca Maria Sforza, v?ife of Emperor Maxi- 
 
 milian. 
 
 1511. Maximilian Sforza, son of Beatrice d'Este, becomes 
 
 Duke of Milan. 
 1513. Pope Leo X., first Medici Pope. 
 1515. The French again take Milan, and the young Duke 
 
 Maximilian is expelled. 
 15 19. Death of Francesco, Marchese of Mantua. Federico 
 
 succeeds him. 
 1521. The Pope and Emperor Charles V. combine against 
 
 the French and drive them from Milan. Francesco 
 
 Sforza, brother of Maximilian, proclaimed Duke 
 
 of Milan. 
 1524. The French, after many defeats in Lombardy, are utterly 
 
 routed at Pavia, where Francis I. is taken prisoner. 
 
 1527. Rome is sacked by the Imperialists, and Pope Cle- 
 
 ment VII. prisoner in Castello St. Angelo. Ten 
 months of horror. 
 
 1528. Marriage of Duke Ercole of Ferrara with Renee of 
 
 France. 
 
 1529. General peace in Italy. 
 
 1530. Emperor Charles V. crowned by the Pope at Bologna. 
 
 Isabella d'Este amongst the guests at Bologna. 
 
 1534, Marriage of Francesco, Duke of Milan, to Christina of 
 
 Denmark. Death of Alfonso, Duke of Ferrara, and 
 of Pope Clement VII. 
 
 1535. Death of Francesco, Duke of Milan (son of Beatrice 
 
 d'Este). 
 1537, Death of Isabella d'Este, Marchesa of Mantua. 
 1575. Death of Rende, Duchess of Ferrara. 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE, DUCHESS OF 
 MILAN. 
 
 As we look upon that wonderful frozen image of 
 Beatrice d'Este, in the Certosia of Pavia, the splendid 
 monument of Lodovico's love and sorrow, we seem to 
 pierce somewhat of the mystery of her character. 
 
 The ambitious woman who " could not live without 
 a crown," for whose sake more blood was shed, more 
 troubles let loose on her ill-fated land than ever of old 
 for Helen of Troy, becomes for us a delicious, wilful 
 girl who has scarce outpassed her childhood. We see 
 the shapely young head rising from the long rounded 
 throat, the smooth brow with vagrant curls nestling 
 about it, the dainty little nose, the round chin and full 
 soft cheeks, and the sweet mouth closed in the peace- 
 ful slumber of an innocent child. 
 
 The little feet in their embroidered pattens, once so 
 fond of dancing, peep out from below the stiff brocades 
 which shroud the graceful figure of the beloved Duchess, 
 whose husband had his own effigy carved in marble to 
 rest by her side. 
 
 For the moment we forget that insatiable ambition 
 which summoned the hosts of France, with misery and 
 disaster in their train, and we only look with tender 
 pity on the fair young creature, cut off in the heyday 
 of her youth, who so craved for splendour and joy. 
 
 105 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE 
 
 On the noble parentage of Beatrice d'Este we dwell 
 more fully in the story of her more fortunate elder 
 sister, Isabella. Compared to the reigning family of 
 Este — the Rovere, the Sforza, the Medici, and most of 
 the other great families of Italy, were but of mushroom 
 growth ; and this distinction of long descent stood the 
 Dukes of Ferrara in good stead, and did much to 
 preserve their throne in the troublous days, when most 
 of their princely neighbours fell from their high 
 estate. 
 
 Our little princess was born on June 29, 1475, 
 into a world which had but a cold welcome for her as 
 a girl, instead of the much-desired heir. She received 
 the name of Beatrice after her aunt, the Queen of Hun- 
 gary. Her father was Duke Ercole I., one of the most 
 illustrious rulers of Ferrara, distinguished both in 
 peace as a generous patron of art and letters, and in 
 war as a successful general. Her mother was Leonora 
 of Aragon, the daughter of Ferdinand, or, as he is often 
 called, Ferrante, King of Naples. Beatrice was thus 
 born to a heritage of culture on both sides ; and when 
 she was only two years old, she was taken by the 
 Duchess Leonora to the Court of her grandfather at 
 Naples, where she remained for the next eight years. 
 The old king appears to have become so much attached 
 to the bright, intelligent little girl, that he persuaded her 
 mother to leave her behind, when she had to return to 
 Ferrara with her other children, for two sons had 
 followed [in quick succession — Alfonso, the heir, and 
 Ferrante, born at Naples. 
 
 Meantime war had broken out in Italy, and Duke 
 Ercole having been appointed Captain-General of the 
 armies of Florence, his wife was recalled home to rule 
 
 io5 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE 
 
 his state and city during his absence, thus showing his 
 confidence in her judgment and ability. 
 
 It must have been a curious Hfe for the little girl as 
 a spoiled darling of that luxurious Court, all the gayer 
 for the coming of the young Queen Joan of Aragon, 
 Ferrante's second wife. Naples was then in its golden 
 age of literary and artistic glory. There were Tuscan 
 artists, poets, and scholars who found there a congenial 
 home ; the whole coast of that exquisite blue sea, from 
 Santa Lucia to Baiae, with its orange groves and aloes 
 and palms — was one scene of enchantment, of luxury, 
 of indolent enjoyment, and of vice sheltering under a 
 mask of refinement. Amongst the distinguished guests 
 who came to the Castel Nuovo, was Lorenzo dei Medici, 
 who travelled hither in December 1479, as a bold 
 stroke of diplomacy, to secure the support of the King. 
 He had a friend at Court in the person of the Duchess 
 of Calabria, Ippolyta Sforza, the aunt of little Beatrice. 
 
 She may have seen the two allies, as Ferrante called 
 them, pacing up and down the royal terraces between 
 the Vomera and the sea, on the slopes above the 
 Chiaia, that loveliest garden in all Europe. The despot 
 of Florence must have enjoyed his visit in the con- 
 genial society he met ; and we hear of him as giving 
 magnificent banquets in the palace assigned to his use, 
 releasing galley slaves and dowering poor girls. It was 
 not for nothing that he was called the " Magnificent ! " 
 But he had a long, weary time of waiting, while the King 
 went out hunting in the sandy scrub beyond the escarp- 
 ments of old Cumse, and kept him in suspense, till at 
 length, at the end of February, peace was concluded, 
 and Lorenzo could return home contented. 
 
 The little girl, Beatrice d'Este, was happy at least in 
 
 107 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE 
 
 having as companions her cousins, the children of the 
 Duchess Ippolyta ; the merry Ferrante, heir to the 
 throne of Naples, and his sister Isabella, who was five 
 years older than herself, and who was destined one day 
 to be her rival. This young girl was already betrothed 
 to the young Duke Gian Galeazzo of Milan, but her 
 marriage did not take place until she was almost 
 eighteen, two years before that of Beatrice, who was 
 still a young child when she first saw her future husband, 
 Lodovico Sforza, the uncle of Gian Galeazzo. He was 
 then Duke of Bari, and being very anxious to secure 
 the friendship of the Duke of Ferrara, he made a 
 formal offer for the hand of Isabella d'Este, who was 
 then a child of six. But she was already promised to 
 the son of Federico, Marchese of Mantua, and the 
 Duke suggests that "he has another daughter at 
 Naples, who is only a year younger, and who has been 
 adopted by the King of Naples as his own child. He 
 will write to his Serene Majesty and ask if he will 
 consent to receive the Signor Lodovico as his kinsman." 
 
 Lodovico being quite willing to accept the younger 
 daughter Beatrice, the consent of the King of Naples 
 is obtained, and the child of five years old is betrothed 
 to the handsome and wealthy Duke of Bari, at that 
 time aged twenty-nine. But the little girl remained at 
 Naples with her grandfather for the next five years, and 
 when she returned to her home at Ferrara it was 
 actually with the title of Duchess of Bari, she having 
 reached the age of ten. 
 
 With these two young daughters, destined to become 
 great princesses, and to rule Courts of their own, the 
 Duchess must have had a strong stimulus and a definite 
 end in view, with regard to their education. Now, in 
 
 1 08 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE 
 
 the year of Beatrice's return, in 1485, there was once more 
 a time of peace and prosperity at Ferrara, after the disas- 
 trous war and perilous struggles, when for a time the fate 
 of the dukedom hung in suspense. Art and science, 
 and learning of every kind were cultivated with so much 
 generosity and success, that the University of Ferrara 
 had become the most distinguished in Italy. There was, 
 therefore, no difficulty in obtaining the first scholars of 
 the day, as tutors to the Duke's children. 
 
 Battista Guarino of Verona was selected to give a 
 classical foundation to their studies, and with him the 
 little girls learnt to read Cicero and Virgil, and studied 
 the history of Greece and Rome. They were also 
 taught French to some extent, and could enjoy Pro- 
 venfal poetry, but they had the usual difficulty in 
 learning to speak a foreign language fluently, for we 
 find them using interpreters in later years, v^^hen a King 
 of France had to be received. Great care was bestowed 
 upon the social arts of music and dancing, in which 
 both the sisters distinguished themselves. As for the 
 poetry and literature of their own land, it came to them 
 naturally as a charming recreation, while they sat at 
 their tapestry in the fairylike gardens of the summer 
 palace, and listened to the most gifted poets of the 
 Renaissance, reciting their latest works. From the 
 example and teaching of their mother, they could not 
 fail to receive a deep religious impression, for she was 
 a pious woman devoted to all good works. As one of 
 her chroniclers remarks ; " The illustrious Madonna is 
 high above all other women, and her excellent virtues 
 will open for her without fail the adamant doors of 
 Paradise." 
 
 Yet we must not think that Isabella and Beatrice 
 
 109 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE 
 
 were always at their studies, for the complete training of 
 a great lady included riding and out-of-door sports. 
 Their father kept a hundred horses of the finest breed 
 obtainable ; Barbary horses from the Sultan of Tunis, 
 Spanish jennets and trained palfreys, the very pick of 
 Europe ; and their mother had her own splendid grey- 
 hounds, which the greatest princesses in Italy would 
 beg for, as a supreme favour. Beatrice was a splendid 
 rider, and always devoted to hunting ; indeed, with her 
 gay bright disposition, no amusement came amiss to 
 her. She inherited her father's passionate love for 
 theatrical entertainments of every kind, and also his 
 keen delight in travel, which he liked to indulge in a 
 sumptuous way, as when, in 1484, he went to Venice 
 with his wife, and a suite of seven hundred persons, to 
 stay there in his own magnificent palace on the Grand 
 Canal. 
 
 Thus the Este sisters passed a few happy years, sur- 
 rounded by all the most beautiful works of art, and 
 everything which could contribute to their culture and 
 enjoyment. But all this was drawing to an end, for the 
 young Marquis of Mantua showed himself an eager 
 lover, and would wait no longer for his bride Isabella. 
 In February 1490 the marriage was duly celebrated 
 with great pomp at Ferrara, and the bride departed for 
 her new home at Mantua, leaving Beatrice to await her 
 own wedding, which was somewhat unaccountably 
 delayed. 
 
 It is very difficult to form a clear idea of the character 
 of Lodovico Sforza, II Moro, as he was usually called. 
 He must have been a very striking personality, a wonder- 
 ful combination of good and evil qualities, and no two 
 historians really agree about him. One will say : " He 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE 
 
 had a sublime soul and universal capacity. Whatever 
 he did, he surpassed expectation, in the fine arts, in 
 learning, in justice and benevolence. And he had no 
 equal among Italian princes for wisdom and sagacity 
 in public affairs." 
 
 Other chroniclers speak of "II Moro" as an utterly 
 unscrupulous man, a traitor, a murderer, of evil life, 
 and one whose word could never be depended upon 
 by friend or foe. Burckhardt speaks of him as a typical 
 figure of the Italian Renaissance, both in his faults and 
 in his virtues. 
 
 He was the fourth son of Francesco Sforza, one of 
 the earliest of those famous Condottieri, captains who 
 commanded bands of mercenaries, and were willing to 
 fight for any state who paid them. This Francesco had 
 married Bianca, daughter of Filippo Maria Visconti, 
 on whose death he made himself Duke of Milan, and 
 reigned there for twenty years. The boy Lodovico was 
 the first son born after his father's elevation, and was 
 brought up with all the advantages of wealth and the 
 wisest culture. His mother, a most capable woman, 
 devoted herself very much to the education of her six 
 sons. " I would have you remember that we have 
 princes to educate, not only scholars," she remarked to 
 one of the learned tutors, who may have grudged the 
 time given to knightly exercises. 
 
 It is interesting to notice that her daughter Ippolyta, 
 — afterwards the Duchess of Calabria mentioned at the 
 Court of Naples — shared the studies of her brothers, 
 and on the occasion of a visit from Pope Pius II., it 
 was she who spoke the Latin oration in his honour. 
 
 Lodovico was always a great favourite with his 
 father, whose sudden death in 1466 was a great blow 
 
 III 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE 
 
 to him. His eldest brother, Galeazzo, succeeded to the 
 duchy, and his reign of ten years was one of the utmost 
 magnificence and reckless extravagance. He was cruel 
 and profligate, and his mother, the Duchess Bianca, is 
 said to have died of grief, two years after his accession. 
 " More from sorrow of heart than sickness of body " 
 was the verdict of her physician. Galeazzo married 
 Bona of Savoy, the sister of Louis XL's wife, and 
 Lodovico was sent to meet her at Genoa, so that he 
 must have been on good terms with his brother. The 
 murder of Duke Galeazzo in 1476 brought only a 
 change for the worse in the position of his brothers, 
 who were exiled before very long, on strong suspicion 
 of treachery to the young heir, Gian Galeazzo, and the 
 regent, Bona, his mother. She seems to have been 
 " une dame de petit sens," as the historian Commines 
 says, for she encouraged a low-born favourite, and soon 
 became tired of listening to the good advice of her 
 most faithful and able minister, Simonetta. She pri- 
 vately sent for Lodovico, a fatal step, which she had 
 cause bitterly to rue in the days to come. 
 
 Lodovico il Moro returned to Milan, where he was 
 formally appointed to the regency with his sister-in-law, 
 and from that time he practically governed the duchy, 
 while before long, the ill-fated Simonetta paid for his 
 fidelity with his life. Lodovico made peace with 
 Florence and paid court to the King of Naples, who at 
 this time accepted an alliance with the Regent of Milan, 
 by permitting the betrothal with his young grand- 
 daughter, Beatrice d'Este. Meantime the Duchess 
 Bona showed her " little sense " by leaving everything 
 to her coadjutor, giving up her own time to banquets 
 and dances, in the company of her favourite, who at 
 
 iia 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE, DUCHESS OF MILAN 
 
 Leonardo da Vinci 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE 
 
 length so presumed on his position, that he was ordered 
 by the Council to leave Milan. With cowardly haste, 
 Tassino made his escape, taking all the money and 
 jewels on which he could lay hand, and the duchess, in 
 her blind rage, gave up everything and fled from the 
 city. She ultimately returned to the French king's 
 court, and her brother-in-law was left sole ruler in 
 Milan. 
 
 " Merito e tempore " was the motto he chose, and so 
 far he had indeed proved the truth that, all things come 
 to him who waits. But the end was not yet. At the 
 time of his mother's flight, the young Duke Gian 
 Galeazzo was not quite twelve years old. He had 
 always been a weakly child, and as he became older it 
 was evident that his mind was feeble too. He cared for 
 nothing but boisterous pleasures, and could not apply 
 his attention to anything. Thus, as time passed on, 
 Lodovico's position became more assured than ever, 
 and in everything except the title and outward show, he 
 was the absolute ruler of Milan, During his father's 
 lifetime, Gian had been betrothed to the Princess 
 Isabella of Aragon, and when he had reached the age 
 of twenty the marriage was celebrated ; the bride 
 having been first brought from Naples to Milan with 
 the utmost magnificence, although it was a very rough 
 passage to Genoa in the depth of winter. This was in 
 February 1489, but the situation did not change with 
 the young duke's marriage, although his young wife 
 quickly grasped the state of things, and tried to urge 
 him to assert himself, but in vain, for he always 
 foolishly repeated what she advised. 
 
 All this time, Lodovico seems to have troubled him- 
 self very little about his own engagement to the child 
 
 113 H 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE 
 
 Beatrice, although he had frequent reminders on the 
 subject from Ferrara. As far back as 1485, her portrait 
 had been sent to him, for we find this entry in the 
 archives of Ferrara : " On December 24, Cosimo Turo 
 received four gold florins from the duke, in that he had 
 painted from life the face and bust of the Illustrissima 
 Madonna Beatrice, that it may be sent to Messer Lodo- 
 vico Maria Sforza, Duca di Bari, consort of the said 
 Beatrice . . . Carlo Contingo bearing it with him." 
 
 The Regent of Milan had for years been devoted to 
 his mistress, a certain Cecilia Gallerani, a very beautiful 
 woman, noted for her learning and accomplishments. 
 She had rooms in the Castello of Milan, a palace out- 
 side the city, a villa at Cremona, and was treated with 
 honour and respect by the literary and artistic society 
 of which she was the centre. Poets wrote sonnets in 
 her praise as to another Sappho, and Leonardo da Vinci 
 painted her portrait. Lodovico would have married 
 the lady had he dared to risk the consequent jealousies, 
 and also to give mortal offence to the Duke of Ferrara 
 and the King of Naples ; but prudence won the day, 
 and he made final arrangements for the long-deferred 
 wedding with Beatrice d'Este. 
 
 His first step was to send a magnificent necklace, with 
 a pendant of pearls, emeralds, and rubies, to the young 
 girl, and Cristoforo Romano, the great sculptor, was 
 instructed to carve her bust, which may be seen to-day 
 in the Louvre. The wishes of the Duke and Duchess 
 of Ferrara were carefully consulted, and it was settled 
 that their son Alfonso should join the wedding party, 
 and fetch his own bride, Anna Sforza, from Milan at 
 the same time. We have a very full account of that 
 winter journey from Ferrara to Milan. The weather 
 
 114 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE 
 
 was bitterly cold, the river Po was frozen for more than 
 a month as far as Brescello, and all the land was white 
 with snow. The bride, with her mother and sister 
 Isabella, who had joined her from Mantua, and all the 
 ladies of her suite, travelled by road until they reached 
 the point where the river was navigable, and here they 
 were met by an ambassador from Lodovico with boats 
 and bucentaurs. A voyage of five days was before 
 them, in which they suffered so much from cold and 
 even hunger, for the supplies were delayed by bad 
 weather, that one lady wrote : " If it had not been for 
 Madonna Camilla, who sent us part of her supper from 
 the other barge, I, for one, should have been a saint in 
 Paradise by this time." Others wept, and even went 
 so far in their wretchedness as to wish themselves dead. 
 
 They had started on December 29, and only reached 
 Piacenza, where they had a chance of being warmed 
 and well fed, on January 12. Poor Beatrice must have 
 been rather weather-beaten when she at length arrived 
 at Pavia, and was met in great state by Lodovico 
 and his noble company of knights, who escorted her 
 across the bridge and into the ancient city. He was 
 charmed at first sight with the gay, brilliant young 
 creature of fifteen, with her dark eyes and hair and her 
 sunny smile ; whilst she was at once attracted to him 
 by his courtly manners and gentle kindness. As she 
 rode through the city of a hundred towers, the centre 
 of a gorgeous cavalcade, she was cheered with enthu- 
 siasm by the populace, who thronged to see her enter 
 the great Castello of Pavia. 
 
 Messer Ambrogio, the court physician and astrologer, 
 had selected January 17 as a propitious day for the wed- 
 ding, which was celebrated in the Visconti chapel. The 
 
 115 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE 
 
 bride wore a splendid white dress sprinkled with pearls, 
 and shining with jewels, and had her own people round 
 her ; her mother and sister, and brother Alfonso, and 
 her uncle the Cardinal Sisismondo. But the great 
 event was to be the triumphal entry into Milan, for 
 which the most sumptuous and extravagant prepara- 
 tions were made. It reads like a fairy tale, the descrip- 
 tion of that marvellous pageant on the following Sunday, 
 when the bride and her party were met at the gates of 
 the city by Gian Galeazzo, nominally the reigning Duke, 
 and Lodovico, clothed in gold brocade, a magnificent 
 figure amongst his gallant company, preceded by a 
 hundred trumpeters. The streets were hung with costly 
 brocades, and wreathed with ivy, and the armourers' 
 quarter was lined with effigies of warriors in chain 
 armour on horseback, while the heralds made martial 
 music as the bride was lifted from her horse at the great 
 gateway of the Castello, and received by Bona of Savoy, 
 who had returned to her home for the occasion. By 
 hfer side was her daughter Anna Sf orza, who was married 
 the next day to Alfonso d'Este, to the mother's great 
 satisfaction. As for the wedding presents, the festi- 
 vities, the tournaments, the masques which followed, 
 they were on a scale of unexampled magnificence, and 
 in this brief space it would be impossible to do them 
 justice. But one masquerade of Scythians has a special 
 interest for us, as having been designed by Leonardo 
 da Vinci, who for sixteen years was the court painter 
 of Milan. 
 
 The wedding guests, on their departure, having ex- 
 pressed a wish to see the famous Certosa of Pavia, the 
 lordly Lodovico wrote to the prior requesting him to 
 " give them a fitting reception and provide an honour- 
 
 ii6 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE 
 
 able banquet for the Duchess of Ferrara and her com- 
 pany, which would number about four hundred persons 
 and horses ; providing them with a plentiful supply of 
 lampreys." 
 
 After her quiet home life, where she had always been 
 rather overshadowed by her sister, the young Beatrice 
 now blossomed out into a great princess, whose slightest 
 wish was gratified almost before she could express it. 
 Nothing was too costly or too beautiful for her service, 
 she lived in an atmosphere of flattery and adulation, 
 where no one had any more serious duty than to please 
 and amuse her, and life seemed to be one long gay holi- 
 day. Full of high spirits and the keenest enjoyment of 
 all the new delights which awaited her, she laughed and 
 jested, she danced and sang ; she was never tired of 
 playing ball with her gay companions, of riding races 
 with them, and she had a perfect passion for hunting. 
 Her husband looked on with amused interest and plea- 
 sure at this bright, merry child, and when he was too 
 much engaged to accompany her, she was constantly 
 attended by one of the Sanseverino brothers, the most 
 distinguished of his courtiers. Of these, Messer Gale- 
 azzo, who had married a daughter of Lodovico, was the 
 favourite at court, both for his knightly skill, his wit, 
 and talents. He was a friend of Isabella d'Este, and he 
 writes her the following account of some of her sister's 
 amusements : 
 
 February 1491. 
 
 " I started at ten o'clock this morning with the 
 duchess and all of her ladies on horseback to go to 
 Cussago . . . and we sang more than twenty-five 
 songs together set for three voices. . . We had a 
 fine fishing expedition, and caught a great quantity of 
 
 117 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE 
 
 pike, trout, lampreys, crabs . . . and then we 
 dined off them till we could eat no more. Then, to 
 make our meal digest the better, we played ball with 
 great vigour and energy. . . And then we mounted 
 our horses again, and began to let fly some of those 
 good falcons of mine along the river-side, and they 
 killed several birds. By this time it was already four 
 o'clock. We rode out to hunt stags and fawns, and 
 after giving chase to twenty-two and killing two stags 
 and two fawns, we returned home and reached Milan 
 an hour after dark, and presented the result of our 
 day's sport to my lord the Duke of Bari." 
 
 Indeed, Lodovico seems to have been so much 
 pleased, that he presented his young wife with the 
 lands and palaces of Cussago, where now only a few 
 fragments are left to recall the beauties of that favourite 
 villa at Visconti. But in the midst of all this gaiety and 
 boundless enjoyment, a dark rumour reached the ear of 
 Beatrice ; she first heard the story of Cecilia Gallerani, 
 and of her husband's continued relations with her. 
 It must have been a great shock to the few months' 
 bride, to find that while she was treated as a pampered 
 plaything, Lodovico's confidence and affection were 
 bestowed upon another woman. She behaved with 
 spirit and dignity, bidding her lord take his choice 
 between them, as she would have no divided sway. 
 Meantime, news of this discovery, as of all that befell 
 Beatrice, had been sent to the court of Ferrara, and 
 Lodovico, after an interview with the ambassador of 
 Duke Ercole, became convinced that this scandal must 
 cease. In the following May, Cecilia gave birth to a 
 son, and in July, loaded with splendid presents, she was 
 married to Count Bergami. 
 
 ii8 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE 
 
 We next hear of the Duke and Duchess at Vigevano, 
 the old Lombard town where he was born, and where 
 he spent a fortune on works of irrigation which, as the 
 inscription on the great tower still tells us : '• turned 
 the course of rivers and brought flowing streams of 
 water into the dry and barren land. The desert waste 
 became a green and fertile meadow, the wilderness 
 rejoiced and blossomed as the rose." 
 
 He had taken much delight in rebuilding the castle, 
 and had laid out beautiful gardens around, and a park 
 which was well stocked with game ; but his special 
 pride was a model farm, which forestalled many modern 
 improvements. A French chronicler enumerates with 
 wonder and admiration all that he saw there, of the 
 finest sheep, goats, oxen, and herds of cows tended 
 with skilled attention by labourers specially trained. 
 Great cheeses were made there which were most 
 highly esteemed, and were fit offerings for foreign 
 princes. But the great charm of the place to Beatrice, 
 was the hawking, and hunting the stag or wild boar, in 
 which she would run terrible risks, and was absolutely 
 fearless. 
 
 A letter written about this time to her sister is very 
 characteristic. " We are enjoying warm and splendid 
 weather, and every day we go out riding with the dogs 
 and falcons, and my husband and I never come home 
 without having enjoyed ourselves exceedingly in hunt- 
 ing herons and other water-fowl. . . . Game is so 
 plentiful here that hares are to be seen jumping out at 
 every corner. Indeed, the eye cannot take in all that 
 one desires to see, and it is scarcely possible to count 
 up the number of animals which are to be found in 
 this neighbourhood. Nor must I forget to tell you 
 
 119 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE 
 
 how every day Messer Galeazzo and I, with one or two 
 other courtiers, amuse ourselves playing at ball after 
 dinner. ... I tell you all this that you may know how 
 well and happy I am, and how kind and affectionate 
 my husband is. . . ." In the next letter we hear about 
 wolf-hunts and narrow escapes ; and Isabella is eager 
 to take part in the matter, and show that she has as 
 much courage as her sister. 
 
 Meantime the position of Isabella of Arragon, 
 nominally Duchess of Milan, must have been a great 
 contrast to that of her younger cousin Beatrice. Her 
 husband, Gian Galeazzo, was weak and dissipated, and 
 as time went on, his mental deficiency became more 
 marked. He took no part whatever in public affairs, 
 and could scarcely be induced to come to Court. In 
 his fits of savage temper he was even reported to strike 
 his wife, and she, poor lady, who was supposed to have 
 married into such dignity and grandeur, found herself 
 with no real influence of any kind. Still, for a time, 
 the two cousins were apparently the best of friends ; 
 they joined in the same sports, and occasionally in 
 wild escapades, such as going to the market-place in 
 disguise, where they nearly got into serious trouble. 
 Then we find them arranging some masque with 
 Turkish costumes, and Beatrice "works at the sewing 
 like any old woman," as her husband remarks with 
 amusement and satisfaction. 
 
 Late that autumn, when the young Duchess had a 
 sharp attack of illness, Lodovico was in great distress 
 about her, and showed the utmost devotion, scarcely 
 leaving her chamber night or day. On her recovery, 
 the5first thing she did was to drive seven miles into the 
 country, to look on at a boar-hunt, and enjoyed herself 
 
 ISO 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE 
 
 immensely. Afterwards she paid a visit incognita to 
 Genoa, for change of air from Pavia, which was damp 
 in late autumn. 
 
 At this time, Lodovico had asked the King of France 
 to renew his investiture of the Duchy of Genoa, which 
 had been first granted to Francesco Sforza. This 
 Charles VIII. readily agreed to, and in the winter of 
 14QT he sent an embassy to Milan, which was splendidly 
 entertained ; but, after having seen all the magnificence 
 of the Duke of Bari's jewels and other possessions, 
 they were rather disappointed with the presents they 
 themselves received. A few months later, Lodovico 
 sent a return embassy to the French Court, where the 
 nobles from Milan made a great sensation in their 
 gorgeous robes of brocade and cloth of gold. His 
 diplomacy was completely successful, as the King of 
 France entered into close alliance with him. 
 
 After this, the christening of Isabella's little son, the 
 Count of Pavia, was celebrated with much festivity, 
 and the young mother seems to have been quite happy 
 and contented for a while, and full of hope for the 
 future. 
 
 In this peaceful time, Lodovico devoted much atten- 
 tion to the improvement of the University of Milan as 
 well as that of Pavia ; medicine and law were specially 
 encouraged, scholars came from all parts of Europe, 
 and a splendid library was collected and placed at their 
 service. Many great works were executed and much 
 progress was made with the Duomo, while Leonardo 
 da Vinci had full occupation for his various talents. 
 In his early letter to the Duke he says : " In time of 
 peace I believe I can equal any man in constructing 
 public buildings and conducting water from one place 
 
 121 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE 
 
 to another. I can execute sculpture, whether in marble, 
 bronze, or terra-cotta, and in painting I am the equal 
 of any master, be he who he may. Again, I will 
 undertake to execute the bronze horse, to the immortal 
 glory and honour of the Duke, your father, of blessed 
 memory, and of the illustrious House of Sforza. And 
 if any of the things I have mentioned above should 
 seem to you impossible and impracticable, I will gladly 
 make trial of them in your park, or in any other place 
 that may please your Excellency, to whom I commend 
 myself in humility." 
 
 To us, the letter rather breathes of well-justified 
 pride. The great master spent the best years of his 
 life in Milan, amongst congenial friends, happy in his 
 work. The Court of Lodovico and Beatrice was a 
 very galaxy of talent, and, to give only a brief account 
 of the learned men, the poets, the artists, and the 
 musicians, who honoured it with their presence, would 
 take a volume in itself. Perhaps amongst these, after 
 Ariosto who was but a passing guest, Niccola da 
 Correggio the poet, Cristoforo Romano the sculptor 
 and sweet singer, and Atalante and Serafino the 
 musicians, were the most distinguished. As she grew 
 into womanhood, the bright intelligence, the taste and 
 character of the young Princess became more richly 
 cultivated, in a society so stimulating and full of 
 inspiration. 
 
 The great event for all Italy in the year 1492, was the 
 death of Pope Innocent VIII. and the election of his 
 successor. Cardinal Borgia, as Alexander VI. But it 
 was some time before the far-reaching effects of this 
 disastrous change were fully realised. Meanwhile that 
 summer was a very happy one for the two sisters, 
 
 132 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE 
 
 Isabella and Beatrice, who spent a delightful time 
 together at Pavia, Novaro, and Mortara, hunting the 
 stag, the wolf, and even the wild boar to their hearts' 
 content. A few quotations from the letters of the 
 Marchesa to her husband at Mantua, will give a vivid 
 picture of the chase in those days. 
 
 "About four o'clock yesterday, all these lords and 
 ladies rode out with me . . . and had fine sport. 
 White tents were placed on the edge of the forest, and 
 a pergola of green boughs, under which the Duchess 
 and I took our places. . . . One stag of the eight 
 which were found there ran out of the wood, fol- 
 lowed by eight of the dogs. Messer Galeazzo galloped 
 after it with a long spear, and killed it before our 
 eyes." 
 
 Another day she writes : " We went hunting to-day 
 in the beautiful wooded valley of the Ticino, where all 
 the stags were driven in, so that they were forced to 
 swim the river and ascend the mountains ... we 
 could watch every movement of the animals as the 
 dogs chased them. . . . Many wild boars and goats 
 were found, but only one bear was killed before our 
 eyes, and one wild goat, which fell to my share. Last 
 of all came a wolf . . . which soon followed its com- 
 rades to the slaughter. And so, with much laughter 
 and merriment, we returned home." 
 
 On the return to Milan, Isabella seems to have been 
 on the best of terms with the wife of Duke Gian 
 Galeazzo, the Duchess Bona his mother, and his 
 unmarried sister. Madonna Bianca, destined later to 
 become the wife of the Emperor Maximilian. She was 
 shown all the treasures of the Duke of Bari, and could 
 not restrain a feeling of envy at the sight of so much 
 
 123 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE 
 
 wealth, which she would have had such a talent for 
 spending ! 
 
 Later in the year, Beatrice had a narrow escape 
 in one of her reckless hunting expeditions, for she 
 suddenly came upon a savage boar which had already 
 wounded several hounds. She boldly attacked him, 
 and he was followed up and slain by her husband and 
 a companion. But the fatigue of that day had been 
 too much for her ; she became seriously ill, and her 
 sister, who had left for Genoa, returned to be with her, 
 while her husband showed himself as kind and devoted 
 as ever. One of the chief qualifications for the sick 
 room, seems to have been the faculty of amusing the 
 patient. In letters of this period we are constantly 
 reminded that depression of mind is a fatal sign, to be 
 overcome at any cost by merry talk and the antics of 
 dwarfs and jesters. 
 
 In the following January, a son was born to the 
 young Duchess of Bari, and the event was hailed with 
 the most extraordinary rejoicings and public festivities. 
 For a whole week the bells rang out a " gloria " from 
 every church tower, stately processions passed through 
 the streets of the city, with solemn thanksgivings in the 
 Duomo and feasts to the people. The most splendid 
 gifts were presented to the mother, and extravagance 
 unheard of before, even in that sumptuous Court, was 
 shown on the costly decoration of the chamber, where 
 Beatrice received visits and congratulations. Within 
 a few days, a daughter had been born to Isabella of 
 Aragon, the Duchess of Milan, and the two ladies went 
 together in state, to return thanks at Santa Maria with 
 the Duchess of Ferrara. Their costumes are minutely 
 described to Isabella d'Este by her maid of honour. 
 
 124 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE 
 
 "The Duchess of Bari had a lovely vest of gold 
 brocade worked in red and blue silk, and a blue silk 
 mantle trimmed with long-haired fur, and her hair 
 coiled as usual in a silken net. She was covered with 
 jewels." A few days later she appeared in a rose-coloured 
 riding-habit and a large jewel in her silk hat, when she 
 rode a gaily-caparisoned black horse. At the next 
 entertainment the young princess wore a feather of 
 rubies in her hair, and a dress of crimson satin embroi- 
 dered with her favourite pattern of knots and com- 
 passes, and also trimmed with many ribbons. Then 
 again we hear of a new robe of gold-striped cloth 
 worn with a crimson vest laced with fine silver thread. 
 
 These gorgeous dresses are worthy of mention, as 
 they emphasise the extreme importance attached to 
 the birth of the young prince. It was a matter of 
 general remark that royal honours were paid to this 
 infant, which the little Count of Pavia had never 
 received. Isabella was furious, and her mind was 
 filled with the darkest suspicions, until she could 
 endure her anxiety no longer, and wrote to her father, 
 Alfonso of Aragon, pouring out the whole story of her 
 wrongs. Unfortunately her fears were well grounded, 
 for the birth of their son had awakened in the Duke 
 and Duchess of Bari an eager ambition to make him 
 heir to the ducal crown, and from that time there was 
 a marked change in the policy of Lodovico. He was 
 no longer content with the reality of power and the 
 title of Regent, but aimed at being recognised through- 
 out Italy as the Duke of Milan. 
 
 The letter of Isabella met with warm sympathy at 
 Naples from her father, who would have openly taken 
 her part at once, but the old King of Naples advised 
 
 125 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE 
 
 delay, and suggested underhand means for achieving 
 the ruin of Lodovico, while outwardly he remained on 
 friendly terms. It was plot against plot, for II Moro 
 lost no time in strengthening his alliance with the new 
 Pope, and proposed to include in the league, the Vene- 
 tian Republic, Mantua and Ferrara. He also wished 
 to gain over to his side Maximilian, son of the Emperor 
 Frederick III., and sent an ambassador to suggest that 
 he should take as his bride Bianca Sforza, his niece, 
 with an enormous dowry. He was also to ask for the 
 investiture of Milan, which the Visconti dukes had 
 received, but which their Sforza successors had felt too 
 confident in a popular election and their own power, to 
 apply for. If Lodovico could obtain this, he would be 
 the legal Duke of Milan, and his nephew the usurper. 
 Maximilian privately agreed to everything, and con- 
 tinued his negotiations with Charles VIII. of France, 
 who needed very little encouragement to make any 
 alliance which would further his designs on Naples, 
 and the Treaty of Senlis was concluded between them. 
 Lodovico, with his wife and infant son, had been 
 paying a visit to Ferrara, where they were entertained 
 with the splendid entertainments and theatrical displays 
 which Duke Ercole knew how to do so well, and he 
 was on his way home, when a special envoy reached 
 him with the news, having ridden 600 miles from 
 Senlis in six days. This decided the Duke, and he 
 resolved to throw in his lot with the French King 
 against Naples. For the present all was to be kept 
 secret, and he did not even venture to go in person to 
 Venice for fear of rousing suspicion ; he therefore 
 most astutely arranged that his wife should travel 
 with her mother, as though bent on pleasant travel, 
 
 126 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE 
 
 and that she should act as his ambassador with the 
 Doge and Signoria. No expense was spared for 
 Beatrice to make a good impression ; she had ten 
 chariots and fifty mules laden with baggage in her 
 train, and her dresses and jewels were beyond all 
 description. This was her first entrance into the poli- 
 tical world, and she played her part well. 
 
 A splendid reception was given by the Republic, 
 with the striking decorations to which Venice lends 
 herself so charmingly ; and when the bucentaurs of 
 the guests passed S. Clemente, the air was filled with 
 the thunder of artillery from the galleys, the arsenal, 
 from every side at once. It must indeed have been 
 a splendid sight, as Beatrice remarks in her letters — 
 Venice in her glory, with every palace on the Grand 
 Canal hung with rich Oriental draperies, the blue 
 waters crowded with gondolas all decked in gay 
 colours, the Doge and the Senators in their stately 
 array, and the charm of a summer day over all. The 
 visitors were taken to the Este Palace, which was 
 magnificently decorated to receive them, and the next 
 day, the young Duchess was received by the Signoria 
 in the Doge's Sala del Collegio. Here she made an 
 able speech, and set forth that as Regent of Milan her 
 husband was in high esteem with both Germany and 
 France, that he had received news of the French 
 King's designs, and wished to consult them as to his 
 action. She also touched on other matters, and, at a 
 second interview, she pointed out that Lodovico had 
 the treasure, the fortresses, and the army of Lombardy 
 at his disposal. 
 
 The Senators were much charmed with this young 
 girl of eighteen and with her courage and eloquence, 
 
 127 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE 
 
 but they did not commit themselves to anything very 
 definite. She wrote a full account of this to her 
 husband, and also told him of all the grand entertain- 
 ments provided for her, which she thoroughly enjoyed, 
 as well as the admiration which she received. 
 
 That was an eventful year, for, in October, Beatrice 
 had the great sorrow of losing her mother, the good 
 Duchess Leonora of Ferrara — the first grief she had 
 ever known in her happy life. The following month, 
 there was carried out the compact of marriage for 
 Bianca Maria Sforza with Maximilian, who was now 
 Emperor since his father's death. This was on the 
 usual scale of princely magnificence, and the trousseau 
 alone was valued at 100,000 ducats, and was publicly 
 exhibited. 
 
 Early in 1493, the strained situation of affairs in Italy 
 became more complicated by the death of Ferrante, 
 the old King of Naples, and the succession of Alfonso, 
 whose hatred of Lodovico was stronger than any other 
 feeling, and who was willing to make any sacrifice to 
 win over the Pope to his side. Upon this the Duke of 
 Bari threw himself into the French alliance with all 
 his soul and hurried' on the invasion of Italy, send- 
 ing at once as his ambassador, Messer Galeazzo to 
 Charles VIII., who had so often desired to have the 
 gallant knight in his service. Thus did his fatal 
 ambition become the cause of all his country's misery, 
 and, in the end, of his own ruin. 
 
 The next year saw the invasion of Italy by the 
 French ; the Duke of Orleans being the first to 
 arrive in his own territory of Asti, between Turin and 
 Alexandria, which he inherited from his grandmother 
 Valentina Visconti. Charles VIII. reached Asti early 
 
 128 
 
LUCREZIA CRIVELLI 
 
 Leonardo da Vinci 
 
1 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE 
 
 in September and was met by Lodovico, and splendidly 
 received by Beatrice, who brought her ladies and 
 musicians with her. His mean appearance must have 
 been rather a shock to her, but he behaved with much 
 courtesy, and his followers were greatly impressed by 
 the beauty and magnificence of the Italian ladies. The 
 French king paid a state visit to Pavia, and had 
 scarcely left before the death of Gian Galeazzo, who 
 had been seriously ill for some time, in the watchful 
 care of his mother and wife. There was later a 
 suspicion of poison, but without serious foundation. 
 Lodovico lost no time in sending for the promised 
 investiture from the Emperor Maximilian, and a few 
 days later was publicly proclaimed Lord of Milan, and 
 rode through the city in a mantle of gold brocade. 
 The late duke having been buried with the " greatest 
 pomp and honour," II Moro hastened to the French 
 camp. He had attained his desire, and reached the 
 summit of his ambition. 
 
 The unfortunate Isabella broke down altogether after 
 her husband's death, and refused to be comforted. She 
 had lost everything ; and now that her son had been 
 robbed of his inheritance she was indeed friendless 
 and forlorn. 
 
 Meantime events made rapid progress ; Piero dei 
 Medici in terror, gave up Florence and all her strong- 
 holds to the French king without a blow ; Siena threw 
 open her gates, and supplied him with money and pro- 
 visions, and in December, Charles entered Rome and 
 dictated terms of peace to the Pope himself. Still 
 continuing his victorious course, the French king led 
 his army against Naples, from whence Alfonso fled, 
 leaving his son Ferrante in his place. The invader 
 
 129 I 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE 
 
 met with little resistance, and on February 22 was 
 crowned, in the Cathedral of Naples, King of the Two 
 Sicilies. The news of these successes filled all Italy 
 with dismay, and Lodovico realised too late what he 
 had done His reputation was still so high, that he was 
 appealed to on all sides to turn against the foreign 
 conqueror, and save his country from ruin. In that 
 dark hour of danger he was quite willing to act at once, 
 and a league was hastily concluded with Maximilian, 
 the Pope, Venice, Spain, Milan, and other Italian 
 States against France. It was publicly proclaimed in 
 Venice on Palm Sunday, and all the ambassadors 
 formed a stately procession round the Piazza San 
 Marco. 
 
 Meantime Milan had been enjoying gay entertain- 
 ments in honour of the birth of Beatrice's second son, 
 Francesco, and most of the Este family had paid visits 
 of congratulation to her. The Marchesa of Mantua 
 found endless delight in all the treasures of art which 
 her brother-in-law had collected, and found time also 
 to condole with the unhappy Duchess Isabella. It was 
 not until the month of May that the long promised 
 investiture from the Emperor reached Milan, and 
 Lodovico with extraordinary pomp and magnificence, 
 was crowned Duke of Milan, Count of Pavia and 
 Angera, by the Grace of God, and the will of his 
 Majesty Maximilian. He was then clothed in the 
 ducal mantle and cap, and received the sceptre and 
 sword of State, afterwards riding in a brilliant pro- 
 cession to San Ambrogio, to return public thanks. 
 To Beatrice and her husband this was the great day 
 of their lives, when they had reached the very summit 
 of their ambition. 
 
 130 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE 
 
 But life has strange contrasts in store for us, and 
 a pinnacle is a dangerous place. Within a week the 
 Duke of Orleans made a sudden night attack on 
 Novaro, the citadel surrendered, and with a strong 
 force he marched on towards the capital. Then a 
 strange thing happened. When the Duke heard the 
 news he lost his presence of mind, and fled to the 
 Castello of Pavia, with his wife and children. It 
 was Beatrice who sent for the nobles and made all 
 arrangements for the defence of the city, with absolute 
 coolness and courage. Fortunately succour was at 
 hand ; troops arrived from Venice, and, with their 
 help, the forces of Milan drove the French back to 
 Novaro. Lodovico recovered himself, the promised 
 army arrived from Germany, and the allies could take 
 the field with 25,000 men, under the command of 
 Isabella's husband, the Marchese of Mantua. On 
 July 5 a battle was fought at Fornova, where the 
 French were defeated, but were suffered to make good 
 their retreat through want of discipline amongst the 
 foreign mercenaries in the army of Italy. The Duke 
 of Orleans meanwhile remained a source of anxiety, 
 as he was strongly garrisoned in the fortress of Novaro, 
 within thirty miles of Milan, a constant menace to 
 the neighbourhood. In July he was besieged by 
 the Venetian army, and it was decided to blockade 
 the town rather than make an attempt to take it by 
 assault. 
 
 On that broad plain of Lombardy a great review of 
 the whole army was held in August, at which Beatrice 
 was present with her husband, who now sought her 
 company and advice in all his undertakings. By this 
 time the French king was very tired of the war and 
 
 13^ 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE 
 
 could get no more supplies of money or soldiers from 
 home, while his wife, Anne de Bretagne, implored 
 him to return. All the combatants were anxious for 
 peace, and in September a great conference was held 
 near the ancient city of Vercelli, a few miles from 
 Novaro. It is very interesting to note that the young 
 Duchess was in attendance with her husband at every 
 meeting, that she had a clear grasp of the whole 
 subject, and, without putting herself unduly forward, 
 was ready at all points, to the wonder of the French 
 commissioners. 
 
 At length, after many weary delays, peace was con- 
 cluded. Louis of Orleans marched out of Novaro 
 with the miserable remnant of his troops ; Lodovico's 
 title to Genoa and Savona was admitted ; but he had 
 to cancel the immense debt owed him by France, 
 and to pay 50,000 ducats more as a war indemnity, 
 besides other concessions, which must have terribly 
 impoverished his duchy for years. But he was now 
 relieved from anxiety and free to pursue other ambi- 
 tious plans, for his position in Italy was higher than it 
 had ever been. He was much gratified the following 
 summer of 1496 by a formal visit from the Emperor 
 Maximilian ; but it was first arranged that the Duke 
 and Duchess should travel to meet him at Mais, on 
 the frontier of the Tyrol. We have a striking picture 
 of his arrival with a hunting-party, in a grey tunic with 
 the Order of the Golden Fleece, and a lion skin hang- 
 ing on his side. He treated Lodovico and his wife 
 with the greatest friendliness. They all attended mass 
 together and had wonderful banquets in the woods. 
 Maximilian also held a conference with them and 
 agreed upon a new league, then he rode back with 
 
 132 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE 
 
 them over the Alps to Bormio, where they had a 
 chamois hunt. 
 
 The following month he paid his promised visit to 
 the Duke and Duchess at their country palace of 
 Vivegano. He was much pleased with his reception, 
 and asked that their eldest boy, Ercole, might be called 
 Maximilian after him. This intimacy with the Emperor 
 created some jealousy in Ital}'^ ; but the renown of 
 Lodovico rose higher than ever ; all his designs 
 seemed to be crowned with success, and he believed 
 himself the favourite of fortune. 
 
 It was during this time of peace that Leonardo was 
 engaged on his famous fresco of the " Last Supper," in 
 the refectory of the Dominican convent at S. Maria 
 delle Grazie, a id the friars would complain to the 
 Duke that he was so slow at his work and had not yet 
 put in the head of Judas. Lodovico was as eager as 
 ever about public works ; but he began to find himself 
 much straitened for money, and the people became 
 loud in their complaints of the heavy taxes imposed 
 upon them. He seems to have become somewhat 
 demoralised by all the adulation and flattery which he 
 had received, for we hear rumours of his devotion to 
 one of the ladies-in-waiting, Lucrezia Crivelli, whose 
 portrait he caused to be painted by his great artist. 
 The news of this caused much anxiety at Ferrara, and 
 it is probable that it reached the ears of Beatrice. 
 
 But the bright, eager-hearted young princess was 
 not destined to have much more of earthly sorrow or 
 joy, for on January 2, 1497, after she had spent the 
 wintry afternoon in prayer at the Dominican Church 
 of S. Maria delle Grazie, she was taken suddenly ill, a 
 little son was born dead, and, to the grief and dismay 
 
 133 
 
BEATRICE D'ESTE 
 
 of all, she breathed her last. So terrible and unlooked- 
 for a calamity touched the heart of every one, and the 
 mourning for the beautiful, brilliant Duchess of Milan 
 was universal. Cut off thus in her prime, with the 
 world at her feet, her loss has that touch of tender 
 pathos which none can resist. And yet to us, who can 
 read that future which was hidden from her, does it 
 not rather seem that she was snatched from the evil to 
 come — from dark ruin and disaster which would have 
 broken down her proud, brave spirit ? * 
 
 Her husband was broken-hearted, and we may well 
 believe that to his bitter grief were added the pangs of 
 remorse for having ever given her cause to grieve. To 
 her sweet memory he caused to be erected that exqui- 
 site monument which was described on the opening 
 page, as an enduring memorial for the ages to come, 
 of one so dearly loved. 
 
 * Within three short years followed the ruin and downfall 
 of Lodovico, and his sons, more fully dwelt upon in the close of 
 Bianca Sforza's life. 
 
 134 
 
BIANCA MARIA SFORZA, WIFE OF THE 
 EMPEROR MAXIMILIAN. 
 
 The story of Bianca Sforza is interesting to us rather 
 as a striking chronicle of Renaissance Hfe than as a 
 study of individual character. 
 
 She had neither the vigour and courage of her half- 
 sister, Catarina, nor the charm and intellect of her 
 young companion, Beatrice d'Este, and although we are 
 told, in the flowery language of the day, that she was, 
 " Bianca di perle, e bella piu che '1 sole," we have no 
 very convincing evidence of her great beauty. Still 
 we are told she had a tall, slim figure and abundance of 
 fair hair, so much admired in her day. 
 
 She was born on April 15, 1742, the eldest daughter 
 of Bona of Savoy, Duchess of Milan, and her husband, 
 the Duke Galeazzo Maria Sforza. Of her two brothers 
 — Gian Galeazzo, the ill-fated heir to the duchy, was 
 born in 1469, then followed Ermes — and she had one 
 little sister, two years younger than herself, who was 
 betrothed as an infant to Alfonso, the new-born son of 
 the Duke of Ferrara. Nothing can exceed the magni- 
 ficence and luxury which surrounded the early years 
 of her life. In the new Castello of the Porta Giovia, 
 the most splendid entertainments, the most costly 
 banquets succeeded each other in the sumptuous Court 
 
 135 
 
BIANCA MARIA SFORZA 
 
 of Milan, which under this, the second of the Sforza 
 dukes, surpassed all that the old Visconti lords had 
 ever dreamed of. 
 
 The chronicles of Milan prove Duke Galeazzo to 
 have been a man of evil life, and of many crimes, but 
 he was a patron of artists and sculptors, whom he 
 kept employed to decorate his palaces ; he was the 
 founder of the famous city library, he encouraged 
 musicians and singers, and he took the greatest 
 interest in the professors of the rising University of 
 Pavia. The Duchess Bona, who had been brought 
 up at the Court of Louis XI. with her sister, the 
 king's wife, was reckless in her extravagance, and set 
 a fashion of wearing costly dresses and priceless 
 jewels, such as were rivalled at no other Court in 
 Italy. Very different from her mother-in-law, the 
 good Duchess Bianca, she did not trouble herself 
 much about the education of her children, but being 
 a kind-hearted woman, " of little sense," as one of her 
 biographers remarks, she let them spend their time in 
 pleasure and idleness. 
 
 A Milanese historian, Corio, gives us a minute 
 description of the famous visit to Lorenzo dei Medici, 
 which the Duke and Duchess of Milan paid in 1471. 
 There were no less than twelve litters, which could be 
 used as " caretti," but which were carried on mules 
 over the mountains ; they had awnings of cloth of 
 gold, and the great feather mattresses laid in them 
 were of cloth of gold or silver, or of crimson satin. 
 The Duke was accompanied by all his great feudatories 
 with their attendants, all the members of his household 
 were dressed in velvet, while some of them had golden 
 collars, and his grooms wore silk adorned with silver. 
 
 136 
 
BIANCA MARIA SFORZA 
 
 Besides an army of gorgeous followers, there were fifty 
 led horses and one hundred mules covered with cloth of 
 gold, two thousand other horses,and two hundred mules 
 covered with rich damask to carry the baggage. Five 
 hundred couples of hounds with huntsmen, falcons, and 
 falconers, trumpeters, jesters, players, and musicians, 
 would seem to us rather an encumbrance for a journey 
 over the Apennines, by a steep bridle-path. 
 
 But all the pomp and magnificence of which this 
 was a symbol was destined to last but a few years, for 
 when little Bianca was only four years old, Galeazzo's 
 career of tyranny and profligacy was suddenly cut 
 short by his assassination at the door of San Stefano. 
 We are told that Bona had implored her husband not 
 to go forth from the Castello that day, and that three 
 ravens had been seen flying round him, and that as he 
 was entering the church the anthem rang out : " Sic 
 transit gloria mundi." 
 
 After his death, the Duchess Bona with the help 
 of her astute minister, Cecco Simonetta, was able to 
 maintain the regency for her son Gian Galeazzo ; but 
 after a few years, by her own folly and vanity, which 
 have been spoken of elsewhere, she brought ruin upon 
 her own cause by the unwise recall of Lodovico il 
 Moro, her brother-in-law. Simonetta had duly warned 
 her, for he exclaimed : " lUustrissima Signora, do you 
 know what will be the end of this ? My head will 
 be cut off, and ere long you will lose this kingdom." 
 
 She must have remembered this prophecy only three 
 years later, on the night of her shameful flight from 
 Milan when, maddened by the treachery of her low- 
 born favourite, Tassino, whom she had loaded with 
 honours, she forsook her home and her children. 
 
 137 
 
BIANCA MARIA SFORZA 
 
 Meantime Bianca lived on with her brothers and 
 young sister in the great Castello of Milan, where they 
 had an outward show of grandeur, while their Uncle 
 Lodovico had usurped the government and ruled the 
 duchy with despotic power. Her eldest brother Gian 
 Galeazzo had always been a sickly delicate child, and 
 as years passed it was plain that he was weak in mind 
 also. He could apply his mind to no serious study, 
 and only cared for dogs and horses. On public 
 occasions he was put forward as Duke of Milan with 
 regal pomp ; but for the rest of his time, he only asked 
 to be left to his low pleasures. He had been betrothed 
 in his father's lifetime to Isabella of Aragon, the 
 grand-daughter of Ferdinand, King of Naples, and the 
 marriage was solemnised with much pomp in 1488. 
 
 Bianca's hand had been promised to the young 
 Prince of Savoy, and on his early death, she was 
 betrothed in the Duomo of Milan to the eldest son of 
 Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary. This prince 
 had strong artistic and literary tastes, as we learn that 
 he was the fortunate owner of a rare manuscript by 
 Festus Pompeius, which he had copied for Lodovico, 
 who had promised his father a beautiful painting of the 
 Holy Family by Leonardo da Vinci. This prince also 
 ordered an exquisite organ to be made by the famous 
 Lorenzo da Pavia. But again Bianca was unfortunate 
 in her matrimonial engagements, for when King 
 Matthias died, in 1490, his son was deprived of his 
 crown, and, in consequence, the proposed alliance with 
 Milan was broken off, and he lost his bride also. 
 
 Meantime many things had happened, of which the 
 young princess was a passive spectator. Her uncle 
 Lodovico had taken to himself a young wife, the gay 
 
 138 
 
BIANCA MARIA SFORZA 
 
 Beatrice d'Este, whose brother Alfonso had come with 
 her from Ferrara to fetch his own promised bride, 
 Anna Sforza, the only sister of Bianca. Her mother, 
 Bona, had returned to Milan on this occasion, and 
 with her elder daughter by her side, took a prominent 
 part in the State reception. They were also great per- 
 sonages during the splendid entertainments, which 
 were continued for a whole week. But though we 
 hear little about Bianca, it must have been a trial to 
 lose her only sister, whose sweet temper and gentle 
 disposition are often mentioned. The parting would 
 have been sadder still had they known that, after a few 
 short years of quiet happiness, Anna would be lost 
 indeed to them by an early death on the birth of her 
 first child. " She was very beautiful and very charm- 
 ing, and there is little to tell about her because she 
 lived so short a time," says an old chronicler. 
 
 The coming of Beatrice d'Este must have added 
 fresh life and gaiety to the life of Bianca, who was 
 much at the Court with her other ladies and joined in 
 many of the hunting excursions. But we never find 
 her mentioned as adding any brightness to the party, 
 and her feeling was no doubt one of jealousy towards 
 this Princess, three years younger than herself, who 
 had so much more brilliant a position. Her uncle 
 Lodovico appears to have looked upon her as a useful 
 counter in the game of politics, for, when he sent his 
 ambassadors to France in 1492, w^e find him offering 
 her hand to the young King of Scotland, James IV. 
 But this came to nothing, and we find Madonna Bianca 
 mentioned on various State occasions, such as the visit 
 of Isabella d'Este and the stately procession to return 
 thanks for the birth of Beatrice's boy. 
 
 139 
 
BIANCA MARIA SFORZA 
 
 So far she has always been a spectator ; but the time 
 was approaching when she was to take the place of 
 honour in her turn. In 1493, when Bianca had 
 reached the mature age of twenty-one, her uncle the 
 Duke of Bari was anxious to promote a close alliance 
 with the Emperor and his son Maximilian by any 
 means in his power. This prince, who was now thirty- 
 nine years of age, was a widower and had recently 
 been deprived of his promised bride, Anne de Bretagne, 
 by the King of France. Lodovico sent his envoy, 
 Erasmo Brasca, with private instructions to offer the 
 hand of Bianca Maria Sforza, his niece, with the 
 immense dowry of 400,000 ducats, to the King of 
 the Romans in exchange for the renewed investiture of 
 Milan. Maximilian was tempted by the offer and will- 
 ing to agree to it, but he stipulated that it should be 
 kept secret for the present. His father, the Emperor 
 Frederick III., was still alive, but not expected to 
 recover. In the month of June following he sent a 
 special messenger from his castle of Gmunden, to ask 
 for the hand of Madonna Bianca Maria Sforza, sister 
 of Gian Galeazzo, Duke of Milan, while at the same time 
 he promised Lodovico the investiture of the duchy for 
 himself. In August, on his father's death, Maximilian 
 became Emperor, and announced his purpose of send- 
 ing ambassadors to celebrate his marriage and bring 
 the Lady Bianca to Innsbruck. 
 
 This despatch gave the greatest satisfaction at Milan, 
 and the mother of the expectant bride was especially 
 delighted at so splendid an alliance. The wedding was 
 settled to take place by proxy at the end of November, 
 and the most splendid preparations were set on foot at 
 once. The Court was in mourning for the Duchess of 
 
 140 
 
BIANCA MARIA SFORZA 
 
 Ferrara, the mother of Beatrice, but that was to be laid 
 aside for the occasion. The trousseau of the bride was 
 to be on the most magnificent scale, worthy of an 
 empress, and was to include a great store of fine linen, 
 sumptuous bed-hangings, carpets, mirrors, and gold 
 and silver plate. Nor was this all, for the chronicler 
 of Bianca tells us of gorgeous horse-trappings and 
 saddles, and also of unique altar-cloths and ornaments 
 for a chapel, all this besides the most splendid dresses 
 and priceless jewels. Bianca must have felt that if her 
 day had been long in coming, such grandeur would 
 indeed make up for the delay. 
 
 On the 7th of November the two chosen ambassadors 
 from the Emperor, or, as he was still called, the King 
 of the Romans, not having yet received the imperial 
 crown, reached Milan, and were met by the Regent and 
 his nephew, the Duke of Milan, at the Porta Orientale, 
 and taken with all honour to the Castello. They were 
 feasted and made much of, and received splendid pre- 
 sents while they awaited the wedding-day, which was 
 fixed for the 30th of November. The city was decorated 
 with rich tapestry and armorial bearings, and brocades, 
 and myrtle boughs, while on the triumphal arch, in 
 front of the Castello, was placed the great clay model 
 of Leonardo's statue of Francesco Sforza on horse- 
 back. The imperial bride looked her best that day, as 
 she rode through the city in her triumphal car drawn 
 by four white horses. 
 
 She wore a vest of crimson satin, embroidered with 
 gold thread and covered with jewels ; her train was of 
 great length, and the sleeves of her dress looked like 
 two wings. The Duchess Beatrice sat on one side and 
 the Duchess Isabella, wife of Gian Galeazzo, on the 
 
 141 
 
BIANCA MARIA SFORZA 
 
 other. Next; there came chariots with all the ambassa- 
 dors of various princes, and Lodovico and his nephew 
 on horseback. Then followed ten chariots with the 
 noblest maidens in Milan, and the ladies of the bride, 
 all wearing the same livery, with tan-coloured camoras 
 and mantles of bright green satin. The streets were 
 crowded with men and women, and so hung with 
 colours and green boughs that it rather looked like 
 May than November. The ceremony was performed 
 by the Archbishop of Milan, '' to the sound of organ- 
 music, flutes, and trumpets, and the singing of the 
 exquisite choir voices." The Princess Bianca stood 
 before the altar with the ambassadors of the Emperor, 
 and after the marriage service was concluded the 
 splendid imperial crown was placed on her "bare 
 head," as Calvi tells us, by the Archbishop, assisted 
 by the Bishop of Brixen, who had given her the ring. 
 
 Then the great procession passed down the Duomo, 
 the train and the sleeves of the bride being supported 
 by great nobles ; and they all rode through the streets, 
 a baldacchino of white damask, lined with ermine, 
 being carried over the head of the newly-made queen. 
 All the ambassadors agreed that they had never seen so 
 magnificent a sight, and the illuminations and festivi- 
 ties which followed for two days and nights were on 
 the same scale. Duchess Bona is said to have wept 
 for joy at her daughter's great promotion, and almost 
 forgot all her past troubles in the triumph of the hour. 
 
 Three days later, Bianca set forth on her journey to 
 Innsbruck with a great company, the ambassadors of 
 Maximilian, her brother Ermes, and, fortunately for us, 
 amongst her retinue was the envoy from Milan, Erasmo 
 Brasca, whose letters give us a full account of the 
 
 143 
 
BIANCA MARIA SFORZA 
 
 journey and much that happened afterwards. All the 
 Court of Milan accompanied the travellers as far as 
 Como, where they were conducted to the cathedral for 
 a solemn service of thanksgiving. The next day the 
 bride said farewell to her mother and all her family, 
 and with a gala show of decorated barges, to the 
 sound of triumphant music, the gaily-dressed company 
 crossed the blue waters of the lake, as far as Bellagio. 
 Here they rested for the night, and were hospitably 
 entertained at the castle, continuing their journey next 
 morning. But now their troubles began, for they had 
 not proceeded far up the lake when the sky was 
 darkened, and a sudden storm came on with so much 
 violence that the festal barges were scattered in all 
 directions. The ladies, in terror, sobbed aloud, and 
 fell on their knees to pray for mercy ; most of the 
 courtiers were quite as much alarmed, and even the 
 boatmen were full of dismay. 
 
 The chief indignation of Messer Erasmo was directed 
 against the duke's favourite astrologer and physician, 
 Ambrogia da Rosate, without whose advice nothing 
 was ever undertaken. " Infelice " is the mildest term 
 the poor envoy uses, and he declares there was a 
 " vento indiavolato a Bellagio." However, after toss- 
 ing about all day, the queen was able to put back to 
 the shore, and make another start next morning, and 
 on December 8 the wedding-party boldly adventured 
 to cross the passes of the Alps. At the present day a 
 traveller would hesitate to ride across the Stelvio Pass 
 with its excellent road at that season, and when we 
 remember that a rough mule-track was then the only 
 way across the mountains, we cannot wonder that 
 these great ladies, who so often took their wedding 
 
 143 
 
BIANCA MARIA SFORZA 
 
 journeys in the dead of winter, had to suffer great 
 hardships. 
 
 "Those fearful cruel mountains" were indeed 
 terrible, and one lady-in-waiting, Madonna Michela, 
 had to be left behind at Gravedona, utterly exhausted, 
 while the others were so loud in their complaints that 
 poor Bianca made an angry appeal to Erasmo, who 
 wrote thus to Milan : " Our gracious lady bears herself 
 well on the whole, but she constantly complains that I 
 deceive her, for each morning when she mounts her 
 horse I tell her that she will not find the path so rough 
 that day, and then by ill-fate, lo ! it is worse than ever." 
 
 It was not until Christmas Eve that the poor weather- 
 beaten travellers at length found themselves in safety 
 at Innsbruck, to discover, to Bianca's cruel disappoint- 
 ment, that Maximilian was not there to receive her. 
 The ambassador was still more troubled, and wrote at 
 once to the laggard bridegroom at Vienna to inform 
 him of their arrival. Meantime the Archduchess 
 Sigismond of Austria did her best to entertain the 
 neglected bride with balls and parties, which made her 
 quite happy, and she wrote long letters to Milan telling 
 how the ladies had been wearing fancy dresses, a la 
 Tedesca, and a la Lombarda ; and how the painter who 
 had travelled from home with her, Ambrogio de Predis, 
 had painted a portrait of Madonna Barbara. She did 
 not realise the gravity of the situation, but poor Brasca, 
 quite distracted with anxiety, set out for Vienna at once 
 on receiving permission to do so, taking with him this 
 very singular epistle from the bride : " Serenissimo Re 
 e Signore mio, I find myself under such obligations 
 towards your Majesty, that I am quite dazed at the love 
 you manifest for me. I could not if I tried express the 
 
 144 
 
BIANCA MARIA SFORZA 
 
 joy which floods my soul. Being unable to testify to 
 it sufficiently in writing, I send Messer Erasmus 
 Brasca to speak on my behalf ; and I beseech 
 your Majesty to believe him, and I commend myself 
 to you. 
 
 " Innspruck. XXVJ. Decembris. 1493. 
 " Maiestatis Vestra Serva. 
 
 " Bianca Maria, manu propria." 
 
 The ambassador was determined to do his duty 
 manfully, and not return alone. Maximilian received 
 him with marked friendliness, invited him to entertain- 
 ments, and spoke in flattering terms of the Sforza 
 family ; but he said nothing about going to Innsbruck, 
 and the unhappy Brasca became more and more dis- 
 tressed. Two months had passed away before the 
 imperial procession set forth, and Bianca having no 
 reluctance to travel part way, the final and long-hoped- 
 for meeting took place at Ala on March 9. " To the 
 confusion of all our enemies ! " cries Brasca, in his 
 letter to his master at Milan. 
 
 Bianca's married life had not begun in a very pro- 
 pitious manner, and this triumph of diplomacy was 
 not a great success for her. She had always been 
 childish and foolish, and her husband compared her 
 unfavourably with his first wife, Marie de Bourgogne ; 
 telling Brasca that his mistress was quite as fair but 
 not so wise as that lady. Still he behaved kindly to 
 his bride at first, and bestowed upon her splendid 
 robes for her coronation when she had a fancy to 
 appear in German fashion. Then she took a passionate 
 liking for one of the maids-of-honour, Violante Caimi, 
 who seems to have been as unwise as her mistress, and 
 
 145 I' 
 
BIANCA MARIA SFORZA 
 
 made mischief by her intrigues. When Bianca had 
 the opportunity she would be wildly extravagant, as 
 when the city of Cologne made her a wedding-present 
 of 2000 florins she actually managed to spend it in 
 one day. This came to the ears of Maximilian, who 
 expressed his annoyance to her, and she lost her 
 temper. 
 
 The result of all this was that her husband soon 
 became tired of her, and would leave her for weeks 
 together at Innsbruck, in the gloomy old castle with its 
 vast walls, where she had nothing to relieve her dul- 
 ness, and would look back with longing to the gay 
 sunny palaces at Milan and Pavia. Before the end of 
 the year she had fresh cause for trouble in the news 
 which reached her of her brother Gian Galeazzo's 
 death. She also received letters from her mother, 
 who spoke in very bitter terms of the conduct of 
 Lodovico in assuming the duchy, but many of these 
 were suppressed by her secretary, II Cotta, who on 
 more than one occasion owns, with frank impudence, 
 that he has burnt a certain letter. 
 
 Meantime, Lodovico had never received the promised 
 investiture of Milan, and he sent a special envoy, 
 Maffeo Pirovano, to press the matter. The poor man 
 travelled in the winter, and met with many adven- 
 tures ; floods and terrible storms, and highwaymen in 
 the streets of Cologne, but he at length arrived at Ant- 
 werp, where he was to meet the emperor, who made 
 a great impression upon him. He writes : " II Seren- 
 issimo Re has the most noble presence of body, as well 
 as the highest qualities of soul and mind ; and, to 
 judge from outward signs, there is no doubt of his 
 wisdom and loyalty . . . and, if his dealings seem slow 
 
 146 
 
BIANCA MARIA SFORZA 
 
 iiiid lingering, there are two difficulties . . . want of 
 money, and the small confidence he can place in his 
 ministers." 
 
 The Empress Bianca was very glad to see a friend 
 from her dear Milan, and had much talk with him. 
 She gave him many messages and commissions when 
 he went home. He was to take her condolences to her 
 mother and the widowed Isabella, and he was to ask 
 all her family to send their portraits. 
 
 She wrote specially to the young Duchess Beatrice, 
 asking her for silks and powders and scents, and, above 
 all, a bunch of heron's plumes. She also wanted some 
 pearls which were in possession of Catarina Sforza, and 
 she sent a private message to Lodovico begging that he 
 would persuade II Re Serenissimo, the Emperor, to 
 pay a visit to Italy, " but do not say that it is I who 
 wish it." 
 
 Bianca frequently wrote to the Duke of Milan, asking 
 her uncle to send her jewels or perfumes, or on one 
 occasion a special white brocaded velvet for a dress, for 
 these were all the things she cared for. The news of 
 Beatrice's sudden death in 1497 must have grieved even 
 her shallow nature, for she had a kindly disposition. 
 In the after years, when Lodovico's troubles came 
 upon him, when all his ambitious hopes had failed and 
 he was cast down from his high estate, the wife of 
 Maximilian was his best friend. But it was little she 
 could do for him, as she never had any real influence 
 with her husband, and she could only give the unfor- 
 tunate duke, an outcast and an exile, hospitable wel- 
 come in her castle at Innsbruck, when he fled there in 
 September 1499. It must have been a painful meeting 
 for him with the faithful Erasmo Brasca, who still 
 
 147 
 
BIANCA MARIA SFORZA 
 
 lived on at the Court of Bianca, devoted to her service 
 until his death in 1501. 
 
 It was while II Moro was ill with an attack of asthma, 
 in the emperor's gloomy castle, that the fatal news 
 reached him of the treachery of the man he had so 
 absolutely trusted, the Governor of the Castello of 
 Milan, where he had left all his priceless treasures. It 
 was well garrisoned and supplied with provisions and 
 ammunition, but Bernardino da Corte surrendered it 
 to the enemy for a share of the plunder. Lodovico 
 remained silent for some minutes, unable to grasp the 
 full horror of what had befallen him. His great cap- 
 tain, Galeazzo, sat speechless by his side, till his master 
 turned to him and said, " Never since the day of Judas 
 has there been so black a traitor as Bernardino." And 
 after that he kept silence for the whole day. 
 
 But as time passed on his indomitable spirit revived, 
 and he adopted a new motto : " I will beat the drum in 
 winter and dance all the summer," with the device of a 
 tambourine. A famous preacher of Verona wrote to 
 him, drawing a moral from his fall, and preaching jus- 
 tice to him ; and this gave him an opportunity of 
 putting forth an address to the world at large, justi- 
 fying his conduct. What a good Christian he had 
 always been, hearing so many masses, giving so much 
 in alms ! Who had a greater love for justice than him- 
 self ? and he proceeds to explain a few doubtful matters. 
 He had only desired peace and prosperity for his people, 
 who were dear to him as his own children. Finally he 
 calls upon his subjects to place him once more on the 
 throne of his forefathers. 
 
 Some old friends respond to his call, and, joining 
 him at Innsbruck, tell him of the awful state of Milan 
 
 148 
 
BIANCA MARIA SFORZA 
 
 under the French, and assure him that his return is 
 eagerly desired. On this the Duke makes a fresh 
 effort. MaximiHan is induced to supply him with all 
 he can raise in the way of money and soldiers, he finds 
 means to raise a force of mercenaries, and even appeals 
 to the King of England and to the Turks. On 
 January 24 he took his last leave of his niece, and set 
 forth on the disastrous expedition which closed in ruin 
 and despair. 
 
 We may imagine how sadly Bianca watched, from 
 afar, his last struggle and defeat, his hopeless and 
 lingering captivity in the dungeons of Loches, where 
 he ate his heart out like a caged lion, until his final 
 release by death in the month of May 1508. The 
 empress had never ceased her efforts to help her 
 unfortunate uncle, and Maximilian interceded in vain 
 with the French king for his release. His two young 
 sons found a home at Innsbruck when all else had 
 failed, those idolised children of the Duchess Beatrice, 
 born to so princely a fortune and such splendid hopes. 
 It must have been a sad and gloomy life for them, 
 brought up in that uncultured Court in the midst of 
 boorish barons, who disliked the more gently-nurtured 
 Italians, of whom so many had taken refuge in their 
 exile at Innsbruck, and amongst them the gallant 
 Galeazzo. The elder brother, Maximilian, was the 
 god-son of the emperor, who in later years took up 
 arms on his behalf. But their best friend was always 
 the empress, and it must have been a great loss to 
 them when she died, from the lingering disease from 
 which she had suffered for years, on December 31, 
 1 5 10, saddened by the evil fate of all she loved. 
 
 The Empress Bianca Maria Sforza, wife of the great 
 
 149 
 
BIANCA MARIA SFORZA 
 
 Maximilian, was buried in the ancient church of the 
 Franciscans at Innsbruck. Here a splendid tomb was 
 raised to the memory of the emperor, first of its kind 
 in all Europe, and in the midst of this masterpiece of M 
 bronze work, there still meets our view the stately 
 image, robed in the stiff brocades of her lifetime, of 
 his unloved second wife, who pined away in that chill 
 land, far from her sunny Lombard home. 
 
 I 
 
 T5« 
 
ISABELLA D'ESTE, MARCHESA OF 
 MANTUA. 
 
 As we approach the history of this peerless lady, " la 
 prima donna del mondo," we are almost overwhelmed 
 with the amount of information which has been col- 
 lected with regard to her. In the libraries of Mantua 
 and Milan, of Rome, of Florence, of Turin, &c., a long 
 train of scholars and learned men have devoted years to 
 the study of documents and correspondence connected 
 with her, and have died ere the task was completed. 
 
 Of her own letters more than two thousand have 
 been preserved, and her whole splendid career, from 
 1474 to 1539, is spread out before us in a flood of 
 dazzling light. 
 
 We see her in the most intimate privacy of her 
 family from childhood to age ; we trace her relations 
 towards every distinguished person of her time, crowned 
 head, or artist, or man of letters — learning what they 
 said, and what she said and thought — we follow in each 
 step of her frequent travels, so keenly enjoyed ; and we 
 are even admitted to her toilet, and informed on what 
 occasion she wore her crimson satin with gold and 
 silver embroidery, her violet velvet with gold acorns, 
 or her priceless mantle made of eighty of the finest 
 sables. 
 
 151 
 
ISABELLA D'ESTE 
 
 Surrounded from her childhood by all that was 
 beautiful, she was early distinguished by her cultured 
 taste in music and art, her proficiency in classical 
 studies, and her marvellous charm. It was her singular 
 good fortune that, brought up in the very heart of the 
 Renaissance, the small and passing incidents of her 
 every-day life, are to us memorials of a classic age 
 when the gods of Parnassus walked with men. Her 
 march through life is a triumphal progress. Ever the 
 " cynosure of neighbouring eyes " for her beauty and 
 talent, poets write endless sonnets in her praise, adula- 
 tion surrounds her on every side, until from her equal 
 height she would advise the greatest masters in their 
 own ; craft ; witness some forty or fifty letters to a 
 Bellini or a Perugino, with minute descriptions as to 
 how they were to paint the picture for her. 
 
 Such magnificent audacity takes away one's breath ! 
 
 Isabella has all that she desires, she has but to hear 
 of the discovery of an antique, of a work of art, a price- 
 less gem, a rare MS., an Aldine edition, a silver lute, a 
 choice inlaid organ — any new and beautiful thing — but 
 she straightway requests that it be sent to her, or if 
 that be not possible, that another still more precious be 
 procured for her. She would be outdone by no one, 
 and nothing short of perfection would content her. 
 Her supremacy was not alone artistic and intellectual. 
 This lady of Mantua was the mirror of fashion for 
 every Court in Europe. Stately princesses contest 
 for early news of her gorgeous costumes, and humbly 
 plead for the design of a sleeve, or the pattern of a new 
 rosette. 
 
 We seem to read her very soul in those letters of 
 hers ; always so beautifully expressed, with infinite tact 
 
 153 
 
ISABELLA D'ESTE 
 
 and delicacy. She ever knew how to say the right 
 thing ; whether to deprecate the wrath of a pope, or 
 hostile king, who distrusted her husband's policy ; 
 whether to condole with a friend on the loss of a wife 
 or a kingdom ; to arrange a diplomatic marriage, or 
 lend her pet dwarf to lighten the tedium of a sick bed ; 
 to plead for a cardinal's hat for her son, or beg for a 
 Persian kitten. 
 
 The Marchesa d'Este was beyond praise in most o 
 the relations of life ; a pious and high-minded woman, 
 and yet it was not safe to rely upon her too far. 
 Dearly as she loved her friends and kindred, yet when 
 they were utterly and hopelessly forsaken by fortune, 
 she turned away from them with a sigh, to welcome 
 their enemies with a smile. A true daughter of the 
 light-hearted Renaissance, when their splendid palaces 
 were looted, she was always ready to enrich herself 
 with their spoils ; but when they came as suppliants 
 to her gates, she would receive them with princely 
 generosity if her own safety were secured. 
 
 In the striking words of her last and' most compre- 
 hensive biographer : " Like others of her age she knew 
 no regrets and felt no remorse, but lived wholly in the 
 present, throwing herself with all the might of her 
 strong vitality into the business or enjoyment of 
 the hour, forgetful of the past and careless of the 
 future.'' * 
 
 Having thus introduced Isabella d'Este with this 
 shght sketch and appreciation of her character, we turn 
 to a short account of the events which are chiefly re- 
 markable in her life. 
 
 She was born in the palace of Ferrara on May i8, 
 =*= Mrs. Ady. 
 153 
 
ISABELLA D'ESTE 
 
 1474. Her father, Duke Ercole, was the descendant 
 of that illustrious house of Este which had reigned for 
 more than two hundred years over the fertile plains of 
 Ferrara. Her mother was Leonora, the daughter of 
 King Ferrante of Naples, and the name Isabel, by 
 which her first daughter was baptized, may have been in 
 honour of her kinswoman the great Queen of Spain, 
 
 There does not seem to have been great rejoicing on 
 the birth of a daughter, and there was still less when 
 a little sister was born the next year ; but when the 
 hoped-for heir to the duchy arrived in due time, there 
 was no lack of enthusiasm and delight in the city. 
 Those were troublous times, and, a few days after the 
 christening of young Alfonso, the duchess and her 
 infant children barely escaped with their lives from a 
 conspiracy of the duke's nephew. 
 
 In the following year Isabella took her first journey 
 as far as Naples, where her little sister Beatrice was 
 left behind with the grandfather for the next eight 
 years. Meantime the young princesses, even at that 
 early age, had attracted attention and interest at the 
 neighbouring courts, and, after much negotiation, a 
 public announcement was made on the Piazza, in 
 the heart of old Ferrara, that Madonna Isabella 
 was betrothed to Francesco, son of the Marquis of 
 Mantua, and Madonna Beatrice to the Regent of Milan, 
 Lodovico Sforza. 
 
 This was early in 1480, when the elder girl was only 
 six years old, and the following spring, on the Feast of 
 St. George, the patron saint of Ferrara, she made the 
 acquaintance of her future bridegroom, a bright, hand- 
 some boy of fourteen. There seem to have been 
 great festivities on the occasion, and immense crowds 
 
 154 
 
ISABELLA D'ESTE 
 
 assembled to see the famous race for the pallium, 
 which was won by the horses of the Mantuan guests, 
 who appear to have greatly enjoyed their visit. 
 
 Her marriage and future life being thus provided 
 for, the small Isabella had time to go back to her 
 lessons. Born in an atmosphere of cultivation and 
 learning, she seems to have been the delight of her 
 teachers, who were amazed at her "marvellous facility." 
 Latin was her most serious study, and for this she had 
 the most learned tutors, and was reported in later 
 years to speak the language with ease and elegance. 
 Besides her classical studies, she read all the poetry 
 and literature within her reach in various modern lan- 
 guages ; she was a good musician, and learnt to play 
 the clavichord and accompany her singing on the lute, 
 and even found time to become proficient in design 
 and embroidery. 
 
 The finest works of art and the most beautiful 
 treasures were always in sight, and in the Este Palace 
 she met all the most distinguished men and women of 
 the day. We are told that she grew up a beautiful 
 girl, with regular features, sparkling dark eyes, a 
 brilliant complexion, and thick waves of golden hair. 
 Shelwas not very tall, but she bore herself with stately 
 dignity. 
 
 Francesco, who was now Marquis of Mantua since 
 his father's death, pressed on his wedding, which was 
 at last fixed for the month of February 1490, when the 
 bride would be almost sixteen. Nothing can exceed 
 the exquisite taste and beauty of the presents prepared 
 for her to take to her new home, on which artists, 
 goldsmiths, and many of the most skilled craftsmen 
 were engaged for more than a year. The wedding 
 
 155 
 
ISABELLA D'ESTE 
 
 must have been a gorgeous spectacle, and is described 
 by the chroniclers with ardent enthusiasm ; also the 
 stately journey to Mantua in a gilded bucentaur, with 
 attendant galleys, which sailed up the Po, and the 
 grand entry into the city, garlanded with flowers and 
 hung with banners, with ambassadors from every state 
 in Italy riding in her train. 
 
 But that which must have given most pleasure to the 
 girl-bride was to meet at the foot of the great staircase 
 of the Castello, her husband's sister, Elisabetta, who 
 had recently married the Duke of Milan, and who 
 then, and through life, was her dearest friend. 
 
 "There is no one I love like you, except my sister 
 Beatrice," she once wrote to her, and this affection 
 never changed, in sorrow or joy. It must have been 
 a great comfort to Isabella that she was able to keep 
 her sister-in-law with her for the first few months in 
 her new home, where all was so strange to her. Her 
 husband was very much devoted to her, but they 
 cannot have had much in common. He had always 
 shown more taste for outdoor sports than for in- 
 tellectual pursuits ; he was noted for his horses and 
 dogs ; yet, if he had not much taste for books, he 
 could be a generous patron to artists and men of 
 letters. He was very proud of Andrea Mantegna, who 
 lived at his Court, and had just finished his series of 
 triumphs for the walls of the Castello. 
 
 In the letters of this period we find how much 
 Isabella was missed in her old home. One courtier 
 writes : " Even the tricks and jests of the dwarfs and 
 clowns fail to make us laugh." 
 
 She wrote to ask her tutor to send her old Latin 
 books that she might occupy herself with her studies, 
 
 156 
 
ISABELLA D'ESTE 
 
 and she sent presents to her old friends, while her 
 weekly letters to her mother showed devoted affection. 
 Ferrara was at no very great distance, and she was 
 able to pay occasional visits, especially during that first 
 year, when preparations were being made for her 
 sister's wedding. This took place with much magni- 
 ficence in the Castello of Pavia ; but it was in January, 
 and the journey thither in the depth of a severe 
 winter had been a terrible experience for the Duchess 
 Leonora, her two daughters, and their suite. 
 
 When the young duchess was well settled at Milan, 
 we read of frequent visits between the sisters ; but it 
 was rather a serious matter of expense for Isabella, 
 who needed fine new dresses and jewels for herself and 
 her suite, to do justice to the magnificent reception 
 which she received at Milan. Her ideas of jewels were 
 of the most princely magnificence. We hear of a 
 constant succession of orders for rubies, emeralds, 
 diamond rosettes, engraved amethysts, rosaries of black 
 amber, and gold-enamelled roses, corals and turquoises, 
 and gems unnumbered. If a goldsmith keeps the 
 imperious lady waiting unduly, he will probably find 
 himself in the dungeon of the Castello. What became 
 of her dressmakers we do not hear, but they must have 
 been overwhelmed with the costly variety of Oriental 
 silks and velvets, the priceless brocades and fine linen 
 with which they had to carry out her designs. 
 
 But this outward splendour only satisfied one side of 
 her nature. The young marchioness had an insatiable 
 appetite for literature, and she seems to have read all 
 the mediaeval romances of her day, in French and 
 Spanish as well as Italian. But this did not interfere 
 with her taste for the classical authors, her study of 
 
 157 
 
ISABELLA D'ESTE 
 
 the Christian Fathers, and her keen love for poetry. 
 With all this she had time to hear sermons and to keep 
 up her friendship with the saintly Dominican nun, the 
 Beata Osanna. In a picture by Bonsignori, she is 
 represented, with three of her ladies, kneeling at the 
 feet of the holy woman. 
 
 Isabella also devoted much attention to the delightful 
 occupation of decorating her rooms in the grim old 
 Lombard Castello, which was more fortress than 
 palace. Nothing was too costly, too rare and exqui- 
 site to satisfy her taste, and her own special chamber, 
 overlooking the lake, with its inlaid woodwork and 
 painted ceiling, its walls covered with priceless paint- 
 ings, its treasures of rare books and musical instru- 
 ments, silver and 7tiello work, delicate glass from 
 Murano . . . must have made this studio an ideal gem 
 of the Renaissance. One little picture of Mantegna's 
 which hung here is thus described : 
 
 "The dying of Our Lady, the Apostles standing 
 about with white candles lighted in their hands ; and 
 in the landskip where the town of Mantua is painted 
 is the water-lake, where a bridge is over the said 
 water towards the town. In a little ebony wooden 
 frame." 
 
 In the year 1494, when all the world was ringing 
 with the discoveries of Columbus, Isabella paid a visit 
 of state to Venice, where she was royally entertained ; 
 but soon after her return she had the great sorrow of 
 losing her mother, the Duchess Leonora, to whom she 
 was passionately attached. It was an eventful year, as 
 on the last day of December was born her eldest child, 
 a girl who was called Leonora Violante Maria. " In 
 her the name and blessed memory of my mother shall 
 
 15S 
 
ISABELLA D'ESTE 
 
 live again," she wrote to her aunt, the Queen of 
 Hungary. 
 
 At this time she had the comforting society of her 
 dear friend, Elisabetta Gonzaga, the Duchess of Urbino, 
 whom she was always so delighted to meet, " that they 
 might tell each other all that had happened since they 
 parted." Soon after this the young mother went on a 
 pilgrimage of thanksgiving to Loreto, which a recent 
 French writer * has thus poetically described : 
 
 " The sweet, tender Isabella d'Este set out thus to 
 transport her soul across the plains of Umbria, towards 
 the calm and glorious homes of peace and art, Loreto 
 and Assisi. It was early spring, when the days were 
 clear and sunny ; every morning after mass the little 
 caravan resumed its march with its picturesque escort, 
 piously, tranquilly, ideally. During the Easter festival 
 it made a halt with the Duke and Duchess of Urbino 
 in the delightful palace of Gubbio, smiling down from 
 amongst its gardens and fountains. 
 
 " The woman who has been able to live these hours 
 of pure enthusiasm is conscious of accomplishing a 
 large part of her dream. She is within sight of recon- 
 ciling two opposite forces, the forces of Nature and 
 the forces of the human heart. . . ." 
 
 Isabella had inherited from her father an absorbing 
 love for travel and for art, and she had ample oppor- 
 tunity of gratifying both these tastes. She went to 
 Ferrara, to Milan, where her brother-in-law Lodovico 
 il Moro had recently become Duke, and everywhere 
 was the centre of princely entertainments. Her little 
 daughter was left meantime in the care of an accom- 
 plished governess, Violante de' Preti. 
 * R. de Maulde la ClaviSre. 
 159 
 
ISABELLA D'ESTE 
 
 In the year 1495 her husband was appointed captain 
 of the armies of the League which had been formed 
 against the French king, who had aheady conquered 
 Naples. Francesco was covered with honour by his 
 success at the battle of Fornova, and as a memorial of 
 this event he was painted by Mantegna, kneeling in his 
 armour before the Virgin, in the famous " Madonna 
 della Vittoria," which was carried away from its 
 forsaken shrine and now hangs in the Louvre. Peace 
 had been made, but was not of long duration, and the 
 next year we see the curious spectacle of the two 
 sisters-in-law, Isabella, and Chiara Duchess of Mont- 
 pensier, together amongst their books and music at 
 Mantua ; while their husbands fought in opposing 
 camps, and good news to one would be disaster to 
 the other. Such was the tangle of political interests 
 and alliances in those days. 
 
 In this brief space, it is impossible to follow the 
 varied course of that terrible war which ravaged Italy 
 for so many years, and brought ruin and exile to so 
 many friends of the house of Este. But through all 
 the desperate perils and ever-present anxiety, Isabella 
 so wisely ruled in Mantua, so delicately threaded her 
 way through the bewildering maze of intrigues, and 
 always hastened so judiciously to welcome and flatter 
 the winner of the hour, that she kept her husband's 
 dominion intact. Sorrow she could not keep away, 
 and many losses befell her at this time. 
 
 Her sister Beatrice, the splendid young Duchess of 
 Milan, died suddenly at the age of twenty-one, and her 
 infant son was buried with her. She was taken from 
 the evil to come, poor young princess, for not three 
 years later, all the glories of her estate were at an end ; 
 
 160 
 
ISABELLA D'ESTE, MARCHESA OF MANTUA 
 Titian 
 
ISABELLA D'ESTE 
 
 the duchy was taken from her husband, whose fate was 
 a French dungeon, and her young children were exiles. 
 The same year Isabella had to mourn the loss of her 
 young cousin, the gallant Ferrante of Naples, and she 
 had the bitter disappointment of seeing her husband 
 disgraced and dismissed from his post of Captain- 
 General, on a suspicion of treason. 
 
 Through all her troubles she never lost her eager 
 interest in art, and the collection of beautiful things. 
 She had friends in every city who kept her informed oi 
 every event of interest, such as the bringing out ot 
 notable books or fine editions, the works issued 
 from great studios, excavations, sales of collections. 
 Her treasures overflowed from her " studiolo," and 
 she arranged or rebuilt an exquisite suite of rooms, the 
 world-renowned Studio of the Grotta. As de Maulde 
 tells us : " She cherished in undisturbed harmony the 
 Sleeping Cupid of Michelangelo and a choice collec- 
 tion of antique statues ; she covered her walls with the 
 works of Mantegna, Costa, and Correggio ; Leonardo 
 da Vinci and Titian were her portrait painters ; she 
 herself painted her soul in two words : ' Neither by 
 hope nor by fear.' As an ideal for life and an emblem 
 for her house, she commissioned of the great idealist 
 master, Perugino, a Combat between Love and Chastity, 
 and wished to arrange its composition to the minutest 
 details. . . ." 
 
 Not until 1500, ten years after her marriage, was her 
 first son born, to her great joy and pride, and hence- 
 forth the little Federico is the centre of all her hopes 
 and affections. With her usual diplomacy she chose 
 the all-powerful Caesar Borgia as one of his sponsors, 
 and she seems to have remained in high favour with 
 
 161 L 
 
ISABELLA D'ESTE 
 
 him. Within two years after, she was selected to receive 
 his sister, Lucrezia Borgia, when she came as a bride 
 to Ferrara. It must be owned that this marriage of 
 her brother Alfonso was extremely distasteful to her, 
 but she made no sign, and acted her part to perfection. 
 On this occasion her misgivings were not realised, for 
 after her stormy past the Pope's daughter seems to 
 have won respect and affection in her new position. 
 She never forgot the gracious courtesy of her sister-in- 
 law, and always looked up to her with admiration, as 
 her letters bear witness. 
 
 Untouched by a breath of scandal herself, Isabella 
 seems to have had large claims upon her tolerance. 
 Amongst the refugees whom she received with hospi- 
 tality after the fall of Milan, were the two mistresses 
 of Duke Lodovico, Cecilia Gallerani and Lucrezia J 
 Crivelli. Her own husband was by no means faultless, 
 and seems to have shocked even the lax feeling of that 
 age, by appearing at a tournament at Brescia with a 
 certain Teodora, in splendid attire, when his relations 
 with her were a matter of notoriety^ There were 
 troubles, too, in after years, with some of her maids-of- 
 honour, but she always behaved with wise and kindly 
 discretion. 
 
 About this time we hear of a delightful visit to 
 Venice, when Isabella and her friend the Duchess of 
 Urbino travelled incognito, with only two ladies, in 
 order to avoid the inevitable entertainments, and to 
 enjoy themselves in their own way. With what longing 
 they must have looked back upon that happy time, for 
 only a few months later, the treacherous Caesar Borgia 
 seized Urbino, drove the duke and his wife into exile, 
 and, with characteristic promptness, carried off the art 
 
 162 
 
ISABELLA D'ESTE 
 
 treasures of that magnificent palace, to the value of close 
 upon half a million. 
 
 The Marchesa of Mantua receives her friends, is 
 deeply distressed at their misfortunes, but writes at 
 once to secure an antique Venus and a Cupid, which 
 she has long desired, from the spoils. One person's 
 calamity is the opportunity of another. 
 
 The death of the Pope soon after, put an end to the 
 Borgia power, and it is a satisfaction to know that 
 Guidobaldo and his wife returned in triumph to Urbino 
 — but Isabella kept the Venus. 
 
 In the year 1505 a second son was born to her, 
 Ercole, the future Cardinal ; and her daughter Leonora 
 was betrothed to Francesco, the nephew and heir of 
 the Duke of Urbino. Her letters of this period are 
 all very full of the wondertul sayings and doings of 
 her son Federico, but she scarcely mentions his 
 sisters. As we are specially interested in the women 
 of the Renaissance, it may be interesting to mention 
 that on the birth of Leonora her mother received a 
 splendid cradle, but she never used it for her girls, 
 and only the baby boy was considered worthy of it. 
 
 When Federico was seven years old, she took him 
 with her to Milan, there to meet as a matter of policy 
 King Louis XII. of France, in the ducal palace where 
 her sister had once reigned, and Lodovico, who was 
 then a prisoner at Loches. A few years later a great 
 misfortune awaited her. Her husband, who had taken 
 an active part in the renewed wars, was made prisoner 
 by the Venetians, with all the costly furnishing of his 
 camp, his horses, and his fine suits of armour. It is 
 curious to read how, in her despair, Isabella consulted 
 priests, lawyers, and astrologers. The answer which 
 
 163 
 
ISABELLA D'ESTE 
 
 she received with regard to the conjunction of the 
 star of Jove and the dragon's head is extremely 
 curious, as she is told to say her prayers at that exact 
 moment. 
 
 But for thirteen long weary months poor Francesco 
 was kept in the dreary prison at Venice, and when he 
 was at length released, his precious son had to be 
 sent as a hostage to Rome. Meantime his wife had 
 governed Mantua with great ability, and used every 
 effort by diplomacy and immense bribes to obtain 
 the release of the Marquis. In order to gratify the 
 Pope she hastened the marriage of her daughter, who 
 was warmly welomed to Urbino, after the usual floods 
 and narrow escapes on the journey ; for all these grand 
 weddings seem to have taken place in the winter. 
 
 After this, we hear a great deal in the letters about 
 the boy Federico's life in Rome, where he appears to 
 have become a great favourite with the masterful old 
 Pope Julius II., that indomitable fighter whose life was 
 one long battle. During three years this precocious 
 child was the spoilt darling of the brilliant society 
 which filled the halls of the Vatican, and much as his 
 mother wrote about his studies, they seem to have 
 been quite secondary to his amusements. Nothing 
 was too costly or too sumptuous for him, and Isabella 
 pawned her jewels to supply the needed outlay. He 
 would ride by the Pope's side on State occasions, in 
 a magnificent suit of white satin, brocaded with gold 
 embroidered letters, wearing a sword and cuirass, with 
 a velvet cap and sweeping feathers fastened by a 
 diamond clasp. We can fancy him bowing with 
 courtly grace to acknowledge the cheers of the 
 populace. 
 
 164 
 
ISABELLA D'ESTE 
 
 On the death of his patron, the boy returned home 
 to Mantua, and did not see the splendid festivities of 
 the Coronation of the new Medici Pope, Leo X. 
 Many changes occurred after this. Alfonso of Ferrara 
 made his peace with Rome, and the young son of 
 Beatrice d'Este, Maximilian Sforza, ruled at Milan in 
 the palace of his father, to the great content of 
 Isabella. But his triumph was of short duration, for 
 in 15 15 he was compelled to abdicate finally in favour 
 of Francis I. 
 
 She had much anxiety at this time about the health 
 of her husband, who never recovered from his captivity 
 at Venice, and who seems to have been querulous and 
 irritable, always ready to find fault with those around 
 him. A Venetian ambassador, who paid him a visit, 
 gives a very curious account of finding the invalid 
 sitting in a splendid chamber, with a great fire burning 
 on the hearth, surrounded by his pets. A number of 
 hawks and falcons in leash were about the room, 
 immense greyhounds lying at his feet, with his 
 favourite dwarf in gold brocade, while the walls 
 were hung with portraits of his horses and dogs. 
 Nothing gave him so much pleasure as the loan of a 
 new jester, or contriving some rough practical joke. 
 But when death came not long after, he made a devout 
 end, and by his special wish he was buried in the 
 habit of a Franciscan, and laid to rest in the church of 
 San Francesco. Letters of condolence came from all 
 parts of the world, one of the most interesting being 
 from Lucrezia Borgia, who herself only survived the 
 Marquis of Mantua two months. 
 
 His son Federico, who succeeded him, was just 
 nineteen, and he must have made a handsome picture 
 
 165 
 
ISABELLA D'ESTE 
 
 as, clothed in white, he rode out of the Castello to 
 receive the sceptre at the gate of the cathedral. 
 
 The next year, Federico was appointed Captain- 
 General of the Church, a great honour, which gladdened 
 the heart of his mother, although the condition attached 
 to it by Pope Leo X. was that the exiled family from 
 Urbino should leave Mantua, for again the tide of war 
 had turned against the Gonzaga family, and Elisabetta, 
 with her son Duke Francesco Maria and his wife, 
 Isabella's daughter, had taken refuge in her palace. 
 But before the end of that year, 152 1, the Pope himself 
 died, and all was changed. The exiles returned with 
 great joy to Urbino, where their people welcomed 
 them with the old enthusiasm. 
 
 Meantime Isabella had her time fully occujii|id with 
 affairs of State, where her counsel was needed more 
 than ever, and in the ever-delightful task of arranging 
 and decorating her suite of splendid new apartments in 
 the Corte Vecchio, which was called her " Paradiso." 
 She took the same keen interest in collecting more 
 antiques, statues, and bas-reliefs, and in the minutest 
 details of plenishing and adornment. But all this did 
 not exhaust her marvellous energy, and her thoughts 
 were much occupied with the future of her second son, 
 Ercole, for whom she had chosen the Church as a pro- 
 fession, and who at fifteen was already a bishop. But 
 her ambition went far beyond this ; and the first 
 step in his upward career would be an excellent 
 education, so she decided to send him to Bologna, 
 which had famous scholars, and where the university 
 was in high repute. He had inherited his mother's 
 love of learning and did well at Bologna, where he 
 remained until the death of the great master, Messer 
 
 166 
 
ISABELLA D'ESTE 
 
 Pietro Pomponazzi, when he continued his studies at 
 Mantua. 
 
 As years went on, Isabella does not seem to have lost 
 any of her keen interest and delight in travel. In 1523 
 she paid another visit to Venice with her brother 
 Alfonso, and her great friend and constant corre- 
 spondent, Castiglione. As of old, she was never 
 weary of visiting churches and picture galleries, 
 meeting Titian and other artists and men of letters, 
 not to mention making friends with the new Doge, 
 whom she saw enthroned. Two years later she decided 
 to go to Rome, that by her personal influence she 
 might at length obtain the much-desired Cardinal's hat 
 for her son Ercole. This was in February, and on the 
 way sh . heard the news of that ^reat victory of Pavia, 
 where Francis I. was defeated and taken prisoner. At 
 Rome she found Pope Clement VII. in terror of the 
 Emperor, and only too glad to make close friends with 
 the Court of Mantua. He even presented to Federico, 
 Raphael's portrait of Leo X., and showed the greatest 
 kindness to the Marchesa, who had established herself 
 in the Colonna Palace on the Quirinal. As usual, she 
 at once became the centre of a delightful literary 
 coterie, she visited everything, and must have been 
 perfectly happy in being at the very fountain-head of 
 all discovery of antiques. 
 
 It was while Isabella was in Rome, that she heard of 
 the death of her dearest friend, Elisabetta, Duchess of 
 Urbino, whose loss was one of the greatest sorrows 
 of her life. 
 
 Meanwhile, important events were happening in 
 Italy, where, after the Treaty of Madrid, war broke 
 out again with more violence than ever. But Isabella 
 
 167 
 
ISABELLA D'ESTE 
 
 still remained in the splendid palace with its sunny 
 gardens, following out all her wonted pursuits ; and 
 she had been more than two years in Rome when 
 suddenly the blow fell. Duke Charles of Bourbon 
 with the Imperialist troops, encamped under the very 
 walls one Sunday in May 1527 ; an attack was made, 
 the leader was killed, but his wild and savage army 
 stormed the walls, and the hapless city was given up to 
 pillage and destruction during three awful days. The 
 Pope and most of the cardinals fled to the Castel St. 
 Angelo, and escaped only with their lives, for all the 
 priceless treasures of the Vatican were ruthlessly sacked 
 and carted away. Isabella d'Este herself was safe, for 
 she had kinsmen and friends in the invading army, and 
 amongst them her son Ferrante. The crowd of dis- 
 tinguished people who found a refuge under her roof 
 were compelled to pay a heavy ransom ; Gregorovius 
 gives the number as 1200 ladies and 1000 citizens. But 
 she must have had a fearful time during that week in 
 the Palazzo Colonna, before she was able to escape 
 with a strong guard to the galleys, which took her 
 safely to Ostia. 
 
 Leaving desolation and ruin behind her, the in- 
 domitable lady had yet one satisfaction, she bore away 
 with her the Cardinal's hat for her son Ercole, which 
 the Pope, in his desperate need for money, had sold to 
 her for 40,000 ducats, when Bourbon was already under 
 the walls of Rome. 
 
 The Marchesa found her beloved Mantua ravaged by 
 famine and plague, which spread all over northern 
 Italy. Again she pledged her jewels, and did all in 
 her power to help the poor people, of whom we are 
 told that nearly one-third fell victims to the pestilence. 
 
 168 
 
ISABELLA D'ESTE 
 
 But she still found means to add to her treasure, although 
 one galley laden with spoils was taken by pirates. 
 
 *' For all these little vexations, those were glorious 
 days ! " exclaims de Maulde. " What a lucky windfall 
 the sack of Rome was to collectors ! " 
 
 That was the true Renaissance spirit, and a while 
 later we find Titian on a visit to Mantua, admiring the 
 treasures of Isabella, and painting her famous portrait, 
 in which she wears that wonderful turban-shaped cap 
 which had been her favourite head-dress for twenty 
 years. We next meet this indispensable lady at Ferrara, 
 where once again it falls to her lot to receive and 
 welcome a distinguished bride. It was a quarter of a 
 century since the days of Lucrezia Borgia, and now 
 the coming princess is Renee of France, daughter of 
 Louis XII., and sister-in-law of King Francis I. Truly 
 a great marriage for the son of the Duke of Ferrara. 
 
 As usual there were splendid festivities, but the time 
 was unfortunate, for Ferrara, too, had been ravaged by 
 the plague, and the unlucky city was once more on the 
 point of war. But the next year, when the victorious 
 Emperor arranged to meet the Pope and to be crowned 
 at Bologna with the iron crown of Lombardy, Isabella 
 d'Este had so many interests at stake that, aware of her 
 own personal influence, she felt it her duty to be present 
 at this great meeting, and went thither in great state 
 and splendour. She was justified by the event, for she 
 was entirely successful, both in mediation for her 
 brother and her nephew of Milan, and also in obtaining 
 for her son great favour with the Emperor, and the 
 coveted title of Duke of Mantua. 
 
 Those three resplendent years which the young 
 Federico spent at the Papal Court seem to have 
 
 169 
 
ISABELLA D'ESTE 
 
 weakened his moral fibre, for he had entered into rela- 
 tions, unsanctioned by the Church, with one Isabella 
 Boschetti, although he had been twice unwillingly 
 betrothed. But now an opportunity presented itself 
 for a splendid marriage with Margherita Paleologa, the 
 heiress of Monferrato, and through his mother's suc- 
 cessful diplomacy, all difficulties were overcome. With 
 a stately escort of a thousand men, the Duke of Mantua 
 rode to Casale, the ancient capital of Monferrato, and 
 the wedding was celebrated with the usual pomp and 
 magnificence. A few years later the bride came into her 
 rich dowry, which was added to the duchy of Mantua, 
 a princely inheritance for her little son born in 1533. 
 
 Was ever woman so favoured by fortune as Madonna 
 Isabella ? Every project of hers was crowned by 
 success ; she had but to form a wish and straightway 
 it was gratified. To the last she kept up her enthusiasm 
 for all beautiful things, for travel, for art, for poetry. 
 She spent much time in her exquiste villa at Porto, and 
 was never weary of adding to the choice flowers and 
 shrubs of the terraced gardens. Surrounded by her 
 friends, with frequent visits from her children and her 
 grandchildren, she lived gaily and happily to the end. 
 She died on February 13, 1539, and the world was the 
 poorer by her loss. 
 
 We feel that for one who had laid up so much treasure 
 here below, it must have been hard to lose it all — to 
 die, and leave her earthly " Paradiso." But did some 
 instinct tell her that she would bequeath an undying 
 memory to the world of culture, that she would awaken 
 the passionate envy of art-lovers yet unborn, and that 
 she would go down to posterity as the most perfect 
 flower of the Italian Renaissance ? 
 
 170 
 
RENEE, DUCHESS OF FERRARA, AND 
 OLYMPIA MORATA 
 
 We cannot turn away from the Lombard cities of the 
 plain, without a few pages on the subject of Renee of 
 France, who for the greater part of her Hfe was Duchess 
 of Ferrara. She was daughter of Louis XILand Anne 
 de Bretagne, and was brought up at the French Court 
 with her cousin Margaret, who became Queen of 
 Navarre, and distinguished as a Platonist and a 
 poetess. Both the young girls seem to have been 
 drawn towards the new spirit of religious thought 
 which was spreading over Europe, but their feelings 
 were somewhat vague and speculative at that time, 
 and they had no idea of rebellion against the powers 
 of the Roman Church. 
 
 After the successful campaign of the French army in 
 Italy, the Duke of Ferrara renewed his old friendship 
 with King Francis L, and asked the hand of his sister- 
 in-law, Renee, for his eldest son Ercole. This would 
 appear to us rather a descent for a daughter of France, 
 who seems, indeed, to have held this view herself ; but, 
 probably from reasons of policy, the marriage contract 
 was signed, and on June 28, 1528, the wedding took 
 place in Paris, at the Sainte Chapelle, with much 
 magnificence."! 
 
 "" 171 
 
RENEE 
 
 We are not told the first impression which the princess 
 made upon her bridegroom when she was presented to 
 him, for she was very different in appearance from the 
 beautiful women of his own family, being short and 
 deformed, with a plain face and delicate health. Still 
 it was a great match for him, and he could doubtless 
 appreciate her intelligence and literary tastes. For 
 the Court of his father at Ferrara, in which he had 
 been brought up, was exceptionally gay and brilliant. 
 Titian, Bellini, and other great painters were at his ser- 
 vice to paint pictures for him or decorate his palace 
 walls. Men of letters and poets were welcomed at his 
 table, and the saying went that " Ferrara had as many 
 poets as there were frogs in the country round." 
 Most notable among them was Ariosto, whose "Or- 
 lando Furioso" told with splendid satire the passing 
 away of the Mediaeval Age, and the coming of the new 
 vivid inquiring spirit of the Renaissance. It is pos- 
 sible that the thought of this polished circle of 
 art and literature may have had its attraction for 
 Renee. 
 
 When all the balls and hunting parties at St. Germain 
 and Fontainebleau were over, the wedding party set 
 out towards Italy in September. They proposed to 
 travel by slow stages through Lyons, Turin, Parma, 
 Reggio, and Modena, and did not expect to arrive at 
 Ferrara before the middle of November. Great pre- 
 parations were made to welcome the bridal pair, and 
 the Duke of Ferrara, mindful of his sister's tact and 
 kindness on the arrival of his own bride, Lucrezia 
 Borgia, a quarter of a century before, begged Isabella 
 of Mantua to help him in the reception. This was to 
 take place at Modena, where the bride made her entry 
 
 172 
 
RENEE 
 
 in great state, with much ringing of bells, and salvoes, 
 and flare of trumpets, and enthusiasm. But the young 
 princess must have appreciated most of all, the gracious 
 presence and earnest friendliness of the Marchesa. 
 After a fortnight spent in festivities, the bride and 
 bridegroom spent a night at the beautiful palace of 
 the Belvedere, which Duke Alfonso had built. It was 
 situated on an island in the river, and has been made 
 famous by Ariosto in the " Orlando." It was a dream 
 of beauty, with its stately terraces and exquisite gar- 
 dens, its orange groves and fountains, and its chapel 
 painted by Dossi. 
 
 The next day they set sail in the great decorated 
 bu centaur, and arrived at the river gate of Ferrara, 
 where they were received by Ippolito, the Archbishop 
 of Milan, Ercole's brother, the ambassadors, and all 
 the clergy, and others who escorted them to the 
 cathedral. The streets were hung with banners, and 
 a large company of pages in black satin and pink, 
 attended the cortege. Ren^e was carried in a crimson 
 litter with a baldacchino of gold, and her ladies followed 
 in chariots. The bride was presented with the keys of 
 the city in a silver bowl, in the Piazza del Duomo, 
 which was thronged with eager spectators, although 
 the city had but recently been ravaged by the plague. 
 On arriving at that huge fortress palace of Este, which 
 stands four-square in the centre of Ferrara, Ren6e was 
 led by the hand up the great marble staircase, in her 
 gorgeous wedding dress of gold brocade and a priceless 
 necklace of pearls, wearing a golden crown on her 
 head. In the tapestried hall she received costly 
 wedding presents from the ambassadors, while the 
 chief merchants of Ferrara prayed her acceptance of 
 
 173 
 
RENEE 
 
 oxen, goats, fowls, cheeses, and^ other articles of food, 
 which waited below in the vast courtyard. 
 
 Poor princess ! One wonders if in all her gorgeous 
 array, she had misgivings as to the difference between 
 herself and the Italian ladies, in their matchless charm 
 and beauty. Did she remember hearing, as a child, 
 that her wise mother, the Sovereign Lady of Brittany 
 in her own right, had been dissuaded from paying a 
 much-desired visit to Italy for this very reason ? Her 
 husband. King Louis XII., had frankly warned her 
 that the very sight of such magnificent princesses as 
 Isabella d'Este and Lucrezia Borgia would "crush her 
 to the ground ! " 
 
 It is rather touching to hear that Anne, Queen of 
 France, she who " was so glorious of soul," meekly 
 expressed her willingness to wear only " black or tan 
 cloth and no fine robes," not to enter into rivalry with 
 those ladies. In the end, however, the journey was 
 given up, and she never saw Italy. 
 
 Ren6e does not seem to have made a very favourable 
 impression at the court of Duke Alfonso. Probably 
 she was shy and awkward in the middle of all these 
 strangers whose language she could not understand, 
 and she clung to the company of her French attendants, 
 more especially to that Madame de Soubise who caused 
 so much trouble in after years. The only Italian she 
 took into her service was her secretary, Bernardo Tasso, 
 the father of the famous poet. 
 
 More festivities followed, but in rather a half-hearted 
 manner we gather, and the Marchesa of Mantua seems 
 to have been very weary of them. There were quintain 
 races, on which the court ladies and gentlemen looked 
 down from the balconies, there was much dancing, and 
 
 174 
 
RENEE 
 
 there were state representations of the comedies of 
 Ariosto and some French plays in honour of the 
 bride. Of one great entertainment given to welcome 
 her, such full details have come down to posterity, that 
 for once it will be worth while giving them, to bring 
 before us a banquet of the Renaissance. 
 
 In the great hall painted by Titian, Bellini, and 
 Dosso Dossi, a hundred illustrious guests sat round a 
 splendid table, on which were rows of great figures, 
 most ingeniously and artistically designed out of sugar 
 and gilding, of the Olympian gods and goddesses. In 
 the centre was a striking group of Hercules strangling 
 the lion, in compliment to the name of the bridegroom. 
 With the next course another composition was placed 
 on the table, of Hercules grappling with the Hydra ; 
 and again another appeared, of the taming of the 
 Minotaur by the same hero. Meantime the table 
 groaned with the weight of great silver dishes, piled 
 up with all the dainties of the age. Amongst these we 
 may notice lish of many kinds richly stuffed, peacocks 
 roast whole with the tail outpread, roast meats and 
 galantine, boiled capons with spices, small chickens 
 garnished with sugar and rosewater, quails and wild 
 fowl, caramels made of pine seeds, and every variety 
 of tarts and pasties and sweetmeats. Wines of the 
 rarest vintage filled great silver jars and flasks, and 
 were constantly handed round. Each course was 
 brought in headed by a band of musicians, playing 
 the lyre, viol, and harp, and singing rondeaux and 
 madrigals, while the organ softly accompanied them 
 from afar. 
 
 At the end of the banquet, the choicest and most 
 costly perfumes were handed round, and a great golden 
 
 175 
 
RENEE 
 
 pasty was placed on the table, full of exquisite jewels, 
 for which the ladies drew lots. We do not wonder 
 after all this, that wedding festivities often left a State 
 impoverished for years ! 
 
 It must have been unfortunate for Renee that, almost 
 immediately after her marriage, the armies of France 
 began to lose ground in Italy, and one defeat after 
 another led up to the Treaty of Cambray, when it 
 seemed that Ferrara would be sacrificed to the Pope's 
 vengeance. But the Duke hastened to do homage to 
 the victorious Emperor, who took a great fancy to his 
 lively wit — escorted him with much ceremony through 
 his dominions, induced his sister to act as mediator at 
 Bologna with the Pope, and the peril was averted. 
 Alfonso seems to have behaved kindly to his daughter- 
 in-law even when the alliance with her family had lost 
 all political value. He sympathised with her literary 
 tastes, but we do not know how far he could enter into 
 her love for philosophy, geometry, and astronomy. 
 From various parts of Italy distinguished scholars 
 gathered round her Court, where she seems to have 
 presided over an academy, which met in her apart- 
 ments. Amongst her friends were many of the new 
 school of thought, and when the spirit of intolerance 
 in France drove reformers from their native land some 
 of them took refuge at Ferrara. Clement Marot, who 
 has been called the first poet of modern France, was 
 a guest of hers. He had written a nuptial hymn in 
 honour of her, and he spoke of her as " Ce noble coeur 
 de Ren^e de France." It was Marot who with the 
 curious fantastic taste of the age, thus addressed the 
 yet unborn child of the Duchess Ren^e : " You will 
 find a century in which you can quickly learn all that 
 
 176 
 
RENEE 
 
 a child can understand. Come then boldly, and when 
 you grow older, you will find something better still : 
 you will find a war already begun — the war against 
 ignorance and its insensate troops." i He also addressed 
 these lines to Marguerite of Navarre, with regard to 
 Renee, Duchess of Ferrara : 
 
 "Hal Marguerite, escoute la souffrance 
 Du noble coeur de Renee de France ; 
 Puis comme sceur plus fort que d'esperance 
 
 Console — la. 
 Tu sais comment hors son pays alia, 
 Et que parents et amis laissa la, 
 Mais tu ne sais quel traitement elle a 
 En terre estrange. 
 
 " Elle ne voit ceult a qui se veult plaindre, 
 Son ceil rayant si loing ne pent attaindre ; 
 Et puis les monts pour ce bien lui estaindre 
 Sont entre deux." 
 
 Calvin himself remained with Renee for a time 
 before he settled in Geneva, and he continued a 
 friendly correspondence with her until his death. 
 
 She seems to have spent much of her time in the 
 country house of the Este princes, the Schifanoia or 
 Sans Souci, which had been decorated byCosimo Tura 
 with celebrated pictures of pastoral and hunting scenes. 
 She had a gay and brilliant life now that Ferrara was 
 once more in peace and prosperity. We hear of many 
 entertainments, and a description of the costumes of the 
 ladies from the novelist Stabellino. On one occasion 
 Renee wore a blue satin gown with a high French 
 collar, with sleeves slashed to show a white chemisette, 
 a little black velvet cap with a white feather on her head, 
 and a gold fillet. Her ladies were dressed, some in black 
 
 177 M 
 
RENEE 
 
 satin, others in crimson, with the same velvet caps. 
 There appears to have been great interest shown as to 
 whether Madame de Soubise would persuade her to wear 
 the French mode instead of the Italian. This lady was 
 a very bad adviser, and, after being the cause of much 
 scandal, was ultimately sent back to France in disgrace. 
 
 The first child of the young Duchess was a daughter, 
 whom she called Anna, after her own mother, Anne de 
 Bretagne, and this child seems to have been a special 
 favourite with Isabella d'Este, whom she greatly re- 
 sembled in appearance and character. There was an early 
 portrait of the Marchesa, which she lent her nephew 
 to be copied, as it proved to be so strikingly like his 
 little girl, who was destined in after years to marry 
 Duke Francis of Guise, the most famous of his race. 
 In November 1533 there were great rejoicings at the 
 birth of a son, who was christened Alfonso, after his 
 grandfather, and had the Pope Clement VII. for his 
 sponsor. Both of these old enemies died the following 
 year, when Ercole and his wife became the reigning 
 Duke and Duchess. 
 
 Isabella d'Este seems to have kept up her connection 
 with Ferrara, for we hear of her going there to spend 
 the carnival two years later, to cheer the spirits of 
 Renee, who was ill after the birth of her daughter 
 Lucrezia. The Marchesa writes to tell her son about 
 her visit : " To-day I arrived here half an hour after 
 nightfall, and was received by the Duke and many 
 nobles and ladies on the river bank. They escorted 
 me with lighted torches to my lodgings. . . . Soon 
 after I visited the Duchess, who has had a touch of 
 fever, but not serious, and then went into the hall to 
 see the dancing begin." 
 
 178 
 
RENEE 
 
 Later she writes that the Duke Ercole has given a 
 great supper, " which was followed by a concert of 
 excellent and varied music, and afterwards by dancing 
 till bedtime." Another very curious letter of Isabella's 
 is preserved, written to a court lady with regard to her 
 famous dwarfs, whose suite of apartments may still be 
 seen at Mantua : 
 
 " It was a promise of mine to give Madame Renee 
 the first girl born to my dwarfs. The ' puttina ' has 
 now reached the age of two, and doubtless will con- 
 tinue to be a dwarf, though she hardly promises to 
 be so small as my Delia. She can now walk alone 
 without a guide, if the Duchess desires to have 
 her." 
 
 Vittoria Colonna, Marchioness of Pescara, was drawn 
 towards Renee through similarity of tastes, and paid 
 her frequent visits at Ferrara. She was godmother to 
 her youngest daughter, Leonora, made immortal by 
 the love of Tasso. On this occasion Vittoria was 
 anxious to enlist her friend's interest in that wonderful 
 man, about whom opinions have differed so much, 
 Fra Bernardino Ochino. He was a monk, and for three 
 years general of the Capuchins, " fiery, proud, austere, 
 with large bloodless face and long, shaggy white beard." 
 His sermons had created quite an enthusiasm in Rome, 
 where most of the Sacred College had flocked to hear 
 him. But he was a man of rare mental independence, 
 and his writings soon verged towards heresy, notably 
 the " Dialogi." 
 
 We have another glimpse of the young Duchess in 
 those days, or rather of her little six-year-old daughter, 
 on the occasion of more carnival fetes. " Signora 
 Anna played some pieces most excellently on the 
 
 179 
 
 4 
 
RENEE 
 
 gravicembalo." Then the dwarfs, Morgentino and DeHa, 
 jumped and danced together, and Signora Anna joined 
 them and danced several dances " alia gagliarda," which 
 gave the Marchesa di Pescara and the Duke and every 
 one the greatest pleasure. We were convinced that if 
 the goddess Nature had danced before us she could not 
 have danced in more perfect time or more exquisite 
 taste." 
 
 In 1540, when Anna d'Este was only nine years old, 
 Calcagnini thus wrote to her in Latin : " I have read 
 the fables you have translated from the Tuscan into 
 Latin, in an elegant and ornate style, as becomes a 
 royal hand. On finishing the perusal I had only to 
 regret that it was so soon ended. ... I trust that 
 these essays may be the seed of future compositions 
 which will reflect honour on your name. I have already 
 the pleasure of applauding these first steps on the path 
 to fame." 
 
 Renee took the greatest interest in the education of 
 her children, and when Anna was ten years old she 
 selected as her companion and teacher, Olympia Morata, 
 a most accomplished girl, only two years older than 
 her pupil. She was the daughter of a professor in the 
 university, Pelligrino Morata, and she had been taught 
 all the learning of that day, was well versed in Greek 
 and Latin literature, and was engaged in the study of 
 rhetoric or public speaking. What progress Signora 
 Anna made in this we do not know, but we hear that 
 Olympia, at the age of fourteen, wrote Latin letters 
 and dialogues in Greek and Latin in the style of Plato 
 and Cicero, and that when she was scarcely sixteen she 
 was asked to give lectures in the University of Ferrara 
 on the philosophical problems of the " Paradoxes " of 
 
 180 
 
RENEE 
 
 Cicero. She was listened to with respect and critical ad- 
 miration ; but before long religious questions became 
 of serious importance. Hitherto the spirit of Italian 
 culture had been full of tolerance, but now the gulf 
 between the old opinions and the new had grown 
 wider, the Renaissance Popes were compelled to take 
 strong measures, and the Inquisition set out in earnest 
 to purge the land of heresy. France had become more 
 Catholic under Henri II., who looked with suspicion 
 on the freedom of thought encouraged by his aunt 
 Ren6e. He joined with the Pope in requesting the 
 Duke of Ferrara to put an end to heresy at his Court. 
 Ercole had no wish to make political enemies, so he 
 dismissed Olympia from the education of his children, 
 drove away all Lutherans from the city, and insisted 
 upon the outward orthodoxy of his wifeH 
 
 It will be interesting to make a slight digression in 
 order to see what became of this learned lady. Not 
 yet twenty on her father's death, she was the only 
 support of a delicate mother, three sisters, and a 
 brother, all younger than herself. At this time she 
 writes : 
 
 " I do not regret the fugitive pleasures which I have 
 lost. God has kindled in me a desire to dwell in that 
 heavenly home in which it is more pleasant to abide 
 for one day, than a thousand years in the courts of 
 princes." Two years later, Olympia married a young 
 German doctor who was studying medicine at the 
 university, and they found it necessary to leave 
 Ferrara and make a home in Germany. She was 
 devoted to her husband, but her short life was full of 
 anxiety and trouble, and she died at Heidelburg at 
 the age of twenty-nine. Her husband gives such a 
 
RENEE 
 
 touching description of her end that it is worthy of 
 
 record. 
 
 " When she was almost dying, waking a little out of 
 
 sleep, I saw her look pleased and smile softly. I went 
 
 nearer and asked her why she smiled so sweetly. * I 
 
 saw just now/ she said, * a quiet place filled with the 
 
 fairest and clearest light.' When she could speak no 
 
 more through weakness. ' Courage,' I said, ' dear wife ; 
 
 in that fair light you will dwell.' Again she smiled 
 
 and nodded her head. A little while afterwards she 
 
 said, ' I am quite happy.' When next she spoke her 
 
 eyes were already dim, ' I can scarcely see you any 
 
 longer,' she said, * but everything seems to me full of 
 
 the most beautiful flowers.' They were her last words. 
 
 Soon after, as if overcome by sweet sleep, she breathed 
 
 forth her soul." 
 
 r~ 
 To return to Ferrara, Olympia must long have been 
 
 a tender memory and a surviving influence with her 
 pupils. We hear of them, when still under fifteen, as 
 being sufficiently advanced to act a comedy of Terence 
 before Pope Paul III., when he paid a visit to their 
 father. The great Venetian scholar, Pietro Bembo, 
 must often have spoken to them of his old friend, 
 Olympia ; he who said, " A little girl should learn 
 Latin : it gives a finishing touch to her charm." 
 
 jit is a very remarkable episode in the history of 
 Ferrara that a reigning duchess should be an enthusi- 
 astic lover of the Reformation — that religious revolution 
 which was to spread over the world, and deliver it from 
 a Church of which the Borgia, the Rovere, and the 
 Medici had been chief. Yet her courage was fatal to 
 the happiness of the poor lady herself. Her husband 
 placed her in a convent in the year 1554; but the noble 
 
 182 
 
RENEE 
 
 princess remained absolutely faithful to her religious 
 faith. When the Inquisition had succeeded in stifling 
 the reforming spirit in Ferrara, and her son Alfonso 
 was the reigning duke, she went back to France, where 
 she lived at the Castle of Montarges, surrounded by her 
 Huguenot friends, until her death in 1575. 
 
 183 
 
DAUGHTERS OF VENICE. 
 
 CATERINA CORNARO, QUEEN OF CYPRUS. 
 BIANCA CAPELLO, GRAND DUCHESS OF TUSCANY. 
 
HISTORICAL SUMMARY. 
 
 1454. Birth of Caterina Cornaro. 
 
 1468. Betrothal of Caterina Cornaro to Giacomo, King of 
 Cyprus, 
 
 1472. Marriage of Caterina and Giacomo. 
 
 1473. Birth of a son to the Queen of Cyprus, He died the 
 
 next year. 
 
 1477. Turks ravaged Friuli ; defeated Venice. 
 
 1479. Venice made peace with the Ottomans, after fifteen 
 years war. 
 
 1482. Sixtus IV. made a league with Venice to despoil House 
 of Este. The Pope made peace with Este, and ex- 
 communicated Venice. Venice continued the war 
 till the Treaty of Bagnolo secured her much Este 
 property. 
 
 1489. Caterina resigns the crown of Cyprus to the Republic. 
 
 1509. League of Cambray. The Pope, Emperor, and Kings 
 
 of France and Spain were against Venice, who was 
 defeated at Aignadello. Venice made peace with 
 the Pope and Spain, and defeated the Emperor 
 Maximilian at Padua. 
 
 15 10. Death of Caterina Cornaro, late Queen of Cyprus. 
 1548. Birth of Bianca Capello. 
 
 1563. Flight of Bianca Capello from Venice. Her marriage 
 to Pietro Bonaventuri. 
 
 1565. Marriage of Francesco, son of Cosimo, Grand Duke of 
 Tuscany, to Giovanna of Austria, sister of Maxi- 
 milian II. 
 
 1574. Death of the Grand Duke Cosimo. Francesco suc- 
 ceeds him. 
 
 1576. Murder of Isabella dei Medici (Orsini). 
 
 1577. Birth of Filippo, son of Giovanna of Austria. 
 
 1578. Death of the Grand Duchess Giovanna. 
 
 1578. Marriage of the Grand Duke Francesco with Bianca 
 
 Capello. 
 1582. Death of Filippo, son of the Grand Duke. 
 1587, Death of the Grand Duke Francesco and his wife, 
 
 Bianca Capello, at Poggio a Cajano. 
 
CATERINA CORNARO, QUEEN OF 
 CYPRUS. 
 
 The story of the Venetian maiden, suddenly called 
 from her convent school to become the Queen of 
 Cyprus, then returning to her peaceful home until 
 such time as she sailed forth in stately pomp to her 
 royal husband and her kingdom, is a picture so 
 brightly vivid that it has all the charm of a fairy tale, 
 and we follow, with breathless interest, the stirring 
 adventures which befell her. 
 
 A few words on the history of Cyprus will be neces- 
 sary to explain its position in the middle of the four- 
 teenth century. During three hundred years it had 
 been in the peaceable possession of the descendants of 
 Guy de Lusignan, the expelled King of Jerusalem, to 
 whom our Richard I. had given it after the Third 
 Crusade. He had become King of Jerusalem by 
 marriage with Sibylle, the widowed daughter of 
 Baldwin IV. Giovanni III. of Lusignan died in 1458, 
 leaving the kingdom of Cyprus to Carlotta, his only 
 legitimate child, who married her cousin Louis, Count 
 of Geneva, second son of the Duke of Savoy and Anna 
 of Cyprus. She was solemnly crowned at Lefkosia or 
 Nicosia in 1460, but before many months her half- 
 brother, Giacomo, natural son of the late king, had 
 
 187 
 
CATERINA CORNARO 
 
 defeated and deposed her, with the aid of the Sultan of 
 Egypt and his Mamelukes. 
 
 Having taken possession of the island, and caused 
 himself to be crowned, Giacomo II. felt the import- 
 ance of making a durable alliance with his powerful 
 neighbours the Venetians, and he therefore sent a 
 formal embassy to the Doge and Signoria, asking them 
 to bestow upon him a Venetian maiden of good birth 
 as his bride. We may imagine the flutter in the dove- 
 cotes of the city, and the careful consideration needed 
 before the grave and reverend statesmen could make a 
 suitable selection. At length the choice fell upon 
 Caterina, the young daughter of the great Venetian 
 merchant, Marco Cornaro, who, with two other patri- 
 cian houses, happened to hold most of the island of 
 Cyprus in mortgage. 
 
 The little girl, who had never been heard of before 
 outside her own family, was born on Santa Caterina's 
 day, 1454, and received the name of her patron saint. 
 Her father must have been of noble birth, for in the 
 archives of the city he is called Kavalier Marco Cornaro, 
 and the name of his wife was Fiorenza Crispo. Their 
 eldest daughter Violante married Marco Dandolo, and 
 Caterina was sent at ten years old to be educated at the 
 convent of San Benedetto at Padua. When the deci- 
 sion of the Signoria was made known, she suddenly 
 became a person of much importance, and returned 
 home at once to prepare for the great event. The 
 chronicles of the day give a very full account of the 
 espousals, which were celebrated with splendid pomp. 
 Her father's home was at San Polo, in the centre of 
 Venice, not far from the Frari, and here, on July 30, 
 1468, there came a stately company of forty patrician 
 
 188 
 
CATERINA CORNARO 
 
 matrons, in the richest velvets and brocades, to fetch 
 the destined bride, and accompany her in the Doge's 
 own barge all down the gaily decorated Grand Canal, 
 amid the eager curiosity of the pleasure-loving people, 
 to the Ducal Palace. Here another group of noble 
 Venetian ladies awaited her at the foot of the great 
 staircase and conducted her into the Council Chamber. 
 An eye-witness declares that " he had never seen so 
 beautiful a child, and described her as being of middle 
 height, though she looked tall in the magnificent robes 
 covered with jewels, which set off her full round 
 figure. She had soft black eyes, an open brow, a 
 milky complexion, and the rich golden hair so much 
 esteemed in Venice. 
 
 There was a distinguished assembly present to witness 
 the marriage ceremony, and the Doge Christoforo More 
 presented a consecrated ring to the Cyprian ambassa- 
 dor, who placed it on Caterina's finger, " in the name 
 of Jacopo II. di Lusignano, re di Cipro, d' Armenia, e di 
 Gerusalemme." Her dowry was fixed at the princely 
 sum of 100,000 ducats, and it was decided by the 
 Republic that a picture of the bride should be painted 
 and sent to the King of Cyprus. 
 
 It must have been indeed an eventful day for this 
 maiden of fourteen, to be taken from the quiet life at 
 San Benedetto, to change her plain black dress for 
 brocades and costly jewels, and to find herself the 
 chief actress in a dramatic ceremony of such grandeur 
 and importance. A simple little girl in the morning, 
 she returns home at night a queen, at least in name. 
 When she was back at home with her mother in that 
 sunny Campo San Polo, while the husband she had 
 never seen was far off fighting the Turks, Caterina 
 
CATERINA CORNARO 
 
 must have been tempted to think at times that nothing 
 had really changed, and that it was all a dream of the 
 night. 
 
 The young bride had to wait four years before any- 
 thing happened, and meantime Giacomo, under the 
 influence of Ferdinand of Naples, was very much dis- 
 posed to break off the alliance with Venice, and seek a 
 wife elsewhere. However, after much negotiation, and 
 no doubt strong language from the Republic, the King 
 of Cyprus came to a better mind, and the day was 
 fixed for the departure of Caterina. 
 
 Nothing was wanting in splendour for this festal 
 voyage of thirteen hundred miles, and immense pre- 
 parations had been made, for the bride took with her 
 several members of her family, and a stately suite of 
 ladies in waiting, attendants, and servants. Four mag- 
 nificent Venetian galleys had been specially fitted up 
 for her use, and on a sunny morning in late summer 
 of the year 1472 she set forth on that triumphal expe- 
 dition. We can trace her route to-day, on that 
 changeless highway of the ocean, through many 
 leagues of rippling waves, down the whole length of 
 the Adriatic, past the ancient towered cities on the 
 coast of Romagna and the Abruzzi, with many a rest 
 and break on the way, through the Straits of Otranto, 
 into the blue waters of the Mediterranean, skirting 
 round the storied isles of Greece ; onwards, ever on- 
 wards, driven hither and thither by the caprice of the 
 wind, until at length, after two months' voyage, the 
 great ships put in at Beyrout on the coast of Phoe- 
 nicia. Beyond them rose those fabled peaks of Asia 
 Minor, where Apollo and Pan made the flute discourse 
 sweet music in the Phrygian highlands, while away to 
 
 I go 
 
CATERINA CORNARO 
 
 the north-west, beyond the snows of Lebanon, the 
 wild swans of Ovid died in music, amid the reedy 
 shallows of the Maeander. But at such a moment of 
 eager expectation, dreams of the past would be 
 swallowed up in the living present, for the young 
 Queen of Cyprus was about to make her royal entry 
 into her kingdom. Again she embarked, this time for 
 the short voyage across to the port of Larnaca, and 
 before her, like an island of enchantment, her future 
 domain lay stretched on the horizon, a bank of misty 
 blue, with gleams of light and stains of purple that 
 told of headland and cliff, shining here and there like 
 crags of amethyst. On the near shore, at the very edge 
 of the water, minaret and campanile seemed to rise 
 glimmering above the white dwellings, encircled to the 
 east by an emerald grove of palm trees. Here beyond 
 the open roadstead an escort awaited the travellers, 
 with litters and mules for riding, and beasts of burden 
 to carry all the magnificent trousseau and furnishing of 
 the Venetian bride. It was still a journey of many 
 hours, through a wild bare country, with undulating 
 ridges and rocky boulders and broad marshy levels, 
 bounded in the distance by purple mountains, until at 
 length the capital, Nicosia, rose before them, that city 
 of the crusaders, with its palaces, and mediaeval 
 churches, and minarets and temples of the old Greeks. 
 Here with great solemnity Caterina made her entrance, 
 splendidly dressed, with King Giacomo riding by her 
 side, until the gay procession streamed into the palace 
 of the Lusignan kings. 
 
 If there had been misgivings as to the warmth of her 
 reception, they melted away at once, for her dazzling 
 beauty triumphed over all. Her new life spread out 
 
 191 
 
CATERINA CORNARO 
 
 before her as an endless vista of festal scenes and gay 
 entertainments, in that delicious balmy climate, where 
 even winter had no terrors. 
 
 It must have been like a vision of dreamland, that 
 grand old castle with its sumptuous interior, of oriental 
 colour and design, in the midst of its spice gardens 
 and tropical flowers, and shady groves of palms and 
 mulberry trees. All around were white Corinthian 
 porticoes side by side with Greek basilicas and Gothic 
 churches ; while the streets were the scene of splendid 
 pageants, and the markets full of all that wealth and 
 luxury could desire. Caterina must have loved to hear 
 the story and tradition of her classic isle ; of its con- 
 nection with ancient Egypt and of Greece ; with Solo- 
 mon and Haroun-al-Raschid ; with Crusaders and 
 Knights Templars ; of the Byzantine Dukes of Cyprus 
 who had built that very palace, and the love story of her 
 husband's ancestor, Guy de Lusignan and the Princess 
 Sibylle. Could she ever weary of hearing how the 
 chivalry of the West inherited the romance of the 
 East? 
 
 Then how full of charm and contrast to the convent- 
 bred girl — whose out-door life was once limited to a 
 demure walk in the shady gardens of the Monasterio 
 at Padua — must it have been to set forth with a gallant 
 cavalcade, hawking or hunting in the broad plains 
 around. Or at times, with greater daring, she may 
 have gone farther afield, when for her the " Queen's 
 Lodging " was added to the Castle of St. Hilarion, on 
 that rude mountain height where Richard Coeur-de- 
 Lion once planted his standard. From thence she 
 could hunt in the great forests beyond, still haunted by 
 the legend of Adonis, and where still roamed the wild 
 
CATERINA CORNARO 
 
 boars whose forerunner had slain the peerless youth. 
 In verse and song, the fair young Queen of Cyprus had 
 herself been likened to that Venus who rose from 
 yonder sapphire waves, and chose for her ancient home 
 the Mount Olympus of that sea-girt isle. 
 
 But those happy days were all too brief, and within 
 a year her joy and triumph were changed to mourning. 
 Her husband, Giacomo, had gone out on a hunting 
 expedition, in the neighbourhood of Famagusta, and 
 had been killed, and brought home to her dead. It 
 must have been a fearful shock ; but Caterina kept up 
 her courage, and took all needful steps to protect the 
 throne, for the sake of her unborn child. A Council 
 of Regency was appointed, for the island became at 
 once in a state of unrest, and the news was sent to 
 Venice, where steps were immediately taken for the 
 protection of the queen, troops being sent to fortify 
 and garrison the important fortresses of the island. 
 
 As for poor Caterina herself, all her thoughts and 
 hopes were concentrated on the passionate desire that 
 her child might be a son, to inherit his father's kingdom. 
 She made pilgrimages and prayers to Saint Irene, and 
 to St. Epiphanius, the good Bishop of Salamina, who 
 had performed many miracles ; he was so pious and 
 good ! She knew that there was a deadly conspiracy 
 against her, that the partizans of Carlotta of Savoy 
 were preparing a great effort ; but what did it matter ? 
 If only an heir were born to her, God would protect 
 the right. 
 
 As her biographer says, " stava apicato a un chavelo," 
 her throne was on a volcano, and though many loved 
 her, yet they were the gentle timid ones who could not 
 protect her. One terrible day, the conspirators burst 
 
 193 N 
 
CATERINA CORNARO 
 
 into the palace, forced their way to her presence, and 
 her physician and one of her servants were murdered 
 before her eyes. Her uncle, Andrea Cornaro, and a 
 cousin who were hastening to her aid, were also put 
 to death, and she herself had a narrow escape. But 
 help was at hand, the expedition from Venice arrived, 
 under the captain-general, Pietro Mocenigo ; he put 
 down the insurrection in the city, and hung the ring- 
 leaders, who were ardent supporters of the Princess 
 Carlotta of Savoy, and had hoped to place her on the 
 throne. 
 
 On August 28, 1473, " al quatro hore de notte," the 
 Queen of Cyprus gave birth to a son, born a king, and 
 the happy mother forgot all her troubles in supreme 
 content at the realisation of her fondest wishes. He 
 was baptized on September 26, in the presence of 
 General Mocenigo, the Venetian ambassador, and many 
 other noble personages, and received the name of 
 Giacomo HI. 
 
 The Venetian Republic, with their usual astuteness, 
 had sent with their army, two trusty Councillors and 
 a Civil Commissioner to watch events, and obtain a 
 firm grasp of the affairs of Cyprus. Caterina was too 
 much absorbed in the care of her child to give her 
 whole care to the government, and was glad of their 
 help. But another sorrow was in store for her ; her 
 baby was scarcely a year old when he was taken from 
 her by some sudden childish complaint, and she was 
 left desolate indeed. The watchful Senators of Venice 
 sent her father, Marco Cornaro, with his wife, Fiorenza, 
 to comfort their bereaved daughter, and, at the same 
 time they gave orders that the mother, sister and illegi- 
 timate son of Giacomo should be forthwith sent to 
 
 194 
 
CATERINA CORNARO 
 
 Venice. Marco Cornaro was also specially commis- 
 sioned to keep the allegiance of the Cypriotes, and 
 to take heed that there would be no change in the 
 government. About this time a fresh conspiracy was 
 entered into by the partisans of Carlotta of Savoy, and 
 Ferdinand, King of Naples, sent a certain Rizzo di 
 Mario to carry on the plot at Alexandria. But the 
 Venetian government had received a warning, and 
 they secured the person of Rizzo and carried him to 
 Venice, where the Ten went through the form of a 
 trial and condemned him to death. At this point, 
 the Sultan, who had been friendly with the prisoner 
 when he had gone to his Court as Ambassador, made a 
 strong appeal in his favour, even going so far as to 
 forbid the Republic to carry out the sentence. How- 
 ever, the unfortunate Rizzo di Mario was strangled in 
 prison, and the Sultan was informed that he had taken 
 poison in despair. 
 
 Meantime, Caterina continued to be the nominal 
 mistress of Cyprus, and as her real power diminished, 
 she seems to have gained ground in the sympathy of 
 her people. As she was denied the joys and duties of 
 a mother, her biographer tells us, she grew to care 
 more and more for pomp andceremony and the outward 
 show of sovereignty. " She recalled to the Cypriotes 
 those memories of independence which flattered their 
 pride." And all the time, by means of the two 
 Councillors and the Civil Commissioner, the Republic 
 of Venice was slowly and surely gaining dominion of 
 the whole island. 
 
 As time passed on, they gradually assumed absolute 
 power, and the position became intolerable for the 
 unfortunate queen. She wrote lamentable letters to 
 
 195 
 
CATERINA CORNARO 
 
 the Doge of Venice, complaining of the insulting con- 
 duct and actual persecution of these envoys, both to 
 her father and herself. And others in authority took 
 their cue from them, for even the Archbishop, " with- 
 out respect or reverence, would enter her chamber 
 when he would," and she was constantly molested by 
 brawls in her own palace. Years passed in this way, 
 for with the achievement of their purpose certain in 
 the end, the Senators of the Republic could afford to 
 wait. At length, when the time was ripe for action, 
 they won over to their side her brother Giorgio Cornaro, 
 and sent him to persuade Caterina to abdicate in their 
 favour. With him they also despatched General Diedo, 
 with instructions that, " by wise and circumspect, 
 cautious and secure means, they should get the queen 
 on board a galley and bring her here to us at Venice." 
 
 This elaborate diplomacy was successful, and the 
 unhappy lady yielded at length to persuasion and 
 threats. Her brother had arrived on his mission in 
 October 1488, but it was not until February 26, 1489, 
 that the banner of St. Mark's floated over the castles 
 of Cyprus. 
 
 An ambassador was at once sent to the Sultan of 
 Egypt to announce that the event had taken place 
 " with the full and free determination of our most 
 serene and beloved daughter Caterina Cornaro," and 
 also to ask for his friendly alliance. There is an Italian 
 proverb, " A nemico che fugge, ponte d'oro," and so it 
 was in this case. Magnificent fetes and ceremonies 
 were arranged in honour of the fallen queen, in which 
 as much as 2000 ducats were freely spent. All the 
 population of Nicosia found their way down to the 
 shore to witness the departure of Caterina, which was 
 
 196 
 
CATERINA CORNARb 
 
 of the most triumphal description. The Doge had 
 sent his own state " Bucentaur," on which he was wont 
 on Ascension Day to perform the solemn ceremony of 
 wedding the sea. In this splendid wooden ship, with 
 oars for many rowers, gorgeous with gilding and in- 
 taglio, and costly damask hangings, the poor deposed 
 queen set forth on her homeward journey. With 
 what other hopes had she passed that way more than 
 sixteen years before, in her sumptuous youth and the 
 gay prime of her beauty, now to return to the home 
 of her childhood, widowed, and robbed of all save the 
 glare of outward show ; like the Dead Sea fruit, beauti- 
 ful without, but dust and ashes within ! The white 
 moaning sea-birds which hovered around her in the 
 salt sea breeze,lmust have been more in sympathy with 
 her mood than the festive music on board the splendid 
 " Bucentaur." 
 
 Once more she beheld that "golden city, paved with 
 emerald," whose every pinnacle and turret gleamed 
 above the face of the waters as the sun declined be- 
 hind the great Campanile. The most magnificent re- 
 ception awaited her ; the " Bucentaur " was followed 
 through the blue waters of the lagoon by an innumer- 
 able company of boats and gondolas in festive array, 
 and decorated galleys and barques came to meet her 
 with all the great nobles of the city, and their ladies in 
 gorgeous attire. She was welcomed with the blowing 
 of trumpets, the firing of guns, and thundering salvoes 
 of artillery. All the palaces were richly adorned, and 
 from each carved balcony, decked with flowers and 
 hung with gay-coloured streamers, the fair Venetian 
 ladies looked down with smiles and " vivas " as she 
 passed onwards to the palace of the Duke of Ferrara, 
 
 197 
 
CATERINA CORNARO 
 
 which had been made ready for her reception. The 
 next scene in the drama is the solemn procession to 
 the Piazza of San Marco, when Caterina, clothed in 
 sumptuous black garments, is conducted in state with- 
 in the great Byzantine temple, and there she " fece un 
 libero dono alia Republica del regno de Cipro." 
 
 So far as the Republic of Venice was concerned, this 
 was the end of the story, but the deposed queen had 
 to be comforted with many gifts and much gold. A 
 splendid yearly allowance was voted for her mainte- 
 nance, and she was presented with "la terra e il 
 Castello di Asolo, vago e piacevole castello posti 
 negli estremi gioghi delle nostre Alpi, sovra il Trevi- 
 giano. . . ." 
 
 Caterina took possession of her new domain on 
 Sunday, October ii, and this again was made an occa- 
 sion of great pomp. The chronicler tells us that she 
 advanced under a golden umbrella carried by four 
 nobles, amid the acclamation of the people, who con- 
 ducted her to the great church, where a solemn mass 
 was celebrated, and the Te Deum sung in token of 
 thanksgiving. Then the procession proceeded through 
 the picturesque mediaeval town to the castle on the 
 hill, which had been sumptuously decorated for the 
 queen's reception. Nothing was wanting ; she was 
 even consoled with a formal oration : 
 
 " O felice patria Asolani, o fortunata Grege, posci- 
 ache sarai retta e govern ata da cosi giusta e felice 
 Paestorella ; o avventurata nave, posciache sarai 
 guidata da si esperta nochiera. . . ." 
 
 It is interesting to notice how the Senators of Venice 
 continue to exercise their grandmotherly care for this 
 " most serene and beloved daughter," for they gravely 
 
CATERINA CORNARO 
 
 put it on record that they chose Asolo for her abode j 
 " afinche ella potesse godere del possesso, della bellezze 
 e della salubrita di quel luogo." Beautiful " sparkling " 
 Asolo ; it was indeed a princely retreat. From the 
 broad terrace of her stately castle the queen could see 
 outspread before her the sunny plains of the Brenta 
 and the Piave, girdled round by the encircling Alps 
 and the blue Euganean hills. On a summer eve she 
 could trace these classic rivers from the distant point 
 where they rise amid the Alpine valleys, and wind their 
 way like silver threads, with many a slow fantastic 
 curve, across the vivid green of the wide pastoral plain, 
 till they are lost to sight in the misty distance of the far 
 off purple lagunes. 
 
 In this earthly paradise, Caterina was surrounded by 
 a court of four thousand persons, and arranged her life 
 in a routine of luxurious splendour. She had her 
 rector from Venice, Nicolo Pruli, a capellano she had 
 brought with her from Cyprus, a German doctor, at 
 least one pet dwarf, her secretary, of whom we are told 
 that he was an excellent poet and by no means a 
 mediocre philosopher ; and also many ladies in waiting 
 and attendant pages. It is of one of these that 
 Browning writes : 
 
 " Give her but a least excuse to love me ! 
 When — where — 
 
 How — can this arm establish her above me, 
 If fortune fixed her as my lady there, 
 There already, to eternally reprove me ? 
 
 (' Hist ! ' said Kate the Queen ; 
 But ' Oh ! ' cried the maiden, binding her tresses,) 
 
 ' 'Tis only a page that carols unseen, 
 Crumbling your hounds their messes ! ' 
 199 
 
CATERINA CORNARO 
 
 Is she wronged ? — To the rescue of her honour, 
 
 My heart ! 
 Is she poor ? — What costs it to be called a donor ? 
 Merely an earth to cleave, a sea to part. 
 But that fortune should have thrust all this upon her ! 
 
 (' Nay, list ! ' — bade Kate the Queen ; 
 And still cried the maiden, binding her tresses, 
 
 ' 'Tis only a page that carols unseen, 
 Fitting your hawks their jesses ! ') " 
 
 We cannot tell whether the exiled Queen of Cyprus 
 was really satisfied with her mimic Court, her empty 
 title ; or whether, like a wise woman, she made the 
 best of that which was within her reach, and ceased to 
 sigh for the unattainable. But this we know, that 
 under her genial rule, Asolo became a very citadel of 
 pleasure, where one entertainment succeeded another, 
 and life became one round of changing delights. 
 There were gorgeous tournaments and tilting matches, 
 and pastoral dances and moonlight festivals ; there 
 were gay hawking and hunting parties in which the 
 Lady of Asolo was never weary. She had an uncon- 
 querable desire for joy and happiness, a very passion 
 for magnificence, which she may perhaps have inherited 
 from her grandmother, an imperial princess of the 
 East. From all parts of Europe, visitors were attracted 
 to this ideal spot, and were welcomed with royal 
 magnificence. 
 
 We hear of the ambassador of Cyprus coming to 
 present her an offering of rare sweetmeats, with many 
 nobles in his train and thirty pages in white and gold. 
 Theodoro of Aragon, Pandolfo Malatesta, Hieronimo 
 Leone, with a retinue of two hundred persons, Isabella 
 d'Este, the Duchess of Urbino, and Beatrice Duchess 
 of Milan, were amongst her guests. She was the 
 
 300 
 
CATERINA CORNARO 
 
 centre of an intellectual coterie, of which her kinsman, 
 Pietro Bembo, the historian of Venice, afterwards 
 made cardinal, was one of the most distinguished. 
 His philosophical dialogues on the nature of love were 
 named by him the " Asolani," in compliment to this 
 society, and in them he describes Caterina's three 
 Courts — of the Muses, of Love, and of magnificent and 
 royal dignity. 
 
 Besides all this, the Lady of Asolo had a great love 
 for gardening, and her summer resort on the plain was 
 full of the rarest shrubs and flowers from Eastern lands, 
 to which she was never weary of adding fresh treasures, 
 as gifts came to her from her many friends. In the 
 midst of her amusements she did not neglect more 
 serious duties, and governed her limited domain wisely 
 and well ; dispensing even justice in her courts of law, 
 founding a hospital and other charitable institutions, 
 amongst them a kind of " mont de piete '' to help the 
 poor in time of need. Like a true Lady Bountiful, in 
 years of distress, she was most generous in distributing 
 corn to all her subjects, and by her courtesy and kind- 
 ness she won the affection of her people, Fra Bona- 
 ventura del Minori, her confessor, speaks in high terms 
 of her piety and good works. He tells us that she 
 loved to read the life of Saint Caterina, the miracles of 
 St. Giralomo, the legends of the Virgins and the lives 
 of the Fathers. In the year 1506 she commissioned 
 the artist Lorenzo Lotti to paint a great altar-piece for 
 the church of Asolo. 
 
 For nearly twenty years the deposed Queen of 
 Cyprus had spent her life in this sumptuous Arcadia, 
 when rumours of approaching war induced her to take 
 shelter in Venice. The warrior Pope Julius II. could 
 
 301 
 
CATERINA CORNARO 
 
 no longer endure the encroachments of the Republic 
 in Romagna, and at length induced the Emperor 
 Maximilian and the Kings of France and Spain to join 
 with him in a coalition against her, called the League 
 of Cambray, and Venice was defeated at Aignadella, on 
 the banks of the Adda. While the war still continued, 
 Caterina was taken ill and died in the Palazza Cornaro 
 della Regina on July lo, 15 lo. 
 
 She was universally mourned, for a strong feeling of 
 respect and affection was felt by all her native city for 
 the gracious and stately personality of Caterina Cornaro, 
 Queen of Cyprus, Jerusalem and Armenia, and Signora 
 of Asolo, as she signed herself to the end. 
 
 Yet her last wish was that she might be buried in 
 the habit of St. Francis, with the cord, and cowl, and 
 coarse brown cloak. A magnificent funeral was 
 decreed by the Republic, who caused a bridge of boats 
 to be made across the Grand Canal from the Cornaro 
 Palace, not far from the Rial to, to the opposite side. 
 An immense procession followed to do her honour, 
 including the Patriarch, the Signoria, the Vice-Doge, 
 the Archbishop of Spalato, and great crowds of 
 citizens, all bearing torches in their hands. The crown 
 of Cyprus was placed upon her coffin, an empty 
 tribute to the dead, which had been denied to the living, 
 by the fatherly Senate. 
 
 It was on the nth, that Caterina was carried to 
 the Cornaro chapel in the church of SS. Apostoli, 
 where her father, Marco, and her brother Giorgio's 
 tombs remain to this day. A terrible storm, long 
 remembered in the city, took place at the time of her 
 burial, with wind and heavy rain — the mourning of 
 the elements. On the following day the funeral 
 
CATERINA CORNARO 
 
 service was performed with extraordinary pomp, and 
 the ambassador, Andrea Navagero, poet and scholar, 
 pronounced her funeral oration, and her touching 
 story moved the Hsteners to tears. 
 
 At a later period her body was taken to the church 
 of S. Salvatore, and a tomb was raised to her memory 
 in the right transept. The bas-relief represents 
 Caterina giving up her crown to the Doge of Venice, 
 Barbingo. She bequeathed her beautiful palace at 
 Venice to the Papacy. 
 
 303 
 
BIANCA CAPELLO, GRAND DUCHESS 
 OF FLORENCE. 
 
 Should we not humbly ask pardon from the noble 
 ladies of the Renaissance when we dare to bring into 
 their company a figure so notorious for evil as Bianca 
 Capello ? And yet, in this marvellous period of start- 
 ling contrasts, good and evil were ever mingled, so 
 that in princely hall and gorgeous festa the rich 
 brocades of noble dame and base adventuress would 
 sweep together side by side. 
 
 Bianca was the daughter of Bartolommeo Capello, 
 of a noble Venetian family, and large fortune. She 
 was born in 1548, when the earlier glory of the 
 Renaissance in Italy was passing somewhat into de- 
 cadence, with the increase of wealth and luxury. Un- 
 fortunately for the young girl, she lost her mother at 
 an early age, and would not appear to have been care- 
 fully trained, for one chronicle tells us that "her 
 habits of life were more free than is the custom with 
 noble Venetian damsels." We are also told that her 
 home life was made very unhappy by an unkind step- 
 mother. 
 
 Fiction has been kinder to her story than is 
 warranted by more recently discovered fact, for the 
 old legend ran that when in her fifteenth year she had 
 
 204 
 
BIANCA CAPELLO 
 
 fallen in love with a young gallant, after chance meet- 
 ings at mass maybe ; she had granted him an imprudent 
 interview at early dawn, the little side-door of the 
 palace had been closed by accident, and nothing re- 
 mained for the lovers but instant flight. But the 
 chance discovery of an old volume of criminal trials 
 belonging to the Archives of Venice has brought to 
 light a curious marginal note written in Latin : 
 " Effaced by order of the ' Ten.' " The historian 
 Cicogna tells us how the passage, which was scratched 
 out with a pen, was deciphered, and the secret re- 
 vealed. This is a brief summary of the Latin entry 
 which the " Ten " had thought to bury in oblivion : 
 
 " Whereas Pietro Bonaventuri of Florence, dwelling 
 in this city with his uncle Giovanni Batista Bonaven- 
 turi, nigh unto the church of St. Apollinare, hath been 
 accused before the criminal court of the Forty ; that 
 with hateful insolence and disrespect for the nobles of 
 Venice, he, knowing that Bianca, the daughter of 
 Bartolommeo Capello, was the heir to no mean fortune, 
 and being minded to get possession of such property 
 . . . dared to take her from the house of her father in 
 the night following the 28th day of November in the 
 year 1563, she being deceived by many lies and having 
 scarce completed her sixteenth year ; he did after- 
 wards take her away from Venice, thus shaming the 
 name and house of a noble Venetian, in contempt of 
 law, and defiance of public morals ; and whereas the 
 said Pietro hath not yet been found, it is ordained that 
 when he shall be arrested he shall be brought to 
 Venice, and at the accustomed hour, on a lofty scaffold 
 raised between the two columns on the Piazza, his 
 head shall be stricken from his shoulders by the public 
 
 305 
 
BIANCA CAPELLO 
 
 executioner, so that he shall die." Then a reward is 
 offered for this Pietro, alive or dead, and the judgment 
 is given against a certain Maria Donati, a serving-maid 
 in the house, who aided in the flight. 
 
 It is plain therefore that the elopement was planned, 
 and there is reason to believe that the girl carried off all 
 the jewels she could lay hands on. This Pietro Bona- 
 venturi was a clerk at the Salviati Bank, but he per- 
 suaded Bianca that he was a member of the princely 
 house, and, when their meetings could no longer be 
 concealed, he induced her to fly with him to Florence 
 one dark November night. The journey across the 
 Apennines, so laborious and severe even for great 
 ladies with a splendid escort, must have been rough 
 and trying indeed for the fugitives, with the constant 
 fear of pursuit at their heels, and the foolish girl must 
 very soon have begun to repent of her wild step. 
 
 When at length she arrived safely in Florence it 
 must have been a cruel awakening to find that Pietro 
 had no noble connections whatever, and that his family 
 lived in a poor house, a " tugurio," on the south side of 
 the Piazza of San Marco. But it was now too late to 
 protest, and the ill-matched couple were married in the 
 house of Pietro's mother, and only too thankful to 
 have a shelter over their heads, for the indignant 
 Republic of Venice was offering large rewards for 
 their arrest. They were very poor, for Pietro had no 
 longer even his clerk's salary, and as for Bianca's 
 fortune of six thousand crowns, which she inherited 
 from her mother, that was declared to be confiscated. 
 We are told that this high-born girl, accustomed to a 
 home of wealth and luxury, was obliged to help in all the 
 menial work of the house, and found her life most 
 
 306 
 
BIANCA CAPELLO 
 
 miserable. During this period she gave birth to a 
 daughter, who received the name of Pellegrina. 
 
 Meantime the story of their flight had spread through 
 Italy, for a price had been set upon the head of Bona- 
 venturi, and it soon became known that they were in 
 Florence. This, and the fame of Bianca's beauty, 
 reached the ears of Francesco, the eldest son of the 
 Grand Duke Cosimo, and ^^ ^■^''^ ^ -^rong desire to see 
 the fair heroine. It is m to form any idea 
 
 of the attractions of bygoi .(.i^.t -, for taste changes 
 
 from one age to another, .i no description, and but 
 rarely even a portrait, can recail t! :harm of a living 
 woman. But such portraits and rn;.ials as remain to 
 us of the Capello do not C( n'ar:r. the . nthusiasm of her 
 contemporaries, for we se( 
 
 mass of red hair and an in, 
 this, of course, was at a 
 history. When Montaign 
 Florence, he describes he 
 to the taste of the Italians, 1 .vi.ii: 
 face, with considerable stoi'nes'-: 
 
 At the time of Bianca's a 
 of the Grand Duke Cosimo 
 the literary and intellectua 
 rounded Lorenzo the Magn 
 dissipation and luxury of the io« 
 never were there so many cr-'frir-^ 
 streets of Florence. The d 
 with tragic deaths later, and i 
 to an untimely end. Giovan 
 of age and had been a cardir 
 hunting with his younger bro 
 and the story goes that a dis 
 
 207 
 
 bold face, with a 
 
 of triumph ; but 
 
 ii' period of her 
 
 at the court of 
 
 some according 
 
 rerful and plump 
 
 rson. . . ." 
 
 rence, the court 
 
 i different from 
 
 i^hich had sur- 
 
 was a scene of 
 
 escription, and 
 
 murders in the 
 
 daughters met 
 
 )f his sons came 
 
 nineteen years 
 
 3 time, was out 
 
 V, near Leghorn, 
 
 Detween them. 
 
BIANCA CAPELLO 
 
 when Garzia mortally wounded his brother with his 
 rapier, and when he prayed for his father's forgiveness 
 he was slain at once. Whether this be the true account 
 or not, it is certain that the two princes died suddenly, 
 and their mother, Eleanora di Toledo, died of grief 
 within a few months. 
 
 The other sons of Cosimo were Ferdinando, who had 
 recently been made a cardinal at the age of fourteen, 
 and Pietro, a wild unmanageable boy of nine. His 
 daughter Isabella, the wife of Paolo Giordini Orsini, 
 lived a gay life in Florence apart from her Roman 
 husband. 
 
 After the tragedy of his two sons' death, Cosimo re- 
 signed his power into the hands of Francesco ; and 
 this young prince was not long in satisfying his 
 curiosity with regard to the new beauty. The wife of 
 his Spanish tutor, Marchesa Mondragone, made the 
 acquaintance of Bianoa and her mother-in-law, as it 
 was suggested that her husband would try to obtain a 
 pardon for Pietro. Ste: arranged a meeting between 
 Duke Francesco and Bianca at the Casino Mediceo, in 
 the Piazzo of San Marco, not far from the house of the 
 Bonaventuri. The girl was not troubled by any shyness, 
 and at once appealed to him for protection against the 
 Republic of Venice ;and her own family, who had 
 offered a great rewar d to any one who should arrest 
 or kill herself, or her husband Pietro Bonaventuri. 
 Francesco was ready to promise anything, for he was 
 captivated by the rif)e charms of this Venetian girl of 
 sixteen, with her ruddy golden hair. 
 
 But prince though he was, he had to use much 
 diplomacy to conceal the progress of this love affair, 
 for at that very time, a marriage was being arranged for 
 
 208 
 
BIANCA CAPELLO, GRAND DUCHESS OF TUSCANY 
 Bronzing 
 
BIANCA CAPELLO 
 
 him with Giovanna of Austria, the sister of the Emperor 
 MaximiHan II., and also, his father Cosimo, who, had 
 he not formally abdicated the throne, might have been 
 roused to assert himself. But this was in the early 
 days, before Bianca had obtained such complete 
 ascendency over the weak prince, that she ruled every- 
 thing according to her will. 
 
 The marriage with the greatjPrincess of Austria was 
 celebrated with much pomp in December 1565 ; but 
 the unfortunate Giovanna was not long in finding that 
 her husband's affections were given elsewhere, and that 
 she was even robbed of the influence and homage 
 which her high position claimed. Meanwhile the 
 Venetian favourite was loaded with wealth and favours ; 
 the palace in the Via Maggio, still known by her name ; 
 was given to her, and the famous Orti Oricelli, those 
 Rucellai Gardens where the Platonic Academy, founded 
 by the father of Lorenzo the Magnificent, held its 
 meetings for a time at the invitation of the cultured 
 Bernardo Rucellai. Here Machiavelli gave his cele- 
 brated discourse on Livy, and Giovanni Rucellai read 
 the first Italian tragedy, Rosamunda, in the presence 
 of the Pope Leo X. and a brilliant assembly. Hence- 
 forth this abode of culture and learning was to be pro- 
 faned by the presence of Bianca, who gave the most 
 sumptuous and dissipated entertainments in the beauti- 
 ful gardens, to lighten the gloom of her royal lover. 
 
 Pietro Bonaventuri had a post at court, and a large 
 salary found for him, and, freed from all clerkly duties, 
 he threw himself recklessly into the wildest and most 
 frivolous amusements of the young nobility. He 
 engaged in several love intrigues, and more especially 
 one which caused much scandal with a young and 
 
 209 o 
 
BIANCA CAPELLO 
 
 beautiful widow, Cassandra Bonciani, whose proud 
 family, the Ricci, had already found means to compass 
 the death of two of her lovers. But Pietro disre- 
 garded the warning ; and one night when he was re- 
 turning from a visit to her, and had reached the 
 eastern side of Santo Spirito, near the foot of the 
 bridge of Santa Trinita, across the Arno, suddenly 
 he was attacked by a number of armed bravos ; of 
 his two serving-men one fled, and the other was 
 stabbed, while Bonaventuri fought for his life, and 
 actually succeeded in crossing the bridge, where he 
 was near his palace in the Via Maggio. But after a 
 desperate struggle, in which he killed one of his 
 assailants, he was pierced with dagger thrusts, and left 
 dead on the stones. 
 
 At that time, such night attacks were by no means of 
 rare occurrence in the streets of Florence, for we are 
 told that one hundred and eighty assassinations 
 occurred within the city in less than two years. That 
 very night, Cassandra's bedchamber was broken into 
 by masked ruffians, who murdered her in her bed, and 
 it was thus that the Ricci family redeemed their 
 honour. But in the death of the hapless Pietro, the 
 hand of Duke Francesco was distinctly traced, as 
 every facility was given to the assassins for their escape, 
 and all Florence was perfectly assured of the conni- 
 vance of Bianca, who had absolute dominion over her 
 lover. It appears that in the early days of their 
 acquaintance she had obtained from Francesco a 
 solemn promise, "made before a sacred image," that 
 if a time should come when they were both free, he 
 would marry her. 
 
 By the death of Pietro one obstacle was removed, 
 
BIANCA CAPELLO 
 
 and the only bar in the way of Bianca's ambition was 
 the unfortunate Austrian princess, Francesco's neg- 
 lected wife. To marry a Duke of Milan had been a 
 great descent to her imperial pride, but when to this was 
 added her husband's neglect and indifference, and her 
 contempt and horror of the loose morals of a court 
 which treated her with open scorn, she was indeed to 
 be pitied. Poor Giovanna had no charm of beauty to 
 attract ; her manners were reserved and haughty, and, 
 unfortunately for her, she had not at that time given 
 birth to an heir to the Duchy. Of her four elder 
 daughters, Maria, born in 1573, became Queen of 
 France, as wife of Henri IV., Romola and Isabella 
 died in infancy, and Eleanora married the Duke 
 Vincensio Gonzaga. 
 
 A number of letters of Bianca Capello have been 
 collected from the muniment room of the Capello 
 family at Venice, mostly written during this period, 
 and addressed to " the very magnificent Signor Andrea 
 Capello, my most respected cousin, and as it were my 
 Brother, at Venice." 
 
 " 1572, February 21 (Venetian style). 
 
 "... Seeing how greatly you desire my return, 
 indeed I was resolved upon it after the event* which 
 has taken place ; but fortune . . . made my father-in- 
 law resolve on assuming the guardianship of my 
 daughter, and depriving me of it, for so the laws and 
 statutes of this city direct ; that if the father of one 
 defunct be yet living, to him rather than any other be 
 conceded the care of his grandchildren. Now think 
 what must be my state of mind . . . yet I will not 
 despair, and will trust in our Lord God and in your 
 
 "■ Probably her husband's murder. 
 211 
 
BIANCA CAPELLO 
 
 illustrious excellency for the finding of some remedy, 
 because the world for the most part is all out of 
 order . . . 
 
 " Your magnificence's cousin and as it were sister, 
 
 "BlANCHA CAPELLO." 
 
 If the "event" alluded to in this letter is her 
 husband's death, as it appears, that would fix the date, 
 of which historians seem uncertain. A year later she 
 writes in evident allusion to the constant appeals for 
 money made by her grasping family at Venice : 
 
 "Your lordship writes me that it has been said I 
 possess twenty thousand crowns in money, but in this 
 I think there is some mistake ... it is very true that I 
 wrote to my most magnificent brother that in real and 
 chattel, property and jewels, I have more than thirty 
 thousand crowns . . . but you must consider that I 
 ought to leave a part of this to my daughter . . . 
 
 "P.S. Most magnificent lord and brother, I beg of 
 you to do me the favour to send me my Nativity, that 
 is, the day and hour of my birth, and let no one beside 
 yourself know of this thing . . ." 
 
 This must evidently have been required for the 
 casting of a horoscope, as Bianca was perfectly devoted 
 to necromancy and incantations of all kinds. In 
 another letter to the same Andrea, she writes in April, 
 1573: 
 
 "... I was much grieved at heart by the discourse 
 between my most noble father and your most magnifi- 
 cent lordship, from which I conclude that he is not 
 at all well disposed towards me, and that his only wish 
 to have me back in Venice is that he might bury me in^ 
 
 212 
 
BIANCA CAPELLO 
 
 a convent, which I will by no means do, for I know of 
 a surety that so I should be lost, soul and body, and I 
 do not choose, as I have often told your lordship, to 
 change from a mistress to a slave ; but excepting that 
 match of which I spoke to your lordship, I will leave 
 everything to return to my country and my kin. 
 " Your lordship's, &c., 
 
 "BiANCHA Capello." 
 
 Duke Francesco had kept his word, and done all he 
 could to reconcile the Venetian Republic to her, as 
 well as her own family, but from this letter it is plain 
 that he had not succeeded. 
 
 Later on she alludes in various letters to " a matter 
 which is of too great importance to be written," and 
 she begs her cousin to come to Florence to discuss it. 
 " Di troppa grande materia da mettere in carta." 
 
 Her biographer, Signor Odorici, believes this matter 
 was her hope of marrying Francesco after the death of 
 the duchess. Now as all this was written while the 
 poor lady was still alive and well, it looks like rather a 
 curious confirmation of the general belief in Florence, 
 later on, that steps had been taken to hasten the death, 
 so much desired, of Giovanna. 
 
 In the letters there are also frequent allusions to the 
 great friendship shown to Bianca by Donna Isabella, 
 and on one occasion she breaks off abruptly, saying 
 that she is sent for by the Signora Isabella dei Medici 
 to accompany her and Cardinal Ferdinando to a great 
 hunting party at Pisa the fifth day of December, 1573. 
 
 This Ferdinando was Duke Francesco's next brother, 
 about twenty-four years of age. He lived chiefly at 
 Rome, where he was in good repute as a man of 
 
 313 
 
BIANCA CAPELLO 
 
 learning and ability ; but he had friends in Florence 
 who sent him news of the most secret events which 
 took place there. He feared and hated Bianca, but he 
 was politic enough to keep on good terms with her 
 outwardly. The younger brother Pietro had grown up 
 wild and profligate, a terror to peaceful citizens, and a 
 constant source of anxiety to his cardinal brother. 
 Before his father's death in 1574, he had married a 
 Spanish lady, Eleonora di Garzia, of more than doubt- 
 ful character, who paid for her frailty with her life, for 
 only two years later Pietro put her to death with his own 
 hand, in the Villa of Cafaggiuolo in the Apennines. 
 This was the same old castle where, in bygone days, 
 Clarice, the wife of Lorenzo dei Medici, and the tutor 
 Poliziono had their difference of opinion on the 
 subject of the children's lessons. Little did they 
 dream of the awful tragedy which would be enacted in 
 that lonely desolate spot by a degraded member of 
 that Medici family, of which they were both so proud. 
 Nothing could more sharply accentuate the contrast 
 between the quiet domestic life in the early days of the 
 Renaissance, and the passion and crime of its deca- 
 dence. But we have not yet had our fill of horrors 
 until we touch upon the tragedy of the Lady Isabella 
 dei Medici, mentioned above as the friendly patroness 
 of Bianca. This princess, who was the sister of Duke 
 Francesco, and the wife of Paolo Giordano Orsini, 
 lived in open immorality, which gave great scandal to 
 her brother. Cardinal Fernando. He strongly urged 
 upon the duke the need of interference in the matter, 
 and persuaded him at length to send for Orsini, who 
 had taken up his residence in Rome. A secret con- 
 sultation was held between the husband and brother of 
 
 214 
 
BIANCA CAPELLO 
 
 Isabella, in which her fate appears to have been sealed, 
 for the last words spoken by Francesco were over- 
 heard. 
 
 " When you have assured yourself of the shameful 
 truth, bear ever in mind that you are a Christian and a 
 'gentiluomo.' " He also placed at the disposal of 
 Orsini a villa which had been a favourite resort of 
 Lorenzo the Magnificent, outside the Porta Romana, 
 and now called Poggio Imperiale. Isabella must have 
 been surprised to find her husband so attentive and 
 affectionate, for he had brought her a present of a 
 couple of greyhounds, and also invited her to a great 
 supper at the villa ; but' she went thither without 
 apparent misgiving, although it was afterwards remem- 
 bered that she had seemed sad and restless that 
 evening. 
 
 The next day it was announced in Florence that the 
 great lady had died suddenly in the night of apoplexy, 
 but the chroniclers of the day had little doubt that the 
 unfortunate Isabella was strangled by her husband. It 
 is a significant fact, that after this occurrence, Orsini 
 was more friendly than ever with the Medici brothers, 
 and Francesco, miser as he was, paid most of his 
 brother-in-law's debts. 
 
 The death of this beautiful and accomplished woman 
 took place on July i6, 1576, and after this time it was 
 noticed that her brother the duke gave way more than 
 ever to fits of gloom and violence. It was a cause of 
 constant discontent to him that he had no son to suc- 
 ceed him, and to attain this end Bianca had consulted 
 every necromancer and dealer in philtres and spells 
 throughout Italy. But all her magic arts were in vain ; 
 and the story goes that at length she conceived the 
 
 215 
 
BIANCA CAPELLO 
 
 audacious plan of foisting a surreptitious child upon 
 the Medici family. She seems to have arranged her 
 plans, according to Galluzzi, with great skill ; and on 
 August 29, 1576, it was announced to the Court and 
 city that a son had been born to the Grand Duke. He 
 received the name of Antonio, as Bianca declared that 
 his birth was due to the intercession of that saint, and 
 Francesco bought for him a principality in the kingdom 
 of Naples, at the price of 200,000 ducats. But in 
 Florence no one believed in the child ; and we are told 
 that Cardinal Fernando, having obtained positive 
 proofs from a poor woman, murdered by order of the 
 duchess, who confessed on her deathbed — went with 
 the whole story to his brother, who met it with 
 absolute incredulity. Galluzzi sets him down as 
 an accomplice to the fraud, after its successful 
 issue. 
 
 It was a curious coincidence that a year later, in 
 1577, a son was actually born to the Grand Duchess 
 Giovanna, to the immense satisfaction of all the Medici 
 family, who cordially hated Bianca. Philip II. of 
 Spain was godfather to the heir, who received the 
 name of Filippo. 
 
 During the rejoicings which followed, Bianca found 
 it wise to leave Florence for awhile ; but the duke 
 could not live without her ; and when his first rejoicing 
 at the birth of his heir had passed over, his Venetian 
 favourite was recalled, and he loaded her and the child 
 Antonio with gifts. Her brother Vittorio was invited 
 from Venice, and his coming was made the occasion of 
 an extraordinary entertainment in the Rucellai Gardens. 
 The feast was under the management of a famous 
 magician, and the contemporary writer, Celio Malespini, 
 
 216 
 
BIANCA CAPELLO 
 
 gives a very full account of it, from which this short 
 sketch is taken. 
 
 In the beautiful wooded groves of that marvellous 
 walled garden within the city walls, the wizard made 
 all his elaborate preparation. He marked out a large 
 circle in the centre of the greensward, under which a 
 shallow pit had been already dug out, but it was care- 
 fully concealed from view by a kind of wooden plat- 
 form covered with freshly-cut turf. On one side of 
 this were two large braziers filled with live coals, and a 
 vase full of drugs for fumigation, and a black and 
 yellow rope was stretched all round the enclosure. 
 When all was ready the necromancer, clothed in a 
 black robe, with a mitre on his head covered with 
 pentagons and strange figures, stepped out slowly to 
 meet the guests, and invited them within the magic 
 circle. Then he whistled loudly, to the east, north, 
 south and west. He then seized a silver bell, and 
 ringing it with a slow loud peal, he cried in a hollow 
 voice : " Come hither, come hither, all spirits who owe 
 me obedience, Barbicul 1 Solsibec ! Tarmidorl Zampir! 
 Borgamur ! " 
 
 By this time it was long after sunset, and the grow- 
 ing darkness added to the weird effect, for the only 
 light was from the lurid glare of the braziers. At this 
 moment he gave orders for great handfuls of the 
 noxious drugs to be cast on the flames, which sent 
 forth a dense blue smoke and so abominable an odour 
 that it was almost unbearable. Then he clapped his 
 hands thrice ; and instantly there cam.e forth horrible 
 cries and groans from below, with strange howling and 
 clanking of chains. The guests being now thoroughly 
 alarmed, suddenly the platform gave way, and they all 
 
 217 
 
BIANCA CAPELLO 
 
 fell into the pit, with the exception of the grand duke 
 and a few others who were privately warned. 
 
 "Having thus fallen into the bowels of the earth," 
 says Malespini, " the devils were upon them, making 
 fearful noises, and hideous in the luhd glow of the 
 flames ; till the hapless creatures scarce knew if they 
 were alive or dead." At that moment a bevy of beauti- 
 ful girls came to the rescue, and " angelic voices sang 
 hymns appropriate to the occasion." Those who were 
 seriously injured amongst the victims were carried to 
 beds prepared for them ; and so the entertainment 
 ended, to the great amusement of Bianca, who had 
 watched the whole scene from a distance. Such were 
 the orgies carried on in the historical gardens, where 
 once Lorenzo and his learned friends had calmly dis- 
 cussed the philosophy of their beloved Plato. 
 
 It had been a fresh sorrow and disappointment for 
 the unhappy Grand Duchess Giovanna to see Bianca 
 resume her sway over Francesco ; she was in bad 
 health at the time, and too much overcome with sad- 
 ness to have the energy to rally. On May ii, 1578, 
 she passed away from a world which had given her so 
 little joy. Although her cold, reserved manner had 
 not won popularity, yet she was deeply mourned by all 
 the city, and always spoken of with sympathy and 
 respect. She had a magnificent funeral in San Lorenzo, 
 the great mortuary church of the Medici. 
 
 W. Story tells us that when her coffin was opened 
 in 1857 "she was as fresh in colour as if she had just 
 died ... in her red satin, trimmed with lace, her red 
 silk stockings and high-heeled shoes, the earrings 
 hanging from her ears, and her blonde hair as fresh as 
 ever. And so, centuries after she had been laid there, 
 
 218 
 
BIANCA CAPELLO 
 
 the truth became evident of the rumour that ran 
 through Florence at the time of her death, that she 
 had died of poison. The arsenic which had taken her 
 hfe had preserved her body." A strange confirmation 
 of rumour, if indeed this be the true explanation. 
 
 After his wife's death Francesco wandered about his 
 dominions, restless and troubled ; but whether by 
 remorse or by uncertainty as to his future conduct we 
 know not. He consulted his court chaplain as to 
 whether he should keep his promise of marrying 
 Bianca, and was advised not to do so ; but the lady, 
 hearing of this, went to the duke's own Franciscan 
 confessor, and pointed out to him that the bishopric of 
 Chiusi was at that moment vacant. The friar took the 
 hint and gave the required advice, with the result that 
 the duke found his duty and his wishes coinciding. 
 At the same time Bianca wrote him a touching letter, 
 saying that she was resigned to his will, but that she 
 could not survive his loss. This finally decided the 
 duke, and the marriage was privately performed by the 
 Franciscan friar, only twenty-four days after the death 
 of Giovanna, in the little dark chapel of the Palazzo 
 Vecchio. It was kept secret, even from Cardinal 
 Ferdinando, for many months, then it was made 
 known to King Philip of Spain ; and next it occurred 
 to Francesco that he would write a smooth letter to 
 the senators of Venice, speaking of Bianca as a daughter 
 of the Republic, and announcing his intention of 
 making her his Grand Duchess. 
 
 The success of this message was beyond all his 
 expectations. His envoy was received at the Capello 
 Palace by the Patriarch of Aquileia, and attended by 
 forty senators. Bartolommeo Capello and his son 
 
 219 
 
BIANCA CAPELLO 
 
 were made " illustrissimi cavalieri," with precedence 
 over all others, and there were festal rejoicings in the 
 city. On June i6, 1579, a vote of the Senate declared 
 that " the Grand Duke of Tuscany having chosen for 
 his wife Bianca Capello, of a most noble family in this 
 city, a lady adorned with all those most singular and 
 excellent qualities, and most worthy of any the highest 
 fortune, it is decreed that she be created a true and 
 particular daughter of the Republic." A splendid gold 
 chain was bestowed on the Florentine ambassador, 
 and a certain compromising entry in the public 
 registers was erased by order of the " Ten." 
 
 It was now openly announced to all the courts of 
 Europe that the duke's marriage with a daughter of 
 the Republic would take place on October 12. A 
 fortnight before the great event a magnificent embassy 
 arrived from Venice " to place Bianca Capello in full 
 possession of all prerogatives appertaining to a daughter 
 of San Marco." The ambassadors were accompanied 
 by a train of ninety Venetian nobles, and besides these, 
 there were as many as eighty connections of the bride's 
 family, and they were all entertained with such pomp 
 and gorgeous festivities that the cost to Florence was 
 reckoned at 300,000 ducats, an enormous sum, if we 
 consider the much higher value of money in those 
 days. The ceremony of Bianca's coronation and 
 marriage began in the great hall of the Palazzo 
 Vecchio, that ancient citadel of Itahan freedom, and 
 from thence Bianca was borne in state to the cathedral, 
 with the crown on her head. 
 
 It was a time of dearth and famine in Florence, yet 
 the subservient Venetians carried off many and costly 
 gifts and the grand duchess was to receive an extra 
 
 330 
 
BIANCA CAPELLO 
 
 100,000 ducats to be invested in the mint of Venice. 
 She had attained the summit of her ambition, and could 
 now afford to be gracious to her old enemies, for we 
 find her writing to Cardinal Ferdinando : " I live more 
 for you than for myself. Indeed I live but in you, for 
 I cannot live without you. . . ." 
 
 The extraordinary and reckless extravagance of the 
 wedding festivities must be looked upon as a test of 
 Bianca's unbounded influence over the grand duke, 
 for his strongest feeling was avarice. No means of 
 adding to his wealth had been left untried ; he derived 
 immense revenues from his trading speculations, which 
 stretched over the whole of Europe, and there was no 
 important city where he had not a large share in the 
 banking interest. He carried on a prosperous trade 
 with ships of his own, in wool, grain, silk, leather, 
 pepper and other spices. Besides the gains of a great 
 merchant and banker he had those of a sovereign, from 
 heavy taxation, fines and confiscation. From his vast 
 wealth, he advanced loans to foreign Powers which 
 often turned the scale of war ; but through it all he 
 had a miser's love for his gold. Another passion of 
 his which gave him much trouble in negotiations about 
 his time, was that of title. His father had obtained 
 that of " Grand Duke of Tuscany " from Pope Pius V., 
 and he was therefore a " Most Serene Highness " ; 
 but the other States of Italy would not recognise his 
 supremacy, and also called themselves " Serene," to 
 the extreme indignation of Francesco. 
 
 He had a fresh trouble early in 1582, in the death of 
 his little son, Filippo, the only boy of poor Giovanna ; 
 and he felt the loss acutely. Indeed, after this time he 
 fell into a terrible state of gloom and melancholy, and 
 
 331 
 
BIANCA CAPELLO 
 
 shut himself almost entirely in the lonely Villa of 
 Pratolino, about eight miles from Florence on the way 
 to Bologna. It stood on the slopes of the Apennines, 
 of which Ruskin gives such a striking description in 
 this immediate neighbourhood — " The country is on 
 a sudden lonely ... a scene not sublime, for its 
 forms are subdued and low, only a grey extent of 
 mountain ground, tufted irregularly with ilex and 
 olive ; not rich nor lovely, but sunburnt and sorrow- 
 ful ; becoming wilder every instant as the road winds 
 into its recesses, ascending still until the higher woods, 
 now partly oak and partly pine, dropping back from 
 the central nest of the Apennines, leave a pastoral 
 wilderness of scattered rock and arid grass, withered 
 away here by frost, and there by lambent tongues of 
 earth-fed fire." 
 
 Amid these grey surroundings Bianca lived a 
 wretched life for more than five years, shut up with a 
 husband whose melancholy was only varied by reckless 
 excesses, and gusts of savage ferocity. Her highest 
 ambition was gratified ; a long coveted and splendid 
 position was hers, and wealth beyond her wildest 
 dreams, yet she was a miserable woman. The one 
 thing she craved for — and for which she would have 
 sold her soul, in the darkest magic and witchcraft — 
 was denied her. No son was born to her, although 
 constant rumours were spread as to her expectations. 
 
 Thus time passed on, and Cardinal Ferdinand© was 
 kept in a constant state of fear and suspense as to his 
 own ultimate succession to the duchy. But, outwardly, 
 he kept on the most friendly terms with Bianca, and 
 in October, 1587, he was invited to pay a visit to his 
 brother at his country retreat of Poggio-a-Cajano, a 
 
BIANCA CAPELLO 
 
 low-lying villa on the banks of the river Ombrone, at 
 the foot of Monte Albano, about half way between 
 Florence and Pistoia. It had been a favourite resort 
 of Lorenzo the Magnificent, who went there for his 
 favourite amusement of hawking. An old proverb 
 
 says : 
 
 " Val piu una lustra di Poggio a Cajano 
 Che tutte le bellezze d'Artemino." 
 
 Ferdinando was accompanied by the Archbishop of 
 Florence, and they were most hospitably received by 
 Bianca ; ample sport being provided for them, as the 
 neighbouring marshes abounded with game. All went 
 well until October 19, when Duke Francesco was 
 suddenly taken ill, and died at nine o'clock in the 
 evening ; the Duchess Bianca was also seized with the 
 same complaint, and only survived until the next 
 morning. These are the undoubted facts, but 
 Florentine historians have held different views as 
 to the cause of the tragedy. A very curious letter 
 has been preserved, which was written shortly after 
 the event. 
 
 " Quando, che alii giorni passati la Morte cavalco 
 sopra il suo destriero magro, e disfatto per investirsi 
 del titolo di Grande. La Morte ottenne a Roma il 
 titolo di Grande, e conseguita ch'ella ebbe cossifatta 
 indecentissima intitolazione, se ne cavalcava frettolosa 
 alia volta del Poggio a Caiano, e quivi con irresistibile 
 forza e pari valore assalto il Grande Etrusco di Firenze 
 e Siena, e lo abbatte alii 19 di Ottobre, 1587, a 4 ore 
 e mezzo di notte, e di 47 anni lo privo di vita dope 
 strani e disusati scontorcimenti, e ululati e muggiti 
 diversi." 
 
 " When in these past days, Death rode on his thin 
 
 223 
 
BIANCA CAPELLO 
 
 pale horse to invest himself with the title of Great. 
 Death obtained in Rome the title of Great, and having 
 received this most indecent title, he rode in haste 
 towards Poggio a Cajano, and there with irresistible 
 force and equal valour assaulted . . . &c." Giovanni 
 Vettorio Soderini." 
 
 It has been suggested that Death rode from Rome 
 in company with Cardinal Ferdinando, for the latest 
 theory supports the popular opinion that he poisoned 
 his brother and sister-in-law ; although some suggest 
 that Bianca had prepared the poison for the cardinal, 
 while others assert that the duke and his wife died of 
 malarious fever. When Pope Sixtus V. heard the news, 
 he saw how strong the suspicion would be against 
 Ferdinando, who had everything to gain by the event, 
 and who at once succeeded to the duchy. A pompous 
 funeral was accorded to Francesco under the dome of 
 San Lorenzo ; but with regard to Bianca, the new duke 
 exclaimed : " We will have none of her among our 
 dead ! " Her body was wrapped in a sheet and 
 thrown into the common grave for the poor, under the 
 nave of the same church. 
 
 •'There, at Cajano, 
 Where when the hawks were mewed and evening came, 
 Pulci would set the table in a roar 
 With his wild lay — there, where the sun descends, 
 And hill and dale are lost, veiled with his beams. 
 The fair Venetian died, she and her lord — 
 Died of a posset drugged by him who sate 
 And saw them suffer, ilinging back the charge 
 The murderer on the murdered." — Rogers' " Italy." 
 
 It is interesting to know that after the death of 
 Francesca and his wife, their reputed son. Prince 
 
 224 
 
BIANCO CAPELLO 
 
 Antonio, then a boy of eleven, was unmolested, and 
 lived to enjoy many peaceful years in the " Casino 
 Medici," where he devoted his time to the cultivation 
 of art and science. Pellegrina, the daughter of Bianca, 
 was happily married some years before, to Count 
 Ulisse Bentivoglio. 
 
 «5 
 
i 
 
GREAT LADIES OF ROME AND 
 ROMAGNA. 
 
 CATARINA SFORZA, COUNTESS OF FORLI. 
 LUCREZIA BORGIA, DUCHESS OF FERRARA. 
 VITTORIA COLONNA, MARCHESA OF PESCARA. 
 
 HISTORICAL SUMMARY. 
 
 1460. Federigo, Duke of Urbino, marries Battista Sforza. 
 1462. Catarina Sforza born. Daughter of Galeazzo, Duke of 
 Milan. 
 
 1471. Elisabetta Gonzaga born, daughter of Federico Gon- 
 
 zaga of Mantua. 
 
 1472. Guidobaldo born, son of Federigo, Duke of Urbino. 
 
 1473. Girolamo Riario betrothed to Catarina Sforza. 
 
 1476. Assassination of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan. 
 
 1477. Catarino Sforza marries Count Girolamo Riario. 
 
 1480. Count Girolamo takes possession of Forli. 
 ,, Birth of Lucrezia Borgia at Rome. 
 
 1481. Sixtus IV. combines with Venice against Ferrara. 
 
 1482. Death of Federigo, Duke Of Urbino. Guidobaldo I. 
 
 succeeds him. 
 
 1483. Guidobaldo enters the service of Naples. 
 
 1484. Death of Sixtus IV. Treaty of Bagnuolo. Inno- 
 
 cent VIII. succeeds. 
 1488. Assassination of Count Girolamo Riario at Forli. 
 
 , , Duke Guidobaldo marries Elisabetta Gonzaga of Mantua. 
 1490. Birth of Vittoria Colonna, daughter of Fabrizio Co- 
 
 lonna. 
 
i492> ^®ath of Lorenzo dei Medici. Alexander VI. becomes 
 Pope. 
 
 1494. Lucrezia Borgia marries Giovanni Sforza, of Pesaro. 
 
 1495. Guidobaldo helps the Pope to restore Ferdinand II. to 
 
 Naples. 
 
 1497. Guidobaldo defeated and taken prisoner by Bracciano. 
 ,, Divorce of Lucrezia Borgia, 1498. She marries Al- 
 fonso, Duke of Bisaglia. 
 
 ,, Catarina Sforza marries Giovanni dei Medici. 
 
 1498. Guidobaldo helps the Medici. His illness at Bibbiena. 
 
 1500. Cassar Borgia takes Forli and Imola, and carries 
 
 Catarina Sforza to Rome. 
 
 1 501. Lucrezia Borgia marries Alfonso d'Este, Duke of 
 
 Ferrara. 
 
 1502. Elisabetta, Duchess of Urbino, visits Venice. 
 
 ,, Caesar Borgia takes Urbino by treachery. Duke's 
 flight to Mantua, 
 
 1503. Death of Pope Alexander VI. Guidobaldo returns to 
 
 Urbino. 
 1505. Guidobaldo visits Pope Julius II. 
 
 1507. The Pope visits Urbino. Baldassare Castiglione at 
 
 Urbino. (II Cortegiano.) 
 
 1508. Death of Guidobaldo, Duke of Urbino, Francesco 
 
 Maria succeeds. 
 
 1509. Marriage of Vittoria Colonna to the Marquis of Pescaro. 
 ,, Death of Catarina Sforza at Florence. 
 
 ,, Marriage of Francesco, Duke of Urbino, to Leonora 
 
 Gonzaga of Mantua. 
 1513. Leo X. dei Medici becomes Pope. 
 1515. Duke of Urbino deprived of his office as Gonfaloniere 
 
 of the Church and of his duchy. 
 1519. Death of Lucrezia Borgia, Duchess of Ferrara. 
 
 1522. Death of Leo X. Duke of Urbino recovers his duchy 
 
 after seven years of exile with the Dowager Duchess 
 Elisabetta and his wife. 
 
 1523. Death of Elisabetta Gonzaga, Duchess (dowager) of 
 
 Urbino. 
 1525. Death of Ferrante, Marquis of Pescaro, husband of 
 
 Vittoria Colonna. 
 1527. Rome sacked by the Imperialists. Pope Clement VII. 
 
 a prisoner. 
 1529. General peace in Italy. 
 
 1537. Vittoria Colonna visits Duchess Rende at Ferrar . 
 1547. Death of Vittoria Colonna, Marchesa of Pescara. 
 
CATARINA SFORZA, " MADONNA OF 
 FORLl " 
 
 Catarina Sforza is a splendid type of the "warrior 
 woman," of which Italy has ever been so proud ; the 
 Virago, as she is called not in blame but honour. She 
 was an illegitimate daughter of that notorious Galeazzo 
 Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan, son of Francesco, whose 
 passions he had inherited but not his ability. Born in 
 1462, the little girl was legitimatised at eight years old, 
 and brought up by the Duchess Bona of Savoy, who 
 treated her in all respects as her own child. 
 
 Her life may be said to have begun with tragedy, for 
 she was still a child when her father was brutally 
 murdered. It was a strange, and to us a meaningless 
 crime, and yet Sixtus IV. was right when he exclaimed 
 on receiving the news, " The peace of Italy is dead," 
 This is the account we have of it. The Duke of Milan, 
 unsuspicious of any danger, was quietly entering the 
 Church of San Stefano at Christmastide 1470, when he 
 was suddenly attacked and stabbed to death by three 
 nobles of Milan and their bravos. He was accom- 
 panied at the time by two ambassadors, who caught 
 him as he fell forward, but for the moment no one 
 realised what had happened. It was a desperate 
 adventurer, named Lampugnani, who struck the first 
 
 229 
 
CATARINA SFOR7A 
 
 blow ; pressing through the crowd, he fell on his knee 
 before the duke to present a petition, and stabbed him 
 with a dagger hidden up his sleeve. Then, as Galeazzo 
 fell on the pavement, his assassins covered him with 
 dagger thrusts. 
 
 Of the other two chief conspirators one, Visconti, 
 avenged an insult to his sister, while the third, Olgiati, 
 was a Republican who dreamed of freeing the State of 
 a tyrant. The confusion was so great that these two 
 escaped for the time, but Lampugnani tripped his foot 
 in a woman's train and was put to death by the 
 populace, who had no sympathy with the murderers. 
 A chronicler of the time gives a striking account of the 
 young prince setting forth in his gay suit of crimson 
 brocade, from the Castello that morning, and smiling 
 at the presentiment of his wife. Bona of Savoy, who 
 had besought him not to enter the diurch that day. 
 
 The widowed duchess in her anguish at his loss, thus 
 suddenly cut off unshriven, wrote an imploring letter 
 to the Pope, praying him to give her dear husband 
 plenary absolution for his many and grievous crimes. 
 She promised to make all the atonement in her power, 
 by redressing wrongs, and by building churches and 
 hospitals, and other good works. This was rather a 
 sudden change of mood for the great lady, who had 
 been noted for her magnificence and worldly splendour, 
 of which she and her husband gave a great display 
 when they paid a visit to the Court of Lorenzo at 
 Florence. He had been godfather to her infant son, 
 and on that occasion had presented her with a magni- 
 ficent diamond necklace ; and his friendship was a 
 great help and support to her now in her regency. 
 
 Before the murder of Galeazzo he had arranged a 
 
 330 
 
CATARINA SFORZA 
 
 marriage for his daughter Catarina with Girolamo 
 Riario, the nephew of the Pope, who expressed to the 
 Duchess Bona his earnest wish that it should be carried 
 out at once. So the young girl was married with great 
 pomp in the month of April 1477, when she was 
 scarcely in her sixteenth year. 
 
 As usual, the chroniclers give a very full and in- 
 teresting account of the journey to Rome, and the 
 young bride's triumphal entrance, as she rode in 
 through the Porta del Popolo, the centre of a brilliant 
 cavalcade, on a richly caparisoned dappled palfrey. 
 On this occasion Catarina was very gorgeously dressed 
 in a robe of the newest fashion, called a " Cyprian," 
 which excited much interest, and was not entirely 
 approved of, for it was cut square to the bust, in a 
 manner which showed the whole neck. It was of 
 crimson brocade lined with ermine, extremely full 
 round the feet, and close fitting from the waist up- 
 wards, with very long and large sleeves, and a girdle of 
 silver gilt worked with pearls. 
 
 Her hair was drawn back over a cushion and tied 
 with strings of pearls, and over all she wore a veil of 
 beautifully thin fine white lawn. She was greatly 
 admired, and all Rome was soon at her feet, for she 
 became an immense favourite with the Pope, her uncle 
 (or father-in-law). 
 
 One contemporary historian describes her in flowery 
 language : " When she issued from her litter, it was as if 
 the sun had emerged, so gorgeously beautiful did she 
 appear, laden with silver, and gold, and jewels, but still 
 more striking from her natural charms. Her hair, 
 wreathed in the manner of a coronet, was brighter than 
 the gold with which it was twined. Her forehead was of 
 
 231 
 
CATARINA SFORZA 
 
 burnished ivory ; her eyes sparkled behind the mantling 
 crimson of her cheeks, as morning stars . . ." 
 
 Another biographer writes of her : " It would be 
 difficult to find in history any woman who so far 
 surpassed her sex, who was so much the wonder of 
 her contemporaries and the marvel of posterity. En- 
 dowed with a lofty and masculine spirit, she was born 
 to command ..." 
 
 The splendid palace on the banks of the Tiber, now 
 called the Corsini, with its stately halls, and delicious 
 terraces, looking down on the Farnese palaces and 
 gardens, was bestowed upon Riario and Catarina, and 
 adorned with the most magnificent furnishings of 
 every kind, and priceless works of art. 
 
 Sixtus IV., according to his promise, confirmed to his 
 nephew the township of Imola, on the high road, 
 south of Bologna, of which he was ecclesiastical lord, 
 and gave him 40,000 ducats. Catarina appears to have 
 had no lack of wedding presents, and we are told that 
 two days after her marriage, Girolamo sent his bride a 
 casket containing diamond necklaces, and robes of 
 gold brocade and of velvet, embroidered with fine 
 pearls ; one dress alone carried nearly 3000 pearls ; 
 there was also a purse of gold, silver-embroidered 
 girdles and many other precious things. The month 
 following her marriage, her half-sister Anna, who was 
 only three years old, was betrothed to Alfonso of Este, 
 the son of Duke Ercole of Ferrara. There were 
 solemn processions and thanksgivings on the occasion, 
 and the infant bridegroom's wedding contract was 
 signed. 
 
 Catarina was a beautiful girl, full of boundless spirit 
 and energy. In those early years of her married life, 
 
 232 
 
CATARINA SFORZA 
 
 when she was one of the most brilliant ornaments of 
 the papal court, she had a constant round of gaiety and 
 amusement. She was passionately fond of dancing, 
 and a poet exclaims to her : " Catarina, if you make the 
 dance go thus, Atlas will find the world a lighter 
 burden." Another writer tells us " how well she knew, 
 in the intervals of her frenzied existence, how to enjoy 
 life, when she gave herself up to the beauty of her 
 flowers, the charm of her gardens, the delight of seeing 
 her splendid drove of cattle peacefully grazing in her 
 parks. Dogs never had a more tender protectress. 
 She evoked the people's enthusiasm and applause 
 when, riding in a red skirt at the head of her hunts- 
 men, like a legendary fairy, and reining up her horse 
 with her delicate scented hand, she smiled upon them 
 all, her beautiful white teeth flashing between her full 
 ruby lips." * 
 
 We have a most interesting letter which she wrote 
 in 148 1 to the Duchess Leonora of Ferrara four years 
 after her marriage. 
 
 " Illustrissima e Excellentissima Signora, — The 
 credible accounts and perfect information brought in 
 by innumerable persons about the extreme kindness 
 and rare munificence of your excellency, inspire me 
 with the boldness to address you in confidence. I 
 know that the most illustrious lord your spouse and 
 your most illustrious ladyship adore hunting and birds, 
 and that you have always in abundance dogs of all 
 kinds, excellent, perfect. I beseech your excellency 
 very earnestly that you would deign to make me a very 
 beautiful and very precious present, namely, a pair of 
 * De Maulde de la Claviere. 
 233 
 
CATARINA SFORZA 
 
 greyhounds, well-trained and fleet-footed, for the deer 
 of the Campagna, which are very swift : a couple of good 
 deer-hounds and a couple of handsome pointers, so 
 good that I may hope to say regarding their exploits 
 when they catch their quarry, ' these are the dogs the 
 most illustrious Duchess of Ferrarra gave me.' I know 
 that your excellency will not send me anything but 
 what is really good." 
 
 Then she cordially recommends to the duchess the 
 falconer she is sending to fetch the hounds, and pro- 
 bably to choose them. 
 
 The chase was extremely popular at Rome, and the 
 hunts in the great Campagna were renowned of old 
 for the deer were fleet, and the boars so fierce that they 
 needed a special breed of hounds to cope with 
 them. 
 
 But hunting alone did not absorb the thoughts of 
 the brilliant princess, for so high in favour was she 
 with the Pope, that we find great princes of Italy, 
 courtiers, petitioners of every kind, making intercession 
 to this young girl, in order to obtain their requests. 
 No honours were beyond the reach of her husband. 
 He was made a citizen of Rome with much ceremony, 
 in the year of his marriage, and while Catarina was 
 enjoying life to the full, he was steadily and craftily 
 working his way, and increasing his dominions. Imola 
 was already his, and he had set his heart on Faenza 
 and Forli. But the Medici were suspicious, and on 
 the watch for any overt act of aggression on the part 
 of the Pope's nephew, who therefore secretly joined 
 with the Pazzi family in that dark plot, which had for 
 its aim the assassination of the Medici brothers, and 
 
 234 
 
CATARINA SFORZA 
 
 met with fatal success in the murder of Giuliano, in 
 1478. 
 
 By the confession of agents employed in it, this 
 disgraceful conspiracy was traced to the cruel and 
 treacherous Girolamo, and Pope Sixtus himself was 
 more than suspected of being an accomplice. On 
 being accused of connivance, he at once excommuni- 
 cated Lorenzo and all Florence, in punishment for the 
 summary vengeance taken on the murderers. 
 
 Meantime endless festivities in Rome mingled with 
 these crimes and ambitious designs. Distinguished 
 strangers were constantly making pilgrimage to the 
 Eternal City from all parts of Europe ; foreign ambas- 
 sadors came to bring gifts, to plead some national 
 cause, to obtain absolution, or seek help of some kind 
 from the successor of Saint Peter. 
 
 It was the custom to receive visitors at the city gate, 
 and conduct them in pomp through the streets to their 
 abode with a great retinue, to the delight of the Roman 
 populace, who knew that this was a prelude to out- 
 door festivities in which they could share. Thus when 
 the Duke of Saxony arrived on March 22, 1480, to pay 
 a vow, he was met at the Porta del Popolo by the Pope 
 and all his Cardinals, and conducted in state with an 
 immense following to St. Peter's and presented with 
 the consecrated golden rose, which on this occasion 
 was an oak-bough, the heraldic emblem of the Delia 
 Rovere family. 
 
 The chronicler, Jacopo di Volterra, tells us that on 
 this occasion Girolamo and his countess gave a great 
 hunting party in honour of Duke Ernest on April 10, 
 in the immediate neighbourhood of Rome, towards the 
 Fonte Malliane, to the great joy of the citizens, as they 
 
 235 
 
CATARINA SFORZA 
 
 could all join in the sport. It must have been a 
 splendid sight to see the princes riding out on their 
 fine horses, with the hounds in leash ; themselves 
 "shining with gold and jewels," accompanied by 
 Catarina and her ladies in crimson and scarlet costumes, 
 and followed by a gay retinue. Then as they reached 
 the woods on the hillside, the horns sounded with the 
 eager cry of the hunters and woke the echoes far and 
 wide. A great number of stags and deer were taken, 
 and after the chase a great banquet was prepared under 
 the ilex woods for all to join in, high-born prince and 
 citizen alike, to " their no small content." 
 
 During her four years of residence in Rome at the 
 magnificent Palazzo Corsini, the Countess Riario had 
 four children born to her. The eldest, a daughter who 
 received the name of Bianca, was born in March 1478, 
 and was her only girl. Ottaviano was born in Sep- 
 tember 1479, and Cesare in August 1480, just a month 
 before his father received from the Pope the longed- 
 for investiture of the city and domain of Forli. The 
 infant heir of the Ordelaffi, who had so long held 
 dominion there, had most opportunely died, whereupon 
 Sixtus declared that the fief was forfeited, and had 
 devolved to the Holy See. 
 
 Forli is about sixteen miles south-east of Imola, in 
 the same fertile district, lying between the Apennines 
 and the Adriatic, and is one of the most important 
 towns of Romagna, forming a most useful link, with 
 its strong fortress, between the Papal States and Imola. 
 A few days after this investiture, Girolamo was ap- 
 pointed generalissimo of the army, and this being 
 September 8, the birthday of the Virgin, there was a 
 solemn mass, and Riario in complete armour knelt 
 
 236 
 
CATARINA SFORZA 
 
 before the Pope, received the staff and standard, and 
 took the oaths, in the presence of all the cardinals. 
 
 It was at daybreak on June 30, 1481, that the Count 
 and Countess of Forli set forth on the eventful journey 
 to their new home ; the day and hour having been 
 carefully selected by the court astrologer. During the 
 whole of the previous week, long trains of laden mules 
 and carts might have been seen passing out of the city, 
 guarded by men-at-arms, and making their slow way 
 by Orte and Spoleto to Perugia, on over the rough 
 bridle paths of the Apennines, through the broad 
 alluvial plains, by the Via Emilia to distant Forli. The 
 old chronicles speak with awe and amazement of the 
 immense treasure in richest stuffs, tapestries, clothing, 
 furnishing, jewels and gold and silver plate, which was 
 carried away from Rome in this slow laborious 
 manner, each load being covered with an emblazoned 
 cloth, bearing the united arms of Rovere and Sforza. 
 The children had also been sent on in advance, and 
 expectation in the provincial town was at its very 
 highest, when at length Girolamo and Catarina reached 
 the city gate on July 15. They were met by a company 
 of youths and maidens clothed in white, and bearing 
 olive-branches, with all the priests and bearers of office. 
 
 The people of Forli had never seen anything so 
 magnificent as Catarina in her sumptuous robe, 
 glittering with pearls and diamonds, and they were 
 much impressed by the great Roman nobles who rode 
 with their new count. Then followed the usual 
 festivities, tournaments, balls, banquets and orations, 
 in return for which loyal welcome Girolamo remitted 
 the duty on corn. Building was at once commenced ; 
 to complete the strong fortress, enlarge the palace, and 
 
 237 
 
CATARINA SFORZA 
 
 found schools and other pubHc works. After a while, 
 they went on a visit to Imola, and were received in 
 much the same manner. 
 
 The chronicler of Forli says that, " charming it was 
 to see the lady countess and all her damsels come 
 forth in different magnificent dresses for a whole week, 
 and the great buffets, ten feet high, in the banqueting 
 hall of the palace, loaded every day with a fresh service 
 of silver and gold." Every room in the grim palace of 
 Forli was adorned with splendid hangings of tapestry, 
 and magnificently furnished with the priceless spoils 
 brought from Rome. 
 
 Elated by his previous success, the count's ambition 
 extended to new conquests , and he now turned his 
 eyes towards Ferrara. The moment seemed propitious, 
 for Ercole Duke of Ferrara had quarrelled with Venice, 
 and had been excommunicated by the Pope for having 
 taken the post of general, on the side of Florence. 
 Girolamo therefore found a pretext for a visit with his 
 wife to Venice. Now the wily Venetians always looked 
 on with approval at the ruin of hereditary rulers by 
 papal nephews, who could have no permanent rule ; 
 for they knew that in the end the spoils would fall to 
 them. 
 
 Girolamo and Catarina travelled to Venice by 
 Comacchio and the marshes, to avoid Ferrara ; the 
 count giving as a pretext for his visit the urgent need 
 of a league against the Turks, who had taken Otranto. 
 A bucentaur with the Doge and Senators came to 
 meet him at St. Clement in the Lagoon, two miles 
 from Venice. He and his wife were received with 
 princely honours in the Doge's palace, where "the 
 noble virgins of Venice to the number of one hundred 
 
 238 
 
CATARINA SFORZA 
 
 and thirty-two, loaded with gems, gold, and pearls," 
 were assembled to welcome them. The Doge, 
 Giovanni Mocenigo, took his place on a high dais, 
 with the count on one side and the countess on the 
 other, and all the nobles of Venice and their ladies sat 
 around the hall. The afternoon and evening were 
 given up to dancing and feasting ; candles of white 
 wax being lighted in such profusion that "the night 
 was turned into day." The dresses of the ladies on 
 this occasion were said to be worth 300,000 gold pieces. 
 The next day, the Senators proceeded to business with 
 their guest, privately discussed the division of the 
 Este property, and found an excuse to declare war 
 against Ferrara, in May 1482, 
 
 After this, the object of the journey being apparently 
 attained, the count and countess returned to Imola ; 
 but they had not been there long before they received 
 news of a conspiracy at Forli to restore the deposed 
 family of the Ordelaffi. This, however, was promptly 
 suppressed by the zeal of Francesco Tolentino, the 
 governor, and Girolamo was able to set out for Rome 
 with his wife, on October 14. The negotiations with 
 Venice had not been kept so secret but that rumours 
 had reached the King of Naples, who prepared a force 
 to help the Duke of Ferrara. This was the signal for 
 general hostilities, and offered a splendid opportunity 
 for the condottieri to make their fortune. The Pope 
 and Venice were on one side, while Florence, Naples, 
 and Milan were on the other, with all the smaller States 
 joining in, according to their private feuds. Roberto 
 Malatesta commanded the armies of Venice, and the 
 opposing league chose the distinguished Duke Federigo 
 of Urbino. 
 
 239 
 
CATARINA SFORZA 
 
 In this brief sketch we cannot follow the varying 
 fortunes of the struggle which followed, but it 
 curiously illustrates the nature of this internecine war 
 — that the two rival generals, both losing their lives, 
 though not on the field of battle — had previously 
 bequeathed to each other the care of their children and 
 property. Roberto died in Rome, probably of fever, 
 but rumour hinted that Girolamo had poisoned him 
 out of jealousy. He was buried in St. Peter's with 
 great honour ; endless torches, banners and standards, 
 one of which bore his arms with the motto : Veni, 
 vidi, vici ; victoriam Sixto dedi ; Mors invidit glorise." 
 
 Infessura cynically tells an anecdote, in recording 
 this pompous funeral : " A great captain had once 
 saved Siena, and the people were at a loss how to re- 
 ward him fitly. Then a citizen rose and said : ' Let us 
 put him to death, and then worship him as a saint, so 
 making him our perpetual protector,' which was done. 
 Now it is said — not that I altogether believe it," adds 
 Infessura honestly — " that the Pope followed the ex- 
 ample of these Sienese, in the matter of Malatesta's 
 death, and his funeral honours." 
 
 We can believe anything of Pope Sixtus IV., the 
 promoter of the Inquisition, after reading his cruel 
 treatment of the Colonna family in his feud with them 
 at this time, and his judicial murder of the Proto- 
 notary. Meantime, a Congress was held, and the Pope 
 found it to his interest to withdraw from the Venetian 
 alliance, while Girolamo, who had not distinguished 
 himself in the war, was ready enough to grasp the 
 spoils of the victor, in the shape of Ravenna and Cervia. 
 Italy was weary of war, and peace was m,ade without 
 consulting the fiery Sixtus, who was furious at the 
 
CATARINA SFORZA 
 
 thought that Ferrara would never belong to his nephew, 
 and his rage is said to have killed him. 
 
 At this critical moment, when the triumphant career 
 of Riario was brought to an abrupt end, he was awaj' 
 from Rome, engaged in harassing the Colonna family 
 in their fastnesses ; but Catarina, who was then on a 
 visit, rose to the occasion. She at once took possession 
 of the Castello St. Angelo, in the name of her husband, 
 who was commander of the forces, and thus secured 
 a safe refuge for herself and her children, in the 
 fearful tumult and disorder, which followed upon the 
 Pope's death. The city was given up to anarchy, many 
 houses were pillaged and destroyed, especially all that 
 belonged to the family of the late pontiff, even those 
 of the Genoese merchants, because they were his 
 countrymen. In the palace of Girolamo, they found 
 little of value, as all the treasures had been safely 
 carried to Forli, but they tore down the marble door- 
 ways, the carvings, &c., all they could not remove they 
 destroyed. Catarina had a farm in the neighbourhood 
 of Rome, and here they carried off hundreds of cows, 
 goats, pigs, asses, geese and poultry, besides enormous 
 stores of salt meat, round Parma cheeses, and casks 
 of Greek wine. 
 
 Catarina, being in possession of the citadel, Girolamo 
 was able to make terms with the cardinals, and insist 
 upon his arrears of pay, some 4000 ducats, and a safe 
 conduct for himself and family to Forli. Before they 
 had arrived there, on August 29, 1484, Cardinal Cibo 
 was made Pope, under the name of Innocent VIII. 
 His election had been assisted by the Riario family, 
 and the Count of Forli was confirmed in all his 
 possessions. But he had no longer the boundless 
 
 341 9 
 
CATARINA SFORZA 
 
 wealth of the Holy See at his command, and with his 
 habit of reckless extravagance, especially in the way of 
 building, he was soon in difficulties. Great sums were 
 spent on the fine vaulting of the cathedral, as well as 
 on the fortress of Ravaldino, which was strengthened 
 and enlarged until it could hold 2000 men-at-arms, 
 with stores for them. As time passed on there was 
 growing discontent amongst the citizens and the 
 cultivators of the rich alluvial fields around Forli at 
 the heavy taxes which they had to pay for the mainte- 
 nance of an extravagant court. 
 
 In May 1487 Girolamo was seriously ill at Imola, 
 and his wife was nursing him, when one night a 
 messenger arrived from Forli with news thatCodronchi 
 the seneschal of the palace, had murdered the castellan 
 and seized the fortress. Catarina lost not a moment ; 
 she was in the saddle at once, and, riding hard, reached 
 Fort Ravaldino at midnight, and called on her senes- 
 chal to account for his conduct. He answered her 
 with respect, but begged her to wait till the morning 
 for his answer. She had no choice but to yield, and 
 at daybreak she was admitted through the gate with 
 one servant. What followed within the citadel was 
 never known, but the undaunted lady came forth 
 safely, appointed a trusty friend, Tommaso Feo, as 
 castellan, and rode off to Imola with Codronchi 
 " And the next morning, two hours after sunrise 
 Catarina gave birth to a son," says the chronicler. 
 
 So ended this surprising adventure, and soon after- 
 wards, Girolamo having quite recovered from his ill- 
 ness, he returned to Forli with his wife. As the 
 dissatisfaction still continued, in a despairing effort to 
 win the favour of his subjects, Girolamo lightened 
 
 243 
 
CATARIN/V SFORZA 
 
 their burdens of taxation, ar^d the natural consequence 
 was that he could not satisfy the ever-increasing 
 demands of his courtiers, or pay his soldiers. A con- 
 spiracy was formed against him by two captains of 
 his mercenaries and two of his most pampered 
 favourites at court, Lorenzo and Cecco Orsi, who 
 decided on his murder, and watched their opportunity. 
 One afternoon, it was April 14, 1488, they went to his 
 chamber after dinner, and found him leaning against 
 the cushion of the open window, which looked out on 
 the Piazza. He was in excellent spirits, and, instead 
 of showing annoyance at their intrusion, he turned to 
 greet them with a jest. Under the usual pretext of a 
 petition Lorenzo stabbed him as he raised his hand to 
 receive it. Girolamo made a desperate struggle for 
 his life, but he was pierced with dagger thrusts again 
 and again, and then his body, half naked, was hurled 
 through the window to the public square below, and 
 dragged about the streets by the populace. 
 
 The little town was already in the hands of the 
 murderers ; but the fortress, which stands on high 
 ground at the apex of the fan-shaped city, was in the 
 faithful guard of Tommaso Feo, and commanded the 
 streets, which it could sweep with its guns. On re- 
 ceiving the terrible news Catarina, with marvellous 
 presence of mind, at once despatched the messenger to 
 her castellan Feo, bidding him send off courtiers to 
 Lodovico il Moro at Milan, and to her husband's 
 friend, Bentivoglio, Lord of Bologna. She was only 
 just in time, for the murderers burst into her rooms 
 and carried her off with her children to the Orsi 
 palace. 
 
 This done, a hasty council decided to secure the 
 
 243 
 
CATARINA SFORZA 
 
 help of the Pope by offering Forli to him ; and the 
 conspirators lost no time in sending this message to 
 the Cardinal Savelli, who was governor for the Church 
 at Cesana, about twelve miles south of Forli. The 
 cardinal was much troubled in mind, but, " not willing 
 to have it said that by his default the Pope should 
 suffer loss," he accepted the offer, rode off to the re- 
 bellious city, and even had an interview with Catarina. 
 He wisely suggested that she and her family would do 
 well to seek a safe refuge in a strong chamber above 
 St. Peter's gateway, under the guard of trustworthy 
 citizens chosen by him. She agreed, and that night 
 we are told that ''twelve persons of her family and 
 ^uite were led through the city by torchlight to their 
 new prison." 
 
 Next day, Tommaso Feo the castellan, was 
 summoned to give up the citadel ; he refused, and 
 Catarina was brought to the barred gate and compelled 
 to repeat the order. But he knew her too well to be 
 deceived, and persisted in his refusal to surrender. 
 Full of rage the conspirators tried again the next day, 
 and at length in despair assented to the suggestion 
 that the Lady of Forli should have a private interview 
 with her obstinate castellan. She was admitted alone 
 into the fortress on the understanding that she was 
 only to remain there three hours. We may imagine 
 the anxious suspense and excitement in the crowded 
 streets below when the great bell on the Piazza rang 
 to announce that the time was up. Summoned by a 
 trumpet blast Feo appeared on the ramparts and made 
 some futile remarks about his mistress and her need of 
 repose ; she was asleep, and he dared not wake her. 
 Furious at the ruse, which they now began to suspect, 
 
 ?44 
 
CATARINA SFORZA 
 
 the rebels fetched the Riario children from the gate- 
 house and vowed they should instantly be put to death 
 if the fortress were not surrendered. Historians differ 
 as to the exact words of the haughty refusal, but 
 Catarina undoubtedly dared them to do their worst, 
 with a hint that children might be more easily re- 
 placed than a realm, and a threat that any harm to 
 them would bring a fate worse than Sodom and 
 Gomorrah on the city itself. Possibly the cardinal's 
 influence prevailed, for the five boys and their sister 
 were taken back to the prison unhurt. 
 
 The murder of Girolamo had taken place on 
 April 14, 1488, and on the i8th a herald arrived from 
 the Lord of Bologna, to demand the safety of the 
 Riario family, and that Ottaviano, the eldest son of 
 the murdered prince, should be proclaimed Count of 
 Forli. To this Savelli made reply that the children 
 were safe, and that the fief had been offered to the 
 Pope. But when, two days later, there came to him a 
 messenger from Milan using still stronger language, he 
 became alarmed, and took a dangerous step. As no 
 troops had yet come from Rome, not even a letter from 
 the Pope, he resolved to forge the Bull of which he 
 stood in such urgent need. This did him no service, 
 and proved to be a terrible mistake on his part, for the 
 peaceable Innocent VIII. was not tempted by the offer 
 of this turbulent little State, and absolutely disowned 
 all that had been done by his agent, who had a very 
 narrow escape with his life from the later vengeance of 
 Catarina. Meantime the troops of Bologna, and those 
 of Milan, under young Galeazzo di Sanseverino, were 
 drawing near the city walls, and on the 29th the situa- 
 tion was hopeless for the conspirators, who after an 
 
 245 
 
CATARINA SFORZA 
 
 unsuccessful attempt on the lives of Girolamo's chil- 
 dren, fled by night from the scene of their crimes. 
 
 The magistrates went in procession to the fortress to 
 offer their lady the key of the city, and the next day she 
 made a triumphant entry on horseback, in company 
 with the generals sent to her help : Ottaviano is pro- 
 claimed count, and his mother appointed Regent, 
 while the hapless Girolamo is buried with much pomp 
 at Imola. 
 
 The murderers had sent an envoy at once to Lorenzo 
 dei Medici, describing their crime as due vengeance for 
 the murder of his brother Giuliano, and begging for 
 his support, but they received no answer. The ruler 
 of Florence was not vindictive, and he was quite wilUng 
 to help and protect the widowed countess and her son, 
 for it was his policy to encourage weak States. As soon 
 as her power was established, Catarina took a cruel 
 vengeance on all who had taken part against her, and 
 nothing can excuse her brutality to the aged head of 
 the Orsi family. 
 
 As regent for her son, now nine years old, she ruled 
 her State with vigour and ability, making a great name 
 for herself, so that in France they called one of their 
 most formidable pieces of artillery, " Madame de 
 Forli." There is a curious little notice of Catarina in 
 one of the diplomatic despatches of Cardinal Bibbiena ; 
 he writes : 
 
 " To-day there took place an interview between the 
 Duke of Calabria and the divine lady of Forli. Need- 
 less to say, his excellency was admirably groomed and 
 attired in the height of Neapolitc n fashion. His arrival 
 at Bagnara was welcomed with a salute of musketry, 
 and he stayed to dinner. He spent two hours withjthe 
 
 246 
 
CATARINA SFORZA 
 
 countess here, but it is patent to every one that Feo 
 has the lady well under his thumb. His excellency 
 took his leave very well contented, but he was only 
 moderately taken with the countess ; he told me that 
 they joined hands very gingerly . . ." 
 
 In her exuberant energy she had also taken up the 
 study of magic and medicine, and it was her strange 
 taste to collect uncanny exotic recipes of every kind. 
 We are told that " she spent hours in a private labora- 
 tory, receiving a Jewess who had brought her a 
 universal salve, or verifying formulae for a celestial 
 water, a cerebrine made of the marrow of an ass, a 
 magnet intended to compose family squabbles, and a 
 thousand other prescriptions of like virtue." An am- 
 bassador sends her a drug compounded chiefly of eggs 
 and saffron, of which he writes : " I wish to be present 
 when you test it . . . and I would not change places 
 with the King of France, so happy am I in contemplat- 
 ing so admirable a thing ; and besides your excellency 
 would not find another man like me, for courage is 
 required not to be afraid of spirits ; faith to believe, and 
 secresy to betray nothing." 
 
 This princess is described to us as a magnificent 
 woman, endowed with nature's most prodigal gifts ; 
 tall, strong, of a good presence, and with a clear 
 superb complexion ; in speech eager, impulsive, her 
 voice ringing out for the most part like a trumpet call, 
 but capable of alluring softness. The Giacomo Feo of 
 Savona, mentioned in the last letter, was the brother of 
 her faithful castellan, and became her husband or 
 lover. He was a man of great power and violence, 
 " threatening constantly to sell his soul to the devil, 
 and (a more serious matter) the State to the Turks, and 
 
 347 
 
CATARINA SFORZA 
 
 Catarina was subjugated by him." " Feo became an 
 odious tyrant ; denunciations, persecutions, tortures 
 are his wedding gifts." As was to be expected, Feo 
 fell by the hand of the assassin. He was stabbed to 
 the heart one day, under the very eyes of his sovereign, 
 as they were returning together from the chase. 
 Directly she saw that he was past all hope, she lost not 
 an instant, but mounting her horse at once, she rode 
 at the head of her guards to the quarter inhabited by 
 the murderers, and there she caused to be massacred 
 without distinction every living creature, even the 
 women and children. Such was the savage vengeance 
 of Catarina Sforza. 
 
 Yet in times of tranquillity she showed many quali- 
 ties of a wise ruler. She built various useful public 
 institutions, amongst others an Academy of Fine Arts, 
 and was a liberal patroness of learning. She was 
 generous and open-hearted, and not \villingly unjust 
 unless her passions were aroused, but she was a true 
 despot in her government. Always in need of money, 
 it occurred to her that as Imola and Forli were on the 
 great Via Emiliana, it would be a lucrative thing to set 
 up toll-bars at each end of her dominions. This 
 brilliant scheme was not, however, a success. It 
 naturally brought her into constant feuds with her 
 neighbours, while the passing merchants and travellers 
 found some way of evading her tolls, either by making 
 a circuit round, or by crossing the rough open country 
 at night. Finding it hardly paid the needful expense, 
 the Madonna of Forli reluctantly gave up her toll-bars. 
 
 At the time of her first husband's death in 1488 she 
 had been left a young widow of twenty-six, with six 
 children, of whom five were boys ; Giorgio Livio, 
 
 24S 
 
CATARINA SFORZA 
 
 Galeazzo named after her father, and Francesco Sforza, 
 being the three ^^ounger ones. 
 
 She had many tastes and interests in common with 
 her uncle Lodovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan, and she 
 kept up a constant correspondence with him during 
 the troubled years of her rule at Forli. He had been 
 the earliest to send help to Catarina after the murder 
 of her husband Riario, and continued a most useful 
 ally to this warlike niece of his, in her constant feuds 
 with her neighbours and her own restless subjects. 
 
 " Were it not for the trust I place in your excellency, 
 I should drown myself ! " she exclaims on one oc- 
 casion. 
 
 At this time she had aroused the anger of the 
 Venetians by her alliance with Florence, for in the 
 end she had taken to herself in 1497 another husband. 
 He was the ambassador from Florence, a member of 
 the younger branch of the Medici family, Giovanni, a 
 man of delicate idealistic temperament, who must have 
 attracted her by the very force of contrast. She gave 
 to the son of this marriage the name of Lodovico, but 
 this was later on changed to " Giovanni," on the death 
 of her young husband, six months after the birth of 
 her child. He w^as only thirty years of age, but he 
 appears to have been for some time in delicate health, 
 and he died at a little village amongst the Apennines, 
 San Piero in Bagno, where he had gone to take the 
 baths. 
 
 In consequence of this connection with the Medici, 
 all her children were made citizens of Florence later 
 on, when troubles had driven her to take refuge in 
 that city. 
 
 Catarina lost her husband in 1497, and seems to have 
 
 249 
 
CATARINA SFORZA 
 
 mourned him deeply ; indeed, her heart was so much 
 touched that she turned her thoughts seriously to 
 religion. A very curious correspondence took place 
 between her and Savonarola. She wrote to him in 
 the full fervour of her new piety to request his prayers, 
 and he replied in a gentle and dignified letter of 
 mingled serenity and strength, in which he takes high 
 ground in rebuking her life. This letter is dated 
 June i8, 1497, the very day on which all the churches 
 of Florence were thundering with the denunciation of 
 the Pope against him. It shows a marvellous aloof- 
 ness of soul from his own cares, that at such a time, he 
 could devote thought and charity to a distant penitent 
 in distress. 
 
 As for Catarina, she was a creature of impulse ; in 
 the days of her prosperity she would dance all night, 
 and go on a pilgrimage the next day. In time of 
 famine or plague, she would go fearlessly amongst her 
 people like a genuine sister of mercy. Her wonderful 
 force of mind would assert itself under the most trying 
 circumstances, as when she wrote to her sons, later 
 on, from the depth of her dungeon in the Castle of 
 Sant' Angelo, bidding them not to be concerned 
 for her. 
 
 " I am habituated to grief ; I have no fear of it." 
 After war had been declared against her, and a 
 Venetian army had already invaded her dominions, 
 the Duke of Milan sent a gallant soldier, Gaspare 
 Sanseverino, better known as the Captain Fracassa, to 
 help her with troops, and later on his eldest brother, 
 the Count of Caiazzo. But even those who went to 
 her assistance did not find her easy to deal with, and 
 she was always appealing to the Duke. A great 
 
 250 
 
CATARINA SFORZA 
 
 condottiere, a captain of mercenaries, who bargained 
 with Kings and Emperors, could not be expected to 
 take rough words meekly even from a lady, and she 
 would quarrel violently with Fracassa one day, to 
 make it up again the next. Then, too, with regard to 
 the marriages of her children, she gave Lodovico a 
 great deal of trouble. He had suggested a bride from 
 the house of Gonzaga for her eldest son ; but this she 
 rejected, and suddenly bethought herself that she 
 would accept the proposal of Count Caiazzo for her 
 daughter Bianca. Then she changed her mind and 
 said he was too old, and wrote to her uncle to ask 
 him what he thought of Galeazzo di Sanseverino as a 
 husband for the young girl. This was another brother 
 of Fracassa, one of twelve sons of Roberto Sanseverino, 
 all famous, but Galeazzo was the most distinguished 
 both with his sword and his pen. But the countess 
 was promptly told that the knight had no intention of 
 marrying again. 
 
 Catarina Sforza was a very capable woman, and a 
 most able diplomatist ; indeed, on one occasion, she 
 more than held her own against Macchiavelli himself. 
 He had been deputed by the Signoria of Florence to 
 enter into negotiations with the Lady of Forli. He 
 was to buy guns and ammunition from her if possible, 
 but the chief point was that he was to renew the engage- 
 ment of Ottaviano, her eldest son, now about twenty 
 years of age, as a general in the army of the RepLiblic. 
 This appointment the young man had held for a year 
 past, and the salary agreed upon was to have been 
 twelve thousand ducats, but as yet he had received 
 nothing. Now Macchiavelli was instructed to offer a 
 stipend for the coming year of ten thousand ducats, 
 
 251 
 
CATARINA SFORZA 
 
 instead of the twelve thousand already agreed upon 
 and it is a noticeable fact that Ottaviano himself keeps 
 out of the way, and leaves his mother to do the bargain- 
 ing for him. 
 
 Macchiavelli soon discovers with whom he has to 
 deal, for he writes to Florence : " That words and 
 reasoning will not avail much to satisfy her, unless 
 some partial performance be added to them." 
 
 In the end the ambassador is beaten all round, and 
 has to pay the astute lady the full amount agreed upon. 
 The days of trouble for Lodovico himself were 
 fast approaching. After the death of his young wife 
 Beatrice, nothing seemed to succeed with him. Now 
 the King of France and Caesar Borgia and the Vene- 
 tians all combined against him, and Catarina, who sent 
 a troop of horse from Forli, was almost his only ally in 
 Italy. His fate was sealed, and before many months 
 the most magnificent prince of the whole land was 
 an exile and a prisoner. But Catarina was too much 
 engrossed in her great and final struggle, to have much 
 thought or pity for others. The year of the Papal 
 Jubilee, when thousands of pilgrims crowded to Rome, 
 to seek indulgences from the hand of Alexander VI., 
 was a fatal one for the Madonna of Forli. 
 
 In the course of his career of conquest in Romagna, 
 Caesar Borgia reached Forli early in January, and, after 
 a desperate and heroic defence on the part of Catarina 
 Sforza, the citadel fell into his hands on January 12. 
 Only after forcing his way into the innermost retrench- 
 ments, did he at length succeed in capturing her. 
 There is a legend that the Duke of Romagna was so 
 proud of his victory, that he caused his captive to be 
 bound in chains of gold, like another queen of Palmyra, 
 
 252 
 
CATARINA SFORZA 
 
 to conduct her to Rome, where he made his triumphal 
 entry on February 20. We are told that she wore a 
 black satin dress, and rode between Caesar Borgia and 
 a French general. Pope x^lexander assigned the Belve- 
 dere to Catarina as her place of captivity. The city 
 was full of pilgrims at that time, and amongst others 
 who came that spring was Elisabetta Gonzaga, Duchess 
 of Urbino, who must have been deeply touched by 
 the sad fate of the Countess of Forli, the sister of her 
 brother Alfonso's first wife, Anna Sforza. The kind- 
 hearted duchess must have felt it all the more, that her 
 own husband and her brother Francesco, being both 
 in the service of France, must have had their share in 
 the fall of this unhappy lady. 
 
 Elisabetta had scarcely left Rome before Catarina 
 received the bad news that both her uncles, Lodovico 
 and Cardinal Ascanio, had fallen into the power of the 
 King of France. They had retaken Milan in February 
 that year, by the aid of Swiss mercenaries, but they 
 were shamefully betrayed by them on April 10 before 
 Novaro. Lodovico was taken to France, where he 
 died after ten miserable years of captivity in the dungeon 
 of Loches ; and Ascanio himself, formerly so powerful 
 a Prince of the Church, was also taken a captive to 
 France. It must have been a sad reflection for the 
 proud woman, in her prison, that all her family were 
 involved in these tragic fatalities. 
 
 The gaolers of Catarina, the Borgia Pope and his 
 son, were more to be dreaded than any other men of 
 their time, and the thought of being at their mercy 
 may well have been a terrible one. She must have 
 lived in dread of dagger or poison, and have felt that 
 only by a miracle had she escaped death. After a dis- 
 
 253 
 
CATARINA SFORZA 
 
 astrous attempt to escape, the Pope confined her in 
 the grim castle of Saint Angelo. But some French 
 knights in the service of her conqueror, and especially 
 Yvon d'AUegre, had the honour of saving her by a 
 chivalrous protestation to the Pope. After eighteen 
 months of captivity, she was permitted to take refuge 
 in Florence. The following is the somewhat surprising 
 letter of recommendation which he wrote to the Sig- 
 noria on the occasion. 
 
 " Roma, Juglio 13. 1501. 
 
 " DiLECTi filii Salutem et ap. ben. Our dear daughter 
 in J. C, the noble lady Catarina Sforza, to whom we 
 have given our pardon, after having, as you know,ikept 
 her prisoner for valid reasons, is on her way to you. 
 Having not only acted with clemency, as is our habit 
 and our pastoral duty, towards the aforesaid Catarina, 
 but wishing to provide for her wants with paternal 
 goodness as much as we can with the help of God, we 
 have thought well to write to you to recommend 
 warmly to your kind offices the said Catarina ; so that, 
 as she has the greatest confidence in our benevolence, 
 and turns to you as to her own country, she may not 
 be disappointed in the hopes which she has founded 
 upon our commendations. It will, therefore, be very 
 agreeable to us to learn that, as a recompense for the 
 respect shown by her towards your city and from con- 
 sideration for us, she has been well received and well 
 treated by you. 
 
 " Given at Rome, at Saint Peter's, under the seal of 
 the fisherman, on the 13th of July, the ninth year of 
 our pontificate. 
 
 " Hadrianus." 
 854 
 
CATARINA SFORZA 
 
 Thus it was that Catarina, the great Madonna of 
 ForH, after her stormy and eventful hfe, took refuge in 
 Florence. But even here she did not think herself 
 safe, and more especially felt much anxiety as to the 
 protection of her youngest son, the little Giovanni dei 
 Medici. A curious idea occurred to her ; she dressed 
 him in girl's clothes, and took him by night to the 
 Annalena Convent in the Via Santa Maria, where she 
 prayed the nuns to keep him under their care until the 
 evil days should have passed away, and the exiled 
 Medici should once again hold their own. The good 
 sisters were delighted to receive the little boy, and pro- 
 mised to keep the secret. 
 
 It was a remarkable episode in the early history of 
 this distinguished warrior, the last and greatest of the 
 condottieri of Italy, who was to be so famous in the 
 military history of his time. When quite young, he 
 began to serve as a soldier under Leo X., and was sub- 
 sequently appointed Captain of the Republic when he 
 gained the name of " Invitto " (the Invincible). It was 
 under his training that the infantry first began to 
 acquire fame. While in Lombardy fighting against the 
 Spaniards, he was mortally wounded near Mantua, and 
 carried through the falling snow to the house of Lodo- 
 vico Gonzaga. We have a very touching account of 
 his death, at the age of twenty-nine. " Love me when 
 I am dead," he said to the Duke Federigo, who replied 
 in broken accents, " I will indeed." 
 
 " En verite, c'etait un grand homme de guerre," 
 wrote the French ambassador. The soldiers who 
 fought under Giovanni were so devoted to him, that 
 they never laid aside the mourning which they put on 
 at his death ; and from their black garments, the name 
 
 355 
 
CATARINA SFORZA 
 
 of their leader remained famous in history as " Giovanni 
 delle Bande Nere." He was the founder of a noble 
 line, for his son Cosimo was the first Grand Duke of 
 Florence. 
 
 Catarina never lived to see the fortunes of her house 
 revive. She found a shelter in the Convent of Santa 
 Maria delle Muriate, where she spent the few remain- 
 ing years of her life, and died in the year 1509. But 
 it is in the ancient town of Forli that her memory is 
 most truly enshrined. In tiie secluded church of San 
 Biagio, half forgotten in its moss-grown corner, the 
 frescoes of Palmazzano still show us Catarina painted 
 as the Madonna, and adored by all the Riario family. 
 There, too, as we turn from the broad piazza, with its 
 lovely campanile of San Mercuriaie, and pass up the 
 long arcaded street, we see before us, rising grim and 
 threatening, the fortress of Ravaldino, and call to mind 
 that stirring chronicler, how the Madonna of Forli won 
 her fame. 
 
 256 
 
CATERINA SFORZA, COUNTESS OF FORLI 
 Marco Palmezzani 
 
LUCREZIA BORGIA, DUCHESS OF 
 FERRARA 
 
 The very name is a term of reproach, nay even of 
 opprobrium, to many who read it ; only suited to point 
 a moral, in hateful contrast to the famous Lucrezia of 
 old. But the researches of modern historians have 
 done more than cast doubt upon the evil legend which 
 has haunted this unfortunate lady through the ages. 
 Countless letters and documents of the period have 
 been hunted out from the dusty recesses of old 
 libraries ; family archives have been diligently searched, 
 and the result has been to avenge the memory of this 
 much maligned princess. Those who would seriously 
 study the proofs advanced will find them in the pages 
 of Roscoe, and more fuU)'^ m the exhaustive " justifica- 
 tion " of the historian, Gregorovius, made more impres- 
 sive by sixty-five original documents of the time. 
 
 The Borgias were so justly hated in their own day, 
 that their enemies were not satisfied with holding up 
 to public execration Pope Alexander VI. and his son 
 Caesar, as monsters in human form, but they included 
 in the same condemnation every member of the 
 abhorred race. This at least we know, that when 
 Lucrezia escaped from the poisonous atmosphere of 
 the papal court, and became Duchess of Ferrara, she 
 
 257 ii 
 
LUCREZIA BORGIA 
 
 lived a dignified and blameless life for more than twenty 
 years, winning the esteem and respect of all. On her 
 marriage with Alfonso d'Este, Ariosto pays her the 
 tribute of " rivalling in the decorum of her manners 
 as in the beauty of her person, all that former times 
 could boast." 
 
 After this brief introduction, we will turn to the 
 known facts of her eventful life. She was born April 
 1 8, 1480. Her father, Cardinal Borgia, was to become 
 Pope Alexander VI. twelve years later, and her mother 
 V(/as a Roman woman of great beauty, Vanozza Catanei, 
 who had already two sons of his, Giovanni and Caesar. 
 For some years these children were together in their 
 mother's house, and the company of these two elder 
 Borgia brothers cannot have been good for the cha- 
 racter of little Lucrezia. She was probably their meek 
 slave, for in after days she never seems to have greatly 
 asserted herself, or to have had much voice in the 
 mapping out of her life. The little girl seems to have 
 been carefully brought up with the classical training of 
 the day, and special attention was paid to her religious 
 knowledge, whatever moral value that may have had. 
 At this point, it is interesting to note that in the Cata- 
 logue of seventeen books which she took to Ferrara, at 
 least eight were breviaries and religious works, besides 
 a Dante, a Petrarch, and some books on Philosophy. 
 
 At twelve years old we are told, " she speaks 
 Spanish, Greek, Italian, French, and a little Latin also, 
 very purely ; she writes and composes poetry in all 
 these languages." Several hundreds of her letters have 
 been preserved, some in Spanish, but mostly in Italian, 
 written in a very natural and easy style, full of liveli- 
 ness and feeling, but without much depth. She was 
 
 258 
 
LUCREZIA BORGIA 
 
 quite young when she left her mother's house, and was 
 placed under the care of Madonna Adriana Orsini, a 
 connection of Cardinal Borgia, and a great lady of 
 position and influence, and with her Lucrezia must 
 have learnt to take her place in society. She is 
 described as being a beautiful girl, with golden hair, 
 well-formed features, laughing blue eyes and a very 
 fair complexion. 
 
 Before her father became Pope, he had arranged for 
 her betrothal with a Spanish grandee of an ancient and 
 noble house, Don Cherubin Juan de Centelles. But 
 the project was never realised, for, on his promotion 
 to the Chair of St. Peter a year later, he set his heart 
 upon a more brilliant alliance ; nothing short of a 
 prince would content him, and Giovanni Sforza, Lord 
 of Pesaro, was selected as his son-in-law. He had 
 married Maddelena, the younger sister of Elisabetta, 
 Duchess of Urbino, but she had died the following 
 year, and he gladly accepted the hand of Lucrezia. 
 There Vas some trouble with the young Spaniard, but 
 the masterful Alexander had his way. The marriage 
 was celebrated with great magnificence, and the bride 
 had a dowry of 31,000 ducats, and presents of immense 
 value. She already had a palace in Rome, where she 
 spent much time with her husband, and Madonna 
 Adriana lived with her as dame of honour ; also the 
 daughter-in-law of this lady, Julia Farnese, whose 
 intrigue with the Pope was of common notoriety. In 
 a letter of that date we have a curious account of a visit 
 to this palace of " Santa Maria in Forticu," where the 
 three ladies were found sitting round the fire in the 
 greatest intimacy. They were dressed in velvet and 
 fur, but Julia had recently washed her magnificent 
 
 259 
 
LUCREZIA BORGIA 
 
 hair, which fell round her to the ground, and Pucci 
 adds: "shone like the sun." Can we conceive any 
 more evil society for an impressionable girl of four- 
 teen ? 
 
 Meantime her husband was in great difficulties, for 
 there was every appearance of war between the Pope 
 and the Duchy of Milan, and he was in the pay of both. 
 There was a clause in his marriage contract, authorising 
 him to take his wife with him to Pesaro, and he 
 availed himself of this, taking with him Madonna 
 Adriana, Julia Farnese, and also Vanozza, as the Pope 
 was afraid of the plague for them. A few months later, 
 a curious adventure befell two of these ladies. In 
 travelHng from their Castle of Capodimonte to Viterbo 
 with a suite of twenty-live horsemen, they were taken 
 prisoners by a French troop, under Monseigneur 
 dAllegre. The Pope had to pay a ransom of 3000 
 ducats to redeem them, and all Europe smiled at the 
 story. Pesaro is situated in a broad valley open to the 
 sea, and protected by an amphitheatre of hills, an ideal 
 situation on the shore of the Adriatic, the very garden 
 of Italy. But it was in a torrent of rain which blotted 
 out the landscape, that Lucrezia arrived to take posses- 
 sion of the ancient Sforza palace, which was to be her 
 home for so short a time. It must have seemed to her 
 like escaping from a prison, to live in this lovely spot, 
 with the Apennines to separate her from her father 
 and brother. For the summer she had several 
 country resorts, but the most beautiful was the 
 palace on Mount Accio, with splendid views over 
 land and sea, and grounds like thegardens of Armida. 
 If the young wife had been happy in her marriage, 
 she would have been like some queen of Arcadia, 
 
 360 
 
LUCREZIA BORGIA 
 
 but she had been simply a docile victim in the 
 hands of her relations, tossed as a prize to the highest 
 bidder. 
 
 In this brief space it is impossible to trace out 
 the complicated politics and wars of Italy, and we can 
 only follow the fortunes of Lucrezia, who found her- 
 self the next year recalled to Rome, and established in 
 the midst of the brilliant and licentious court of the 
 Borgia Pope. The Sforza alliance was no longer of 
 any use to him, and, with his usual unscrupulous am- 
 bition, he decided to find his daughter another hus- 
 band. It is said that Giovanni would have fallen a 
 victim to the dagger or poison, had not his wife sent 
 him an urgent warning, on which he made his escape, 
 riding in all haste to Pesaro, where his horse fell dead 
 under him. She does not seem to have cared much 
 for. him, but she opposed the divorce which followed, 
 without success, for her father and brother had absolute 
 power in their hands. But she so far asserted herself 
 as to leave her sumptuous palace and take refuge, for a 
 time, in the convent of nuns of San Sisto, on the 
 Appian Way. It was while she was in this cloistral 
 retreat that she received the terrible news of her 
 brother, the Duke of Gandia, having been murdered 
 in the streets of Rome, and public report accused 
 Caesar Borgia of the foul crime. 
 
 Close upon this followed the scandalous lawsuit 
 in which the Borgias declared the marriage" with 
 Giovanni Sforza annulled, on June lo, 1493 ; and the 
 shameful reports with regard to poor Lucrezia 
 appear to have had their origin about this time. 
 The Pope had already found another husband for 
 her, Alfonso, Duke of Bisaglia, nephew of the King 
 
 a6i 
 
LUCREZIA BORGIA 
 
 of Naples, whose daughter was greatly desired as a 
 wife for Caesar Borgia. 
 
 The unfortunate Alfonso, who was only seventeen, 
 must have felt himself a sacrifice to the family ambi- 
 tion ; he came to Rome sadly and unwillingly, and 
 the marriage was celebrated at the Vatican, with the 
 old custom of a knight holding a naked sword over 
 the head of bride and bridegroom — a meet emblem 
 of the troubles in store for them both. The Pope 
 had bestowed on his daughter a dowry of 40,000 
 ducats, the duchy of Spoleto and the territory of 
 Sermoneta. But he was much disappointed at the 
 refusal of the hand of the Princess Carlotta of Naples 
 for his son, and joined with Louis XII., who had 
 designs on the throne of Naples. Some time after 
 this, Alfonso, warned by a friend, thought it wise to 
 escape from the fatal shadow of the Vatican, to the 
 great indignation of Alexander, and the sorrow of his 
 wife, who had become much attached to the amiable 
 and handsome young man, and persuaded him to 
 return to Rome. Her son was born three months 
 later, and was baptized with great pomp in the Sistine 
 Chapel, borne in state by the captain of the papal 
 guards, and accompanied by all the ambassadors and 
 cardinals. 
 
 Once more Lucrezia had a short time of peace and 
 happiness, and her palace became a centre of artistic 
 and intellectual society. Young Michelangelo had 
 recently come to Rome, and attracted much interest ; 
 he was at that time working at his wonderful Pieta, 
 which Lucrezia must often have seen. We have very 
 full details of all that happened at Rome during this 
 period, in the private Journal of Burchard, the papal 
 
 263 
 
LUCREZIA BORGIA 
 
 master of the ceremonies, who, hke our Pepys, never 
 allowed his contemporaries to see his writings. In- 
 deed, had he done so, it would certainly have cost him 
 his head ; as it was, he continued to write every day, 
 his short dry account of all he saw, under the rule of 
 five Popes. 
 
 Alexander VI. had a narrow escape of his life in the 
 month o' June 1500, when a chimney fell in the 
 Vatican, but he was rescued from the ruins only 
 slightly hurt. He would suffer no one to nurse him 
 but his daughter, and ascribing his escape to the 
 special protection of the Virgin, he went in a proces- 
 sion to Santa Maria del Popolo, with rich offerings. 
 As Gregorovius remarks, the Saints of Paradise may 
 have interposed to save a great sinner, but they suffered 
 an innocent man to be murdered only eighteen days 
 afterwards. One evening, Alfonso was mounting the 
 steps to meet his wife, when he was set upon by a 
 band of men in masks and stabbed. He had just 
 strength to rush into the Pope's apartment, where at 
 the sight of her husband covered with blood, Lucrezia 
 fell fainting to the ground. Alfonso was carried into 
 a chamber in the Vatican, and a cardinal gave him 
 absolution. But he was tenderly cared for by his wife 
 and did not die, indeed he was on the way to recovery 
 when Cassar Borgia burst into the sick-room, with a 
 bravo who finished the bloody deed. 
 
 Never was a crime sooner forgotten. The whole 
 affair was hushed up, no steps were taken to punish 
 the murderer, and only poor Lucrezia had to bear her 
 burden of grief, in that most terrible moment of her 
 life. The sight of her tears was distasteful to her 
 father and brother, and they readily assented to her 
 
 263 
 
LUCREZIA BORGIA 
 
 leaving Rome for a time. At the end of August, with 
 an escort of six hundred horsemen, she set out for the 
 old Etruscan town of Nepi, of which she was sovereign. 
 The grim medieval castle stands on a height in the 
 Campania, in the midst of a sombre and melancholy 
 landscape, like all that volcanic country. A vast 
 panorama spreads out before the eyes, the wooded 
 hills of Viterbo, Mount Soracte, like an island in the 
 middle of the sea, and to the north, the broad valley of 
 the Tiber, bounded through a misty haze by the blue 
 mountains of the Sabine. 
 
 The young widow of Alfonso took a portion of the 
 court with her, and her little son Roderigo ; but it was 
 a time of strict mourning, and there was nothing to 
 distract her mind from her grief. There are a few 
 letters preserved which she wrote at this time, signed, 
 "La principessa infehcissima de Salerno." They 
 chiefly treat of domestic affairs and the mourning 
 clothes which she needs for herself and for little 
 Roderigo, and for black hangings to her bed. But 
 more than once she writes to her faithful servant in 
 Rome, bidding him have prayers said in all the 
 monasteries. " Fa far nove orationi per tutti li monas- 
 terii per queste nove mie tribulationi." 
 
 She writes again on October 30 : 
 
 " Vicenzo. Having decided to cause a com- 
 memorative service to be celebrated for the soul of the 
 lord duke, my husband, — santa gloria habia, — you will 
 see to it. 
 
 " From the castle of Nepi. La infelissima." 
 " Sia data in mano de Vicenzo Giordano." 
 
 364 
 
LUCREZIA BORGIA 
 
 There can be no doubt that she sincerely grieved 
 for the loss of her young husband, but before the end 
 of the year we find her longing to return to Rome, and, 
 twelve months later, the disconsolate widow was to 
 all appearance gay and lighthearted as ever. It was 
 true that her father left her no time for regrets, as he 
 had already another marriage in view. He had set his 
 heart on another Alfonso, the eldest son of the Duke 
 of Ferrara, as by such an aUiance he hoped not only 
 to win over Ferrara to the cause of Csesar Borgia, but 
 also the allied houses of Mantua and Urbino. His 
 first proposal was absolutely rejected by Ercole d'Este, 
 and received with horror by his daughter Isabella 
 d'Este, and the Duchess of Urbino, her sister-in- 
 law. 
 
 Nothing daunted, the wily Pope continued to press 
 the matter, feeling certain of ultimate success. After 
 a time, more pressure was brought to bear upon 
 Ercole by the King of France, and these humiliating 
 negotiations for Lucrezia proceeded slowly. In June 
 1501, the Pope joined the army at Sermoneto, and 
 actually installed his daughter in his own place at the 
 Vatican, and Burchard writes in his Diary : " His 
 Holiness before leaving the city, confided all the palace 
 and the care of current affairs to Donna Lucrezia 
 Borgia, his daughter, and his Holiness has given her 
 full power to open all the letters which arrive. . . ." 
 
 What a scene at the Vatican ! This young woman, 
 the Pope's own daughter, presiding at the consistory, 
 composed of cardinals ! This one fact speaks for 
 itself more than a thousand satires. It seems that 
 Alexander had at last received the longed-for consent 
 of Duke Ercole, and he may have thought to give her 
 
 265 
 
LUCREZIA BORGIA 
 
 a more assured standing by raising her to this high 
 position as a political personage. 
 
 There had been great difficulty in overcoming the 
 repugnance of Alfonso himself to the proposed mar- 
 riage, although his first wife, Anna Sforza, had died 
 four years before, and had left him no son and heir. 
 That Lucrezia was illegitimate does not seem to have 
 been of most serious account; the sumptuous Re- 
 naissance was a golden age for children who had no 
 legal right to be born. The young d'Este had but to 
 look in his own family — at his grandfather. King Fer- 
 rante of Naples, of the proud house of Arragon, at his 
 two uncles, Leonello and Borso d'Este, the late reign- 
 ing Dukes of Ferrara — who were all of the " bar 
 sinister." There must have been a dark shadow of 
 sacrilege resting on this daughter of the Pope, but 
 through it glimmered dim suggestions of unique 
 advancement, for who of all the princes of Europe 
 could offer so splendid a dowry ? 
 
 As to the lady herself, it was singularly unfortunate 
 that at the age of twenty-one she should already have 
 been twice betrothed, twice married, and twice de- 
 prived of a husband under criminal circumstances, of 
 which she had been the too passive spectator. She 
 had lived in the licentious atmosphere of the papal 
 court, she was sister of the infamous Caesar Borgia, 
 the " Prince " of Macchiavelli, scandalous reports had 
 spread with regard to her, but nothing had been 
 proved — it was all si dice. Most anxious inquiries 
 were made about her character, and a special envoy 
 wrote to Duke Ercole that " there was nothing sinister 
 about her." He also spoke of Madonna Lucrezia as 
 " sensible, discreet, of good and loving nature . . . 
 
 266 
 
LUCREZIA BORGIA 
 
 her manners full of modesty and decorum ; a good 
 Christian filled with the fear of God . . . in truth, 
 such are her good qualities that I rest assured there is 
 nothing to fear from her, nay, rather everything to 
 hope from her." 
 
 The Duke of Ferrara was quite won over by the 
 immense advantages offered to his State ; and as his 
 son still hesitated, he used the final argument that he 
 would marry Lucrezia himself if Alfonso remained 
 obstinate. When at last the consent of the bridegroom 
 was obtained, Duke Ercole took a purely business view 
 of the matter, and determined to sell the honour of his 
 house at the highest possible price. It is curious to 
 note at this point, that in the long negotiations which 
 followed, his future daughter-in-law was his best 
 ally. Always at the elbow of the Pope when he 
 received one exorbitant demand after another, she 
 persuaded him in the end to agree to everything, 
 although he was much enraged with all this hag- 
 gling, and exclaimed : " Che il procedere del duca 
 era un procedere da mercatante." Ercole wrote her 
 several most friendly letters to thank her for her 
 valuable help, but in truth she was herself intensely 
 eager for the marriage. 
 
 Surely it speaks well for Lucrezia that she should so 
 ardently desire to escape from the polluted air of Rome, 
 from her fatal past ; and to have a fresh start, with the 
 chance of an honourable and peaceful life. She seems 
 to have been strangely unconscious of any personal 
 humiliation in being thus pressed upon an unwilling 
 husband ; no troubles could quench her gay, light- 
 hearted, childish nature, and when the marriage was at 
 last publicly proclaimed in Rome, she showed her joy 
 
 «67 
 
LUCREZIA BORGIA 
 
 by dancing all night with such exuberant spirits that 
 she was ill the next day. 
 
 The dowry was indeed magnificent — 100,000 ducats 
 to be paid down in gold at Ferrara, and 100,000 more 
 in plate, jewels, fine linen, clothes, costly hangings, and 
 trappings for horses and mules. The yearly tribute of 
 400,000 ducats paid by the duchy as a fief of the Church 
 was to be remitted, and the towns of Cento, Pieve, and 
 Porto Cesenatico, and many valuable benefices, includ- 
 ing the bishopric of Ferrara, were to be given to the 
 duke. Every detail has been preserved of this amazing 
 marriage, and we gaze bewildered on such lavish and 
 wasteful prodigality. 
 
 A splendid retinue was sent from Ferrara to fetch 
 the bride, composed of relations and friends and 
 vassals of the house of Este ; the great lords leading 
 the way, splendidly dressed, with massive gold chains 
 round the neck, and preceded by thirteen trumpeters 
 and eight hautboys. This nuptial cavalcade consisted 
 of about five hundred persons, under the command of 
 the light-hearted young Cardinal Ippolyto d'Este, who 
 thus gaily crossed the plains of Italy, living at the 
 expense of the cities through which they passed. The 
 journey took thirteen days ; it was during the depth 
 of winter, and when they reached Monterosi, fifteen 
 miles from Rome, they were sadly weather-beaten, wet 
 through, and covered with mud. The cardinal sent 
 forward a trumpeter to take the orders of the Pope, 
 with the result that the grand entry into the city, by the 
 Porte del Popolo, was fixed for the next day. After a 
 state reception by the people, the cardinals, and the 
 Pope ; the princes of Ferrara were introduced to 
 Lucrezia, who came to meet them as far as the stair- 
 
 268 
 
LUCREZIA BORGIA 
 
 case of her palace. She wore a dress of white cloth 
 brocaded with gold, with closely-fitting sleeves of gold 
 brocade, a necklace of pearls, and a mantle of brown 
 velvet trimmed with marten. " A charming and 
 gracious lad)'-," was the general verdict ; and Cardinal 
 Ippolyto wrote a long letter that evening to his sister 
 Isabella at Mantua, giving a very pleasing account of 
 his new sister-in-law. 
 
 He had brought a costly present of jewels, which he 
 presented himself ; and although the marriage had 
 already been concluded by procuration at Ferrara, 
 this formality was repeated at the Vatican, and his 
 brother Ferrante placed the ring, in the name of 
 Alfonso, on the bride's finger. On this occasion she 
 wore a gown of gold brocade and crimson velvet, 
 trimmed with ermine, the sleeves reaching to the 
 ground, and her long train borne by her ladies of 
 honour. Her fair hair was tied with a black ribbon, 
 she wore a coif of some golden material, and priceless 
 jewels. 
 
 There were great festivities every day — a bull-fight 
 in the Piazza San Pietro, endless theatrical representa- 
 tions and state balls, in which Lucrezia's dancing was 
 much admired. At length, on the 6th of January, she 
 set forth on her journey to cross Italy like a queen, 
 with so magnificent a procession as the world has 
 rarely seen. A number of chariots and 150 mules 
 laden with her trousseau had been sent on beforehand, 
 and she took with her " everything she desired, and 
 there was to be no inventory kept." The immense 
 retinue with which she travelled made up almost a 
 thousand persons, and amongst these were 180 of 
 her own special Court, including Madonna Adriana 
 
 369 
 
LUCREZIA BORGIA 
 
 and her other ladies, and Caesar Borgia had equipped 
 an escort of honour of 200 noble cavaliers, with a choir 
 of musicians and jesters to entertain his sister on the 
 way. 
 
 The Pope had carefully mapped out the whole 
 route, and sent special orders that everywhere his 
 daughter was to be received with triumphal arches, 
 illuminations, and solemn preparations. She was to 
 go by Castelnovo, Civita Castellana, Narni, Terni, 
 Spolete, Foligno. Here the Duchess of Urbino was 
 to meet Lucrezia, and had promised to accompany her 
 as far as Ferrara. They would cross the States of 
 Caesar through Pesaro, Nimini, Cesena, Forli, Faenza, 
 and Imola, to arrive at Bologna, from thence by the 
 river Po to Ferrara, a long and tedious journey at that 
 period, when the roads made it necessary to travel 
 chiefly on horseback, and when we remember what 
 even an Italian winter can be. 
 
 Even this light-hearted young woman, in the hour 
 of her triumph, must have had some sad leave-taking. 
 She was parting with her little boy, Roderigo, whom 
 she was never to see again, for the young Duke of 
 Bisaglio died at Bari a few years later. She may have 
 said a last good-bye to Vanozza, but her name is never 
 mentioned at this period. When her father had taken 
 leave of her at the Vatican, he moved from one window 
 to another to have a last view of her, until the caval- 
 cade had quite passed out of sight. All the cardinals, 
 the ambassadors, and the magistrates of Rome accom- 
 panied the bride to the Porto del Popolo. She 
 rode a splendid white horse with a golden bridle 
 and her travelling garb was of red silk trimmed 
 with ermine, and a plumed hat. Thus she turned 
 
 370 
 
LUCREZIA BORGIA 
 
 away from her stormy past to enter upon a new 
 life. 
 
 The journey was tedious rather than eventful, 
 although the new duchess was received everywhere 
 with great honour, as though she were a royal person- 
 age. On the seventh day she arrived at Foligno, where, 
 amongst other pleasing masques, was a triumphal car, 
 from which Paris declared that he had made a mis- 
 take in giving Venus the golden apple, and that he 
 now presented it to the lady who excelled all the three 
 goddesses, with beauty, wisdom, and power combined. 
 
 On the outskirts of Gubbio, a remote little town on 
 the western slope of the Apennines, Lucrezia was met 
 by the Duchess Elisabetta, who conducted her in state 
 up the steep road to her splendid palace on the grey 
 hillside. It must have been a supreme effort on the 
 part of this great lady to receive with any show of 
 friendship the woman who had first married the 
 widower of her young sister, Maddelena, and had then 
 divorced him with public scandal. Yet nothing was 
 lacking to the princely courtesy of her welcome at 
 Gubbio and again at Urbino two days later, when 
 Duke Guidobaldo and all his court came down the hill 
 to meet her and escorted her to the palace, while he 
 and the duchess lodged elsewhere. The Montefeltro 
 may have hoped that the influence of Lucrezia would 
 secure the safety of Urbino, and could never foresee 
 that only a few months later the vile perfidy of her 
 brother, Caesar Borgia, would drive them from their 
 dominions. 
 
 After a day's rest, the two duchesses continued 
 their journey over the mountain pass, and arrived 
 late at night at Pesaro, which now belonged to 
 
 271 
 
LUCREZIA BORGIA 
 
 Caesar, and Lucrezia was accompanied by a train of 
 children with olive branches to the very home of her 
 first married life. We cannot imagine anything more 
 painful for her than the thought of those days, and of 
 Giovanni Sforza still burning for revenge ; but our 
 deepest pity would be for the tender-hearted Elisabetta, 
 for whom these walls would be haunted by sad memories 
 of her young sister's wedding, so soon to be followed 
 by her death. It must have been a relief to both ladies 
 to continue their journey. Passing through Forli and 
 Faenza on Friday they reached Imola, where Lucrezia 
 declared that she must rest a day to wash her head. 
 Probably that golden hair required a great deal of 
 attention. On reaching Bologna, she was very glad 
 to take the easier route by water, and on the last day 
 of January she arrived at Castel Bentivoglio, where 
 she was agreeably surprised by an impromptu visit in 
 disguise from Alfonso, her husband. She received 
 him with " much deference and grace," and he made 
 a gallant response during the short interview. The 
 Pope was delighted to hear of this little episode from 
 his daughter, who wrote to him every day. He had 
 felt great anxiety as to her reception by the Este 
 family, and this news set his fears at rest. 
 
 The next day, at Malalbergo, Lucrezia met Isabella 
 Marchesa of Mantua, who had required much per- 
 suasion from her father to induce her to do the 
 honours of the state reception. But she acted her 
 part graciously, and greeted her new sister-in-law with 
 a kiss. At Torre della Fossa the Duke Ercole, with his 
 son Alfonso and all the Court, awaited their coming, 
 and received them on a gorgeous bucentaur, where 
 the ambassadors and others were presented to the 
 
 373 
 
LUCREZIA BORGIA 
 
 bride. At Ferrara itself the preparations for her arrival 
 were on a scale of royal prodigality, and the solemn 
 entry was one of the most brilliant spectacles of the 
 age. It was the great moment of her life. 
 
 We have a very full account of the magnificent pro- 
 cession — the archers, the trumpeters, the bishops, the 
 cavaliers, the ambassadors, those of Rome in long 
 cloth-of-gold mantles lined with crimson satin. The 
 scene must have been one dazzling mass of colour. 
 Alfonso wore red velvet and a black velvet cap with a 
 beaten-gold ornament. His brown horse was covered 
 with trappings of crimson velvet and gold. As for 
 the bride, we are told she was sparkling with beauty 
 and joy. She wore a "camorra" of black velvet 
 with wide sleeves and delicate fringes of gold, and 
 a "sbernia" of gold brocade trimmed with ermine. 
 Her head was covered with a net shining with gold 
 and diamonds, and round her neck was a chain of 
 great pearls and rubies, which Isabella remembered 
 with a sigh, having seen them worn by her mother. 
 Her beautiful hair fell freely over her shoulders. A 
 purple baldachino was carried over her head by the 
 doctors of law, of medicine, and of mathematics, in 
 turn. Behind her rode the duke, her father-in-law, in 
 rich black velvet. 
 
 When Lucrezia reached the palace, she was greeted 
 at the foot of the great staircase by Isabella d'Este ; it 
 was already late, and the great halls were lighted wath 
 torches and candelabra. The bride and bridegroom 
 were conducted with music to the reception room, 
 where they took their places on a throne. The court 
 was presented to them, and then the pompous wedding 
 oration was recited. Amongst the poets who paid 
 
 373 s 
 
LU^CREZIA BORGIA 
 
 homage to the newly-wedded pair was a rising genius 
 of whom great things were expected. Ariosto had com- 
 posed a Latin epithalamium in the bride's honour, of 
 which these Hnes will give an idea : 
 
 Est levis haec jactura tamen, ruat hoc quoque quicquid 
 Est reliquum, juvet et nudis habitare sub antris, 
 Vivere dum licet tecum pulcherrima virgo. 
 
 These words must have been received with a smile by 
 those who understood them. 
 
 Lucrezia appears to have made a most favourable 
 impression, not so much from her beauty as by a 
 certain undefinable charm of person and manner, which 
 won over even those who had been most hostile to her 
 coming. Her constant brightness and sunny good 
 humour must have been very attractive. There is a 
 hint of jealousy in some of the letters of Isabella 
 d'Este ; possibly this " prima donna del mondo " could 
 not brook a rival so near the throne, and also she may 
 have looked with wistful eyes at the slight graceful figure 
 of the bride, for she herself was always afraid of grow- 
 ing stout. There is no very satisfactory portrait extant 
 of Lucrezia, but this is the description of her appear- 
 ance by a contemporary : " Di mediocre statura, gracile 
 in aspetto, si faccia alquanto lunga, il naso profilato 
 bello, li capelli aurei, gliocchi bianchi, la bocca alquanto 
 grande con li denti candidissima, la gola schietta e 
 bianca oenata con decente valore, ed in essere, con- 
 tinuamente allegria e ridente." 
 
 Alfonso d'Este's secretary, Bonaventura Pistofilo, 
 writes of her : " Tu essa Lucrezia di venusto e man- 
 sueto aspetto, prudente, di gratissime maniere negli atti, 
 e nel parlare di molto grazia e allegrezza." 
 
 The wedding festivities lasted for six days, and we 
 
 374 
 
LUCREZIA BORGIA 
 
 have the most minute description of every masque and 
 comedy, of every opera and dance, of priceless gifts 
 and dazzUng costumes. One day Lucrezia wore a robe 
 of woven gold and a chain of the most precious gems ; 
 then she next appeared in one of black satin and gold 
 foliage, with flowing sleeves, with a hem similar to a 
 flame of gold ; and of another dress we are told it had 
 cost fifteen thousand ducats. As to the wonderful 
 performances she witnessed, we can only imagine, as 
 her biographer remarks, that we are transported into 
 Shakespeare's " Midsummer Night's Dream," and that 
 Theseus Duke of Athens is before us in the person of 
 Ercole Duke of Ferrara. He certainly had a mar- 
 vellous gift in the way of entertainments, even for those 
 sumptuous days of the Renaissance. 
 
 After all these gay doings there followed a period of 
 retirement and economy, which musthave been rather 
 trying to the bride, but she quietly felt her way and won 
 golden opinions from all around her. She had strong 
 proof of this before the end of the year, when she was 
 very ill after the birth of a daughter, and received the 
 greatest kindness and devotion. But a terrible blow 
 awaited her the following autumn, nothing less than the 
 sudden death of Pope Alexander and the consequent 
 ruin of Caesar Borgia's ambitious projects. Poor 
 Lucrezia must have been overwhelmed with grief and 
 despair, for she cannot have closed her ears to the 
 chorus of malediction which rose up from all Italy, and 
 must have known on what a slender thread hung her 
 position and hope of happiness. But in point of fact, 
 she was securely established at Ferrara, and does not 
 seem to have lost respect and consideration after the 
 death of her father. She was even able to give some 
 
 275 
 
LUCREZIA BORGIA 
 
 help to Csesar, whose failing fortunes she watched with 
 anxious interest. 
 
 Early in 1505, after the death of her father-in-law, 
 she became really Duchess of Ferrara, and availed 
 herself to the full of her new advantages. She became 
 the very centre of the intellectual life of Ferrara, and 
 her court was frequented by all the poets and learned 
 men of the day. Endless sonnets and epigrams were 
 written in her honour, comparing her to every goddess of 
 antiquity, and praising her beauty and virtue in no mea- 
 sured terms. Ariosto, in the " Orlando Furioso," places 
 her in the temple of famous women, above the Lucrezia 
 of old, in beauty and chastity. In some instances the 
 language of adulation took a more tender form, as in 
 the letters of Bembo, the distinguished Venetian ; but 
 of these we must form a judgment by the standard of 
 that day. The young duchess had not Isabella's great 
 love for painting and sculpture, or the same eager desire 
 for collecting works of art, but she was a liberal patron 
 to the artists who painted the Este palace walls. 
 
 Her husband Alfonso had but little taste for litera- 
 ture or for courtly show. He was a wise ruler and a 
 good soldier, and served Ferrara well during the stormy 
 times which followed his father's death. As often as 
 he had a little leisure from his fortifications and diplo- 
 macy, he spent it in painting china vases. When he 
 had to take the field against the fighting Pope Julius, or 
 against Venice, he always left his wife as regent of 
 Ferrara, and she showed herself thoroughly v»?orthy of 
 his confidence. On one occasion when the Jews had 
 been persecuted in the city, she proclaimed an edict to 
 protect them, and caused those who were guilty of the 
 outrages to be severely punished. She was greatly 
 
 276 
 
LUCREZIA BORGIA 
 
 beloved by the people, towards whom she behaved 
 with much generosity ; for more than once, in time of 
 famine, or misery caused by war, she pawned her jewels 
 to help them. But we really hear very little about the 
 latter half of her life, for the chroniclers of the period 
 only mention her to record the birth of her children. 
 The heir to the duchy was not born until 1508, and he 
 received the name of Ercole, from his grandfather. 
 There were two other sons, Ippolytus, afterwards the 
 Cardinal d'Este, remembered by his villa at Tivoli, and 
 Francesco, Marquis of Massalombarda. Her daughter 
 Leonora became a nun at the convent of Corpus 
 Domini, where she herself spent so much of her later 
 life. 
 
 In her peaceful and dignified career at Ferrara she 
 had yet her fair share of trouble. The captivity and 
 death of her brother Caesar Borgia, killed while fighting 
 for his brother-in-law of Navarre, at the age of thirty- 
 one, was a great blow to her ; then the fatal love 
 affair with her beautiful maid-of-honour Angela, which 
 brought ruin on the two brothers of *her husband ; the 
 death in 1508 of her eldest son Roderigo, whose 
 varied fortunes she had followed from afar with loving 
 eyes, and, ten years later, the loss of her mother 
 Vanozza, her last link with the past. 
 
 As time went on, she devoted herself more and more 
 to religious duties, and works of charity. As Paolo Gioyio 
 tells us, she renounced the pomps and vanities of the 
 world, to which she had been accustomed from her 
 childhood ; she founded convents and hospitals, and 
 was a mother to the sick, the poor, and the destitute. 
 We have another interesting record of Lucrezia from 
 the biographer of the famous Bayard, the " chevalier 
 
 277 
 
LUCREZIA BORGIA 
 
 sans peur et sans reproche/' who was received by her 
 at Ferrara. 
 
 " La bonne duchesse, qui etait une perle de ce monde, 
 fit aux Franfais un merveilleux accueil et tous leur 
 jours leur faisait festins et bancquets a la mode D'ytalie 
 tant beaux que merveilles. Bien ose dire que de son 
 temps, ne devant ne s'est trouve de plus triomphante 
 princesse, car elle etait belle, bonne, deuce et courtoise 
 a toutes gens, et rien n'est plus sur que, quoique son 
 mari fut un prince sage et vaillant, ladite dame lui a 
 rendu de bons et grands services par sa gracieusete." 
 
 Other homage was not wanting, on every side. 
 Caviceo even sought to flatter the splendid Isabella 
 d'Este, by offering her, as his highest praise, that "she 
 closely approached the perfection of Lucrezia." The 
 relations between these two great ladies had been very 
 friendly, and on the death of Francesco of Mantua, the 
 Duchess of Ferrara wrote to his widow to express her 
 sorrow. 
 
 " Illustrious Signora, my sister-in-law and much 
 honoured sister, — The cruel loss of your most illustrious 
 husband of happy memory has caused me so much grief 
 and sorrow that I have too much need of consolation 
 myself to offer any to your excellency, for whom this 
 great loss must be so bitter an affliction. I share the 
 regrets with which this misfortune overwhelms your 
 excellency, and I cannot succeed in expressing how 
 much it touches and afflicts me." . . . She adds a few 
 words about submission to the will of God, and signs 
 herself, " Your sister-in-law, LucREZiA, Duchess of 
 Ferrara. The last day of March 15 19." 
 
 278 
 
LUCREZIA BORGIA 
 
 She herself only lived a few months longer. On 
 June 14 she had a child, born dead. In expectation of 
 her approaching end she dictated a letter to Pope 
 Leo X., which, written in sight of death, reveals to us 
 the deepest feelings of her soul. 
 
 " Sanctissimo Patre et Beatissimo Signor mio Colen- 
 dissimo, — With all possible reverence of soul, I kiss the 
 feet of your Holiness, and humbly recommend myself 
 to * La sua Santa gratia.' ... So great is the favour 
 granted to me by my merciful Creator, that I know 
 the end of my life approaches, and in a few hours I 
 shall have gone hence, having first received all the 
 Holy Sacraments of the Church. And at this point, I 
 am reminded as a Christian, though a sinner, to suppli- 
 cate your Holiness to bestow from your spiritual 
 treasures, some comfort to my soul with your holy 
 benediction, and this I devoutly pray. And to your 
 holy grace, I recommend il Signor Consorte, and my 
 children, all servants of your Holiness. 
 
 " De Vostra Beatitudine, 
 " Humil Serva, 
 
 "LUCREZIA DA ESTE. 
 " Ferrara, the lath June 1519, at the 34th hour." 
 
 Two days later she passed away, to the deep and 
 lasting grief of her husband, who had never left her 
 side. She was buried in the Convent of the Sisters of 
 Corpus Christi, in the same tomb as the mother of 
 Alfonso, the Duchess Leonora of blessed memory. The 
 whole city mourned for her, and instances of her good- 
 ness and piety were on every tongue. 
 
 But the poor duchess was unfortunate in that her 
 
 279 
 
LUCREZIA BORGIA 
 
 good deeds were soon forgotten, while the evil traditions 
 of her youth survived, and were carried down alone to 
 posterity. The study of celebrated characters of former 
 days must always be a most difficult problem. If we 
 are often mistaken about our own contemporaries, how 
 much more likely are we to form a wrong judgment 
 with regard to those who are only shadows from the 
 past ? 
 
 If her latest great biographer, Gregorovius, has suc- 
 ceeded in dethroning Lucrezia Borgia from the pedestal 
 of wickedness where legend had placed her by the side 
 of Phaedra, Medea and Clytemnestra, this unhappy 
 lady still remains an essentially tragic figure. Every- 
 thing was against her ; her birth, her early training, 
 her surroundings, the evil character of her nearest 
 relations, who merely used her as a tool for their 
 ambition. And, even when she had weathered the 
 storm and left Rome for ever to live for more than 
 twenty years, not merely blameless, but honoured and 
 beloved in her new home, — it was the very irony of 
 fate that she should still be held up through the 
 centuries, as 'the type of infamy for novelist, historian, 
 and dramatist. 
 
 But the last word has not yet been spoken. The 
 character of Lucrezia Borgia still awaits the final 
 verdict of a broader knowledge. 
 
 280 
 
VITTORIA COLONNA, MARCHESA DI 
 PESCARA 
 
 Vittoria e '1 nome ; eben conviensi a nata 
 Fra le vittorie, ed a chi, o vada, o stansi, 
 Die trofei sempre, e di trionfi ornata, 
 La Vittoria abbia seco, o dietro, o innanzi. 
 Questa e un'altra Artemisia, che lodata 
 Fu dl piet^ verso il suo Mausolo ; anzi 
 Tanto maggior, quanto e piu assai bell' opra 
 Che por sotterra un uom, trarlo di sopra. 
 
 Orl. xxxvii. i8. Ariosto. 
 
 The very name is music in our ears, and calls up the 
 image of a gracious presence, which is perhaps better 
 known than that of any other lady of the Renaissance. 
 Princess and poetess, she combined the learning of 
 her day with the religious mysticism of a later age, and 
 her renown has come down to posterity as much from 
 her friendship with Michelangelo as from her own 
 merits. 
 
 Vittoria was the daughter of Fabrizio Colonna, 
 Grand Constable of Naples, and of Agnesina di 
 Montefeltro, of the great house of Urbino ; sister of 
 one duke and daughter of another. She was born in 
 the year 1490, in the ancient walled city of Marino, 
 which nestles amongst the Alban hills between Castel 
 Gondolfo and Grotta Ferrata, not far from the Lake of 
 Albano. Under Pope Innocent VIII. there was at 
 
VITTORIA COLONNA 
 
 that moment a brief interval of peace before the death 
 of Lorenzo dei Medici and the invasion of Italy by the 
 French under Charles VIII. 
 
 For a child of such illustrious lineage, her marriage 
 would certainly be a matter of political arrangement, 
 and in this case it was the King of Naples who, to 
 secure the somewhat doubtful fealty of her father, 
 the Grand Constable, caused Vittoria's betrothal to 
 Ferrante Francesco d'Avalos, the only son of the 
 Marquis of Pescaro, a subject of his own. The boy 
 and girl were about the same age, four years old, when 
 this " marriage for the future " took place, according 
 to the very frequent custom of that age. We have an 
 interesting glimpse of the little Vittoria in the year of 
 Jubilee 1500, when the Duchess of Urbino, Elisabetta, 
 came on a pilgrimage to Rome, and paid a visit to her 
 sister-in-law Agnesina at the castle of Marino. The 
 young girl seems to have given early promise of beauty 
 and intelligence, and was carefully educated, first 
 under her mother's care, and then for some years 
 in the guardianship of Ferrante's elder sister in the 
 island of Ischia. 
 
 Costanza d'Avalos, the widowed Duchess of Franca- 
 villa, was a woman of strong character, who had 
 greatly distinguished herself some years before, by her 
 gallant defence of the citadel when attacked by the 
 forces of Louis XII. In acknowledgment of her 
 heroism, the government of the island was settled 
 upon her family. It was here that King Federico of 
 Naples took refuge with his wife and children, and his 
 two widowed sisters, after the French had taken and 
 sacked Capua, and were advancing on Naples, in the 
 year 1501. 
 
 282 
 
VITTORIA COLONNA 
 
 The wedding of the young Marchese of Pescaro and 
 Vittoria Colonna took place in their nineteenth year, 
 at Ischia, on December 27, 1509. There were splendid 
 festivities, of which the chroniclers give us the most 
 minute particulars, but all these pompous entertain- 
 ments greatly resemble each other. A list of the 
 wonderful presents is preserved in the Colonna archives, 
 and amongst them we notice the furniture of a bed in 
 crimson satin and blue taffeta, fringed with gold, and 
 pillows of crimson satin edged and garnished with 
 gold ; also the housing for a mule of wrought gold 
 brocade, given by the bride ; while the bridegroom 
 offers priceless jewels, diamond crosses, gold chains,&c., 
 and costly robes of satin, velvet, and brocade, chiefly 
 scarlet and crimson in colour, with the richest of gold 
 embroideries. 
 
 Ferrante had inherited his title and property at an 
 early age by the death of his father, and he is described 
 to us as a singularly handsome man, of knightly bear- 
 ing, very proud of his noble Spanish blood. He had 
 cultivated tastes, and could sympathise with his young 
 wife in her love of poetry and literature. They seem 
 to have been devotedly attached to each other, and 
 their marriage gave every promise of a happy life. 
 Their home was in that beautiful island of Ischia, 
 where mountains and valleys, sea and sky, the luxuriant 
 vegetation of the tropics, the charm of old story — all 
 combine to make this spot the ideal dream of a. poet. 
 Two years of delightful leisure were spent here in the 
 cultivated society of the Duchess Costanza and her 
 friends, and then the long honeymoon came to an 
 abrupt end. 
 
 Ferrante was called away by his military duties, for 
 
 383 
 
VITTORIA COLONNA 
 
 there was war between France on one side, and Naples 
 and the Papal States on the other. With his father- 
 in-law, Fabrizio Colonna, he joined the army of 
 Italy, which was entirely defeated under the walls of 
 Ravenna, on April 9, 1512. Pescaro and Colonna 
 were both made prisoners, and carried to Milan, where 
 the young Marchese nearly died of his wounds, but he 
 was well cared for by Gian Trivulsio, Marshal of 
 France, who had married his aunt, Beatrice d'Avalos. 
 On his recovery he was ransomed by the payment of 
 six thousand ducats by his wife, who had sought to 
 relieve her distress and anxiety during his captivity, by 
 writing a poetical letter to him of one hundred and 
 twelve lines in terza rima. Ferrante on his part had 
 composed a "Dialogo d'Amore " in his prison, which 
 he dedicated to Vittoria. Neither of these com- 
 positions have much literary merit, but they are very 
 characteristic of the age. For a short time the young 
 soldier remained in his beautiful home, enjoying this 
 interval of peace with his wife, but her happiness was 
 of brief duration. Pescara was soon recalled to the 
 field of war in Lombardy, and after this time Vittoria 
 seldom saw him. Indeed, after the month of October 
 1522 they never met again. In his brilliant military 
 career, as general of the Imperial forces, he was always 
 engaged at a distance from home. 
 
 We have an interesting account of Vittoria's appear- 
 ance on a great occasion at the Court of Naples, for the 
 marriage of Sigismond, King of Poland, with Bona 
 Sforza, the daughter of the unfortunate Isabella of 
 Arragon. In the midst of the most magnificent 
 festivities and revels, we are told : " The illustrious 
 lady, Madonna Vittoria, Marchesa of Pescara, was 
 
 284 
 
VITTORIA COLONNA 
 
 mounted on a black-and-white jennet, with housings 
 of crimson velvet fringed with gold.' She was attended 
 by six of her ladies-in-waiting, clad all alike in azure 
 damask, and followed by six grooms on foot with 
 cloaks and jerkins of blue and yellow satin. She 
 herself wore a robe of brocaded crimson velvet, 
 adorned with large branches of beaten gold, a crimson 
 satin cap, with a head-dress of wrought gold above it, 
 and a girdle of beaten gold round her waist." She 
 was a very beautiful woman at that time, with deli- 
 cately-moulded classical features, large bright eyes, 
 the smooth, high forehead so much admired then, and 
 golden hair. 
 
 The Marchesa had no children of her own, and she 
 decided to adopt and educate a young cousin of her 
 husband's, Alfonso d'Avalos, as an occupation during 
 the long absences of Pescaro. The boy was very 
 intelligent, but he had Spanish blood in his veins, 
 and was most unruly and difficult to manage. How- 
 ever, she acquired great influence over him, and 
 became very much attached to him. Vittoria also 
 found many intellectual interests ; for, besides the 
 men of letters and poets who came to her court, 
 she had much literary correspondence. Castiglione, 
 then ambassador in Spain, writes to her thus : " I 
 have felt so much joy in the victories of the Marchese 
 that at first I would not write a letter — a letter is so 
 common a thing 1 One writes letters about events of 
 no importance. I had thought of fireworks, fetes, 
 concerts, songs, and other vigorous demonstrations, 
 but reflection has shown me that these are inferior to 
 the concert of my own affections ; and so I am come 
 back to the idea of a letter, convinced that my mar- 
 
 285 
 
VITTORIA COLONNA 
 
 chesa will be able to see what I have in my soul, even 
 though my words fail to express it. . . And as to 
 my duty towards your highness, seek, I pray you, the 
 testimony of your own heart, and give it credence, 
 for I am sure your heart will not lie to you on what 
 not only yourself, but the whole world, sees shining 
 through my soul, as through the purest crystal. And 
 thus I remain, kissing your hands, and humbly 
 commending myself to your good favour. Madrid, 
 March 21." 
 
 On one occasion Vittoria Colonna wrote a charming 
 letter to Paolo Giovio, in which she spoke with great 
 enthusiasm of her "divine Bembo." Paolo Giovio lost 
 no time in passing this letter on to him. " I send 
 you," he writes, " a letter from your lady-love, the 
 most illustrious marchesa. It is very pretty, and 
 speaks of you, and I send it to you at once without 
 any of that resentment which rivals are so apt to feel, 
 for I am fully assured that her excellency's love for 
 your lordship is in all points like to my own love for 
 her, that is, celestial, holy, altogether Platonic. Her 
 excellency is come to Naples from Ischia, with the 
 other noble dames. I mean the serene Amalfia and 
 the superb Vasta, with the Francavila (the Duchess 
 Costanza, her sister-in-law), a mirror of virtue, and 
 verily a matchless beauty." * 
 
 This must have been at the time of the King of 
 Poland's wedding. 
 
 Meantime, great events were happening in Italy. 
 The French were defeated at Novaro, then for awhile 
 there was peace between the Pope and the French 
 king ; then again the French take Milan and hold it 
 
 * De Maulde. 
 286 
 
VITTORIA COLONNA 
 
 until the Pope and the Emperor Charles join against 
 them and drive them from Milan in 1521. Then at 
 length comes the final rout, when, under the leader- 
 ship of Pescara, the battle of Pavia is won in 1525, on 
 February 24 ; and Francis I., taken prisoner, sends home 
 to his mother the one brief message : " Tout est perdu 
 fors I'honneur." 
 
 Pescara was wounded, but not dangerously, in the 
 battle, and he claimed the custody of the royal 
 prisoner, who was, however, taken away from his 
 charge into Spain. He was at this time general-in- 
 chief in all Lombardy, and high in the confidence of 
 Charles V., and he felt himself sorely aggrieved at 
 losing his captive. Until this time, whatever his 
 private character might have been, he had not only 
 been successful, but crowned with honour and glory. 
 But now, in his rage and discontent, he appears to 
 have listened to plans of secret treachery. It was 
 suggested to him that if he would turn against the 
 emperor, he should be offered the crown of Naples. 
 We do not know exactly how far he wavered in his 
 allegiance, but some rumour must have reached his 
 wife, for she wrote to him a most touching and 
 earnest letter, begging him : 
 
 " That you consider well what you are doing, mind- 
 ful of your pristine fame and estimation ; and in truth, 
 for my part, I care not to be the wife of a king; but 
 rather to be joined to a faithful and loyal man ; for 
 it is not riches, titles, and kingdoms which can give 
 true glory, infinite praise, and perpetual renown to 
 noble spirits desirous of eternal fame ; but faith, sin- 
 cerity, and other virtues of the soul ; and with these 
 
 287 
 
VITTORIA COLONNA 
 
 man may rise higher than the highest kings, not only 
 in war, but in peace." 
 
 From all we know of the Marchese di Pescaro's 
 character, it is very doubtful if this letter had any 
 effect. Historians believe that having reason to doubt 
 the success of the plot, he resolved to betray his friend 
 Morone, and revealed the whole scheme to Charles V., 
 vowing that he had never wavered in his allegiance, and 
 had but drawn on the conspirators to their own be- 
 trayal. In return for this double treachery he received 
 the title of Generalissimo of the imperial troops, but 
 he did not live to eiivoy this splendid position for many 
 months. He fell ill of a mysterious complaint, which 
 some biographers attribute to anxiety and remorse, and 
 grew so rapidly worse that before the end of the year 
 there was no hope of recovery. 
 
 An urgent messenger was sent by him from Milan, 
 to tell the news to his wife, who set off at once in 
 anxious haste, but when she arrived at Viterbo she 
 heard of his death. This was in November 1525, and 
 he was first buried at Milan, but his body was after- 
 wards removed with stately ceremony to Naples. In 
 the church of S. Domenico Maggiore, amongst the huge 
 chests covered with velvet which bear the names of the 
 " Princes and Princesses of the House of Aragon," is 
 one which contains the bones of " Ferrante Francesco 
 d'Avalos," and over his tomb hang his portrait and his 
 banner. 
 
 In her loyalty and her love, Vittoria forgot all her 
 husband's faults, and for a time was absolutely broken- 
 hearted. Her first impulse was to flee from the world, 
 and she sought a refuge in Rome in the convent of San 
 
 288 
 
VITTORIA COLONNA 
 
 Silvestro in Capite. This was of the order of Santa 
 Chiara, and was founded especially for noble sisters of 
 the house of Colonna, who might wish to dedicate 
 themselves to God. The first desire of the widowed 
 lady, still only in her thirty-fifth year, was to take 
 the veil, in her afHiction. But it is a curious proof 
 of the importance which she had in the eyes of her 
 friends, that Pope Clement VII. was persuaded to send 
 a brief to the abbess and nuns of San Silvestro per- 
 mitting them to receive into their convent the Marchesa 
 di Pescara, and to offer her all spiritual and temporal 
 consolations, but forbidding them, under pain of the 
 greater excommunication, to permit her to take the 
 veil in her distress. " Impetu potius sui doloris, quam 
 maturo consilio circa mutationem vestium vidualium 
 in monasticas. December 7, 1525." 
 
 If she could not enter the sisterhood, at least she 
 could consecrate her whole life to the memory of her 
 beloved husband, and to religion. She remained at 
 San Silvestro until the following autumn, when she was 
 at Marino, during the great feud between the Colonna 
 family, who took part with the Emperor, and the Orsini 
 who were on the side of the Pope. Upon this 
 Clement VII. declared the estates of the Colonna family 
 confiscated, and Vittoria returned to her safe haven at 
 Ischia. She must have been indeed thankful for so 
 peaceful a retreat, when the very next year saw that 
 terrible sack and plunder of Rome, to the horror and 
 dismay of all the civilised world. 
 
 In her quiet island home, the young widow slowly 
 recovered from the first overwhelming grief for her 
 husband's loss, and reached the stage when she could 
 find relief in writing tender sonnets to his memory ; a 
 
 289 T 
 
VITTORIA COLONNA 
 
 kind of " In Memoriam." Of these about one hundred 
 and thirty-four have been preserved, and she always 
 calls her Ferrante, " mio bel solo." Her fame as a 
 poetess, even during her lifetime, procured her the 
 title of " La Divina." The following translation will 
 give some idea of one of the sonnets : 
 
 Hither did my fair sun to me return 
 
 From the fierce fight, all laden with his spoils. 
 
 Alas, to me what grief bring these fair scenes, 
 
 Where once his dazzling beams shone bright and clear ! 
 
 A thousand honours did his valour win 
 
 Ot faith and glory and of knightly zeal, 
 
 Proclaimed with joy by many-tongued renown 
 
 While on his brow the victor's laurels rest. 
 
 At my fond prayer he showed me his dear wounds, 
 
 And to my ravished ears revealed the place, 
 
 The hour, of all his mighty victories. 
 
 As erst my joy, so great my sorrow now, 
 
 While my sad memories the past recall 
 
 With sweet regrets and many bitter tears. 
 
 This certainly deserves the contemporary praise of 
 being written " in very choice Italian ; " and a high 
 authority has described her poetry, as "penetrated 
 with genuine feehng, it has that dignity and sweetness 
 which belong to the spontaneous utterances of a noble 
 heart." 
 
 Thou knowest. Love, I never sought to flee 
 From thy sweet prison, nor impatient threw 
 Thy dear yoke from my neck ; never withdrew 
 
 What, that first day, my soul bestowed on thee 
 
 Time hath not changed love's ancient surety ; 
 
 The knot is still as firm ; and though there grew 
 
 Moment by moment fruit bitter as rue, 
 Yet the fair tree remains as dear to me. 
 290 
 
VITTORIA COLONNA 
 
 And thou hast seen how that keen shaft of thine, 
 
 'Gainst which the might of Death himself is vain, 
 Smote on one ardent, faithful breast full sore. 
 
 Now loose the cords that fast my soul entwine, 
 For though of freedom ne'er I recked before, 
 Yet now I yearn my freedom to regain.* 
 
 After three peaceful years in Ischia, Vittoria was 
 driven away by the plague, so frequent a follower of 
 war and devastation. She turned her steps to Rome, 
 which was now beginning to revive after the horrors of 
 that terrible pillage and ruin of 1527. Many distin- 
 guished exiles had already returned thither ; amongst 
 them her adopted son the Marchese del Vasto, and she 
 found herself warmly welcomed, and soon became the 
 centre of a delightful literary and artistic circle. That 
 same year we find that Titian paints a Magdalen, which 
 the Duke Federico of Mantua had promised her for a 
 present. He writes thus ; 
 
 " I sent to Venice at once, and wrote to Titian, who 
 is perhaps the best master now living, begging him 
 earnestly to make a picture of this saint, as beautiful 
 and tearful as possible, and to let me have it directly," 
 
 On receiving this princely gift, Vittoria expresses the 
 warmest gratitude, and sends the duke an exquisitely 
 wrought casket filled with rare perfumes and cosmetic 
 of roses. She continued her friendly relations with 
 him, and on his marriage with Margherita Paleologa, 
 the heiress of Monferrato, she sends him her warmest 
 wishes ; " she could not wish her own Marchese del 
 Vasto greater joy or good fortune." She also encloses 
 
 * De Maulde' Trans. 
 291 
 
VITTORIA COLONNA 
 
 two of her latest sonnets as a wedding offering. On 
 another occasion she asked one of her friends who 
 was going to Mantua, to offer Federico "a friendly 
 and sympathetic greeting," with some small token of 
 her regard. The friend presented the duke with a 
 basket of roses, and he wrote at once to thank the 
 lady with his deepest respect. Whereupon Vittoria 
 wrote him a formal apology that her envoy had 
 " honoured him so little " as to give so small an 
 offering. 
 
 It was only natural that a lady of such wealth and 
 beauty should be sought in marriage, but she refused 
 every offer, and would make reply : " My husband 
 Ferrante, who to you seems dead, is not dead to me." 
 At the time of her loss, amongst the many letters of 
 condolence she received, Castiglione had written : 
 " Calamity has fallen upon you like a deluge. I durst 
 not write to your highness at first, for I deemed that 
 you had died with the Marchese ; to-day in all verity 
 and admiration I hold that the Marchese still liveth in 
 you." This indeed was the universal feeling of sym- 
 pathy towards her ; her love for her husband was 
 known to have been "passionate as youth and enduring 
 as age, mutual, whole and faithful." 
 
 In the year 1528, " II Cortigiano," of Baldassare 
 Castiglione, was first printed in Venice, and it is in- 
 teresting to remember that, before giving it to the 
 world, the author submitted the manuscript to Vittoria 
 for her approval. She, kept it a long time, and praised 
 everything most warmly ; the freshness of the subject, 
 the refinement, elegance, and animation of the style. 
 She is quite jealous of the persons that are quoted in 
 such a book, even if they are dead. When at last she 
 
 292 
 
VITTORIA COLONNA 
 
 returns it, she omits to add that she has lent it rather 
 indiscreetly. 
 
 At Rome she was for a time the guest of her sister- 
 in-law, Madonna Giovanna d'Aragon, the wife of 
 Ascanio Colonna, whose family had made peace with 
 Pope Clement, and recovered the princely estates. 
 She survived her husband for two-and-twenty years, 
 of which she spent a portion in her lovely home at 
 Ischia, and sometimes in convents at Orvieto and 
 Viterbo, while she found interest and variety in many 
 journeys. Amongst her many correspondents was the 
 famous Marguerite of France ; but these two ladies, 
 who had so much in common, never had the oppor- 
 tunity of meeting. In one of her earliest letters 
 Vittoria writes that while awaiting the infinite happi- 
 ness of a meeting, she ventures to reply to the " high 
 and religious " words of the princess. 
 
 " In our day the long and difficult journey of life 
 compels us to have a guide. It seems to me that 
 every one in his own sex can find the most appropriate 
 models. ... I turned towards the illustrious ladies of 
 Italy to find examples for imitation, and though I saw 
 many virtuous among them . . . yet one woman 
 alone, and she not in Italy, seemed to me to unite the 
 perfections of the will with those of the intellect ; but 
 she was so high placed and so far away that my heart 
 was filled with the gloom and fear of the Hebrews 
 when they perceived the fire and glory of God on the 
 mountain top, and durst not draw near because of 
 their imperfection." 
 
 After these personal compliments she speaks of her 
 
 293 
 
VITTORIA COLONNA 
 
 group of friends ; of Monsignor Pole, " who is always 
 in the heavens, and only descends to earth to do 
 service to others " ; of Bembo, one of the labourers of 
 the eleventh hour, but by reason of his ardour worthy 
 of the wages of the first, and she adds that " all this 
 company unites in contemplating from afar the queen 
 of gems so rich in radiance that she enriches others." 
 
 In another letter the Marchesa enters more deeply 
 into the burning question of the day. She is full of 
 respect for reason, but with her /' religion is first, the 
 supreme perfection of our soul, the perfect beauty." 
 More fully to explain her meaning she encloses a copy 
 of her sonnets. These verses had a curious adventure. 
 Although addressed to the great Lady Marguerite, 
 sister of the King of France, they were intercepted in 
 the post by order of the Constable de Montmorency. 
 We do not know if he read the sonnets, but he 
 strongly disapproved of the correspondence, and only 
 gave up the book " after a stormy scene at the king's 
 table." With regard to the handwriting of Vittoria, in 
 which some people see a " mirror of the soul," we are 
 told that it was clear and plain, " somewhat masculine 
 in character, but both nervous and irregular, with a 
 multitude of abbreviations and splotches." 
 
 The remark in her letter to Marguerite of France 
 that with her " religion was first," touches the key- 
 note of all her later life. Her most intimate friends 
 were chosen from those earnest thinkers who were 
 deeply interested in Church reform and the new in- 
 fluences of the Reformation, without ceasing to be, 
 for the most part, loyal sons of the Church. In April 
 1557 the Marchesa went to Ferrara on a visit to the 
 Duchess Ren6e, who, like herself, was much interested 
 
 394 
 
VITTORIA COLONNA 
 
 in religious questions, and she stood sponsor in June 
 to her new-born daughter, the Leonora of Tasso's 
 love. Her arrival there is thus described : 
 
 ^' Madonna Vittoria Colonna, famed for her elegance 
 in the poetic art, not less than for Christian virtues, 
 arrived at Ferrara in humble guise, accompanied by 
 six of her ladies, on her way, as was said, to Venice, 
 whence she purposed to make a pilgrimage to the Holy 
 Land. She, who was a great patroness of Bernardino 
 Ochino of Siena, as long as he remained in the right 
 path, by the influence of the duke obtained the gift 
 of an oratory, together with a small piece of ground 
 in the Borgo della Misericordia, on the Po, and there 
 having built a modest retreat, she placed Ochino and 
 a few Capuchins of his brethren. Fra Bernardino, 
 during the time he dwelt there, preached in the 
 cathedral in the Advent of that year, and subsequently 
 was elected general of his order." 
 
 Vittoria seems to have been greatly interested in 
 this friar, whose sermons had a remarkable success. 
 Agostino Gonzago writes from Rome in Lent 1537 
 about him : " He is a man of most holy life himself, 
 and his sermons are .devoted to the exposition of the 
 Gospels. His whole object is to teach men how to 
 walk in the steps of Christ, and he has the most ad- 
 mirable fervour, as well as a most perfect voice. He 
 is not afraid of saying what is good for his hearers, 
 and aims his rebukes chiefly at those in high station, 
 so that all Rome flocks to hear him. . . . TheMarchesa 
 di Pescara is always present at these sermons, and is 
 living in seclusion with the sisters of San Silvestro, 
 
 295 
 
VITTORIA COLONNA 
 
 receiving no visits, and wearing the humblest of habits, 
 and is so devoted to religious exercises that it is ex- 
 pected she will soon take the veil." 
 
 Later on Cardinal Bembo writes from Venice : " I am 
 prayed by divers gentle souls in this city to intercede 
 with your grace, that you would be pleased to persuade 
 your Padre Fra Bernardino da Siena to come hither 
 next Lent and preach in the church of the Holy 
 Apostles, to the reverence and honour of our Lord 
 God ; which thing they greatly desire to obtain from 
 his reverence. Nor they alone, but all the citizens are 
 in infinite expectation of hearing him." After his 
 request had been granted, the cardinal expresses his 
 admiration of the friar's eloquence and piety ; " he had 
 never heard such preaching." 
 
 When Vittoria left Ferrara, she had won all hearts. 
 " This morning the Signora Marchesa di Pescara started 
 for Bologna," writes the Cardinal of Ravenna, " to the 
 incredible grief of his excellency the duke, of myself, 
 and of the whole city. We have indeed been divinely 
 entertained by her presence, and can only comfort 
 ourselves with the promises she has made to return 
 before long. Last night we enjoyed a rare treat. The 
 duke and I as well as the Marchesa, supped with the 
 duchess, and after supper the Marchesa read us five 
 sonnets of her composition, which were so beautiful 
 that I do not think an angel from heaven could have 
 written anything more perfect." 
 
 It was about this period that occurred the great event 
 of Vittoria's later life, her friendship with Michelangelo, 
 who was then in his sixty-third year, while she was 
 nearly forty-eight. A strong sympathy grew up between 
 these two, who were alike in the melancholy of their 
 
 296 
 
VITTORIA COLONNA 
 
 natures, in their deep religious feelings, and in their 
 cultivated artistic and intellectual tastes. This is one 
 of the first letters which Michelangelo wrote to the 
 marchesa, in 1538 ; 
 
 " I am going in search of truth with uncertain step. 
 My heart, floating unceasingly between vice and virtue, 
 suffers and finds itself failing, like a weary traveller 
 wandering on in the dark. ... Ah ! do thou become 
 my counsellor. Thy advice shall be sacred. Clear 
 away my doubts. Teach me in my wavering how my 
 unenlightened soul may resist the tyranny of passion 
 unto the end. Do thou thyself, who hast directed my 
 steps towards heaven by ways of pleasantness, prescribe 
 a course for me." 
 
 It was the custom of this great master to show 
 friendship by the gift of a drawing, and for Vittoria he 
 designed sketches from the Passion of our Lord. 
 Ascanio Condivi says : 
 
 " At the request of this lady he made a naked Christ, 
 at the moment when, taken from the cross, our Lord 
 would have fallen like an abandoned corpse at the feet 
 of His most holy Mother, if two angels did not support 
 Him in their arms. She sits below the cross with a 
 face full of tears and sorrow, lifting both her wide- 
 spread arms to heaven, while on the stem of a. tree 
 above is written this legend : * Non vi si pensa quante 
 sangue costa.' The cross is of the same kind as that 
 which was carried in procession by the White Friars at 
 the time of the plague of 1348, and afterwards deposited 
 in the church of S. Croce at Florence." 
 
 297 
 
VITTORIA COLONNA 
 
 This is a portion of the letter in which she writes 
 acknowledging it : 
 
 " I had the greatest faith in God that He would 
 bestow on you supernatural grace for the making of 
 this Christ. The design is in all parts perfect and con- 
 summate, and I could not desire more. I tell you that 
 I am greatly pleased to see the angel on the right hand 
 is by far the fairer ; since he, Michael, will place you, 
 Michel Angelo, upon the right hand of God in that day. 
 Meanwhile, I cannot serve you better than by praying 
 to this sweet Christ, whom you have drawn so well and 
 perfectly, and begging you to hold me ever at your 
 service." 
 
 The superscription on one of her letters was : 
 " Al mio piu che magnifico e piu che carissimo 
 M. Michel Angelo Buonarotti." And in another letter 
 she says : Our friendship is stable and our affection 
 very sure, it is tied with a Christian knot." 
 
 There is something very touching and beautiful in 
 the relation between the man of genius, to whom this 
 cultured lady was a revelation, with her sensitive 
 feeling and delicate insight — and the widowed princess 
 who found a solace and a keen interest in the creative 
 mind of the master painter. She had many friends, 
 brilliant men of the world, cardinals and courtiers, who 
 laid their wit and talent, their learning and their piety 
 at her feet, but she had never met a friend like this 
 before. 
 
 Messer Francesco d'Ollanda, architect, illuminator, 
 and miniature artist, who had been sent into Italy by 
 
 298 
 
VITTORIA COLONNA 
 
 the Portuguese government to study art, has left us 
 an exquisite Httle miniature in words, which, although 
 well known, will bear repeating once more. It is an 
 account of a meeting with the Marchesa di Pescara 
 and Michelangelo, and he thus tells it : 
 
 " Among the days that I passed in this capital, when 
 I went to see, as was my wont, Messer Lactantius 
 Tolomei, who had become friendly with Michel Angelo, 
 they told me at his house that he had left word for 
 me that he would be at Monte Cavallo, in the con- 
 vent of San Silvestro, with Madonna, the Marchesa of 
 Pescara, to hear a reading from the Epistles of St. 
 Paul. Away I went, then, to Monte Cavallo, and was 
 graciously received by the noble lady. She made me 
 sit down, and, when the reading was over, she turned 
 and requested some one^to go to Michel Angelo and say 
 to him : ' Messer Lactantius and I are in this chapel, 
 which is cool and fresh, and the church is closed and 
 pleasant. Ask him if he will be good enough to come 
 and lose a part of the day with us, that we may have 
 the benefit of gaining it with him, but do not tell 
 him that Francesco d'OUando the Spaniard is here.' 
 After some moments of silence we heard a knock at 
 the door ... it was he. The Marchesa rose to receive 
 him, and remained standing for some time, until she 
 placed him between Messer Lactantius and herself. I 
 sat a little apart. She spoke of one thing and another 
 with much intelligence and grace, without ever touch- 
 ing upon the subject of painting, so as to make sure of 
 the great painter. ... At last she said : ' It is a well- 
 known fact that a man will always be beaten if he tries 
 to attack Michel Angelo on his own ground. . . ♦ As for 
 
 299 
 
VITTORIA COLONNA 
 
 you,' she said to him, ' I do not think you less praise- 
 worthy for the way in which you isolate yourself, and 
 avoid our trivial talk and refuse to paint for every 
 prince who asks you ....'" 
 
 A most interesting dialogue followed on painting, in 
 which Vittoria makes these characteristic remarks : 
 
 " Painting," she said, " better than any other means, 
 enables us to see the humihty of the saints, the con- 
 stancy of the martyrs, the purity of the virgins, the 
 beauty of the angels, the love and charity with which 
 the seraphim burns ; it raises and transports mind and 
 soul beyond the stars, and leads us to contemplate the 
 eternal sovereignty of God. ... If we desire to see a 
 man renowned for his deeds, painting shows us him to 
 the life. It brings before our eyes the image of a 
 beauty far removed from our experience, and Pliny 
 held this to be a service of priceless value. The widow 
 in her affliction finds solace in gazing every day upon 
 her husband's picture ; young orphans owe to painting 
 the happiness of recognising, when they have come to 
 man's estate, the features of a beloved father." 
 
 The Marchesa di Pescara must have had most 
 excellent judgment in the matter of artistic work, as 
 we gather from the following letter, which she wrote 
 on receiving a drawing for a crucifix from the great 
 master, who suggested that if she liked it, he would 
 entrust the execution of it to one of his workmen, 
 probably Urbino : 
 
 "Unique Master Michel Angelo and my most singular 
 friend, I have received your letter and examined the 
 
 300 
 
VITTORIA COLONNA 
 
 crucifix, which truly hath crucified in my memory 
 every other picture I ever saw. Nowhere could one 
 find another figure of our Lord so well executed, so 
 living, and so exquisitely finished. Truly I cannot 
 express in words how subtly and marvellously it is 
 designed. Wherefore I am resolved to take the work 
 as coming from no other hand but yours, and accord- 
 ingly I beg you to assure me whether this is really 
 yours or another's. Excuse the question. If it is 
 yours, I must possess it under any conditions. In case 
 it is not yours, and you want to have it carried out by 
 your assistant, we will talk the matter over first. I 
 know how extremely difficult it would be to copy it, 
 and therefore I would rather let him finish something 
 else than this ; but if it be in fact yours, rest assured, 
 and make the best of it, that it will never come again 
 into your keeping. I have examined it minutely in 
 full light and by the lens and mirror, and never saw 
 anything more perfect. — Yours to command, 
 
 "La Marchesa di Pescara." 
 
 The lady shows her insight in discovering that the 
 sketch is by the hand of Michelangelo himself, and is 
 evidently resolved to keep it. She more than hints 
 that she would like the crucifix to be executed by the 
 same hand as the drawing. She always writes in the 
 manner of a great princess, with a dehcate touch of 
 patronage in her admiration. 
 
 Only a few of Michelangelo's letters to Vittoria 
 Colonna are preserved, and the following is one of the 
 most interesting, evidently written after receiving some 
 sonnets from her. For some years past there had 
 been a strong religious tendency in her poetry : 
 
 301 
 
VITTORIA COLONNA 
 
 " I desired, lady, before I accepted the things which 
 your ladyship has often expressed the will to give mc 
 — I desired to produce for you something with my 
 own hand in order to be as little as possible unworthy 
 of this kindness. I have now come to recognise that 
 the grace of God is not to be bought, and that to keep 
 it waiting is a grievous sin. Therefore, I acknowledge 
 my error, and willingly accept your favours. When I 
 possess them, not indeed because I shall have them in 
 my house, but for that I myself shall dwell in them, 
 the place will seem to encircle me with Paradise, for 
 which felicity I shall remain ever more obliged to your, 
 ladyship than I am already — if that is possible. 
 
 " The bearer of this letter will be Urbino, who lives 
 in my service. Your ladyship may inform me when you 
 would like me to come and see the head you promised 
 to show me." 
 
 This letter is the more worthy of insertion, in that 
 it is written below the autograph of a sonnet sent at the 
 same time : 
 
 Seeking at least to be not all unfit 
 For thy sublime and boundless courtesy. 
 My lowly thoughts at first were fain to try 
 What they could yield for grace so infinite. 
 But now I know my unassisted wit 
 Is all too weak to make me soar so high, 
 For pardon, lady, for this fault I cry, 
 And wiser still I grow, remembering it, 
 Yea, well I see what folly 'twere to think 
 That largess dropped from thee like dews from heaven 
 Could ere be paid by work so frail as mine ! 
 To nothingness my art and talent sink ; 
 
 He fails who from his mortal stores hath given 
 A thousand fold to match one gift divine. 
 
 Translated by J. A. Symonds. 
 302 
 
VITTORIA COLONNA 
 
 Everything from the hand of Michelangelo in con- 
 nection with this famous friendship is of great interest, 
 and it will be an appropriate place to quote another 
 sonnet, which must have been written about the time, 
 and in the same spirit of tender gratitude : 
 
 Blest spirit, who with loving tenderness 
 
 Quickenest my heart, so old and near to die, 
 Who 'mid thy joys on me dost bend an eye, 
 Though many nobler men around thee press ! 
 
 As thou wart erewhile wont my sight to bless, 
 So to console my mind thou now dost fly ; 
 Hope therefore stills the pangs of memory, 
 Which, coupled with desire, my soul distress. 
 
 So finding in thee grace to plead for me — 
 Thy thoughts for me sunk in so sad a case — 
 He who now writes returns thee thanks for these. 
 
 Lo ! It were foul and monstrous usury 
 To send thee ugliest paintings in the place 
 Of thy fair spirit's living phantasies.* 
 
 In this slight sketch of Vittoria's life there is no space 
 for her many religious poems, but it may be interesting 
 to give the following : 
 
 HYMN ON GOOD FRIDAY 
 
 Gli angeli eletti al gran bene infinite 
 
 Braman oggi soffrir penosa morte, 
 
 Accio nella celeste empirea corte 
 
 Non sia piu il servo, che il signer, gradito. 
 Piange I'antica madre il gusto ardito 
 Ch'a figli suoi del ciel chiuse le porte ; 
 
 E che due man piagate or sieno scorte 
 Da ridurne al cammin per lei smarrito. 
 Asconde il sol la sua fulgente chioma ; 
 
 Spezzansi i sassi vivi : apronsi i monti ; 
 
 * J. A. Symonds Trans. 
 303 
 
VITTORIA COLONNA 
 
 Trema la terra el ciel ; turbansi I'acque ; 
 Piangon gli spirti, al nostro mal si pronti, 
 Delia catena lor I'aggiunta soma 
 
 L'uomo non piange, e pur piangendo nacque. 
 
 Which may be rendered thus : 
 
 The angels to eternal bliss elect 
 
 Desire this day to suffer painful death 
 
 Lest in the courts celestial it befall 
 
 The servant be more favoured than his Lord. 
 
 Man's ancient mother weeps the fatal deed 
 
 That closed the gates of heaven against her sons, 
 
 The two pierced hands she weeps, whose work of grace 
 
 Found for His own the path which she had lost, 
 
 The sun in dread doth veil his shining mane, 
 
 The living rocks are torn, the mountains burst. 
 
 Earth and sky tremble and the waters quake, 
 
 The evil spirits weep, who wish us ill, 
 
 The added burden of their captive chains. 
 
 Man only weeps not,'yet was weeping born. 
 
 It is noticeable both in the writings of Michelangelo 
 and his friend the Marchesa, that they do not give us 
 Catholic legend, but ever the Gospel simplicity of the 
 Christian religion. We find the doctrine of " justifica- 
 tion by faith," of Christ the Mediator — doubtless'much 
 dwelt upon in the evangelical teaching of Luther and 
 Calvin — and yet as old as Saint Augustine. Both the 
 illustrious friends were ardent students of Dante, and 
 yet were one in heart with Savonarola. In her later 
 years, Vittoria incurred the suspicion of the Holy 
 Office. 
 
 But the life of the widowed Marchesa was not one 
 undisturbed scene of devotion to religion and literature. 
 There had been a temporary truce between Pope Paul 
 III. and the Colonna family, but it was again disturbed 
 
 304 
 
VITTORIA COLONNA 
 
 by so small a matter as an increased tax on salt. 
 Ascanio Colonna refused to pay it, pleading some an- 
 cient privilege ; and some of his vassals also refusing to 
 pay it, they were thrown into prison by the papal tax- 
 collectors. Thereupon Ascanio made a raid into the 
 Campania, and carried off some herds of cattle, with the 
 result that the indignant Pope declared war on the 
 house of Colonna, took their chief fortresses, and 
 levelled them with the ground. 
 
 During this disastrous warfare, Vittoria left Rome 
 and took refuge at Orvieto, in that beautiful hill-city, 
 rising above the fertile plain, where the river Paglia 
 winds like some creeping snake, in ever-changing light 
 and shade. There she must have seen that exquisite 
 Duomo, in all the fresh glory of Signorelli's frescoes, 
 painted recently in her lifetime ; and the perfect rose 
 window amid the marvellous mosaics of the great 
 facade, which can be seen from far below, like a glitter- 
 ing shield in the sunlight. 
 
 During her voluntary exile at Orvieto, the Marchesa 
 received visits from many of her distinguished friends 
 at the court of Rome, and it is a high tribute to the 
 respect and admiration felt for her personal character, 
 that her friendship and influence with the Pope were 
 unbroken. She was persuaded to return, after less 
 than two years, to the Eternal City, where her absence 
 had been a serious loss ; and from this time until her 
 death she remained there, except for occasional visits to 
 Viterbo, where she took great interest in the new 
 convent, which had been founded recently, of Saint 
 Catherine of Alexandria, for Dominican nuns of the 
 second order. Viterbo, which is only thirty miles north 
 of Rome, was looked upon as a healthy change from 
 
 305 u 
 
VITTORIA COLONNA 
 
 the closer air of the city, and must have been exceed- 
 ingly picturesque in those days, with its multitude of 
 high battlemented towers, so common a feature of the 
 fortified hill towns of the Middle Ages. 
 
 Towards the close of the year 1544, Vittoria Colonna 
 retired to the Convent of the Benedictines of Saint 
 Anna, in Rome, for a time. She was in ill health, and 
 caused great anxiety to her friends, who wrote to a 
 famous physician and poet, Fracostoro of Verona, for 
 his counsel and advice. He does not seem to have 
 thoroughly understood her illness, but was disposed to 
 attribute it to prolonged depression of spirits. She had 
 indeed much to sadden her closing years, for the 
 fortunes of her family were in evil case, and the 
 disputes between the Pope and her brother must have 
 been a serious trouble to her. But her greatest sorrow 
 was the loss of her adopted son, the Marchese del Vasto, 
 to whom she was tenderly attached. As her end drew 
 near, she was carried to the palace of her kinswoman 
 Giulia Colonna, the wife of Giuliano Cesarini, and 
 there she passed away in the month of February 1547, 
 dying, as she had lived, in calm serenity and simple, 
 lowly faith. 
 
 Condivi gives a pathetic account of Michelangelo's 
 last sight of her beloved face. "In particular, he greatly 
 loved the Marchesa di Pescara, of whose divine spirit 
 he was enamoured, being in return dearly beloved by 
 her. He still preserves many of her letters, breathing 
 honourable and most tender affection, and such as 
 were wont to issue from a heart like her's. He also 
 wrote to her a great number of sonnets, full of wit and 
 sweet affection. ... He, for his part, loved her so that 
 I remember to have heard him say that he regretted 
 I 306 
 
VITTORIA COLONNA 
 
 nothing except that when he went to visit her upon the 
 moment of her passage from this Hfe, he did not kiss 
 her forehead or her face, as he did kiss her hand. 
 Her death was the cause that oftentimes he dwelt 
 astonied thinking of it, even as a man bereft of 
 sense." 
 
 Under the sharp pang of bereavement, he composed 
 two sonnets which fitly enshrine her memory. 
 
 SE'L MIO ROZZO MARTELLO 
 
 When my rude hammer to the stubborn stone 
 Gives human shape, now that, now this, at will, 
 Follows his hand who wields and guides it still, 
 
 It moves upon another's feet alone. 
 
 But He who dwells in heaven all things doth fill 
 With beauty by pure motions of His own ; 
 And since tools fashion tools which else were none, 
 
 Its hfe makes all that lives with living skill. 
 
 Now for that every stroke excels the more 
 The higher at the forge it doth ascend, 
 Her soul that fashioned mine hath sought the skies ; 
 
 Wherefore unfinished I must meet my end, 
 If God, the great Artificer, denies 
 
 That aid which was unique on earth before. 
 
 . When she who was the source of all my sighs 
 
 Fled from the world, herself, my straining sight, 
 
 Nature, who gave us that unique deUght, 
 Was sunk in shame, and we had weeping eyes. 
 Yet shall not vauntful Death enjoy the prize. 
 
 This sun of suns which then he veiled in night ; 
 
 For Love hath triumphed, lifting up her light 
 On earth and 'mid the saints in Paradise. 
 What though remorseless and impiteous doom 
 
 Deemed that the music of her deeds would die, 
 And that her splendour would be sunk in gloom ? 
 307 
 
VITTORIA COLONNA 
 
 The poet's page exalts her to the sky 
 
 With life more living in the lifeless tomb, 
 And Death translates her soul to reign on high.* 
 
 It will not be out of place to quote here a letter 
 written seven years later by the aged Michelangelo to 
 his nephew Lionardo : 
 
 " I have been asked if I possess any writings of the 
 Marchesa. I have a little book bound in parchment, 
 which she gave me some ten years ago. It has one 
 hundred and three sonnets, not counting another forty 
 which she afterwards sent on paper from Viterbo. I 
 had these bound into the same book, and at that time I 
 used to lend them about to many persons, so that they 
 are all of them now in print. In addition to these 
 poems I have many letters which she wrote from 
 Orvieto and Viterbo. These then are the writings I 
 possess of the Marchesa." 
 
 We have no marble monument to record the memory 
 of this most noble and perfect lady of the Italian 
 Renaissance. She desired to be buried in all respects 
 like a Benedictine Sister , and her wish was obeyed, for 
 not a stone or tablet marks the place where her body 
 rests. But she has left us a touching prayer, a petition 
 for peace and happiness in this world and the next, 
 which is too typical of her character to omit. 
 
 " Grant, I beseech Thee, Lord, that by the humility 
 that becomes the creature and by the pride Thy 
 greatness demands, I may adore Thee always, and that 
 in the fear Thy justice imposes, as in the hope Thy 
 
 * J. A. Symonds' Trans. 
 308 
 
VITTORIA COLONNA 
 
 clemency justifies, I may live eternally and submit to 
 Thee as the Almighty, follow Thee as the All-wise, and 
 turn towards Thee as towards Perfection and Goodness. 
 I beseech Thee, most tender Father, that Thy living 
 fire may purify me, Thy radiant light illumine me ; that 
 this sincere love for Thee may profit me in such wise 
 that, never finding let or hindrance in things of this 
 world, I may return to Thee in happiness and safety."* 
 * Translated from the Latin original. 
 
 309 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA, DUCHESS OF 
 URBINO 
 
 (WIFE OF DUKE GUIDOBALDO I.) 
 
 ALSO AN ACCOUNT OF " IL CORTIGIANO," BY 
 
 COUNT BALDASSARE CASTIGLIONE, 
 
 BEING CONVERSATIONS AT THE COURT OF URBINO 
 
Come to the court, and Balthazer affords 
 Fountains of holy and rose-water words. 
 
 GuiLPiN, in his " Skialethia." 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA, DUCHESS OF 
 URBINO 
 
 AND CASTIGLIONE'S DESCRIPTION OF 
 THE COURT OF URBINO 
 
 Amongst the women of the Italian Renaissance, 
 Elisabetta Gonzaga stands out as one of the central 
 figures, not only on account of her unique position 
 as queen of that court of Urbino, which has become 
 the very ideal of intellectual culture, but also from her 
 own most interesting personality. Brought up in an 
 atmosphere of art and scholarship, she inherited a 
 taste for letters from a line of distinguished ancestors, 
 and her sweetness of nature lent a new charm to her 
 learning and accomplishments. 
 
 She was born at Mantua in 1471, the daughter of 
 Federico, eldest son of the reigning duke, Lodovico, 
 most illustrious of his race. Her mother was 
 Margaretta of Bavaria, daughter of Duke Sigismond, 
 and the old chroniclers give us a very quaint account 
 of her arrival in Italy. Her followers were rough and 
 uncouth in their speech and manners, they wore 
 coarse garments of a red colour and grotesque shape, 
 and altogether appear to have shocked the more 
 civilised Mantuans. We learn that Federico was most 
 unwilling to accept this foreign bride, who is described 
 
 313 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 as unattractive ; but the Emperor Frederick had ar- 
 ranged the marriage, and it had to be carried out. 
 Poor Margaretta seems to have been of a placid, gentle 
 disposition, a good wife and mother, but we do not 
 hear much about her. She died a year after her 
 father-in-law, Lodovico, in 1479, leaving a young 
 family of six children. 
 
 Of these, Elisabetta, and her sister Maddelena, 
 who was seven at her mother's death, were the two 
 youngest girls. Their eldest sister Chiara was married 
 a couple of years later to the Due de Montpensier, 
 cousin of the King of France, to the great satisfaction 
 of her grandmother, the famous Barbara of Branden- 
 burg, who died shortly afterwards. Duke Federico 
 was very much devoted to his two little daughters, 
 and took great pains about their education. An ac- 
 complished lady, Violante de' Preti, was their teacher 
 and constant companion. They learnt Latin from 
 the learned Colombino of Verona, a noted writer on 
 Dante, and they had masters for dancing, the lute, and 
 singing. Amongst other interesting letters about their 
 early education is one written by Violante to their 
 father. 
 
 " Illustrissimo principi et excellentissimo domino, 
 — You will hear with pleasure that your illustrious 
 daughters are well in health, happy and obedient ; 
 thus it is pleasure to see them at their books and 
 embroidery. They are very docile, and they delight in 
 riding their new pony, one having the saddle and the 
 other on pillion. Thus they ride in the park, closely 
 followed by men on horseback, and we attend them 
 behind in the chariot. This pony gives them much 
 
 3H 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 enjoyment, and no present from your excellency 
 could have been more acceptable. By the grace of 
 God I will endeavour to send you each day good 
 tidings, that your highness may rest content, and I 
 commend myself to your favour. — Your servant to 
 command, Violante de' Preti. — 14 August, 1481. — 
 Porto." 
 
 They had been spending the summer in the country 
 at the villa of Porto, which was probably needful for 
 the health of Elisabetta, who was always delicate. 
 The Marquis Federico was much away from home at 
 that time, as he took the field in alliance with Ferrara 
 and other States, against the Venetians and the Pope's 
 nephew. But he kept up his keen interest in works of 
 art, and we find him constantly giving directions to 
 Andrea Mantegna with regard to the decorations of 
 his Mantuan palaces. Had not the constant expenses 
 of war been so heavy a drain on his treasury, he would 
 have added to the Castello until it rivalled the won- 
 derful palace of Urbino. 
 
 Another letter from Violante de' Preti gives an ac- 
 count of a visit paid to Mantua during the absence of 
 the marquis, by Lorenzo dei Medici. He was on a 
 journey to Cremona, where a congress was to be held, 
 and Francesco, the eldest son of Federico, received 
 him in the place of his father. His little sisters were 
 introduced to the Magnifico, who sat down and talked 
 with them, and seems to have been delighted with 
 their courtesy and intelligence. 
 
 The death of their father in 1484 must have been a 
 great loss to all his children. He was succeeded by 
 Francesco, who was barely eighteen, but who had 
 
 315 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 been already betrothed for some years to Isabella 
 d'Este, the daughter of the Duke of Ferrara. 
 Sigismondo, the second son, was studying at the Uni- 
 versity of Pavia, as he was destined for the Church, 
 and ultimately became a cardinal. Giovanni, the 
 youngest, was a bright, merry boy of ten years old. 
 The young Marchese seems to have taken his position 
 as head of the family very seriously, for two years later 
 we find him arranging suitable marriages for his two 
 young sisters. 
 
 There had always been a close friendship between 
 the princes of Mantua and those of Urbino, dating 
 from the time when Federico di Montefeltro and 
 Ludovico of Mantua were together under the teaching 
 of that most delightful of pedagogues, Vittorino. Now 
 the two houses were to become allied by the marriage 
 of Guidobaldo, the son and successor of Federico, 
 with Elisabetta, and at the same time her sister 
 Maddelena was betrothed to Giovanni Sforza, lord of 
 Pesaro, who was destined to have so sad a history. 
 Their sister Chiara, who had now been married five 
 years, came to congratulate them, and spend Christmas 
 in her old home. 
 
 Elisabetta's wedding was settled to take place early 
 in 1488. She had already seen the young Duke of 
 Urbino, who was almost her own age, a handsome boy, 
 of cultivated tastes, but afflicted with hereditary gout. 
 They appeared to have been mutually attracted to 
 each other, and there seemed to be every prospect of 
 happiness. But it was a great trial for the tender- 
 hearted young girl to leave her home and be parted 
 from her sister and the brothers she was so tond of. 
 She set out in February with her escort on the way to 
 
 316 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 Urbino, where the wedding was to be celebrated, in 
 stormy wintry weather, and broke the journey at Fer- 
 rara. There she was received with motherly kindness 
 by the Duchess Leonora, and renewed with the young 
 Isabella, her future sister-in-law, the warm friendship 
 which lasted all their lives. They had already met at 
 Ferrara several years before, when the duchess and her 
 daughter came on a visit to meet Francesco. 
 
 When the bride-elect resumed her travels, passing 
 through Ravenna and by the spurs of the Apennines, 
 the weather was still worse, the rain came down in 
 torrents, and the rivers were so swollen as to be almost 
 impassable. But after this trying and dangerous 
 journey, at length Elisabetta saw the hill-city of 
 Urbino, rising up against the sky on the highest and 
 furthest ridge, as though it must command the whole 
 width of Italy. Here a magnificent reception awaited 
 her. " Ranged upon the hill-slope were the ladies of 
 the city, exquisitely dressed, and the children bearing 
 olive-branches in their hands. As soon as the bridal 
 party came in sight, a screen of mounted choristers 
 rose up before them, accompanied by nymphs in 
 antique garb ; dogs started off in pursuit of hares let 
 loose for them ; the hills resounded with the strains 
 of a cantata specially composed ; the Goddess of Mirth 
 in person descended the slope and offered the young 
 duchess her congratulations and good wishes."* 
 
 Guidobaldo led her by the hand into the splendid 
 palace which seemed to climb the last height above 
 the city, and whose walls were draped with tapestry 
 and cloth of gold, while on every side were bronzes 
 and antiques and costly pictures, and books the best 
 '^' De Maulde. 
 317 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 and rarest. She must have looked with dazzled eyes ; 
 but when the time came for parting with her favourite 
 brother Giovanni and the escort from Mantua, she felt 
 so desolate and forsaken that she burst into tears. 
 
 Still she was not forgotten by her family ; her 
 brother, the young Marchese, found time to pay her a 
 visit in the summer, and we hear of a constant inter- 
 change of letters and presents between them. She was 
 also greatly interested in the preparations for the mar- 
 riage of her sister Maddelena, which took place in 
 October the next year at Pesaro. This lovely spot on 
 the sunny shores of the Adriatic is at no great distance 
 from Urbino, and it must have been a joy to the sisters 
 to feel that they were within reach of each other. The 
 Duke and Duchess of Urbino were present at the 
 wedding, which was celebrated with much festivity ; 
 but the strain of all the fatigue which she had gone 
 through, was too much for the delicate health of 
 Elisabetta, which broke down altogether before the 
 winter. She was also full of anxiety with regard to her 
 brother Francesco, who had been appointed captain- 
 general of the armies of Venice and her allies, a 
 position of danger as well as honour, which he filled 
 for nine years. But he did not cease to take the most 
 affectionate interest in his favourite sister, and when he 
 heard of her illness he sent his own physician to attend 
 her, accompanied by his secretary, who wrote such an 
 unsatisfactory account that it was decided she must 
 have a change of air as soon as she was strong enough 
 to travel. The bracing winds of the hill-city were too 
 keen for her that severe winter, and she longed for her 
 native climate of Mantua. 
 
 Thus it happened that she was present in February 
 
 318 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 at the wedding entertainments of her brother and 
 Isabella d'Este, and was able to receive the bride on 
 her arrival, at the foot of the great staircase of the 
 Castello di Corte. She had brought with her from 
 Urbino much gold and silver plate, and also the 
 splendid tapestries of the Trojan War to hang round 
 the great hall, for on such a sumptuous occasion as 
 this, princes had no scruples in borrowing from each 
 other. The festivities lasted for days; there were 
 public banquets in the Piazza, torchlight processions, 
 dances, theatrical entertainments and tournaments in 
 rapid succession. We cannot wonder that after all 
 this the invalid required some rest, and we find that 
 she remained at Mantua with Isabella until the follow- 
 ing June. The two princesses were devoted to each 
 other, and their friendship was one of the most earnest 
 and lasting which we read of in history. 
 
 In those troublous days, when political changes were 
 so sudden, when every State in Italy had to struggle 
 for bare existence, and when a household and family 
 was so constantly divided against itself, their unbroken 
 affection was almost unique. They had many tastes 
 in common ; they both keenly enjoyed travel, they 
 were both highly cultured, and had the same passion 
 for art and literature and music. Elisabetta had not 
 the splendid vitality of her friend, nor her undoubted 
 beauty, but she was more gentle and winning, more 
 unselfish and affectionate. We read of her in after 
 years that she had "the love and reverence of all," 
 "that peerless lady who excelled all others in ex- 
 cellence." 
 
 A charming picture of the happy time spent together 
 by these two friends is given by the chronicler of 
 
 319 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 Isabella, whose words I venture to quote : " Together 
 they sang French songs and read the latest romances, 
 or played scartino — their favourite game of cards — in 
 the pleasant rooms which Francesco had prepared for 
 his bride on the firsts floor of the Castello. . . . Together 
 they rode and walked in the park, and boated on the 
 waters of the lake, or took excursions to the neigh- 
 bouring villas of Porto and Marmirola. By the middle 
 of March the Duchess's health was sufficiently im- 
 proved to venture on a longer trip, and on the 15th 
 Isabella writes : "To-day, after dinner, with your 
 highness's kind permission, the Duchess of Urbino 
 and I are going to supper at Goito, and to-morrow at 
 Cavriana, where the wife of Signor Fracassa will meet 
 us, and on Tuesday we are going to the lake of Garda, 
 and I have let the Rector of Verona know, so that we 
 may find a barge at Sermione." * 
 
 A few days later she wrote from Cavriana : " The 
 Duchess of Urbino and I, together with Signor Fra- 
 cassa's wife, went on Thursday to dine at Desenzano, 
 and to supper at Tuscullano, where we spent the night, 
 and greatly enjoyed the sight of this Riviera. On 
 Friday we returned by boat to Sermione, and rode here 
 on horseback. Wherever we went we were warmly 
 welcomed and treated with the greatest attention, most 
 of all by the captain of the lake, who gave us fish and 
 other things, and by the people of Salo, who sent us a 
 fine present. To-morrow we go to Goito, and on 
 Tuesday back to Mantua.'' 
 
 " These Madonnas have been indefatigable in making 
 
 excursions by boat and horseback, and have seen all 
 
 the gardens on the lake with the greatest delight. The 
 
 * Mrs. Ady. 
 
 320 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 inhabitants have vied with each other in doing them 
 honour, and one Fermo, of Caravazo, caused his garden 
 to be stripped for the marchesana and her party, and 
 loaded them with lemons and pomegranates." So wrote 
 one of the gentlemen in waiting. 
 
 It was well that Elisabetta should have recovered her 
 health before the terrible blow which awaited her a 
 few months later — the sudden death of her sister 
 Maddelena. The young wife had been looking forward 
 with joy to the birth of her child, when the fatal event 
 occurred, and mother and babe were laid in the grave, 
 scarcely a year after the festal welcome to Pesaro. It 
 was long before her loving sister recovered from the 
 shock of this unlooked-for grief, and she little dreamed 
 that the day was not far distant, when she would 
 visit Pesaro again under other auspices. The Duchess 
 of Urbino was in delicate health for some time, and 
 we hear of her visiting the baths of Viterbo, where her 
 brother sends his chamberlain, Silvestro Calandro, to 
 enliven her loneliness, and Isabella writes her the fol- 
 lowing letter : 
 
 " Dearest Sister, — In ray love to you I would have 
 you resolve, when you take your first bath, to live only 
 on such things suitable to give health and strength. 
 And I would have you compel yourself to take daily 
 exercise of walking and riding, and to take part in 
 cheerful talk, and thus drive away sadness and melan- 
 choly, whether from causes of mind or body . . . 
 think of your health and comfort, for in this fickle 
 world we can do no otherwise, and they who spend 
 not their time aright suffer their lives to slip away with 
 much sorrow and little praise. . . ." 
 
 321 X 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 The next year, after a visit to the baths of Porretta, 
 Ehsabetta again went to Mantua, and in the bucentaur 
 which met her she found a poet with his lyre, sent to 
 cheer the journey with music and singing. Perhaps 
 it was on this occasion that Isabella felt a desire to play 
 this instrument, and wrote to Milan to borrow a 
 marvellous silver lyre to practise on. The next loan 
 she asked for was that the Duchess of Urbino would 
 send her the " foreign master," Giovanni Santi, the 
 father of Raphael, that he might paint some portraits 
 for her. Of course the artist at once set out for 
 Mantua, but unfortunately he fell ill with fever there, 
 and had to return to Urbino before the work was 
 finished. He never thoroughly recovered, and died 
 the following autumn. Elisabetta thus mentions his 
 loss : " Our painter, Giovanni dei Sancti, passed out 
 of this life, being in full possession of his senses, and 
 in the most excellent disposition of mind. May God 
 pardon his soul ! " 
 
 When Isabella went to visit her friend at Urbino that 
 same year she was very much impressed with the 
 princely magnificence of the palace. In the chronicles 
 of the time it is described as " furnished in the most 
 sumptuous manner, with vases of silver, rich draperies 
 of gold and silk, and other rare and splendid articles. 
 To this was added a great collection of statues and busts 
 in bronze and marble, and of the most excellent pic- 
 tures ; but the pride of the palace and the envy of 
 other princes was the superb and copious collection of 
 books in the Greek, Latin and other languages, with 
 which the library was adorned, enriched with orna- 
 ments of silver and gold." The Duke Guidobaldo 
 could richly appreciate these precious works, for he was 
 
 322 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 a cultivated scholar. With the Latin language, we are 
 told, " he was as conversant as others are with their 
 native tongue, and so intimate was his knowledge of 
 Greek that he was acquainted with its minutest pecu- 
 liarities, and its most refined elegance." 
 
 But, unfortunately, from early life he was crippled 
 with gout, and quite an invalid. Isabella d'Este re- 
 marked of him : " He holds a fine court here, and lives 
 in royal splendour, and governs the State with great 
 wisdom and humanity, to the satisfaction of all his 
 subjects." She paid a long visit on this occasion, and 
 when she left, Elisabetta wrote her this characteristic 
 little note : " When you departed hence, I felt not 
 alone the loss of a dear sister, but of life itself. I can 
 but seek to assuage my sorrow by writing to you, and 
 telling you on paper that which my lips desire to say. 
 I think you would come back out of pity to me, if I 
 could clearly express my grief. If I feared not to be a 
 burden to you, I would gladly follow you myself. 
 Neither is possible. I can but beg your highness to 
 think of me as often as I bear you in my heart" 
 
 The next event of special interest in the life of Elisa- 
 betta was her visit to Rome, in the year of Jubilee 
 1500. It was a critical time for public affairs, as the 
 ambition of Caesar Borgia filled all Italy with alarm 
 and suspicion. The Marquis of Mantua, feeling 
 anxious about his sister's safety, wrote at the- last 
 moment to discourage the pilgrimage. " If you are in 
 need of change, come to Mantua, and give us the joy of 
 your society. The year is long, and we will go to Rome 
 together and visit the holy places at a more convenient 
 season." 
 
 But the duchess had already started, and the letter 
 
 323 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 only reached her at Assisi. She wrote at once in 
 answer, much disturbed at going contrary to his 
 wishes. 
 
 " Illme. Princeps et Exme. Dne. frater." 
 " Having left Urbino these few days, and being 
 already on my way to Rome to keep the Jubilee, I 
 reached Assisi this morning, and your letter arrived 
 which would persuade me to desist from going. 
 This has given me the greatest distress and immense 
 annoyance, as I would wish in all things to yield 
 and be obedient to your will, looking up to you as 
 in the place of a father. On the other hand, as I 
 have said, I am already on the journey, and beyond 
 the State, and Signor Fabrizio Colonna and Madonna 
 Agnesina, my honoured sister-in-law, have taken a 
 house in Rome for me and made all needful arrange- 
 ments, and {I have promised to be at Marino in four 
 days. Signor Fabrizio being on his way to join me, 
 I do not see that I can draw back with honour to 
 my lord, as the thing is so far advanced, and was 
 arranged with his consent. Your excellency need 
 have no fear for my safety, when you learn that I 
 first go to Marino, and then 'incognita' to Rome 
 with Madonna Agnesina, to visit the churches or- 
 dained for this holy Jubilee, without showing myself 
 or speaking to any person. I shall be lodged all the 
 time I stay in Rome in the house of the Cardinal 
 Savelli. This is situated as I would wish, in the 
 middle of the Colonna quarter, but the greater part 
 of my time I will return to Marino and stay there. 
 Therefore your excellency need have no doubt or 
 anxiety for my safety, though, if I were not already on 
 
 3-H 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 my way, I would have given up my desire, to show 
 my obedience to your excellency, not from dread of, 
 danger or difficulties. Yet since I am already so far 
 advanced on my journey, I trust you will be contented 
 with this letter, and I pray and supplicate you to write 
 to me in Rome, to say that you are satisfied, so that I 
 may be able to keep this Jubilee with a happy con- 
 tented mind. Otherwise I shall be in continual dis- 
 tress and trouble ; and to the good grace of your 
 excellency I commit myself. 
 
 '' De la S. V. MiNORE SORELLA EUZABETTA. 
 "Assisij, xxi. Marti, 1500." 
 
 Having written this submissive letter, she continued 
 her journey the following day, with a quiet mind. 
 Everything seems to have passed off well, as she had 
 expected, and she fulfilled the desire of her heart by 
 spending Holy Week in Rome, and visiting the various 
 churches, St. Peter's, the Tombs of the Apostles, and 
 all other objects of her devout pilgrimage. She paid 
 another visit before returning home, to the Colonna's 
 Castle of Marino, in that gloomy walled city among the 
 Alban hills, about twenty miles from Rome, near the 
 Lake of Albano. Here she was first introduced to her 
 little niece, the daughter of Madonna Agnesina, that 
 Vittoria Colonna who, at the age of seven, had already 
 been some years betrothed to the Marquis of Pescara. 
 Elisabetta must have been much interested in the 
 brilliant, intelligent child, who so much resembled her 
 in character, and who was so distinguished in after 
 years. 
 
 On her return to Urbino, the Duchess was much 
 distressed to hear of the death of Antonio Gonzaga, a 
 
 325 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 brave captain arid near connection of her husband, 
 whose wife, Emilia Pia, was one of the favourite ladies 
 of her court. We shall find her constantly mentioned 
 later, in the account of those famous " conversations " 
 of the " Cortigiano," when she regained her old bright- 
 ness, but at the time she was quite broken-hearted 
 by the loss of her husband. Isabella d'Este sent her a 
 kind letter in which she reminded her that " it was a 
 journey on the which we all shall go . . . and that she 
 must seek to submit to the will of God, that her prayers 
 for the departed soul might be accepted by Him." 
 
 The next year, Elisabetta heard with dismay that a 
 marriage was suggested between the daughter of Pope 
 Alexander VI. and the son of Duke Ercole of Ferrara. 
 After the death of her sister Maddelena, the widower, 
 Giovanni Sforza, had married Lucrezia Borgia and 
 been divorced by her, and her second husband had 
 been murdered. An alliance with this lady did not 
 seem desirable, but the Borgia family were all-powerful, 
 and when all the other members of the family had 
 accepted the inevitable, the Duchess of Urbino con- 
 sented to receive the bride at Gubbio and bear her 
 company as far as Ferrara. This journey has been 
 fully described in the life of Lucrezia Borgia. The 
 Pope was so grateful for the consent of Elisabetta, 
 that he had a magnificent litter specially made, in which 
 she and Lucrezia could be carried together, wherever 
 the roads permitted of it. 
 
 It was a cruel blow that, after she had thus sacrificed 
 her feelings and graced the wedding with her courtly 
 presence — the very same year she and her husband 
 should be victims of Caesar Borgia's treachery. In the 
 beginning of June, Lucrezia's brother set forth from 
 
 326 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 Rome in great force, and marched through the Umbrian 
 plains, leaving terror and desolation behind him. He 
 had written friendly letters to the Uuke of Urbino, 
 asking leave to pass through his State, with the declared 
 intention of attacking Camerino. This had been readily 
 granted, and when Caesar reached Nocera, he sent an 
 embassy to Guidobaldo, asking for the assistance of his 
 artillery, and as many soldiers as he could furnish. 
 
 But when Caesar Borgia arrived at Spoleto, he turned 
 suddenly up the Furlo Pass — cut by Vespasian through 
 the Apennines — hurried along the Flaminian Way, and 
 through the valley to Urbino. As we are told by the 
 chronicler of the dukes : " On the 20th day of June, 
 Guidobaldo, himself the very soul of honour, and not 
 suspecting disloyalty in others, rode out in the cool of 
 a summer evening to a favourite resort of his, the 
 gardens of the Zoccolanti convent, where he sat down 
 to supper amid the orange groves, enjoying the peaceful 
 rest and soft balmy air ; supposing himself to be in 
 absolute security." When a messenger was seen 
 approaching in urgent haste, he only supposed that it 
 was a letter from his wife, who was enjoying a visit at 
 Mantua with her friend, after the wedding of Lucrezia 
 Borgia. But what was his dismay, when he found the 
 man had ridden hard from Cagli, to warn him that 
 Cassar Borgia was marching on Urbino with a large 
 army, and was already outside the city walls. The 
 passes of the Apennines were already in his possession, 
 and it was rumoured that a reward was offered for the 
 arrest of the Lord of Urbino. 
 
 Thus taken by surprise, the duke saw that resistance 
 was hopeless, and with some difficulty he was persuaded 
 to save his life by flight, in company with the young 
 
 327 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 heir of Urbino, his nephew Francesco della Rovere. 
 "Such ingratitude and treachery was never before 
 known," he writes in natural indignation. " I have 
 saved nothing but my life, my doublet and my shirt.'' 
 Fortunately it was in the middle of summer, or he 
 would never have lived to tell the tale ; and so after 
 many hair-breadth escapes and perilous adventures, he 
 and his nephew arrived in safety at the palace of Porto, 
 outside Mantua. Here Elisabetta was enjoying the 
 peaceful seclusion of those exquisite gardens, with her 
 books and her music, in the company of the Marchesa, 
 when the terrible news arrived. 
 
 Isabella thus gives her impression of the event in a 
 letter to her sister-in-law Chiara, the Duchess of Mont- 
 pensier : " Here at Porto, in peace and content, we 
 were taking much pleasure in the society of the 
 Duchess of Urbino, who has remained with us since the 
 carnival, and we needed but your presence to make our 
 happiness complete, when there reached us tidings of 
 the unlooked for and most perfidious taking of the 
 duchy of Urbino. The duke arrived here himself with 
 but four horsemen, having been of a sudden taken by 
 surprise and attacked with so much treachery that he 
 had a bare escape with his life. The blow has quite 
 overwhelmed us, and we are so stunned and distressed 
 that we scarce know where we are, and my pity for the 
 duchess is so profound that I could have it in my heart 
 to wish I had never known her." 
 
 And yet as we know, only three days later, the same 
 Isabella could write to her brother, the Cardinal 
 Ippolyto d'Este, at Rome, urging him to make any 
 effort to secure for her certain treasures which she 
 coveted, from the spoils of the matchless palace of 
 
 338 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 Urbino 1 But all this is more fully told in the life of 
 the Marchesa. 
 
 The Duke of Valentino had entered the hill-city at 
 daybreak on the morning of June 21, and taken pos- 
 session of the duchy. It was too late for resistance, any 
 vain opposition was checked by imprisonment or the 
 dagger. Urbino was treated as a conquered city, and 
 all the priceless treasures of that palace, the envy of the 
 whole civilised world, were at the mercy of the Roman 
 brigand. We are told that for some weeks, a con- 
 stant train of mules might have been seen creeping 
 down the steep hill side, laden with the stolen wealth 
 of gold and silver plate, of rare tapestries, and statues, 
 and bronzes, and paintings beyond all price. It is 
 impossible to estimate the value of such unique 
 works of art, but it must have been more than half 
 a million of gold pieces. 
 
 When Lucrezia Borgia heard of her brother's 
 treachery, we learn that she was greatly distressed, and 
 quite miserable to think that the Duchess of Urbino, 
 who had been so kind to her, should have been thus 
 treated. " I would not have had this happen for all the 
 world ! " she exclaimed. 
 
 Meanwhile, the unfortunate fugitives at Mantua were 
 not suffered to remain there long, for in self-preservation 
 the marquis had to keep on good terms with Caesar 
 Borgia. In September, the duke and duchess left the 
 hospitable roof of the Gonzagas, and found a refuge at 
 Venice, where they were most kindly received by the 
 Signoria, who placed at their service a villa at Canareggio 
 and even allowed them a small pension, for they were 
 absolutely destitute. It must have been a sore trial to 
 be thus suddenly cast down from magnificence to real 
 
 329 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 poverty ; but Elisabetta's courage never failed her, and 
 she refused with indignation the insulting offer of a 
 large revenue from Caesar, if she would suffer her 
 marriage to be annulled, and her husband would re- 
 nounce his duchy and take orders. Anne de Bretagne, 
 the noble-hearted French queen, would gladly have 
 received her, but nothing would induce her to leave 
 Guidobaldo. Her devoted friend and companion, 
 Emilia Pia, was a great comfort to her in those days of 
 trial, and she had tokens of affection and sympathy 
 from all her relations. 
 
 It was impossible for a man of the duke's courage 
 and spirit to remain passively in exile, and he seized 
 the first opportunity of asserting himself. The Duke of 
 Romagna, as Caesar now called himself, had entered 
 into a new treaty with Louis XII., which caused much 
 alarm to the Italian States in alliance with him. A diet 
 was convoked at Perugia, when his conduct was fully 
 discussed and blamed ; the news spread, and the people 
 of Urbino seized the fortress of that place, asserted their 
 independence, and begged their duke to return. 
 Guidobaldo set forth at once with eager hopes, although 
 he had not been able to induce the Marchese of Mantua 
 to give him any help. This was early in October, and 
 meantime the wily Borgia had reassured his former 
 allies and made a fresh league with them, so that the 
 duke was compelled to fly a second time, but not 
 before he had dismantled the fortresses within his 
 States " to the end they might not be garrisoned by his 
 enemies, to keep in subjection a people devoted to their 
 rightful sovereign." 
 
 Guidobaldo escaped as far as Citta di Castello, 
 where he fell seriously ill, but was unable to send any 
 
 330 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 tidings to his wife, who was in terrible anxiety about 
 him. Her brother Sigismondo, the protonotary of the 
 Pope, went to Venice at this time of trouble to give her 
 all the help and comfort in his power, but it was not 
 until the end of January that she was relieved by the 
 arrival of her husband. There was more trouble in 
 store for the poor lady that year, for in June her 
 eldest sister Chiara, Duchess of Montpensier, died 
 at Mantua. She felt this bereavement very keenly, as 
 her touching words bear witness : " I have been 
 deprived of high estate, of my home, and of fortune, 
 and now I have lost the sister who has ever been to 
 me as a mother." 
 
 But a change was at hand of wide-sweeping influence 
 over the whole of Italy. On August i8 that same year, 
 1505, Pope Alexander VI. died suddenly, and his son's 
 power fell like a house of cards. The good news 
 spread with marvellous rapidity, and everywhere the 
 exiled princes hastened back to claim their lost domi- 
 nions. At Venice there was general satisfaction, and 
 when the duke received the welcome message he set off 
 at once for Urbino, where the people greeted him with 
 the wildest acclamations of delight. Eye witnesses tell 
 us that such rejoicings were never seen before. " The 
 very stones seemed to rejoice and sing out with glad- 
 ness." Elisabetta remained at Venice until all should 
 have settled down quietly ; and meantime Pope Pius 
 III. having only survived his elevation a month, 
 Giuliano della Rovere had succeeded him under the 
 name of Julius II. The accession of a Pope of his own 
 family was a splendid stroke of fortune for Guidobaldo, 
 who was appointed captain-general of the Church, 
 while his sister's son, Francesco della Rovere, who was 
 
 331 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 also nephew to Julius, was publicly acknowledged heir 
 to the duchy. 
 
 The duchess took a most courtly leave of the Doge 
 and Senate, giving them public thanks for their hospi- 
 tality, and then started for Urbino at the beginning of 
 December. The following very interesting letter of her 
 seneschal to Isabella has been preserved, describing her 
 return. 
 
 " Illustrissima Madama, — I propose with all deference 
 to give your highness a record of the entrance into 
 Urbino of her Excellency the Madonna, but words 
 cannot relate the disasters and mishaps which we 
 endured from bad roads and bad hostels on the way 
 from Venice to Urbino. At last, as we came within 
 four miles of Urbino, all the city streamed forth to meet 
 her, chanting Te Deums, bearing olive-branches in 
 their hands, and crying : ' Gonzaga e Feltro ! ' When 
 we arrived at Urbino a vast number of gentlemen and 
 citizens waited at the gates, and came forth to greet her 
 with the greatest joy, kissing and pressing her hand 
 with tears of affection, in that it was nigh upon three 
 hours ere Her Excellency could arrive at the Piazza. 
 In face of the Vescovada she dismounted from her 
 horse and entered the church, where all the ladies of 
 Urbino were assembled, and there was brought to her 
 an olive-branch with leaves of gold, and with one voice 
 all proclaimed the name of Her Excellency, and with 
 great joy embraced her. Upon this, Monsignore the 
 Bishop, robed in his vestments, led forward Madonna 
 the Duchess by the hand to the front of the high altar, 
 where she knelt, and all the priests were there assem- 
 bled, and the Te Deum Laudamus, and other devout 
 
 333 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 prayers were sung. After the blessing had been spoken, 
 they came forth from the church and entered the 
 palace, in company with the Bishop and all the priests 
 and a great multitude of people, who remained in the 
 palace till after midnight. Every day and night has 
 Her Excellency been greeted after this fashion. She is 
 in good health, and commends herself to your illus- 
 trious highness, and, lowly as I am, I cast myself at 
 your feet. . . . 
 
 " Humile servitor, 
 
 " Alexander, Seneschal." 
 
 Thus was celebrated the return of the duke and 
 duchess to their old home, where they were so much 
 beloved by their people. But only by slow degrees did 
 the dismantled palace regain its former magnificence, 
 and the famous tapestries of the Trojan War were lost 
 for ever. But most of the rare books and many of the 
 art treasures were sent back by Caesar Borgia, in his 
 desire to win the favour of Pope Julius, and once more 
 life was resumed in that far hill-city, with added splen- 
 dour and culture. 
 
 For here, in this court of Urbino, we find ourselves 
 of a sudden wafted into an enchanted land. The 
 magician whose might has done this is the Count 
 Baldassare Castiglione, to whom it occurred in a 
 moment of inspiration that he would chronicle the 
 "sweet conversation" of the noble personages - who 
 gathered round the peerless duchess, and that he 
 would thus seek to crystallise for ever the evanescent 
 charm of the spoken word. 
 
 It was in September 1504 that Castiglione came to 
 Urbino, that " island of the blest, the abode of mirth 
 
 333 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 and joy and high philosophy," and to those few years 
 which followed, he looked back with tender memories 
 all the rest of his life as to a golden age. In his 
 " Cortigiano " he has embodied all the most brilliant 
 qualities of Renaissance court life, and has brought 
 vividly before us the fair ladies with their quick 
 intelligence and ready sympathy, and the larger pro- 
 portion of gallant knights, poets, men of learning, 
 artists, and witty cardinals. Of these we may mention 
 the Prince Giuliano dei Medici, third son of Lorenzo 
 the Magnificent, who afterwards married Philiberta di 
 Savoia, and so became Due de Nemours. For him 
 Michelangelo carved that marvellous tomb in Florence, 
 with the figures of Day and Night. 
 
 The Signor Cesare Gonzaga, Knight of Jerusalem, 
 " who excelled in letters, in martial prowess, and every 
 worthy quality." 
 
 The noble Ottaviano Fregoso, who was afterwards 
 Doge of Genoa, and his brother, Federigo Fregosa, 
 made Archbishop of Salerno. 
 
 They were of a Genoese family, connected with the 
 Duke of Urbino, and their sisters, Margherita and 
 Constanza, were in attendance upon the duchess. 
 Of Ottaviano it was said that he was " a man the most 
 singularly magnanimous and religious of our day, full 
 of goodness, genius, and courtesy, a true friend to 
 honour and virtue." 
 
 Monsignore Bernardo Bibbiena, Cardinal of Santa 
 Maria in Portico, " of pleasing society and charming 
 conversation." 
 
 Monsignore Pietro Bembo, a Venetian noble, after- 
 wards made cardinal, perhaps the most eloquent 
 speaker of all. He was a relation of Caterina Cornaro, 
 
 334 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 Queen of Cyprus, and called his ' Asolani ' after her 
 abode at Asolo. 
 
 The Count Lodovico Canossa, a connection of 
 Castiglione. 
 
 The Ladies Margherita and Ippolyta Gonzaga, related 
 to the duchess, Signora Raffaella, and the Lady Emilia 
 Pia, the beloved friend and companion of Elisabetta 
 Gonzaga. 
 
 Amongst the other guests were Giulio Romano, 
 the artist, Giovanni Cristofero, the sculptor, Gasparo 
 Palavicino, Alessandro Trivulzio, captain of Florence, 
 and Bernardo Ascolti, " Unico Aretino," a man of keen 
 wit and trenchant satire. 
 
 They were a delightful company, and there is some- 
 thing engaging and attractive even preserved in their 
 portraits, as, for instance, that of Castiglione himself, 
 painted by Raphael, and now in the Louvre. Some- 
 times a great man, a scholar or artist, who chanced to 
 be passing through, would be welcomed to the courtly 
 circle, as when Pope Julius, on his return to Rome, 
 took Urbino on his way, and was honourably and 
 sumptuously received, some of his company being so 
 attracted that they continued there many days. 
 
 Last of all, but best and brightest, was Elisabetta 
 Gonzaga herself, the peerless duchess, sovereign lady 
 of that galaxy of talent. " Such was the respect we 
 bore the duchess that our very liberty was a bridle ; 
 our greatest delight was to please her, our bitterest 
 grief to offend her." All who came into her presence 
 were attuned to her gentle will and subject to her 
 grave and virtuous majesty. Such sway as hers was 
 only won by infinite talent, tact, and self-suppression. 
 With instinctive subtlety she had to select choice 
 
 335 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 spirits [and congenial topics, and, with apparent un- 
 consciousness, guide the course of conversation, always 
 lightly holding the rein, that she might tighten it in a 
 moment by a word, a gesture, or " flash of silence." 
 
 " At Urbino the discussions were broken by hunting, 
 riding, and hawking parties, by dance and music, but 
 all was refined with wit and intellect. In summer the 
 brilliant reunion would often be held in the fair 
 gardens, on a grassy lawn, under shady trees, sheltered 
 from sun and breeze. At other times the meeting 
 would have a splendid setting — in a fair palace hall, 
 with hangings of silk and tapestry, or of rich cloth of 
 gold decked out with a wonderful number of rare 
 antiques in marble and bronze, most excellent paint- 
 ings, and instruments of music. But the noblest 
 ornament of all was the collection of rich and rare 
 books in Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and the Tuscan 
 tongue, with their choice bindings of gold and silver. 
 If the hours of the day had been given up to tilt and 
 tourney, to every device and pastime meet for noble 
 gentlemen, when the evening came all drew together 
 where the Duchess was with her ladies, for she was the 
 chain which kept all linked harmoniously in pleasant 
 converse, subtle imagination, and witty jests." 
 
 In this atmosphere of social ease there was no set 
 programme, but the subjects were chosen in hearty 
 good-fellowship, which could vary from perfect courtesy 
 to affectionate familiarity. In this aristocracy of mind 
 there was a sentiment of equality, of high-bred refine- 
 ment without pretension or ambition ; the absolute 
 freedom of intimate friends who understood each other 
 with a half-spoken word, and who could show a gay 
 delicacy in playing on the surface— or striking boldly 
 
 336 
 
COUNT BALDASSARE CASTIGLIONE 
 Raphael 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 into the vast ocean of philosophy. Count Castiglione 
 tells us that his purpose in writing "The Courtier" 
 was " to make a portrait in painting of the Court of 
 Urbino, not of Raphael or of Michelangelo, but of 
 some unknown painter, who can bat draw the chief 
 lines, without setting forth the truth in beautiful 
 colours, or with the art of perspective." The idea of 
 setting forth various topics in the way of dramatic 
 talk, was very popular in the time of the Renaissance, 
 to whose spirit the " Dialogues " of Plato, on Love and 
 Beauty, appealed so strongly. The " Decameron," the 
 " Canterbury Tales," the " Heptameron " are alike in 
 this ; but when we compare the work of Bocaccio and 
 others with the refined yet brilliant discussions of the 
 " Cortigiano," we are amazed at the contrast, and can 
 only attribute it to the influence of the beloved 
 Duchess, Elisabetta. 
 
 The truths of philosophy, frozen in the mind of 
 the lonely student, are brought out into the free 
 open air, and take life and strength as they are 
 tossed hither and thither in gay dalliance, with keen 
 intelligence, humour, and quick sympathy. Old stories 
 of classical and mediseval days become mellowed like 
 half-faded figures in some rare tapestry. Many themes 
 are lightly touched upon, but the main purpose of the 
 book is indicated in the title — to draw the picture of a 
 perfect Courtier, the Scholar Gentleman, the ideal 
 Knight — henceforth a model for all the Courts of 
 Europe, wherein our Sir Philip Sidney may well have 
 beheld his own image. Milton had the " Cortigiano " 
 in his mind when he said : " I call therefore a com- 
 plete and generous education that which fits a man 
 to perform justly, skilfully, and magnanimously all 
 
 337 Y 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 the offices both private and pubhc, of peace and 
 war." 
 
 Spenser declares that the aim of his book is the 
 same: "to fashion a gentleman in noble person, in 
 virtuous and gentle discipline." We might fill a volume 
 with instances of the marvellous influence which the 
 work of Castiglione had upon Elizabethan literature, 
 as we hear it echoing through the Sonnets of Shake- 
 speare, Spenser's Hymns "Of Heavenly Love," " Of 
 Heavenly Beauty ; " Ben Jonson, Mario we, v Burton, 
 the poets and early dramatists, even the grave Ascham ; 
 and, amongst later writers, Shelley's " Hymn to 
 Intellectual Beauty" is steeped in the same Itahan 
 Platonism. 
 
 In the conversations recorded of this polished Court 
 of Urbino,the play of wit, the quick retort, the delicate 
 irony, are inimitable ; and the following extracts can 
 do no more than give a faint shadow of its charm : 
 
 " When the evening came the company assembled 
 where the Duchess was, each sitting at his will in a 
 circle as it always chanced." One evening, when 
 subjects for discussion were proposed, it was Mon- 
 signore Frederigo Fregoso who suggested that they 
 should describe all the qualities which go to the 
 making of a perfect courtier. Count Lodovico di 
 Canossa was first called upon to speak, and he began 
 thus : 
 
 " First, the courtier must be a gentleman born and 
 bred, as more will be expected of him, and being of 
 the nobler sort, he will desire to excel his ancestors ; 
 nobleness of birth, like a clear lamp, showing forth 
 both good and evil. Our courtier will need to be born 
 full of grace and comeliness, and all qualities of mind 
 
 338 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 and body ; and he must have good bringing-up in his 
 youth." 
 
 Then Signor Gasparo Pallavacino objects that noble- 
 ness of birth is not indispensable for a courtier, if a 
 man is born fortunate, with the highest gifts of nature. 
 But Count Lodovico replies that for the perfect courtier 
 noble birth is most desirable, for he is in high estima- 
 tion at once, and so much is taken for granted, which 
 he has not to prove and display, as a man of low birth 
 would need to do. Men are apt to love and hate with- 
 out sufficient cause. "The courtier's chief profession 
 is arms, and herein he must excel, yet we would not 
 have him boastful. . . For unto such may well 
 apply the saying of a fair lady,* who courteously 
 desired a certain knight, who shall be nameless, to 
 dance with her, and on his refusal offered him music 
 and other entertainments, but he declared that such 
 trifles were not his profession. At last she asked him : 
 " What then is your profession, signor ? " 
 
 With a frown, he replied : " To fight." Then said 
 the lady : 
 
 " Seeing that you are not now in war, nor in any 
 place to fight, I marvel that you do not have yourself 
 and your harness greased, and hung up with other 
 implements of war in an armoury, lest you should 
 become even more rusty than you are." There was 
 much mirth at this story, but Signor Gasparo main- 
 tained that few men who excel in anything what- 
 soever, abstain from praising themselves ; and on this 
 subject there was more general conversation. 
 
 Then Count Lodovico pointed out that the courtier 
 must be a perfect horseman, and distinguish himself 
 * Said to be Caterina Sforza. 
 339 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 in all manly sports ; hunting, swimming, wrestling, 
 running, leaping, and also in games such as tennis, 
 which requires so great quickness and nimbleness. 
 But in all his actions, the one essential point is that all 
 be done with a certain grace, which cannot be learnt, 
 but must come by nature. " Chi ha gratia, quelle e 
 grato." (Whoso hath grace, findeth grace.) Then fol- 
 lows a fine speech on this " Sprezzatura," an untrans- 
 latable word, meaning a negligence or apparent 
 unconsciousness of his own merit ; a grace beyond 
 the reach of art, and not to be acquired. Only by 
 magnanimity can he attain unto it, and no education 
 can raise a petty soul, nor bestow upon him that 
 crowning virtue. " Perhaps I may be able to tell you 
 what a perfect courtier should be, but I cannot teach 
 you how you may become one." 
 
 Even with the best natural disposition, great study 
 and diligence is required to excel ; and the instance 
 is given of Messer Galeazzo Sanseverino, who, besides 
 his natural advantages, had always excellent men about 
 him, and learnt from each, that in which he was most 
 admirable. Over preciseness must be avoided, for it 
 offends against simplicity, and the crown of art is to 
 hide all art, and suffer it to seem like nature. 
 
 A very slight matter betokens knowledge, such as 
 the way of taking the weapon in hand, certain first 
 notes in singing, or an unstudied line in drawing, or a 
 simple graceful movement in dancing. 
 
 The courtier must speak and write well in his own 
 language, not seeking out curious and obsolete words ; 
 and that he may do this rightly he must have know- 
 ledge, and so have somewhat worthy to say. A good 
 voice is to be desired in speaking, not too soft and 
 
 340 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 subtle as in a woman, nor yet boisterous and rough, 
 but clear and sweet with good pronunciation and 
 expression, set forth with fit gestures in accord with 
 the words. 
 
 " If this courtier speak with such fineness and 
 gravity, I doubt whether all will understand him," was 
 objected. 
 
 "Nay, every one shall understand him." answered 
 the count. " He will not be always grave, but will 
 speak lightly and pleasantly, with merry conceits, and 
 jests when occasion serves. On certain subjects he 
 will speak with dignity and vehemence, using figures 
 of speech with striking words to arouse and stir the 
 mind of his hearers ; yet ever with such ease, that the 
 listener may think it an easy matter to do likewise." 
 Then followed a discussion upon the various dialects 
 of Italy, and on great speakers and writers. After a 
 while. Count Lodovico remarked that in " letters is the 
 true glory. Noble courage is inflamed by reading the 
 deeds of famous captains and great men ; for who 
 doth not prefer the getting of that perpetual fame, 
 before this poor life that lasteth but a day or two ? " 
 
 The courtier should be a scholar, learned in 
 history, in oratory, in poetry, and yet modest 
 withal. Monsignore Pietro quotes that sonnet of 
 Petrarch, CLIV. : 
 
 Giunto Alessandro alia famosa tomba 
 
 Del fero Achille, sospirando disse : 
 'O Fortunate, che si chiara tromba 
 
 Trovasti, e chi di te si alta scrisse ! 
 
 If Alexander envied not Achilles for his deeds, but 
 for his fortune in being sung by Homer, we see that 
 
 341 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 he esteemed the words of the poet more than the arms 
 of the soldier. Poetry was the supreme art, for with 
 one stroke the poet paints soul and body. 
 
 Vocal music represents the speech of soul to soul. 
 " The courtier should be a musician," continued the 
 count, " and should have skill on sundry instruments." 
 But the Signor Gasparo thought not so ; for such 
 delicacies would make him womanish, and bring him 
 to dread death. 
 
 " Speak it not ! " cried the Count Lodovico. " For I 
 would give high praise to music, which has always been 
 renowned ; wise philosophers say the world is made of 
 music, and the heavens in their moving make a melody. 
 Socrates played the harp, and the stern Lycurgus 
 permitted music ; and the great Achilles learnt it of 
 Chiron ; and many great men and warriors have loved 
 it well. We see it used in holy temples to laud and 
 praise God ; and labouring folk beguile their toil with 
 song, and prisoners in adversity ; and babes are hushed 
 to sleep with it. Music is the charm of life ; its light, 
 its sunny grace. No art responds thus to the needs of 
 our nature, none brings us such vivid and varied 
 emotions. It softens, calms, penetrates us ; it raises us 
 to heaven with the quick eager beating of its wings." 
 
 Then the Prince Giuliano said : " I believe that 
 music is not only an ornament, but is needful for a 
 courtier, . . ." and there was much talk in praise of it. 
 Presently the count continued : 
 
 *' I would also have him to learn the art of drawing, 
 which beside being of itself most noble and worthy, is 
 of great use in war, to draw countries, rivers, bridges, 
 fortresses, and such like." 
 
 The Lady Emilia, turning to Messer Cristofero 
 
 342 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 Romano, asked of him : " How think you ? Is painting 
 of greater worth than carving ? " 
 
 He answered : " To my mind carving is of more 
 labour, art and dignity than painting. . . ." But the 
 count still upholding painting, Cristofero replies that 
 surely he has Raphael in his mind ; the artificer rather 
 than the art. . . . but is interrupted by a burst of 
 eloquence in praise of painting : " The sculptor cannot 
 show the colour of golden hair, and the delicate flesh 
 nor the brightness of the eye, nor the glistening of 
 armour, nor a dark night, nor a sea tempest, nor the 
 burning of a city, nor the rising of the morning, in the 
 colour of roses, with beams of purple and gold. It 
 alone can discourse of Nature, reproduce for us the 
 starry skies, hills and woods, gardens and rivers and 
 cities." 
 
 Much more was said on that topic, when of a 
 sudden, there was heard a sound of many footsteps on 
 the floor, and a tumult of voices, and, turning they saw 
 at the chamber door a great light of torches ; and 
 presently there entered, with a great and noble train, 
 the Lord General, who returned from accompanying 
 the Pope a part of the way towards Rome. He joined 
 awhile in the discourse with much pleasure ; then, as it 
 grew date, the Duchess desired the Lady Margherita and 
 the Lady Costanza Fregosa to show them a dance, 
 which they did, hand in hand, to the sound of sweet 
 music. Then the Duchess arose, and every man taking 
 his leave reverently of her, departed to his rest. 
 
 The last evening was the crown and flower of all. 
 The first subject of discussion was the duty of a perfect 
 courtier towards his prince, whom he must guide into 
 ways of wisdom and nobleness. We are told that " we 
 
 343 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 need a kingship in the world, for which justice and 
 intellectual beauty are the qualifications, and which is 
 thus more real and of divine right than any other. The 
 love of gold, the love of power and pleasure can only 
 reign in a world of night, when we have eyes, but cannot 
 see ; " when we have lost our enthusiasm and are dead to 
 all higher things. 
 
 As music, sports, pastimes, and other pleasant 
 fashions are the flower of courtliness, so the training of 
 the prince to goodness is the fruit of it. Then followed 
 an eloquent description of the ideal prince, whereupon 
 one of the company protested : " But a ruler with all the 
 qualities the Prince Giuliano would bestow upon him is, 
 I fear, like the Commonwealth cf Plato, and we shall 
 never see such, unless it be in heaven." 
 
 The Lord Ottaviano answered that truly it was rare for 
 the heavens to bring forth so excellent a prince, and 
 yet he did not despair, as for his own part he had great 
 hope of Duke Guidobaldo's nephew and heir. 
 
 Upon this the Duchess gracefully remarks : " You 
 have gathered together so much, my lord, and so 
 well, concerning courtliness, that we may truly say that 
 you are not only the perfect courtier whom we seek, 
 but also it may be the good prince yourself, which 
 should not be without great profit to your country." 
 
 We who look back on the story of the past, are 
 interested to find the gracious prophecy fulfilled — as 
 the gallant Signor Ottaviano Fregoso became Doge of 
 Genoa, in 15 13. 
 
 As the book of the "Courtier" draws to an end, 
 Baldassare Castiglione makes a supreme effort, and 
 suddenly launches forth into a rapt exposition of the 
 Platonism of the Renaissance ; those " solemn har- 
 
 344 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 monies of unearthly music." The subject of the 
 courtier as a lover, he assigns to Pietro Bembo, 
 who had already written, in high Platonic strain, a book 
 of dialogues on the miseries and joys of lovers, called 
 " Gli Asolani " ; and who now pours forth his impas- 
 sioned outburst. 
 
 Beginning with a masterly exposition of Platonic 
 views on love and beauty, " a little discourse to declare 
 what love is, and wherein consists the happiness of 
 lovers," he earnestly declares that beauty is a holy 
 thing, and that we may not be so profane and wicked 
 as to speak ill of it, and thereby draw down upon us 
 the wrath of God. Love is a desire of beauty, and 
 heavenly love is the soul's desire for ideal beauty. 
 
 What eyes cannot see with the rays of celestial 
 light ? Of a truth, for the sake of the beloved one, the 
 lover deserts parents and brothers and friends ; he 
 despiseth all those riches and honours of the world 
 which he valued before, seeking the heavenly part 
 rather than the earthly. He desireth only the bright- 
 ness of divine majesty, which iilleth his soul with 
 wonder. And this is Love. . . The " influsso " of 
 divine beauty shines on all the created world. It rests 
 like a ray of light on a fair face, "with marvellous 
 grace and glistening like the beams of the sun, striking 
 on precious fine-wrought gold, set with precious gems," 
 adding to its beauty, shining through it and delighting 
 the soul. " Let us therefore turn to this most holy light 
 which showeth the way to heaven ; let us climb up the 
 steep stairs to the high place where the heavenly 
 beauty dwelleth, and there shall we find a most happy 
 rest, and a sure haven in the troublesome storms of 
 the tempestuous sea of this life." 
 
 345 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 At the end, the devout Platonist breaks out into a 
 rapturous invocation, of which this is but a fragment : 
 " Oh ! most holy love, who can praise thee aright ? 
 Most beautiful, most good, most wise, that comest 
 from divine wisdom and returnest thither ! Thou 
 sweetest bond of unity, bringing discords into har- 
 mony, changing foes into friends, giving fruit to the 
 earth, calm to the sea, and to heaven its light of life ! 
 
 " Vouchsafe to lighten our darkness with the bright- 
 ness of thy most holy fire, and show us the right way, 
 thou who art the beginning and end of all goodness. 
 Give us to hear thy heavenly harmony, that the discord 
 of passion may have no more place in us. With the 
 shining beams of thy light, purge our eyes from misty 
 ignorance, that they be no more set on mortal beauty. 
 Burn our souls in the living and cleansing fire, that 
 they be sundered from the body, and joined with a 
 most sweet and everlasting bond to the heavenly 
 beauty ! So shall we be raised from earth and admitted 
 to join the feast of angels on high. . ." 
 
 As the speaker came to an end, he was so ravished 
 with the images which he had called up, that he stood 
 unconscious of all around him, until the Lady Emilia 
 touched him and said : 
 
 " Take heed lest these thoughts draw not your soul 
 to forsake the body, Monsignore Pietro." 
 
 "Madonna," he replied, "it v/ould not have been 
 the first miracle that love hath wrought in me." 
 
 The conversation, which continued for a while after 
 this, had so entranced the listeners that they took no 
 note of time until they were startled by the coming 
 of daylight. " When the windows were thrown open 
 on that side of the palace which looks towards the 
 
 346 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 lofty crest of Mount Catari, they found the east aglow 
 with rosy dawn, and the stars faded away save only 
 Venus, the sweet ruler of the heaven, who keepeth the 
 bounds of day and night. From thence came a soft 
 breeze which awoke the song of birds amid the wooded 
 groves of the hillside. 
 
 " Whereupon they all took leave with reverence of 
 the Duchess, and departed homeward without torches, 
 the light of day sufficing." * 
 
 It is with somewhat of the same feeling that, after 
 this fair Platonic vision, we return to the light of 
 common day. But such moments of high enthusiasm 
 cannot long endure, and the golden years of Castig- 
 lione all too soon came to an end with the death of 
 Duke Guidobaldo in April 1508. 
 
 Too often in this life, if we but turn over the page 
 of our story, all is changed. In the allusion to the 
 Duke's illness, we have already a foreboding of coming 
 disaster in this interesting letter written by the Duchess 
 to her friend, Isabella d'Este, in 1507. 
 
 *' It is a month since I received the letter of your sig- 
 noria, with joy and delight beyond words, and if I would 
 
 * " II Cortigiano" was translated into English in 1552 by Sir 
 Thomas Hoby, and became the delight of Elizabethan writers, 
 to whom Italy was a land of Arcadia. It was the Bible of 
 Platonism and a code of aesthetics for all Europe, and may be 
 looked upon as an epitome of the moral and social ideas of the 
 Renaissance. It was translated into Spanish by Boscanin 1540 
 and into French by Jacques Colin, secretary to King Frangois I., 
 in 1538. Castiglione was a favourite name in the circle of Mar- 
 guerite of France. His influence still lasted in England in the 
 days of Dr. Johnson, who remarks : " The best book that ever 
 was written upon good breeding, ' II Cortigiano,' by Castiglione, 
 grew up at the little Court of Urbino, and you should read it." 
 
 347 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 speak or write the joy and content I take in reading 
 your eagerly looked-for and valued letters, it would 
 take me an eternity. Yet if you but understood the 
 happiness they give, I know you would give your 
 secretary more frequent labour. . . . Though your 
 excellency would raise my jealousy by reciting all the 
 great and splendid things you have seen at Milan, I 
 make answer that I feel no envy whatever. What 
 sight can out-do that of Rome ? I beheld that city, 
 now and ever the first in the world, with all its wonder- 
 ful treasures of ancient and modern times, to my un- 
 ceasing amazement and delight. I saw the Pope 
 representing God on earth, with around him the whole 
 Roman court, second to no other. I own that your 
 signoria has seen splendid sights, but had you beheld 
 these, you would count them less. Of one matter I 
 can make my boast with more cause than your excel- 
 lency, which is that if I have visited Rome but once, yet 
 Rome and the Roman court has come hither to visit 
 me at Urbino, not once but twice at Urbino. . . . My 
 lord duke has made a good recovery from his illness. 
 I am in good health, and trust to hear that you are 
 likewise. " Your sister, 
 
 " Elisabetta, Duchess of Urbino. 
 "Urbino, September 7, 1507." 
 
 That winter was very severe at Urbino, and Guido- 
 baldo, who had been seriously out of health for years, 
 became steadily worse, and died on April 11 the next 
 spring, at the age of thirty-six. " During his long 
 and painful illness he had studied his complaint and 
 watched the slow-paced approach of death, knowing 
 perfectly that neither the pleasant climate of Urbino 
 
 348 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 nor the most assiduous attentions would retard by 
 an hour. And yet, even under the burden of his 
 last anguish, he retained full possession of his intel- 
 lect, with its charm and flame and serenity. His 
 friends pretended not to have given up hope ; ' why 
 envy me so desirable a blessing ? ' he said to them 
 gently. ' To be freed from this load of terrible suffer- 
 ing — tell me, is it not a blessing ? ' At the very last he 
 turned to Castiglione and recited to him one of the 
 finest passages in Virgil. Thus with noble colloquies, 
 men lulled even pain asleep." * 
 
 Guidobaldo, the " Good Duke," was laid to rest by 
 the side of his father, in the convent of the Zocco- 
 lanti friars, standing in the midst of his favourite 
 gardens and orange groves. A solemn requiem 
 mass was held in the cathedral, and his old tutor 
 spoke his funeral oration with touching sympathy. 
 As for Elisabetta, she was broken-hearted, and prostrate 
 with exhaustion, for she had nursed her husband with 
 the most devoted affection. The diplomatic agent sent 
 from Mantua with condolences, thus reports his inter- 
 view with her : 
 
 " I found this illustrious Madonna in her room 
 among her ladies, all in black, the shutters closed, 
 and only one torch placed upon the floor. She was 
 seated upon a cushion, a black veil upon her head, 
 . . . and I could scarcely see. She held out her 
 hand and burst into tears ; a moment passed before 
 her sobs and mine permitted us to speak. . . . 
 
 " The funeral ceremonies, as Signer Giovanni has 
 
 told you, were sumptuous. There were 825 mourners, 
 
 wearing long cloaks with trains and hoods. All the 
 
 * De Maulde. 
 
 349 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 friars and priests of the State and five bishops were 
 present, and stood round the catafalque, with an infinite 
 number of Hghted torches. . . . The universal grief 
 and lamentation here is beyond words to describe." 
 
 The widowed Duchess appears to have behaved 
 with admirable wisdom in her new position, and to 
 have so managed the affair of Urbino that her hus- 
 band's nephew Francesco Maria della Rovere suc- 
 ceeded peacefully to his inheritance. Her youngest 
 brother Giovanni, who was devoted to her, came to 
 be with her at this time, and he writes : " There was 
 never so wise and prudent a Madonna, she is indeed 
 to be praised in all she does." 
 
 She remained at the court, where she was treated 
 with reverence and affection, and in the following 
 year we find her going to Mantua to fetch the bride 
 of the new Duke ; Leonora Violante, the young 
 daughter of her friend Isabella d'Este, who was ex- 
 tremely anxious by this marriage to win the favour 
 of the Pope. At this time, her husband, Duke 
 Francesco, was in a Venetian prison, and she had 
 sore need of every powerful friend. This is how she 
 alludes to the matter : 
 
 "We have been here entertaining the Duchess of 
 Urbino, and a large and honourable company at large 
 expense, but with much gladness. In a few days she 
 will take back our young Duchess, whom we gladly 
 send with her, trusting that his Holiness will now 
 show us still more favour, and all the more as we 
 hear that his Beatitude wishes her and the duke to 
 come to Rome for the pontifical celebration of their 
 marriage." The Pope had shown his interest by 
 sending a splendid litter for the bride, of cloth of 
 
 350 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 silver with gold cords, carried by two handsome 
 pages in liveries to match, and also a fine dapple-grey 
 horse with rich trappings. 
 
 Once more we have the account of a wedding journey 
 in winter, with the doleful tale of hardships and mis- 
 adventures. There was so thick a marsh fog when 
 they left Mantua that before they reached their first 
 resting place they lost their way and wandered about 
 for hours in the dark. When at length they arrived as 
 far as Modena and Bologna, they w^ere hospitably re- 
 ceived with banquets and dances ; but as they rode on 
 towards Faenza, the Santerno was in flood, and they 
 were nearly drowned in crossing a mountain tributary. 
 The stream was so full, and the rush of water had been 
 so sudden, that a chariot with two ladies of honour and 
 their luggage actually floated for some distance, the 
 oxen who drew it being swept off their ieet by the 
 violence of the current. The rest of the journey was 
 after the same fashion, through heavy rain and the 
 worst of roads. Yet every precaution had been taken, 
 but "the astrologer who fixed the date and hour of 
 departure must certainly have made a false calculation," 
 as Isabella wisely remarks. 
 
 At length the hill of Urbino was reached in safety, 
 and the duke rode out to meet and welcome his bride 
 and his aunt Elisabetta, and escorted them to the 
 palace, which was splendidly prepared for them. The 
 elder lady seems to have been very much attached to 
 Leonora, whom she treated like her own daughter, 
 with the image of the dearly-loved mother ever before 
 her. It must have been a new link between the two 
 friends of so many years. Early the next spring, when 
 the Duke of Urbino took his wife to Rome, Elisabetta 
 
 351 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 was included in the Pope's invitation, and the two 
 ladies used every effort to induce JuUus II. to obtain 
 the freedom of the Duke of Mantua. He would reply 
 with gracious good temper : " Have a little patience, 
 my children ; " but it was not until the following July 
 that Leonora was gladdened by her father's liberty. 
 
 This was in 15 ii, and for a few years the ducal 
 family lived in peace and happiness. A little son was 
 born to the young Duchess in 15 14, and baptized 
 Guidobaldo, after the late duke ; but already there were 
 storms on the horizon, since the death of Pope 
 Julius II. and the accession of the Medici Pope, 
 Leo X. In 1515 the Duke of Urbino was deprived of 
 his office of Gonfaloniere of the Church, and in vain 
 Elisabetta went to Rome to plead his cause. He was 
 excommunicated and deprived of his estates. After a 
 vain resistance he cast his guns into the river, and fled 
 with the two duchesses to Pesaro, from whence they 
 embarked to travel by sea to Mantua. After a terribly 
 stormy passage, in which they were' almost driven on 
 to the Slavonian shore, they at length reached the little 
 village of Pietole, which became for some time the 
 refuge of the unfortunate exiles, until the ladies were 
 permitted to occupy rooms in the Castello of Mantua. 
 
 The following year, Francesco Maria made a vain 
 but gallant attempt to regain his duchy, and after eight 
 months was compelled to make terms with the Pope, 
 who paid the arrears due to his army, and gave him 
 leave to take his guns and his precious library of books 
 to Mantua. He also carried with him fifty-six banners, 
 a barren honour when they were in such great straits 
 of poverty ; for the stolen dowries of the two ladies 
 were never restored to them, and they had to melt 
 
 352 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 down all that remained to them of gold and silver 
 plate. The Marquis of Mantua showed them much 
 kindness, and made them a yearly allowance of 
 6000 ducats, which he also continued to them by his 
 will when he died in 1519. His sister and his daughter, 
 the two exiled Duchesses of Urbino, were present at 
 his death-bed, and he took an affectionate leave of 
 them. 
 
 Their long and sad exile continued until the death of 
 Pope Leo X. in 1522, when without delay the Duke of 
 Urbino set out once more to recover his dominions ; 
 his people rose in arms against the papal governor, and 
 greeted him with the old cry : " Feltre ! Feltre ! " 
 It must indeed have been a glad return for Elisabetta 
 and Leonora. 
 
 We next hear of a visit paid to them at Pesaro by 
 Isabella d'Este on her way to Rome, three years later. 
 On this occasion, it was her young grandson Guido- 
 baldo who rode forth beyond the gates to meet her, 
 while the ladies awaited her coming at the great stair- 
 case of the lovely palace of the Sforzi. The dowager 
 Duchess was already in failing health, and this was 
 their last meeting, for early in January the next year, 
 just after the shock of losing her beloved brother, 
 Cardinal Sigismondo, she passed away from a world 
 where she had so nobly played her part, and which 
 would ever remain the poorer for her loss. 
 
 In his Prefatory Epistle to the " Cortigiano," -it is 
 with a sudden cry of grief that Baldassare Castiglione 
 alludes to the death of his peerless lady, Elisabetta 
 Gonzaga. " But that which cannot be spoken without 
 tears is that the Duchess, she also is dead. And if my 
 mind be troubled with the loss of so many friends . . . 
 
 353 z 
 
ELISABETTA GONZAGA 
 
 that have left me in this life, as it were in a wilderness 
 full of sorrow, yet with how much more grief do I bear 
 the affliction of my dear lady's death, than of all the 
 rest ; since she was more worthy than all, and I more 
 bounden to her." 
 
 His great work was partly written as a memorial of 
 his " most excellent lady," who remained all his life 
 highly enshrined in his soul. 
 
 Pietro Bembo never forgot his happy life at her 
 court, and he says of the Duchess : " I have seen many 
 excellent and noble women, and have heard of some 
 who were as illustrious for certain qualities, but in her 
 alone among women, all virtues were united and 
 brought together. 
 
 " I have never seen or heard of any one who was her 
 equal, and know very few who have even come near 
 her." 
 
 354 
 
INDEX 
 
 AlGNADELLA, battle of, 202 
 
 Alexander VI., 122, 163, 252, 253, 254, 257, 258, 260, 261, 263, 265, 
 
 270, 272, 275, 326, 331 
 Alopo, Pandolpho, 95 
 Angelo, Michel {see Michelangelo) 
 Anjou, Louis of, 95, 98, 99, 100 
 Aquila, 99 
 Aragon, Alfonso of, 98, 99, 100, 129 
 
 Giovanna of, wife of Ascanio Colonna, 293 
 
 Joan of, 107 
 
 Isabella of, or Naples, 29, 108, 112, 120, 124, 125, 129, 130, 141 
 Ardinghelli, Niccolo, 51 
 Ariosto, 39, 122, 172, 173, 175, 274, 276, 281 
 Ascham, 337 
 
 Ascolti, Bernardo (Unico Aretino), 335 
 Asolo, 198, 199, 200, 201, 334 
 Assisi, 159, 324 
 Asti, 128 
 
 Augustine, St., 42, 304 
 d'Avalos, Alfonso (Marchese del Vasto), 285, 291, 306 
 
 Beatrice, 284 
 
 Costanza, 282, 283 
 
 Ferrante Francesco (Marchese of Pescaro), 282, 283, 284, 287, 
 288, 290 
 Avignon, 85 
 
 Bavaria, Margaretta of, 313 
 
 Bayard, 277, 278 
 
 Bellini, 152, 172, 175 
 
 Bembo, Pietro, Cardinal, 7, 201, 276, 294, 296, 334, 341, 345, 346, 
 
 354 
 
 355 
 
 V- 
 
INDEX 
 
 Bentivoglio, Ulisse, 225 
 Bibbiena, Bernardo, ig, 246, 334 
 Bisaglia, Alfonso, Duke of, 261, 262, 263 
 
 Roderigo (of Bisaglia), son of Lucrezia Borgia, 204, 270, 277 
 Bocaccio, 75, 76, 81, 93, 337 
 Boiardo, Matteo, 10 
 Bologna, 166, i6g, 232, 245, 296, 331 
 
 Bentivoglio, Lord of, 243, 245 
 Bona, Duchess of Milan (see Savoy) 
 Bonaventuri, Pietro, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210 
 
 Giovanni Battista, 205 
 Borgia (see Alexander VI.) 
 
 Cffisar, 39, 161, 162, 252, 253, 258, 261, 265, 266, 270, 271, 275, 
 
 277, 323, 326, 327, 329, 330, 333 
 
 Giovanni, 258, 261 
 
 Lucrezia, 11, 19, 162, 165, 257-280, 326, 329 
 Bormio, 133 
 Boschetti, Isabella, 170 
 Bourbon, Charles dej 168 
 Bracciano, 60 
 Braccio, 99 
 
 Brandeburg, Barbara of, 314 
 Brasca, Erasmo, 140, 142, 143, 144, 145 
 Brenta, river, 199 
 
 Bretagne, Anne de, 7, 132, 140, 171, 174, 178, 330 
 Burchard, 262, 263, 265 
 Burton, 337 
 
 Caimi, Violante, 145 
 Cafaggiuolo, villa, 49, 54, 67, 70, 214 
 Cagli, 327 
 
 Caiazzo, Count, 250, 251 
 Calandro, Silvestro, 321 
 Calcagnini, 180 
 Calvin, 177, 304 
 Cambray, treaty of, 176, 202 
 Camerino, 327 
 Canareggio, 329 
 
 Canossa, Lodovico, 335, 338, 339, 341, 342 
 
 356 
 
INDEX 
 
 Capello, Andrea, 211, 212 
 
 Bartolommeo, 204, 205, 219 
 
 Bianca, 204-225 
 
 Pellegrina, 207, 225 
 
 Vittorio, 216 
 Capua, 282 
 
 Carraccioli, Gianni, 97, 98, 99, 100 
 Careggi, villa of, 67 
 Castel Nuovo, Naples, 80, 84 
 Castiglione, Baldassare, 167, 292, 333-350, 353 
 Catania, 77 
 
 Catanei, Vanozza, 258, 270, 277 
 Catari, Monte, 347 
 Caviceo, 278 
 Cavriano, 320 
 
 Charles, Duke o£ Calabria, 76 
 Charles, Emperor, 287, 288 
 Charles II. of Naples, 76 
 Clement VI., 86 
 
 Clement VII,, 57, 90, 167, 178, 289, 293 
 Codronchi, 242 
 Colombino of Verona, 314 
 Colonna, Ascanio, 293, 305 
 
 Fabrizio, 281, 284, 324 
 
 Giulia, 306 
 
 Palazzo, 168 
 
 Vittoria, 7, 27, 42, 43, 179, 180, 281-309, 325 
 Commines, 112 
 Como, lake of, 41 
 Condivi, Ascanio, 297, 306 
 Constantinople, 4 
 Cornaro, Andrea, 194 
 
 Caterina, 11, 187-203, 334 
 
 Fiorenza, 188 
 
 Giorgio, 196, 202 
 
 Marco, 188, 194, 202 
 
 Violante, 188 
 Correggio, Niccolo di, 10, 122, 161 
 Corte, Benardino da, 148 
 " II Cortigiano" of Castiglione, 333-350, 353 
 Costa, 161 
 
 357 
 
INDEX 
 
 Cotingo, Carlo, 114 
 Cremona, 315 
 Crispo, Fiorenza, 188 
 Cristofero, Giovanni, 335 
 Crivelli, Lucrezia, 133, 162 
 Cussago, 117, 118 
 Cybo, Franceschetto, 71 
 Cyprus, 187 
 
 Giacomo II., King of, 187, 191, 19 
 
 Giacomo III., 194 
 
 *' Decamerone," 81, 337 
 Denistoun, 9 
 Desenzano, 320 
 Diedo, General, 196 
 Donati, Lucrezia, 51 
 Dossi, Dosso, 173 
 Durazzo, Agnese of, 92 
 
 Charles of, 92, 94 
 
 Margaret of, 90 95 
 
 Edward the Black Prince, 88 
 Erasmus, 53 
 
 d'Este, Alfonso, 114, 116, 162, 164, 167, 174, 178, 232, 258, 265, 
 266, 272, 273, 276 
 
 Anna, 178, 180, 272 
 
 Beatrice, 17, 108-134, 139, 160, 252 
 
 Borso, 266 
 
 Cecilia, 7 
 
 Ercole I., Duke of Ferrara, loi, 106, 126, 154, 265. 267, 272, 
 273) 275, 326 
 
 Ercole II Duke of Ferrara, 171, 178, 179, 181, 277 
 
 Francesco, Maiquis of Massalombarda, 277 
 
 Ippolyto, Cardinal, 17, 173, 268, 269, 328 
 
 Ippolytus, Cardinal, son of Lucrezia Borgia, 277 
 
 Isabella, 28, 34, 130, 151-170, 178, 269, 272, 275, 278, 316, 319, 
 320, 322, 323, 347, 350, 353 
 
 Leonello, 9, 266 
 
 Leonora, 106, 128, 154, 233, 279, 316 
 
 Leouora, daughter of Lucrezia, 277, 295 
 358 
 
INDEX 
 
 Faenza, 234-272, 351 
 Famagusta, 193 
 Farnese, Julia, 259, 260 
 Fausta, Livia, 37 
 Feo, Giacomo, 247, 248 
 
 Tommaso, 242, 243, 244 
 Ferdinand, or Ferrante, of Naples (see Naples) 
 Ferrara, 106, no, 153, 169, 172, 173, 176, 268, 269, 273, 294 
 
 Leonora, Duchess of (see d'Este) 
 " Fiammetta," 81 
 
 Florence, 47-81, 204, 249, 297, 334 
 Foligno, 271 
 Fontainebleau, 172 
 
 Forli, 234, 236, 237, 242, 243, 248, 252, 272 
 Fornova, battle of, 131, 160 
 Fra Roberto, 82 
 Fracostoro, 306 
 France, Charles VIIL, King of, 121, 126, 128, 129 
 
 Frangois I,, 165, 167, 169, 171, 287 
 
 Henri II., 181 
 
 Louis XII., 163, 169, 171, 262 
 
 Marguerite of (see Navarre) 
 
 Ren6e of, Duchess of Ferrara, 43, 169, 170-183, 294 
 Frederick III., Emperor, 140, 314 
 Fregoso, Costanza, 334, 343 
 
 Federig . 334, 338 
 
 Margherita, 334, 343 
 
 Ottaviano, 334, 344 
 
 Galeazzo Sanseverino (see Sanseverino) 
 
 Gallerini, Cecilia, 114, 118, 163 
 
 Galluzzi, 216 
 
 Garda, lake, 320 
 
 Garzia, Eleonora di, 214 
 
 Gebhardt, 43 
 
 Gerson, 7 
 
 Gbirlandajo, 48 
 
 Giacomo of Minorca, 88 
 
 Giordano, Vicenso, 264 
 
 Giotto, 80, 89 
 
 359 
 
INDEX 
 
 Giovanna of Austria, 209, an, 318 
 
 Giovio Paolo, 277, 286 
 
 Goito, 320 
 
 Gonzaga, Antonio, 325 
 
 Cesare, 324 
 
 Chiara of. Duchess of Montpensier, 159, 314, 316, 328, 331 
 
 Elisabetta, Duchess of Urbino, 156, 159, 162, 167, 253, 271 
 272, 282, 313-354 
 
 Ercole, Cardinal, 163, 166, 167, 168 
 
 Federico I., Duke of Mantua, 313, 314, 315 
 
 Federico II., Duke of Mantua, 161, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 168, 
 291, 292 
 
 Ferrante, 168 
 
 Francesco, Marchese of Mantua, 36, 108, no, 131, 154, 155, 
 160, 161-165, 278, 315, 317, 318, 323, 350, 352, 353 
 
 Giovanni, 316, 318,350 
 
 Ippolyto, 335 
 
 Leonora Violante, Duchess of Urbino, 158, 163, 164, 166, 
 351, 352, 353 
 
 Lodovico, Duke of Mantua, 313, 314 
 
 Lucrezia, 178 
 
 Maddelena, 259, 314, 318, 321 
 
 Margherita, 335 
 
 Sigismondo, Cardinal, 116, 316, 353 
 
 Vincensio, 211 
 Gonzago, Agostino, 295 
 Gregorovius, 257, 263, 280 
 Guarino, Battista, 109 
 Gubbio, 271, 326 
 Guglielmo of Austria, 95 
 Guise, Duke Francois de, 178 
 
 Heidelberg, 182 
 " Heptameron," 337 
 Hoby, Sir Thomas, 24, 347 
 Hungary, Andreas of, 79, 80, 83 
 
 Carobert, King of, 79 
 
 Matthias Corvinus, King of, 138 
 
 Imola, 232, 236, 239, 242, 248 
 
 .^60 
 
INDEX 
 
 Innocent VIII., 122, 241, 245-381 
 
 Innsbruck, 140, 150 
 
 Ischia, island of, 282, 283, 289, 293 
 
 Jacques de Bourbon, 96 
 
 James IV., King of Scotland, 139 
 
 Jews, edict to protect, 276 
 
 Johnson, Dr., 347 
 
 Jonson, Ben, 338 
 
 Julius II., 40, 164, 165, 201, 276, 331, 333, 335, 343, 352 
 
 Larnaca, port of, 190 
 
 Latino, Cardinal, 61 
 
 Leo X., 41, 68, 69, 166, 167, 209, 279, 352 
 
 Livy, 209 
 
 Loches, dungeon of, 163 
 
 Lotti, Lorenzo, 201 
 
 Louis XII., King of France, 262 
 
 Lusignan, Guy de, 187 
 
 Luther, 42, 304 
 
 Machiavelli, 50, 66, 209, 251, 252, 366 
 Macinghi, Alessandra, 33 
 Madrid, treaty of, 167 
 Malatesta, Roberto, 239, 240 
 Malespini, CeUo, 216 
 Mantegna, Andrea, 156, 158, 160, 161, 315 
 Mantua, 8, 115, 167, 168, 313, 315, 319, 329, 35I5 352 
 Marino, city of, 281, 289, 324, 325 
 Marlowe, 337 
 Marmirola, villa of, 320 
 Marot, Clement, 176 
 Martello (dwarf), 34 
 Martin, V., 97 
 Masuccio, 77 
 
 Maulde de la Claviere, 33, 159, 161, 169, 233 
 Maximilian, Emperor, 37, 126, 128, 129, 132, 133, 140, 141, 144 
 145, 146, 149 
 
 361 
 
INDEX 
 
 Maximilian 11., 309 
 dei Medici, Bianca, 53 
 
 Carlo, 33, 63 
 
 Clarice (Orsini), wife of Lorenzo, 51, 52, 54, 60-71, 214 
 
 Contessina, 63, 68 
 
 Cosimo, il Vecchio, 21, 23, 49 
 
 Cosimo I., Grand Duke of Tuscany, 207 
 
 Eleanora di Toledo, wife of Cosimo I., 207 
 
 Eleanora (Gonzaga), daughter of Francesco, 211 
 
 Ferdinando, son of Cosimo I., 208, 213, 214, 219, 222, 223, 224 
 
 Filippo, son of Francesco, 216, 221 
 
 Francesco, son of Cosimo I., 207, 208, 210, 211, 213, 218, 219, 
 220, 221, 222, 223, 224 
 
 Garzia, son of Cosimo I., 207, 208 
 
 Giovanna, 29 
 
 Giovanni, husband of Catarina Sforza, 249 
 
 Giovanni delle Bande Nere, 255, 256 
 
 Giovanni, son of Cosimo I., 207 
 
 Giuliano, brother of Lorenzo, 50, 55, 56 
 
 Giuliano, son of Lorenzo, 334, 342, 344 
 
 Isabella, daughter of Cosimo L, 208, 213, 214, 215 
 
 Lorenzo the Magnificent, 41, 47, 52, 53, 54, 107, 136,209,218, 
 230, 315 
 
 Lucrezia (Tornabuoni), mother of Lorenzo, 41, 47-59 
 
 Lucrezia, 68, 70 
 
 Luisa, 68, 71 
 
 Maddelena, 71 
 
 Maria, 52 
 
 Maria, wife of Henry IV., 211 
 
 Nannina, 53 
 
 Piero il Gottoso, 49, 50, 53, 54 
 
 Piero, son of Lorenzo, 54, 67, 129 
 
 Pietro, son of Cosimo, 214 
 Michelangelo, 161, 262, 296, 297, 298, 299, 300, 301, 302, 303, 304, 
 
 334 
 Michelozzi, 50 
 Milan, 141 
 Milton, 337 
 Modena, 172 
 Monferrat, 170 
 Monluc, Blaise de, 37 
 
 362 
 
INDEX 
 
 Montaigne 207 
 Montarges, castle of, 183 
 Montefeltro, Agnesina, 281, 324, 325 
 
 Guidobaldo {sec Urbino) 
 Montmorency, Constable of, 294 
 Morata, Olympia, 180, 181, 182 
 
 Pellegrino, 181 
 "Morgante,"48 
 Morone, 288 
 Mugello, 49, 55 
 
 Naples, Alfonso of, 106, 125, 128 
 
 Federico of, 2^2 
 
 Ferdinand, or Ferrante, I., King of, loi, 106, 108, 128 
 
 Ferrante II., King of, 130, 161, 190, 195 
 
 Giovanna I., Queen of, 73-93 
 
 Giovanna II., Queen of, 94-101 
 
 Ladislaus of, 95 
 
 Leonora of (see d'Este) 
 
 Maria of, 76, 81, 82, 85 
 
 Robert, King of, 76, 78 
 
 Sancha, Queen of, 78 
 Navagaro, Andrea, 203 
 Navarre, Margaret of, 171, 176, 293, 294 
 Nepi, 264 
 
 Nicosia, 187, 191, 196 
 Nocera, 327 
 Nola, 99 
 Novaro, battle of, 131, 286 
 
 OcHiNO, Fra Bernardino, 179, 295, 296 
 Odorici, 213 
 
 d'OUando, Francesco, 298, 299 
 Ombrone, river, 223 
 Ordilaffi, 236, 239 
 
 " Orlando Furioso," 39, 173, 276, 281 
 Orleans, Louis of, 36, 128, 131 
 Orsi, Cecco, 243 
 Lorenzo, 243 
 
 363 
 
INDEX 
 
 Orsini, Clarice (see Medici) 
 Orsini family, 60 
 
 Adriana, 259, 260, 269 
 
 Jacopo, 62 
 
 Paolo Giordano, 208, 214, 215 
 Orvieto, 293, 305 
 Osanna, Beata, 158 
 Otho of Brunswick, 90, 97 
 Otranto, 238 
 
 Padua, 188 
 
 Paglia, river, 305 
 
 Paleologa, Margherita, 170, 291 
 
 Pallavicino, Gasparo, 335, 339 
 
 Paracelsus, 38 
 
 " Paradiso " of Isabella d'Este, 166, 170 
 
 Paris, 171 
 
 Paul III., 182, 304 
 
 Pavia, battle of, 167, 287 
 
 Castello of, 66, 115, 116, 136 
 
 Certosa of, 105 
 Pazzi, Guglielmo, 52 
 
 plot, 234 
 Perugia, 236 
 Perugi-no, 152, 161 
 Pesaro, 260, 271, 272, 318, 321, 352 
 Petrarch, 12, 80, 89, 341 
 Philippa the Catenese, 77, 84 
 Pia, Emilia, 326, 343 
 Piacenza, 115 
 Piave, river, 199 
 Piccolomini, Signora, 37 
 Pietole, 8, 352 
 Pistofilo, Bonaventura, 274 
 Pius II., g, II 
 Pius III., 331 
 Pius v., 221 
 Plague, 86, 168 
 Plato, 218, 337, 344 
 Po, the river, 115, 270 
 
 364 
 
INDEX 
 
 Poggio-a-Cajano, villa, 222, 224 
 
 Poland, Sigismond of, 30, 284, 313 
 
 Pole, Cardinal, 294 
 
 Poliziano, Angelo, 41, 48, 53, 67, 68, 70 
 
 Pomponazzi, Pietro, 167 
 
 Porto, villa of, 170, 315, 320 
 
 Posolippo, 89 
 
 Pratolino, villa of, 222 
 
 Predis, Ambrogio da, 144 
 
 Preti, Violante de', 314, 315^ 
 
 Provence, 86 
 
 Pulci, Luigi, 53, 70 
 
 Raphael, 167, 322, 335, 343 
 Ravenna, 240 
 
 Ren6e of France {see France) 
 
 Riario, Girolamo, 231, 232, ziz^ 234. 235> 236, 237, 238, 239, 240, 
 241, 242, 243, 246 
 
 Bianca, 236 
 
 Ottaviano, 236, 245, 246, 251, 252 
 Richard I., 187, 192 
 Ridolfo, Piero, 71 
 Rienzi, Cola, 85 
 Romano, Cristofero, 122, 343 
 
 Giulio, 335 
 Rome, 167, i58, 169, 231-235, 289, 291, 306, 323, 351 
 Rosate, Ambrogio da, 41, 115, 143 
 Rossi, Lionetti de', 52 
 Rosso, Lucia, 36 
 Rucellai, Bernardo, 53 
 
 Giovanna, 48 
 
 Giovanni, 209 
 Rufa, Covella, 100 
 
 Sakseverino, Galeazzo, 117, 120, 123, 128, 245, 251, 340 
 
 Gaspare, 250 
 Santi, Giovanni, father of Raphael, 322 
 Savelli, Cardinal, 244, 245, 324 
 Savonarola, 40, 250 
 
 365 
 
INDEX 
 
 Savoy, Carlotta of, 187, 194 
 Saxony, Duke Ernest of, 235 
 " La Schifanoia," 177 
 Sermione, 320 
 
 Sforza, Anna, Duchess of Ferrara, 114, 116, 135, 139, 232, 253, 
 266 
 Ascanio, Cardinal, 253 
 Bianca Maria, wife of the Emperor Maxmilian, 41, 123, 126, 
 
 128, 135-150 
 Bona, of Naples, 30 
 
 Bona, of Savoy, 65, 112, 116, 123, 135, 136, 137, 139, 229, 230 
 Bona, daughter of Isabella, Duchess of Milan, 2S4 
 Catarina, Countess of Forli, 36, 135, 229-256 
 Ercole, or Maximilian, son of Beatrice, 124, 133, 165 
 Ermes, 135, 142 
 Francesco, in 
 Galeazzo Maria, Duke of Milan, 65, 112, 135, 136, 137, 226, 
 
 330 
 Gian Galeazzo, 53, 65, 105, 112, 113, ii6, 120, 123, 129, 138, 
 
 146 
 Giovanni, Lord of Pesaro, 259, 260, 261, 272, 316, 326 
 Ippolyta Maria, 9, 107, 108, in 
 Jacopo Attendolo, first " Sforza," 96, 98 
 Lodovico, "IlMoro," Duke of Milan, 35,108, in, 113, n6, 
 120, 126, 128, 129, 130, 134, 146, 147, 148, 149, 159, 163, 249, 
 251,252 
 Shakespeare, 275 
 
 Midsummer Night's Dream, 338 
 Shelley, 338 
 Sicily, 87 
 
 Sidney, Sir Philip, 337 
 Siena, 37 
 Signorelli, 305 
 Simonetta, Cecco, 112, 137 
 Sixtus IV., 229, 230, 231, 232, 234, 235, 240 
 Sixtus v., 224 
 Spain, Philip IL, 216, 219 
 Spenser, 338 
 Spoleto, 327 
 Strozzi, Filippo, 33 
 
 366 
 
INDEX 
 
 Taranto, Louis of, 84, 87 
 Tassino, 113, 137 
 Tasso, Bernardo, 174 
 
 Torquato, 179, 295 
 Teodoro, 67 
 
 Titian, 161, 167, 169, 172, 175, 291 
 Tolentino, Francesco, 239 
 Tolomei, Lactantius, 299 
 Tornabuoni, Giovanna, 48 
 Trivulsio, Gian, 284 
 Trivulzio, Alessandro, 335 
 
 Urban VI., 90 
 
 Urbino, 164, 166, 271, 317, 322, 327, 331, 332, 333. 348, 351 
 
 Elisabetta, Duchess of {sec Gonzaga) 
 
 Federigo of, 239 
 
 Francesco Maria, Duke of, 163, 166, 328, 350, 351, 353 
 
 Guidobaldo, Duke of, 271, 316, 317, 318, 322, 327, 328, 330 
 33i> 337. 348, 349 
 
 Venice, iio, 127, 162, 164, 188, 204, 208, 312, 238, 239, 329, 331 
 
 Cristoforo Moro, Doge of, 189 
 Vercelli, 132 
 Vergerio, 43 
 
 Verocchio, Andrea, 51, 54 
 Vinci, Leonardo da, 114, 116, 121, 133, 141 
 Virgil, 8, 89, 
 Visconti, Bianca, iii 
 
 Filippo Maria, 11 1 
 
 Valentina, 128 
 Viterbo, 2S8, 293, 305, 321 
 Vittorino da Feltre, 8, 316 
 Vivegano, 119 
 Volterra, Jacopo, 235 
 
 367 
 
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