[Illustration: Bianca Sforza by Ambrogio de Predis. (Ambrosiana)]

BEATRICE D'ESTE

DUCHESS OF MILAN

1475-1497

_A STUDY OF THE RENAISSANCE_

BY

JULIA CARTWRIGHT

(MRS HENRY ADY)

_Author of_ "_Madame_, " "_Sacharissa_, " "_J. F. Millet_"

[Illustration]

1910LONDON: J. M. DENT & SONS, LTD. NEW YORK: E. P. DUTTON & CO. 

_First Edition, November, 1899__Second Edition, June, 1903__Third Edition, November, 1903__Fourth Edition February, 1905__Fifth Edition, July, 1908__Sixth Edition, May, 1910_

_All rights reserved_

PREFACE

During the last twenty years the patient researches of successivestudents in the archives of North Italian cities have been richlyrewarded. The State papers of Milan and Venice, of Ferrara and Modena, have yielded up their treasures; the correspondence of Isabella d'Este, in the Gonzaga archives at Mantua, has proved a source of inexhaustiblewealth and knowledge. A flood of light has been thrown on the history ofItaly in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries; public events andpersonages have been placed in a new aspect; the judgments of posterityhave been modified and, in some instances, reversed. 

We see now, more clearly than ever before, what manner of men and womenthese Estes and Gonzagas, these Sforzas and Viscontis, were. We gainfresh insight into their characters and aims, their secret motives andprivate wishes. We see them in their daily occupations and amusements, at their work and at their play. We follow them from the battle-fieldand council chamber, from the chase and tournament, to the privacy ofdomestic life and the intimate scenes of the family circle. And werealize how, in spite of the tragic stories or bloodshed and strife thatdarkened their lives, in spite, too, of the low standard of morals andof the crimes and vices that we are accustomed to associate withRenaissance princes, there was a rare measure of beauty and goodness, ofculture and refinement, of love of justice and zeal for truth, amongthem. As the latest historian of the Papacy, Dr. Pastor, has wiselyremarked, we must take care not to paint the state of morals during theItalian Renaissance blacker than it really was. Virtue goes quietly onher way, while vice is noisy and uproarious; the criminal forceshimself upon the public attention, while the honest man does his duty insilence, and no one hears of him. This is especially the case with thewomen of the Renaissance. They had their faults and their weaknesses, but the great majority among them led pure and irreproachable lives, andtrained their children in the paths of truth and duty. Even LucreziaBorgia, although she may not have been altogether immaculate, was notthe foul creature that we once believed. And the more closely we studythese newly discovered documents, the more we become convinced that thisage produced some of the most admirable types of womanhood that theworld has ever seen. When Castiglione painted his ideal woman in thepages of the "Cortigiano, " he had no need to draw on his imagination. Elizabeth Gonzaga, Duchess of Urbino, and Isabella d'Este, Marchionessof Mantua, were both of them women of great intellect and stainlessvirtue, whose genuine love of art and letters attracted the choicestspirits to their court, and exerted the most beneficial influence on thethought of the day. Isabella, whose vast correspondence with theforemost painters and scholars of the age has been preserved almostintact, was probably the most remarkable lady of the Renaissance. Thestory of her long and eventful life--a theme of absorbing interest--yetremains to be written. The present work is devoted to the history of heryounger sister, Beatrice, Duchess of Milan, who, as the wife of LodovicoSforza, reigned during six years over the most splendid court of Italy. The charm of her personality, the important part which she played inpolitical life at a critical moment of Italian history, her love ofmusic and poetry, and the fine taste which she inherited, in common withevery princess of the house of Este, all help to make Beatricesingularly attractive, while the interest which she inspires is deepenedby the pathos of her sudden and early death. 

If in Isabella we have the supreme representative of Renaissance culturein its highest and most intellectual phase, Beatrice is the type of thatnew-found joy in life, that intoxicating rapture in the actual sense ofexistence, that was the heritage of her generation, and foundexpression in the words of a contemporary novelist, MatteoBandello--himself of Lombard birth--when with his last breath he badehis companions live joyously, "_Vivete lieti!_" We see this bride ofsixteen summers flinging herself with passionate delight into everyamusement, singing gay songs with her courtiers, dancing and huntingthrough the livelong day, outstripping all her companions in the chase, and laughing in the face of danger. We see her holding her court in thefamous Castello of Porta Giovia or in the summer palaces of Vigevano andCussago, in these golden days when Milan was called the new Athens, whenLeonardo and Bramante decorated palaces or arranged masquerades at theduke's bidding, when Gaspare Visconti wrote sonnets in illuminatedbooks, and Lorenzo da Pavia constructed organs or viols as perfect andbeautiful to see as to hear, for the pleasure of the youthful duchess. Scholars and poets, painters and writers, gallant soldiers andaccomplished cavaliers, we see them all at Beatrice's feet, striving howbest they may gratify her fancies and win her smiles. Young and old, they were alike devoted to her service, from Galeazzo di Sanseverino, the valiant captain who became her willing slave and chosen companion, to Niccolo da Correggio, that all-accomplished gentleman who laid downhis pen and sword to design elaborate devices for his mistress's newgowns. We read her merry letters to her husband and sister, letterssparkling with wit and gaiety and overflowing with simple and naturalaffection. We see her rejoicing with all a young mother's proud delightover her first-born son, repeating, as mothers will, marvellous tales ofhis size and growth, and framing tender phrases for his infant lips. Andwe catch glimpses of her, too, in sadder moods, mourning her mother'sloss or wounded by neglect and unkindness. We note how keenly her proudspirit resents wrong and injustice, and how in her turn she is notalways careful of the rights and feelings of her rivals. But whateverher faults and mistakes may have been, she is always kindly andgenerous, human and lovable. A year or two passes, and we see her, royally arrayed in brocade and jewels, standing up in the great councilhall of Venice, to plead her husband's cause before the Doge andSenate. Later on we find her sharing her lord's counsels in court andcamp, receiving king and emperor at Pavia or Vigevano, fascinating thesusceptible heart of Charles VIII. By her charms, and amazing KaiserMaximilian by her wisdom and judgment in affairs of state. And thensuddenly the music and dancing, the feasting and travelling, cease, andthe richly coloured and animated pageant is brought to an abrupt close. Beatrice dies, without a moment's warning, in the flower of youth andbeauty, and the young duchess is borne to her grave in S. Maria delleGrazie amid the tears and lamentations of all Milan. And with her death, the whole Milanese state, that fabric which Lodovico Sforza had built upat such infinite cost and pains, crumbles into ruin. Fortune, which tillthat hour had smiled so kindly on the Moro and had raised him to giddyheights of prosperity, now turned her back upon him. In three shortyears he had lost everything--crown, home, and liberty--and was left todrag out a miserable existence in the dungeons of Berry and Touraine. 

"And when Duchess Beatrice died, " wrote the poet, Vincenzo Calmeta, "everything fell into ruin, and that court, which had been a joyousparadise, was changed into a black Inferno. "

Then Milan and her people become a prey to the rude outrages of Frenchsoldiery. Leonardo's great horse was broken in pieces by Gascon archers, and the Castello, "which had once held the finest flower of the wholeworld, became, " in Castiglione's words, "a place of drinking-booths anddung-hills. " The treasures of art and beauty stored up within its wallswere destroyed by barbarous hands, and all that brilliant company wasdispersed and scattered abroad. Artists and poets, knights andscholars--Leonardo and Bramante, Galeazzo and Niccolo--were driven out, and went their way each in a different direction, to seek new homes andother patrons. But the memory of the young duchess--the _Donna beata_ ofPistoja and Visconti's song--lived for many a year in the hearts of herloyal servants, Castiglione enshrined her name in his immortal pages, Ariosto celebrated her virtues in the cantos of his "Orlando Furioso, "and far on in the new century, grey-headed scholars spoke of her as"_la più zentil Donna d'Italia_"--the sweetest lady in all Italy. 

And to-day, as we pace the dim aisles of the great Certosa, we may lookon the marble effigy of Duchess Beatrice and see the lovely face withthe curling locks and child-like features which the Lombard sculptorcarved, and which still bears witness to the love of Lodovico Sforza forhis young wife. 

 * * * * *

In conclusion, I must acknowledge how deeply I am indebted to SignorLuzio, keeper of the Gonzaga archives at Mantua, and to his ablecolleague, Signor Renier, for the assistance which they have lent to myresearches, as well as for the help afforded by their own publications, in which many of Isabella and Beatrice d'Este's most interesting lettershave already been given to the world. The State archives of Milan andMantua are the principal sources from which the information contained inthe present volume is drawn, and a list of the other authorities whichhave been consulted is given below. 

ITALIAN. 

 Archivio di Stato di Milano, _Beatrice d'Este, Potenze estere_, etc. 

 Archivio Gonzaga Mantova, _Copia lettera d'Isabella d'Este_, etc. 

 A. Luzio and R. Renier, _Delle Relazioni di Isabella d'Este Gonzaga con Ludovico and Beatrice Sforza_. Archivio Storico lombardo, xvii. 

 T. Chalcus, _Residua_. Milano, 1644. 

 Archivio Storico Italiano, serie i. Vol. Iii. ; Cronache Milanesi di G. A. Prato, G. P. Cagnola, G. M. Burigozzo, etc. ; Serie iii. Vol. Xii. , Serie v. Vol. Vi. , Serie vii. Vol. I. 

 L. A. Muratori, _Italicarum Rerum Scriptores_, vol. Xxiv. 

 F. Muralti, _Annalia_. 

 Paolo Giovio, _Storia di suoi Tempi_. 

 Marino Sanuto, _Diarii, De Bello Gallico_, etc. 

 Bernardino Corio, _Historie Milanese_. 

 Rosmini, _Storia di Milano_. 

 Fr. Guicciardini, _Storia a'Italia_. Rendered into English by G. Fenton. 1618. 

 F. Frizzi, _Storia di Ferrara_, vols. Iv. And v. 

 P. Verri, _Storia di Milano_. 

 Baldassare Castiglione, _Lettere_. Edizione Serassi. 

 R. Renier, _Sonetti di Pistoia_. 

 Giornale Storico di Letteratura Italiano, vols. V. And vi. 

 Archivio Storico dell' Arte, vols. I. And ii. 

 Renier, _Canzoniere di Niccolo da Correggio_. 

 A. Campo Ghisolfo, _Storia delle Duchesse di Milano_. 1542. Rivista Storica Mantovana. 

 Carlo Magenta, _I Visconti e Sforza nel Castello di Pavia_. 

 F. Calvi, _Bianca Maria Sforza Visconti, Regina dei Romani, Imperatrice di Germania_. 

 Marchese d'Adda, _Indagini sulla Liberia Visconti Sforzesca del Castello di Pavia_. 

 Malipiero, _Annali Veneti_. 

 Romanini, _Storia di Venezia_, vols. V. And vi. 

 Imhoff, _Historia Genealogica Italiæ_. 

 G. Uzielli, _Ricerche intorno a Leonardo da Vinci_. 

 G. Uzielli, _Leonardo da Vinci e Tre Gentil donne Milanesi_. 

 G. D'Adda, _Lodovico Maria Sforza_. 

 L. Beltrami, _Il Castello di Milano, sotto il dominio degli Sforza_. 1450-1535. 

 L. Beltrami, _Bramante poeta_. 

 Padre Pino, _Storia genuina del Cenacolo_. 1796. 

 B. Bellincioni, _Le Rime annotate da P. Fanfani_. Bologna. 

 G. Tiraboschi, _Storia della Letteratura Italiana_, vols. Vi. And vii. 

 P. Molmenti, _La Vita Privata di Venezia_. 

 A. Rusconi, _Lodovico il Moro a Novara_. 

 F. Gabotto, _Girolamo Tuttavilla_. 

 G. L. Calvi, _Notizie dei principali Professori di Belle Arti che fiorivano in Milano_. 

 G. Mongeri, _L'Arte in Milano_. 

 C. Amoretti, _Memorie Storiche sulla vita gli studi e le opere di Leonardo da Vinci_. 

 Brigola, _Annali della Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano_. 

 Carlo dell'Acqua, _Lorenza Gusnasco di Pavia_. 

 P. Pasolini, _Caterina Sforza_. 

FRENCH. 

 Manuscrits Italiens, _Affaires d'état_. Bibliothèque Nationale. 

 Pasquier le Moine, _MS. La Conquête du Duché de Milan_. Bibliothèque Nationale. 

 Jean d'Auton, _Chroniques de Louis XII_. Edition publiée pour la Société de l'Histoire de France, par R. De Maulde La Claviere. 4 vols. 

 Philippe de Commines, _Memoires_. Nouvelle edition publiée par la Société de l'Histoire de France. 

 Vicomte Delaborde, _L'Expédition de Charles VIII. En Italie_. 

 M. Eugène Müntz, _La Renaissance en Italie et en France à l'époque de Charles VIII_. 

 M. Eugène Müntz, _Musée du Capitole_. 

 M. Eugène Müntz, _Leonardo da Vinci_. 

 C. De Cherrier, _Histoire de Charles VIII, Roi de France, d'après des documents diplomatiques inédits_. 

 Louis Pélissier, _Louis XII. Et Lodovico Sforza_. Recherches dans les Archives Italiennes. 

 Louis Pélissier, _Notes Italiennes_. 

 Louis Pélissier, _Les amies de Lodovico Sforza_. (Revue historique. )

 Edmond Gaultier, _Étude historique sur Loches_. 

 Paravicini, _Architecture de la Renaissance en Italie_. 

 Aldo Manuzio, _Lettres et Documents_. Armand Baschet. 

 _Gazette des Beaux Arts_, vol. Xvi. 

GERMAN. 

 Dr. Ludwig Pastor, _Geschichte der Päpste_, vols. V. And vi. 

 Jacob Burckhardt, _Die Cultur der Renaissance in Italien_. 

 Dr. W. Bode, Dr. Müller-Walde, _Jahrbuch der K. Preuss. Kunstsammlungen_. Vols. Ix. , x. , and xviii. 

 K. Kindt, _Die Katastrophe Lodovico Moro in Novara_. 

 Dr. Müller-Walde, _Leonardo da Vinci_. 

ENGLISH. 

 _History of the Papacy_, by Dr. Creighton, Bishop of London. Vols. Iv. And v. 

 _The End of the Middle Ages_, by Madame James Darmetester. 

 _The Renaissance in Italy_. J. A. Symonds. 

 _Old Touraine_. T. Cook

CONTENTS

 PAGECHAPTER I1471-1480

The Castello of Ferrara--The House of Este--Accession of DukeErcole I. --His marriage to Leonora of Aragon--Birth of Isabellaand Beatrice d'Este--Plot of Niccolo d'Este--Visit of Leonora toNaples--The court of King Ferrante--Betrothal of Beatrice d'Esteto Lodovico Sforza, Duke of Bari--And of Isabella d'Este toFrancesco Gonzaga 1

CHAPTER II1451-1582

Lodovico Sforza--Known as Il Moro--His birth and childhood--Murderof Duke Galeazzo Maria--Regency of Duchess Bona--Exile of theSforza brothers--Lodovico at Pisa--His invasion of Lombardy andreturn to Milan--Death of Cecco Simonetta--Flight of DuchessBona--Lodovico Regent of Milan 11

CHAPTER III1482-1490

Wars of Venice and Ferrara--Invasion of Ferrara--Lodovico Sforza andAlfonso of Calabria come to the help of Ercole d'Este--Peace ofBagnolo--Prosperity of Ferrara, and cultivation of art and learningat Ercole's court--Guarino and Aldo Manuzio--Strozzi and Boiardo--Architecture and painting--The frescoes of the Schifanoia--Music andthe drama--Education of Isabella and Beatrice d'Este 27

CHAPTER IV1485-1490

Isabella d'Este--Lodovico Sforza delays his wedding--Plot againsthis life--Submission of Genoa--Duke Gian Galeazzo--The Sanseverinibrothers--Messer Galeazzo made Captain-General of the Milanesearmies--His marriage to Bianca Sforza--Marriage of Gian Galeazzoto Isabella of Aragon--Wedding festivities at Milan--Lodovicodraws up his marriage contract with Beatrice d'Este 40

CHAPTER V1490-1491

Marriage of Isabella d'Este--Lodovico puts off his wedding--CeciliaGallerani--Her portrait by Leonardo da Vinci--Mission of GaleazzoVisconti to Ferrara--Preparations for Beatrice's wedding--CristoforoRomano's bust--Duchess Leonora and her daughters travel to Piacenzaand Pavia--Their reception at Pavia by Lodovico 50

CHAPTER VI1491

City and University of Pavia--Duomo and Castello--The library of theCastello--Wedding of Lodovico Sforza, Duke of Bari, and Beatriced'Este, in the chapel of the Castello of Pavia--Galeazzo di SanSeverino and Orlando--Reception of the bride in Milan--Tournamentsand festivities at the Castello--Visit of Duchess Leonora to theCertosa of Pavia 60

CHAPTER VII1491

Beatrice Duchess of Bari--Her popularity at the court of Milan--Giangaleazzo and Isabella of Aragon--Lodovico's first impressions--His growing affection for his wife--His letters to Isabella d'Este--Hunting and fishing parties--Cussago and Vigevano--Controversy onOrlando and Rinaldo--Bellincioni's sonnets 75

CHAPTER VIII1491

Relations between Lodovico and Beatrice--Cecilia Gallerani--Birth ofher son Cesare--Her marriage to Count Bergamini--Beatrice at VillaNova and Vigevano--The Sforzesca and Pecorara--Lodovico's system ofirrigation in the Lomellina--Leonardo at Vigevano--Hunting-partiesand country life--Letters to Isabella d'Este 88

CHAPTER IX1491-1492

Isabella of Aragon and Beatrice d'Este--Ambrogio Borgognone andGiovanni Antonio Amadeo--Cristoforo Romano and his works at Paviaand Cremona--The Certosa of Pavia--Illness of Beatrice--Her journeyto Genoa--Correspondence between Isabella and Lodovico Sforza--Visitof the Marquis of Mantua to Milan 99

CHAPTER X1491

Claims of Charles VIII. To Naples--Of the Duke of Orleans to Milan--Intrigues of the Venetian Senate, of Pope Innocent VIII. , and ofFerrante and Alfonso of Naples--Visit of the French ambassadors toMilan--Treasures of the Castello--Jewels of Lodovico Sforza--Isabellaof Aragon and her father--An embassy to the French court proposed--Secret instructions of the Count of Caiazzo--_Fête_ at Vigevano--Tournament of Pavia 112

CHAPTER XI1492

Intellectual and artistic revival in Lombardy--Lodovico and hissecretaries--Building of the new University of Pavia--Reforms andextension of the University--The library of the Castello remodelled--Poliziano and Merula--Lodovico founds new schools at Milan--Equestrian statue of Francesco Sforza--Leonardo's paintings atMilan--Lodovico as a patron of art and learning 125

CHAPTER XII1492

Beatrice d'Este as a patron of learning and poetry--VincenzoCalmeta, her secretary--Serafino d'Aquila--Rivalry of Lombard andTuscan poets--Gaspare Visconti's works--Poetic jousts with Bramante--Niccolo da Correggio and other poets--Dramatic art and music atthe court of Milan--Gaffuri and Testagrossa--Lorenzo Gusnasco ofPavia 141

CHAPTER XIII1492

Visit of Duke Ercole to Milan, and of Isabella d'Este--Election ofPope Alexander VI. --Bribery of the Cardinals--Influence of AscanioSforza over the new Pope, and satisfaction of Lodovico--Hunting-parties at Pavia and Vigevano--_Fêtes_ at Milan--Visit of Isabellato Genoa--Lodovico's letters--Piero de Medici--King Ferrante'sjealousy of the alliance between Rome and Milan 155

CHAPTER XIV1493

Birth of Beatrice's first-born son--The Duchess of Ferrara at Milan--_Fêtes_ and rejoicings at court and in the Castello--The courtmoves to Vigevano--Beatrice's wardrobe--Her son's portrait--Lettersto her mother and sister--Lodovico's plans for a visit to Ferraraand Venice 166

CHAPTER XV1493

Lodovico's ambitious designs--Isabella of Aragon appeals to herfather--Breach between Naples and Milan--Alliance between the Pope, Venice, and Milan proclaimed--Mission of Erasmo Brasca to the kingof the Romans--Journey of Lodovico and Beatrice to Ferrara--_Fêtes_and tournaments--Visit to Belriguardo, and return of Lodovico toMilan--Arrival of Belgiojoso from France 176

CHAPTER XVI1493

Visit of Beatrice and her mother to Venice--Letters of Lodovico tohis wife--Reception of the duchesses by the doge at S. Clemente--Their triumphal entry--Procession and _fêtes_ in the Grand Canal--Letter of Beatrice to her husband--The palace of the Dukes ofFerrara in Venice 185

CHAPTER XVII1493

_Fêtes_ at Venice in honour of the Duchess of Ferrara and Duchess ofBari--Beatrice d'Este has an audience with the doge and Signory--Explains Lodovico's position and his treaties with France andGermany--Visit to St. Mark's and the Treasury--_Fête_ in theducal palace--The Duchess visits the Great Council--Takes leave ofthe doge--Return to Ferrara 195

CHAPTER XVIII

1493

Return of Beatrice to Milan--Visit of Duke Ercole and Alfonso toPavia--Death of Duchess Leonora--Beatrice's _camora_ andNiccolo da Correggio's _fantasia dei vinci_--Marriage of BiancaMaria Sforza to Maximilian, King of the Romans, celebrated at Milan--Letter of Beatrice to Isabella d'Este--Wedding _fêtes_ and journeyof the bride to Innsbrück--Maximilian's relations with his wife--Bianca's future life 205

CHAPTER XIX

1493-1494

State of political affairs in Italy--Vacillating policy of LodovicoSforza--Death of King Ferrante of Naples--Alliance between hissuccessor Alfonso and Pope Alexander VI. --Lodovico urges CharlesVIII. To invade Naples--Sends Galeazzo di Sanseverino to Lyons--Cardinal della Rovere's flight from Rome--Alfonso of Naples declareswar--Beatrice of Vigevano--The Gonzagas and the Moro--DuchessIsabella and her husband at Pavia 221

CHAPTER XX

1494

Arrival of the Duke of Orleans at Asti--The Neapolitan fleet sentagainst Genoa--The forces of Naples repulsed at Rapallo--CharlesVIII. At Asti--Beatrice d'Este entertains him at Annona--The king'sillness--His visit to Vigevano and Pavia--His interview with theDuke and Duchess of Milan--Last illness and death of GiangaleazzoSforza--Lodovico proclaimed Duke at Milan--Mission of MaffeoPirovano to Maximilian 231

CHAPTER XXI

1494

Lodovico joins Charles VIII. At Sarzana--Suspicious rumours as to thelate duke's death--Piero de' Medici surrenders the six fortresses ofTuscany to Charles VIII. --Lodovico retires in disgust from the camp--Congratulations of all the Italian States on his accession--Griefof Duchess Isabella--Her return to Milan--Mission of Maffeo Pirovanoto Antwerp--His interviews with Maximilian and Bianca--Letter toLodovico to the Bishop of Brixen--Charles VIII. Enters Rome--Histreaty with Alexander VI. And departure for Naples 246

CHAPTER XXII1495

Visit of Isabella d'Este to Milan--Birth of Beatrice's son, FrancescoSforza--_Fêtes_ and comedies at the Milanese Court--Works ofLeonardo and of Lorenzo di Pavia--Mission of Caradosso to Florenceand Rome in search of antiques--Fall of Naples--Entry of King CharlesVIII. And flight of Ferrante II. --Consternation in Milan--Departureof Isabella d'Este 258

CHAPTER XXIII1495

Proclamation of the new league against France at Venice--CharlesVIII. At Naples--Demoralization of the victors--Charles leavesNaples and returns to Rome--The Duke of Orleans refuses to giveup Asti--Arrival of the imperial ambassadors at Milan--Lodovicopresented with the ducal insignia--_Fêtes_ in the Castello--The Duke of Orleans seizes Novara--Terror of Lodovico--Battle ofFornovo--Victory claimed by both parties--The French reach Asti--Isabella's trophies restored by Beatrice 266

CHAPTER XXIV1495

Ferrante II. Recovers Naples--Siege of Novara by the army of theLeague--Review of the army by the Duke and Duchess of Milan--CharlesVIII. Visits Turin and comes to Vercelli--Negotiations for peace--Lodovico and Beatrice at the camp--Treaty of Vercelli concludedbetween France and Milan--Jealousy of the other powers--Commines atVigevano--Zenale's altar-piece in the Brera 277

CHAPTER XXV1496

The war of Pisa--Venice defends the liberties of Pisa againstFlorence--Lodovico invites Maximilian to enter Italy and succourthe Pisans--The Duke and Duchess of Milan go to meet the emperorat Bormio--Maximilian crosses the Alps and comes to Vigevano--Hisinterview with the Venetian envoys--His expedition to Pisa 287

CHAPTER XXVI1496

Isabella d'Este joins her husband in Naples--Works of Bramante andLeonardo in the Castello of Milan--The Cenacolo--Lodovico sends forPerugino--His passion for Lucrezia Crivelli--Grief of Beatrice--Death of Bianca Sforza--The Emperor Maximilian at Pisa--The Dukeand Duchess return to Milan--Last days and sudden death of Beatriced'Este 298

CHAPTER XXVII1497

Grief of the Duke of Milan--His letters to Mantua and Pavia--Interview with Costabili--Funeral of Duchess Beatrice--Mourning ofher husband--Letters of the Emperor Maximilian and Chiara Gonzaga--Tomb of Beatrice in Santa Maria delle Grazie--Leonardo's Cenacolo, and portraits of the duke and duchess--Lucrezia Crivelli 307

CHAPTER XXVIII1497-1498

The Marquis of Mantua dismissed by the Venetians--He incurs DukeLodovico's displeasure by his intrigues--Isabella d'Este'scorrespondence with the Duke of Milan--Leonardo in the Castello--Death of Charles VIII. --Visit of Lodovico to Mantua--FrancescoGonzaga appointed captain of the imperial forces--Isabella ofAragon and Isabella d'Este--Chiara Gonzaga and Caterina Sforza--Lodovico's will 322

CHAPTER XXIX1499

Treaty of Blois--Alliance between France, Venice, and the Borgias--Lodovico appeals to Maximilian--His gift to Leonardo and letter tothe Certosa--The French and the Venetians invade the Milanese--Desertion of Gonzaga and treachery of Milanese captains--Loss ofAlessandria--Panic and flight of Duke Lodovico--Surrender of Paviaand Milan to the French--Treachery of Bernardino da Corte andsurrender of the Castello--Triumphal entry of Louis XII 337

CHAPTER XXX1499-1500

Louis XII. In Milan--Hatred of the French rule--Return of DukeLodovico--His march to Como and triumphal entry into Milan--Trivulzioand the French retire to Mortara--Surrender of the Castello of Milan, of Pavia and Novara, to the Moro--His want of men and money--Arrivalof La Trémouille's army--Lodovico besieged in Novara and betrayed tothe French king by the Swiss--Rejoicings at Rome and Venice--Triumphof the Borgias--Sufferings of the Milanese--Leonardo's letter 352

CHAPTER XXXI1500-1508

Lodovico Sforza enters Lyons as a captive--His imprisonment atPierre-Encise and Lys Saint-Georges--Laments over Il Moro in thepopular poetry of France and Italy--Efforts of the Emperor Maximilianto obtain his release--Ascanio and Ermes Sforza released--Lodovicoremoved to Loches--Paolo Giovio's account of his captivity--Hisattempt to escape--Dungeon at Loches--Death of Lodovico Sforza--Hisburial in S. Maria delle Grazie 367

CHAPTER XXXII1500-1564

The Milanese exiles at Innsbrück--Galeazzo di Sanseverino becomesGrand Ecuyer of France--Is slain at Pavia--Maximilian Sforza madeDuke of Milan in 1512--Forced to abdicate by Francis I. In 1515--Reign of Francesco Sforza--Wars of France and Germany--Siege ofMilan by the Imperialists--Duke Francesco restored by Charles V. --His marriage and death in 1535--Removal of Lodovico and Beatrice'seffigies to the Certosa 375

INDEX 381

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

BIANCA SFORZA, BY AMBROGIO DE PREDIS _Frontispiece__From a photograph by_ SIGNOR D. ANDERSON, of Rome. 

SFORZA MS. ILLUMINATED _To face p. 83__From a private photograph. _

ALTAR-PIECE, ASCRIBED TO ZENALE, WITH PORTRAITS OFLODOVICO SFORZA, BEATRICE D'ESTE AND THEIR SONS _To face p. 284__From a photograph by_ SIGNOR D. ANDERSON, of Rome. 

GALEAZZO DI SANSEVERINO, BY AMBROGIO DE PREDIS _To face p. 304__From a photograph by_ SIGNOR D. ANDERSON, of Rome. 

TOMB OF LODOVICO SFORZA AND BEATRICE D'ESTE IN THECERTOSA OF PAVIA _To face p. 389__From a photograph by_ FRATELLI ALINARI, of Florence. 

BEATRICE D'ESTE

CHAPTER I

The Castello of Ferrara--The House of Este--Accession of Duke ErcoleI. --His marriage to Leonora of Aragon--Birth of Isabella and Beatriced'Este--Plot of Niccolo d'Este--Visit of Leonora to Naples--The court ofKing Ferrante--Betrothal of Beatrice d'Este to Lodovico Sforza, Duke ofBari--And of Isabella d'Este to Francesco Gonzaga. 

1471-1480

In the heart of old Ferrara stands the Castello of the Este princes. Allthe great story of the past, all the romance of medieval chivalry, seemsto live again in that picturesque, irregular pile with the crenellatedtowers and dusky red-brick walls, overhanging the sleepy waters of theancient moat. The song of Boiardo and Ariosto still lingers in the airabout the ruddy pinnacles; the spacious courts and broad piazza recallthe tournaments and pageants of olden time. Once more the sound ofclanging trumpets or merry hunting-horn awakes the echoes, as the joyoustrain of lords and ladies sweep out through the castle gates in thesummer morning; once more, under vaulted loggias and high-archedbalconies, we see the courtly scholar bending earnestly over someclassic page, or catch the voice of high-born maiden singing Petrarch'ssonnets to her lute. 

St. George was the champion of Ferrara and the patron saint of the houseof Este. There year by year his festival was celebrated with greatrejoicings, and vast crowds thronged the piazza before the Castello tosee the famous races for the _pallium_. It is St. George who rides fulltilt at the dragon in the rude sculptures on the portal of theRomanesque Cathedral hard by; it is the same warrior-saint who, in hisgleaming armour, looks down from the painted fresco above the portcullisof the castle drawbridge. And all the masters who worked for the Estedukes, whether they were men of native or foreign birth--VittorePisanello and Jacopo Bellini, Cosimo Tura and Dosso Dossi--took delightin the old story, and painted the legend of St. George and PrincessSabra in the frescoes or altar-pieces with which they adorned thechurches and castle halls. 

The Estes, who took St. George for their patron, and fought and diedunder his banner, were themselves a chivalrous and splendour-lovingrace, ever ready to ride out in quest of fresh adventure in the chase orbattle-field. Men and women alike were renowned, even among the princelyhouses of Italy in Renaissance time, for their rare culture and genuinelove of art and letters. And they were justly proud of their ancientlineage and of the love and loyalty which their subjects bore them. TheSforzas of Milan, the Medici of Florence, the Riarios or the DellaRoveres, were but low-born upstarts by the side of this illustrious racewhich had reigned on the banks of the Po during the last two hundredyears. In spite of wars and bloodshed, in spite of occasionalconspiracies and tumults, chiefly stirred up by members of the reigningfamily, the people of Ferrara loved their rulers well, and never showedany wish to change the house of Este for another. The citizens took apersonal interest in their own duke and duchess and in all that belongedto them, and chronicled their doings with minute attention. They sharedtheir sorrows and rejoiced in their joys, they lamented their departureand hailed their return with acclamation, they followed the fortunes oftheir children with keen interest, and welcomed the return of theyouthful bride with acclamations, or wept bitter tears over her untimelyend. 

Of all the Estes who held sway at Ferrara, the most illustrious and mostbeloved was Duke Ercole I. , the father of Beatrice. During thethirty-four years that he reigned in Ferrara, the duchy enjoyed a degreeof material prosperity which it had never attained before, and rose tothe foremost rank among the states of North Italy. And in the troubledtimes of the next century, his people looked back on the days of DukeErcole and his good duchess as the golden age of Ferrara. After thedeath of his father, the able and learned Niccolo III. , who firstestablished his throne on sure and safe foundations, Ercole's two elderhalf-brothers, Leonello and Borso, reigned in succession over Ferrara, and kept up the proud traditions of the house of Este, both in war andpeace. Both were bastards, but in the Este family this was never held tobe a bar to the succession. "In Italy, " as Commines wrote, "they makelittle difference between legitimate and illegitimate children. " Butwhen the last of the two, Duke Borso, died on the 27th of May, 1471, ofmalarial fever caught on his journey to Rome, to receive the investitureof his duchy from the Pope, Niccolo's eldest legitimate son Ercolesuccessfully asserted his claim to the throne, and entered peacefullyupon his heritage. Two years later, the next duke, who was alreadythirty-eight years of age, obtained the hand of Leonora of Aragon, daughter of Ferrante, King of Naples, and sent his brother Sigismondo atthe head of a splendid retinue to bring home his royal bride. After avisit to Rome, where Pope Sixtus IV. Entertained her at a series ofmagnificent banquets and theatrical representations, the young duchessentered Ferrara in state. On a bright June morning she rode through thestreets in a robe glittering with jewels, with a stately canopy over herhead and a gold crown on her flowing hair. Latin orations, orchestralmusic, and theatrical displays, for which Ferrara was already famous, greeted the bridal procession at every point. The houses were hung withtapestries and cloth of gold, avenues of flowering shrubs were plantedalong the broad white streets, and ringing shouts greeted the coming ofthe fair princess who was to make her home in Ferrara. The happy eventwas commemorated by a noble medal, designed by the Mantuan Sperandio, the most illustrious of a school of medallists employed at Ferrara inDuke Borso's time, while Leonora's refined features and expressive faceare preserved in a well-known bas-relief, now in Paris. Ercole and hisbride took up their abode in the Este palace, a stately Renaissancestructure opposite the old Lombard Duomo, a few steps from the Castello, with which it was connected by a covered passage. 

The charm and goodness of the young duchess soon won the heart of hersubjects. From the first she entered eagerly into Ercole's schemes forordering his capital and encouraging art, and brought a new and gentlerinfluence to bear on the society of her husband's court. There, too, shefound a congenial spirit in the duke's accomplished sister, Bianca, thatVirgin of Este, who was the subject of Tito Strozzi's impassionedeulogy, and whose Latin and Greek prose excited the admiration of allher contemporaries. This cultivated princess had been originallybetrothed to the eldest son of Federigo, Duke of Urbino, but his earlydeath put an end to these hopes, and in 1468 she married Galeotto dellaMirandola, a prince of the house of Carpi, who lived, at Ferrara someyears, and afterwards entered the service of Lodovico Sforza and servedas captain in his wars. 

On the 18th of May, 1474, the duchess gave birth to a daughter, whoreceived the name of Isabella, always a favourite in the house ofAragon, and was destined to become the most celebrated lady of theRenaissance. A year later, on the 29th of June, 1475, a second daughtersaw the light. Her appearance, however, proved no cause of rejoicing, aswe learn from the contemporary chronicle published by Muratori--

"A daughter was born this day to Duke Ercole, and received the name ofBeatrice, being the child of Madonna Leonora his wife. And there were norejoicings, because every one wished for a boy. "

No one in Ferrara then dreamt that the babe who received so cold awelcome would one day reign over the Milanese, as the wife of LodovicoSforza, the most powerful of Italian princes, and would herself beremembered by posterity as "la più zentil donna in Italia"--the sweetestlady in all Italy. At least the name bestowed upon her was a good omen. She was called Beatrice after two favourite relatives of her parents. One of these was Leonora's only sister, Beatrice of Aragon, who in thatsame year passed through Ferrara on her way to join her husband, Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, and whose presence, we are told bythe diarist, gave great pleasure to both duke and duchess. The otherBeatrice was Ercole's half-sister, the elder daughter of Niccolo III. , who had long been the ornament of her father's court, when she had beenknown as the Queen of Feasts, and it had become a common proverb that tosee Madonna Beatrice dance was to find Paradise upon earth. In 1448, atthe age of twenty-one, this brilliant lady had wedded Borso daCorreggio, a brother of the reigning prince of that city, and, after herfirst husband's early death, had become the wife of Tristan Sforza, anillegitimate son of the great Condottiere Francesco Sforza, Duke ofMilan. Although her home was now in Lombardy, Beatrice d'Este remainedon intimate terms with her own family, and her son Niccolo da Correggiowas known as the handsomest and most accomplished cavalier at the courtof Ferrara. He had accompanied his uncle Duke Borso on his journey toRome, and had been one of the escort sent to conduct Duchess Leonorafrom Naples. 

In the summer of the year following Beatrice's birth, the hopes of theloyal Ferrarese were at length fulfilled, and a son was born to the dukeand duchess on the 21st of July, 1476. This time the citizens abandonedthemselves to demonstrations of enthusiastic delight. The bells wererung and the shops closed during three whole days, and the child wasbaptized with great pomp in the Chapel of the Vescovado, close to theDuomo. The infant received the name of Alfonso, after his grandfather, the great King of Naples, and a "beautiful fête, " to quote onechronicler's words, "was held in honour of the auspicious event in theSala Grande of the Schifanoia Villa. " On this occasion a concert wasgiven by a hundred trumpeters, pipers, and tambourine-players in thefrescoed hall of this favourite summer palace, and a sumptuous banquetwas prepared after the fashion of the times, with an immense number of_confetti_, representing lords and ladies, animals, trees, and castles, all made of gilt and coloured sugar, which our friend the diarist tellsus were carried off or eaten by the people as soon as the doors wereopened. 

But a few days afterwards, while Duke Ercole was away from Ferrara, hiswife was surprised by a sudden rising, the result of a deep-laidconspiracy, secretly planned by his nephew, Niccolo, a bastard son ofLeonello d'Este. Niccolo's first endeavour was to seize on the person ofthe duchess and her young children, an attempt which almost provedsuccessful, but was fortunately defeated by Leonora's own courage andpresence of mind. The palace was already surrounded by armed men, whenthe alarm reached the ears of the duchess, and, springing out of bedwith her infant son in her arms, followed by her two little daughtersand a few faithful servants, she fled by the covered way to theCastello. Hardly had she left her room, when the conspirators rushed inand sacked the palace, killing all who tried to offer resistance. Thepeople of Ferrara, however, were loyal to their beloved duke andduchess. After a few days of anxious suspense, Ercole returned, and soonquelled the tumult and restored order in the city. That evening heappeared on the balcony of the Castello, and publicly embraced his wifeand children amid the shouts and applause of the whole city. The nextday the whole ducal family went in solemn procession to the Cathedral, and there gave public thanks for their marvellous deliverance. Aterrible list of cruel reprisals followed upon this rebellion, andNiccolo d'Este himself, with two hundred of his partisans, were put todeath after the bloody fashion of the times. 

A year later, when the danger was over and tranquillity had beencompletely restored, Leonora and her two little daughters set out forNaples, under the escort of Niccolo da Correggio, to be present at herfather King Ferrante's second marriage with the young Princess Joan ofAragon, a sister of Ferdinand the Catholic. The duchess and her childrentravelled by land to Pisa, where galleys were waiting to conduct them toNaples, and reached her father's court on the 1st of June, 1477. HereLeonora spent the next four months, and in September, gave birth to asecond son, who was named Ferrante, after his royal grandfather. Butsoon news reached Naples that war had broken out in Northern Italy, andthat Duke Ercole had been chosen Captain-general of the Florentinearmies. In his absence the presence of the duchess was absolutelynecessary at Ferrara, and early in November Leonora left Naples andhastened home to take up the reins of government and administer thestate in her lord's stead. She took her elder daughter Isabella withher, but left her new-born son at Naples, together with his littlesister Beatrice, from whom the old King Ferrante refused to part. Thisbright-eyed child, who had won her grandfather's affections at thisearly age, remained at Naples for the next eight years, and grew up inthe royal palace on the terraced steps of that enchanted shore, whereeven then Sannazzaro was dreaming of Arcadia, and where Lorenzo de'Medici loved to talk over books and poetry with his learned friend theDuchess Ippolita. Beatrice was too young to realize the rare degree ofculture which had made Alfonso's and Ferrante's court the favouriteabode of the Greek and Latin scholars of the age, too innocent to beaware of the dark deeds which threw a shadow over these sunny regions, where the strange medley of luxury and vice, of refinement and cruelty, recalled the days of Imperial Rome. But the balmy breath of theseSouthern climes, the soft luxuriant spell of blue seas and groves ofpalm and cassia, sank deep into the child's being, and something of thefire and passion, the mirth and gaiety, of the dwellers in thisdelicious land passed into her soul, and helped to mould her natureduring these years that she spent far from mother and sister at KingFerrante's court. 

In these early days many personages with whom she was to be closelyassociated in after-years were living at Naples. There were scholars andpoets whom she was to meet again in Milan at her husband's court, andwho would be glad to remind her that they had known her as a child inher grandfather's palace. There was Pontano, the founder of the Academyof Naples, who was busy writing his Latin eclogues on the myrtle bowersof Baiae and the orange groves of Sorrento. There was her aunt, theaccomplished Ippolita Sforza, Duchess of Calabria, who had learnt Greekof the great teacher Lascaris in her young days at Milan, and whosewedding had brought the magnificent Lorenzo to the court of the Sforzas. And for playmates the little Beatrice had Ippolita's children: the boyFerrante, whose chivalrous nature endeared him to his Este cousins, evenwhen their husbands joined with the French invaders to drive him fromhis father's throne; and the girl Isabella, who was already affianced tothe young Duke Giangaleazzo, who was in future years to become hercompanion and rival at the court of Milan. Here, too, in the summer of1479, came a new visitor in the shape of Duchess Ippolita's brother, Lodovico Sforza, surnamed _Il Moro_, himself the younger son of thegreat Duke Francesco. On his elder brother Sforza's death, the King ofNaples had invested him with the duchy of Bari, and now he promised himmen and money with which to assert his claims against his sister-in-law, the widowed Duchess Bona and the minions who had driven him and hisbrothers out of their native land. In June, 1477, only a few days afterLeonora and her children left Ferrara, the exiled prince had arrivedthere on his way to Pisa, and had been courteously entertained by DukeErcole in the Schifanoia Palace. Since then he had spent two drearyyears in exile at Pisa, fretting out his heart in his enforced idleness, and pining for the hour of release. That hour was now at hand. Beforethe end of the year, Lodovico Sforza had, by a succession of boldmanoeuvres, driven out his rivals and was virtually supreme in Milan. The first step which the new regent took was to ally himself with theDuke of Ferrara. The houses of Sforza and Este had always been onfriendly terms, and Ercole's father Niccolo had presented FrancescoSforza with a famous diamond in acknowledgment of the services renderedhim by the great Condottiere. When Francesco's son and successor, DukeGaleazzo Maria, was murdered in 1476, his widow, Duchess Bona, hadrenewed the old alliance with Ferrara, and a marriage had been arrangedbetween her infant daughter Anna Sforza and Duke Ercole's new-born sonand heir Alfonso. In May, 1477, this betrothal was proclaimed in Milan, and a fortnight later the nuptial contract was signed at Ferrara. Theunion of the two houses was celebrated by solemn processions andthanksgivings throughout the duchy, and the infant bridegroom wascarried in the arms of his chamberlain to meet the Milanese ambassador, who appeared on behalf of the little three-year-old bride. Seven yearsafterwards, Duchess Leonora sent a magnificent doll with a trousseau ofclothes designed by the best artists in Ferrara, as a gift to the littledaughter-in-law whom she had not yet seen. 

In 1480, Lodovico Sforza formally asked Ercole to give him the hand ofhis elder daughter Isabella, then a child of six. Lodovico himself wastwenty-nine, and besides being a man of remarkable abilities andsingularly handsome presence, had the reputation of being the richestprince in Italy. Duke Ercole further saw the great importance ofstrengthening the alliance with Milan at a time when Ferrara was againthreatened by her hereditary enemies, the Pope and Venice. Unfortunately, his youthful daughter had already been sought in marriageby Federico, Marquis of Mantua, on behalf of his elder son, GiovanniFrancesco; and Ercole, unwilling to offend so near a neighbour, and yetreluctant to lose the chance of a second desirable alliance, offeredLodovico Sforza the hand of his younger daughter, Beatrice. The Duke ofBari made no objection to this arrangement, and on St. George's Day, Ercole addressed the following letter to his old ally, MarquisFederico:--

"MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD AND DEAREST BROTHER, "This is to inform you that the most illustrious Madonna Duchess ofMilan and His Illustrious Highness Lodovico Sforza have sent theirambassador, M. Gabriele Tassino, to ask for our daughter MadonnaIsabella on behalf of Signor Lodovico. We have replied that to ourregret this marriage was no longer possible, since we had alreadyentered into negotiations on the subject with your Highness and youreldest son. But since we have another daughter at Naples, who is onlyabout a year younger, and who has been adopted by his Majesty the Kingof Naples as his own child, we have written to acquaint His SereneMajesty with the wish of these illustrious Persons, and have asked himif he will consent to accept the said Signor Lodovico as his kinsman, since without his leave we were unable to dispose of our daughterBeatrice's hand. The said Persons having expressed themselves as wellcontent with the proceeding, out of respect for the King's Majesty hehas now declared his approval of this marriage, to which we haveaccordingly signified our consent. We are sure that you will rejoicewith us, seeing the close union and alliance that has long existedbetween us, and beg your Illustrious Highness to keep the matter secretfor the present. 

 "HERCULES, DUX FERR. , ETC. [1]

_Ferrara, 23rd April, 1480. _"

It is curious to reflect on the possible changes in the course ofevents in Italian history during the next thirty years, if LodovicoSforza's proposals had reached Ferrara a few months earlier, andIsabella d'Este, instead of her sister Beatrice, had become his wife. Would the rare prudence and self-control of the elder princess have ledher to play a different part in the difficult circumstances whichsurrounded her position at the court of Milan as the Moro's wife? WouldIsabella's calmer temperament and wise and far-seeing intellect havebeen able to restrain Lodovico's ambitious dreams and avert his ruin?The cordial relations that were afterwards to exist between Lodovico andhis gifted sister-in-law, the Moro's keen appreciation of Isabella'scharacter, incline us to believe that she would have acquired greatinfluence over her lord; and that so remarkable a woman would haveplayed a very important part on this larger stage. But the Fates hadwilled otherwise, and Beatrice d'Este became the bride of LodovicoSforza. Her royal grandfather, old King Ferrante, gave his sanction tothe proposed marriage, although he refused to part from his littlegrandchild at present, and when, five years later, Beatrice returned toFerrara, she assumed the title and estate of Duchess of Bari, and waspublicly recognized as Lodovico's promised wife. She had by this timereached the age of ten, and her espoused husband was exactlythirty-four. 

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Luzio-Renier in Archivio Storico Lombardo, xvii. 77. 

CHAPTER II

Lodovico Sforza--Known as Il Moro--His birth and childhood--Murder ofDuke Galeazzo Maria--Regency of Duchess Bona--Exile of the Sforzabrothers--Lodovico at Pisa--His invasion of Lombardy and return to Milan--Death of Cecco Simonetta--Flight of Duchess Bona--Lodovico Regent ofMilan. 

1451-1582

Lodovico Sforza was certainly one of the most remarkable figures of theItalian Renaissance. He has generally been described as one of theblackest. "Born for the ruin of Italy, " was the verdict of hiscontemporary Paolo Giovio, a verdict which every chronicler of thesixteenth century has endorsed. These men who saw the disasters whichoverwhelmed their country under the foreign rule, could not forget thatCharles VIII. , the first French king who invaded Italy, had crossed theAlps as the friend and ally of Lodovico Moro. They forgot how manyothers were at least equally guilty, and did not realize the vastnetwork of intrigues in which Pope Julius II. , the Venetian Signory, andthe King of Naples all had a share. Later historians with one consenthave accepted Paolo Giovio's view, and have made Lodovico responsiblefor all the miseries which arose from the French invasion. The bitterhatred with which both French and Venetian writers regarded the princewho had foiled their countrymen and profited by their mistakes, hashelped to deepen this sinister impression. The greatest crimes wereimputed to him, the vilest calumnies concerning his personal characterfound ready acceptance. But the more impartial judgment of modernhistorians, together with the light thrown upon the subject by recentlydiscovered documents, has done much to modify our opinion of Lodovico'scharacter. The worst charges formerly brought against him, above all, the alleged poisoning of his nephew, the reigning Duke of Milan, havebeen dismissed as groundless and wholly alien to his nature andcharacter. On the other hand, his great merits and rare talents as rulerand administrator have been fully recognized, while it is admitted onall hands that his generous and enlightened encouragement of art andletters entitles him to a place among the most illustrious patrons ofthe Renaissance. To his keen intellect and discerning eye, to his finetaste and quick sympathy with all forms of beauty, we owe the productionof some of the noblest works of art that human hands have everfashioned. To his personal encouragement and magnificent liberality weowe the grandest monuments of Lombard architecture, and the finestdevelopment of Milanese painting, the façade of the Certosa and thecupola of Sta. Maria delle Grazie, the frescoes and altar-pieces of theBrera and the Ambrosiana. Above all, it was at the Milanese court, underthe stimulating influence of the Moro, that Leonardo da Vinci's finestwork was done. 

As a man, Lodovico Sforza is profoundly interesting. Burckhardt hascalled him the most complete among the princely figures of the ItalianRenaissance, and there can be no doubt that alike in his virtues and inhis faults, he was curiously typical of the age in which he lived. Guicciardini, who was certainly no friend to him, and regarded him asthe inveterate foe of Florence, describes him as "a creature of veryrare perfection, most excellent for his eloquence and industry and manygifts of nature and spirit, and not unworthy of the name of milde andmercifull;" and the Milanese doctor Arluno, the author of an unpublishedchronicle in the Biblioteca Marciana at Venice, says, "He had a sublimesoul and universal capacity. Whatever he did, he surpassed expectation, in the fine arts and learning, in justice and benevolence. And he had noequal among Italian princes for wisdom and sagacity in public affairs. "Contemporary writers describe him as very pleasant in manner andgracious in speech, always gentle and courteous to others, ready tolisten, and never losing his temper in argument. He shared in thelaxity of morals common to his age; but was a man of deep affections aswell as strong passions, fondly attached to his children and friends, while the profound and lasting grief with which he lamented his deadwife amazed his more fickle contemporaries. Singularly refined andsensitive by nature, he shrank instinctively from bloodshed, and had ahorror of all violent actions. In this he differed greatly from hiselder brother Galeazzo Maria, who was a monster of lust and cruelty, intent only on gratifying his savage instincts, and as callous to humansuffering as he was reckless of human life. Lodovico, as his mosthostile critics agree, was emphatically not a cruel man, and rarelyconsented to condemn even criminals to death. But, like many otherpoliticians who have great ends in view, he was often unscrupulous as tothe means which he employed, and, as Burckhardt very truly remarked, would probably have been surprised at being held responsible for themeans by which he attained his object. Trained from early youth in themost tortuous paths of Italian diplomacy, he acted on the principle laiddown by the Venetian Marino Sanuto, that the first duty of the reallywise statesman is to persuade his enemies that he means to do one thingand then do another. But in these tangled paths he often over-reachedhimself, and only succeeded in inspiring all parties with distrust; and, as too often happens, this deceiver was deceived in his turn, and in theend betrayed by men in whom his whole trust had been placed. Anothercurious feature of Lodovico's character was the strain of moralcowardice which, in spite of great personal bravery, marked his publicactions at the most critical moments. This sudden failure of courage, orloss of nerve, that to his contemporaries seemed little short ofmadness, absolutely inexplicable in a man who had faced death without athought on many a battle-field, ultimately wrought his own downfall aswell as that of his State. 

And yet, in spite of all his faults and failings, in spite of thestrange tissue of complex aims and motives which swayed his course, Lodovico Sforza was a man of great ideas and splendid capacities, aprince who was in many respects distinctly in advance of his age. Hiswise and beneficial schemes for the encouragement of agriculture and thegood of his poorer subjects, his careful regulations for theadministration of the University and advancement of all branches oflearning, his extraordinary industry and minute attention to detail, cannot fail to inspire our interest and command our admiration. In morepeaceful times and under happier circumstances he would have been anexcellent ruler, and his great dream of a united kingdom of North Italymight have been well and nobly realized. As it was, the history ofLodovico Moro belongs to the saddest tragedies of the Renaissance, andthe splendour of his prosperity and the greatness of his fall became thecommon theme of poet and moralist. 

The story of Lodovico's childhood is one of the pleasantest parts of hisstrangely chequered career. He was the fourth son of Francesco Sforza, the famous soldier of fortune who had married Madonna Bianca, daughterof the last Visconti, and reigned in right of his wife as Duke of Milanduring twenty years. On the 19th of August, 1451, a year and a halfafter the great captain had boldly entered Milan and been proclaimedDuke, Duchess Bianca gave birth at her summer palace of Vigevano to afine boy. This "_bel puello_, " as he is called in the despatchannouncing the news to his proud father, received the name of LodovicoMauro, which was afterwards altered to Lodovico Maria, when, after hisrecovery from a dangerous illness at five years old, his mother placedhim under the special protection of the Blessed Virgin. On this occasionBianca vowed rich offerings to the shrine of Il Santo at Padua, and indischarge of this vow, her faithful servant Giovanni Francesco Stanga ofCremona was sent to Padua in February, 1461, to present a life-sizeimage of the boy richly worked in silver, together with a complete setof vestments and of altar plate bearing the ducal arms, to the ark ofthe blessed Anthony. In documents still preserved in the Paduan archivesthe boy is twice over mentioned as _Lodovicus Maurus filius quartusmasculus_, but the silver image itself bore the inscription, "_Prosanitate filii_. Lodovici Mariæ, 1461. "[2] There can, however, be littledoubt that Maurus was the second name first given to Lodovico, and thatthis was the true origin of the surname _Il Moro_ by which FrancescoSforza's son became famous in after-years. The most ingeniousexplanations of this name have been invented by Italian chroniclers. Prato and Lomazzo both say that Lodovico was called Il Moro because ofthe darkness of his complexion and long black hair. Guicciardini repeatsthe same, but Paolo Giovio, who had seen Lodovico at Como, asserts thathis complexion was fair, and he owed this surname to the mulberry-treewhich he adopted as his device, because it waits till the winter is wellover to put forth its leaves, and is therefore called the most prudentof all trees. As a matter of fact, there is no doubt that the surnamewas given to Lodovico by his parents. "He was first called Moro by hisfather Francesco and his mother Bianca in his earliest years, " writesPrato, and we find the same expression in the verse of a Milanese courtpoet: "_Et Maurum læto patris cognomine dictum_. " The name naturallyprovoked puns. The dark-eyed boy with his long black hair and bushyeyebrows went by the nickname of Moro, and as he grew up, adopted boththe Moor's head and the mulberry-tree as his badge. These devices intheir turn supplied the poets and painters of his court with themes onwhich they were never tired of exercising their wit and ingenuity. Moorsand Moorish costumes were introduced in every masquerade and ballet, aMoorish page was represented brushing the robes of Italy in a fresco ofthe Castello of Milan, while mulberry colour became fashionable amongthe ladies of the Moro's court, and was commonly worn by the servantsand pages in the palace. Lodovico early gave signs of the love ofliterature and the great abilities which distinguished him inafter-life. His quickness in learning by heart, his extraordinarymemory, and the fluency with which he wrote and spoke Latin amazed histutors. And he was fortunate in receiving an excellent education fromthe first Greek scholars of the day. Madonna Bianca, the only daughterof Filippo Maria, the last Visconti who had betrothed her before she waseight years old to Francesco Sforza, proved herself the best of wivesand mothers. By her courage and wisdom she helped her husband to gainpossession of her dead father's duchy, and won the hearts of all hersubjects by her goodness. While Francesco was engaged with affairs ofstate, she directed the studies of her children, and gave her six sonsan admirable training in learning and knightly exercises. "Let usremember, " she said to her son's tutor, the learned scholar Filelfo, "that we have princes to educate, not only scholars. " We find hersetting the boys a theme on the manner in which princes should draw uptreaties, and desiring them in her absence to write to her once a weekin Latin. Several of these letters are still preserved in the archivesof Milan. There is one, for instance, in which Lodovico, then sixteenyears old, tells his mother that he is sending her seventy quails, twopartridges, and a pheasant, the result of a day's sport in the forest, but takes care to assure her that the pleasures of the chase will nevermake him neglect his books. 

Many are the pleasant glimpses we catch of the family circle, whether inthe Corte vecchia or old ducal palace of the Viscontis at Milan, in thebeautiful park and gardens of the Castello at Pavia, or in their countryhomes of Vigevano and Binasco. We see Duke Francesco riding out with hisyoung sons through the streets of Milan, visiting the churches andconvents that were rising on all sides, the new hospital, which was theobject of Madonna Bianca's tender care, the oak avenues and gardens withwhich she loved to surround her favourite shrines. We find the boys athome, helping their mother to entertain her guests with music anddancing, and accompanying her on visits to the noble Milanese families. One day their grandmother, Agnese di Maino, came to see the duke's sonswith an old gentleman from Navarre, who went home declaring that he hadnever seen such wise and well-educated children; another time we hear ofa Madonna Giovanna coming to spend the day at the palace, and dancingall the evening with Lodovico Maria; and when the duchess took heryounger children to visit Don Tommaseo de' Rieti, general laughter wasexcited by the little four-year-old Ascanio, the future cardinal, whowalked straight up to a portrait of the duke, exclaiming, "There is mylord father!" When the newly elected Pope Pius II. , who as Eneas SylviusPiccolomini had often been in Milan, came to visit the duke in 1457, hefound Galeazzo reading Cicero, and his little brothers with theircherub faces sitting round their tutor, intent on his discourse; whileon one occasion their sister Ippolita, the pupil of the greatConstantine Lascaris, pronounced a Latin oration in honour of HisHoliness. On Christmas day, a festival which was always celebrated withmuch pomp at Milan, each of the duke's four elder sons came forward andrecited a Latin speech, and Lodovico delighted all who were present bythe ease and grace of his bearing, and the eloquent periods in which heextolled his father's great deeds in peace and war. 

The duke himself always singled out Lodovico for especial notice, andsaid the boy would do great things. It was, no doubt, his sense of theyouthful Moro's talents that made Francesco choose him, at the age ofthirteen, to be the leader of the body of three thousand men which wereto join in the Crusade preached by Pope Pius II. On the 2nd of June, 1464, the ducal standard, bearing the golden lion of the house of Sforzaand the adder of the Visconti, was solemnly committed to the charge ofthe young Crusader, before the eyes of the whole court, on the piazza infront of the old palace, which was gaily decorated for the occasion withgarlands and tapestries. But the Pope died, and the idea of the Crusadewas abandoned. Lodovico, however, was sent by his father to Cremona, thecity which had been Duchess Bianca's dowry, and whose inhabitants wereamong the most loyal subjects of the Sforza princes. Here he livedduring the next two years, enjoying his foretaste of power, and makinghimself very popular with the Cremonese. In 1465, his accomplishedsister was married to Alfonso, Duke of Calabria, and Lorenzo de Medicicame to Milan for the nuptials. Then these two men, who in days to comewere to be so often named together as the most illustrious patrons ofart and letters in the Renaissance, met for the first time, anddiscovered the mutual tastes which in future years often brought theminto close relation. 

The sudden death of Duke Francesco in 1466 brought a change inLodovico's position, and the ingratitude with which the new duke, Galeazzo, treated his widowed mother, naturally irritated his brothers. In October, 1468, Bianca retired to Cremona, where she died a weekafter her arrival--"more from sorrow of heart than sickness of body, "wrote her doctor. The good duchess was buried by her husband's side inthe Duomo of Milan, and was long and deeply lamented both by herchildren and subjects, and by none more than her son Lodovico, whoalways remembered his mother with the deepest affection. But he remainedon good terms with Galeazzo, and was deputed by the new duke to receivehis bride, Bona of Savoy, when the princess arrived at Genoa, from theFrench court, where her youth had been spent with her sister, the wifeof King Louis XI. During the next ten years Lodovico lived in enforcedidleness at the Milanese court, and, freed from the restraint of hisparents' authority, abandoned himself to idle pleasures. All we havefrom his pen at this period are two short letters. In one, written fromMilan and dated April 19, 1476, he asks the Cardinal of Novara to standgodfather to the illegitimate son whom his mistress, Lucia Marliani, Countess of Melzi, had borne him, and who was to be baptized at Pavia. The other is an affectionate letter addressed from Vigevano a year laterto Lucia herself, rejoicing to hear of her well-being, and lookingforward to seeing her after the feast of St. George. Whether the son wasLeone Sforza, afterwards apostolic protonotary, or whether he was thechild whose death Lodovic lamented a few years later, does not appear, but all his life the Moro retained a sincere regard for the mother, Lucia Marliani, and left her certain lands by his will. 

Meanwhile, in the conduct of his elder brother Galeazzo he had the worstpossible example. Once in possession of supreme power, the new duke gavehimself up to the most unbridled course of vice and cruelty. Theprofligacy of his life, and the horrible tortures which he inflicted onthe hapless victims of his jealousy and anger, caused Milanesechroniclers to describe him as another Nero. He was commonly believed tohave poisoned both his mother and Dorotea Gonzaga, the betrothed brideof whom he wished to rid himself when a more desirable marriagepresented itself. These charges were probably groundless, but some ofhis actions went far to justify the suspicions of madness which hearoused in the minds of his contemporaries. When, for instance, heordered his artists to decorate a hall at the Castello at Pavia withportraits of the ducal family in a single night, under pain of instantdeath, the Ferrarese Diarist had good reason to describe the new Duke ofMilan as a prince guilty of great crimes and greater follies. At thesame time, Galeazzo showed himself a liberal patron of art and learning. He founded a library at Milan, invited doctors and priests to theUniversity of Pavia, and brought singers from all parts of the world toform the choir of the ducal chapel. During his reign a whole army ofpainters and sculptors were employed to decorate the interior of theCastello of the Porta Giovia at Milan, which his father had rebuilt whenhe gave up the ground in front of the old palace to the builders of theDuomo, and which now became the chief ducal residence. Under hisauspices printing was introduced, and the first book ever produced inItaly, the Grammar of Lascaris--a Greek professor who had taken refugeat the court of the Sforzas on the fall of Constantinople--appeared atMilan in 1476. The splendour of his court surpassed anything that hadbeen yet seen. Great rejoicings took place in 1469, when Lorenzo deMedici came to Milan to stand godfather to the duke's infant son, andGaleazzo was so delighted at the sight of the costly diamond necklacewhich the Magnificent Medici presented to Duchess Bona on this occasion, that he exclaimed, "You must be godfather to all my children!" Thewealth and luxury displayed by the duke and duchess when they visitedFlorence two years later with a suite of two thousand persons, scandalized the old-fashioned citizens, and, in Machiavelli's opinion, proved the beginning of a marked degeneracy in public morals. 

For a time the Milanese were amused by the _fêtes_ provided for them, and dazzled by the sight of all this splendour; but retribution came intime, and on the Feast of St. Stephen in the winter of 1476, DukeGaleazzo was assassinated at the doors of the church of S. Stefano bythree courtiers whom he had wronged. The Milanese chronicler BernardinoCorio gives a dramatic account of the scene, which he himself witnessed, and relates how Bona, who was haunted by a presentiment of coming evil, implored her lord not to leave the Castello that morning, and how threeravens were seen hovering about Galeazzo's head on that very morning, when, in his splendid suit of crimson brocade, the tall and handsomeduke entered the church doors, while the choir sang the words, "_Sictransit gloria mundi_. "

"The peace of Italy is dead!" exclaimed Pope Sixtus IV. When the news ofGaleazzo's murder reached him. And the issue proved that he was not farwrong. In her distress, the widowed duchess, who seems to have beenfondly attached to her husband, in spite of his crimes and follies, addressed a piteous letter to the Holy Father owning her dead lord'sguilt, and asking him if he could issue a bull absolving him from hismany and grievous sins. In her anxiety for Galeazzo's soul, she promisedto atone as far as possible for his crimes by making reparation to thosewhom he had wronged, and offered to build churches and monasteries, endow hospitals, and perform other works of mercy. The Pope does notseem to have returned a direct answer to this touching prayer, but hetook advantage of Bona's present mood to hurry on the marriage ofCaterina Sforza, the duke's natural daughter, with his own nephew, Girolamo Riario, which had been arranged by Galeazzo, and which tookplace in the following April. Lodovico was absent at the time ofGaleazzo's assassination, and with his brother Sforza, Duke of Bari, wasspending Christmas at the court of Louis XI. At Tours. They had not beenbanished, as Corio asserts, but, tired of idleness and fired with a wishto see the world, they had gone on a journey to France, and, aftervisiting Paris and Angers, were on their way home when the news of theduke's murder reached them. But if any hope of obtaining a share in thegovernment had been aroused in Lodovico's heart, it was doomed to speedydisappointment. Cecco Simonetta, the able secretary and minister who hadadministered the state under Galeazzo, kept a firm hold on the reins ofgovernment, ruled the Milanese in the name of Duchess Bona and her youngson Gian Galeazzo. The Sforza brothers soon found their positionintolerable, and the intervention of a friendly neighbour, the Marquisof Mantua, was necessary before they could obtain any recognition oftheir right. At his request, Bona agreed to give each of herbrothers-in-law a suitable residence in Milan, as well as a portion of12, 500 ducats from the revenues of their mother's inheritance, the cityof Cremona. Filippo Sforza, the second of the brothers, who is describedas weak in intellect and a person of no account, was content to livepeaceably in Milan, where his very existence seems to have beenforgotten by his family, and where the only mention of him that occursagain is that of his death in 1492. The other brothers were sent toGenoa, where an insurrection had broken out, and succeeded in subduingthe rebels and restoring peace. But when they returned to Milan at thehead of a victorious army, with their kinsman the valiant CondottiereRoberto di Sanseverino, a movement was set on foot among the oldGhibelline followers of Duke Francesco to obtain the regency for Sforza, Duke of Bari. Cries of _Moro! Moro!_ began to be heard in the streets ofMilan. Simonetta, becoming alarmed, threw Donato del Conte, one of theGhibelline leaders, into prison, upon which Sanseverino and the Sforzasloudly demanded his release. Simonetta gave them fair words in return, and induced the dissatisfied chiefs to meet in the park of the Castello, where they agreed to lay down their arms. But Sanseverino, suspectingtreachery, set spurs to his horse, and, riding with drawn sword in hishand out of the city through the Porta Vercellina, crossed the Ticino, and did not pause until he was in safety. His companions soon followedhis example. Ottaviano Sforza, the youngest of the family, a brave ladof eighteen, was drowned in crossing the swollen Adda, and his threeremaining brothers were condemned to perpetual exile. Sforza wasbanished to his duchy of Bari, in the kingdom of Naples, Ascanio toPerugia, and Lodovico to the city of Pisa. 

During the next eighteen months Lodovico lived at Pisa, fretting hisheart out in exile and wasting the best years of his life, as hecomplained to Lorenzo de Medici. His friend could only counsel patience, for, sympathize as he might with the banished prince, Lorenzo wasclosely allied with the rulers of Milan, and Lodovico soon saw that hisonly hope of seeing his native land again was to be found in the supportof Ferrante, King of Naples, the sworn foe of the Medici. This monarchlooked on Simonetta as a traitorous villain who had taken advantage ofBona's weakness to usurp the supreme power in Milan, and wrote to KingLouis XI, begging him to come to his kinswoman's help and assist inrestoring the Duke of Bari and his brother to their rights. But theFrench king had no wish to be drawn into the quarrel, and when Ferranteendeavoured to obtain the restoration of his exiled kinsmen by fairmeans and had failed, Sforza and Lodovico resolved to try the fortunesof war once more. Roberto di Sanseverino, whose mother had been a nieceof Duke Francesco, and who had large estates of his own in Lombardy, placed his sword at their disposal, and they knew they could reckon onthe secret support of their Sforza and Visconti kinsmen in Milan. Amongthese, Lodovico had a devoted partisan in Beatrice d'Este, the sister ofDuke Ercole of Ferrara, who had lately been left a widow for the secondtime by the death of her husband, the brave soldier Tristan Sforza, andwho kept up a secret correspondence with the exiled princes. Early inFebruary, 1479, the Sforza brothers and Roberto di Sanseverino landed inGenoa and boldly raised the standard of revolt. Simonetta retaliated byconfiscating their revenues and proclaiming them rebels, while he hiredErcole D'Este and Federigo Gonzaga to join the Florentines in resistingthe advance of the Neapolitan forces. In the midst of these warlikepreparations, Sforza Duke of Bari died very suddenly at Genoa. His deathwas attributed, after the fashion of the day, to poison secretly senthim from Milan; but, as Corio remarks, many persons thought that hisexcessive stoutness was the true cause of his decease. Lodovico, whomthe King of Naples immediately invested with the dukedom of Bari in hisbrother's stead, now crossed the Genoese Alps and boldly invaded theterritory of Tortona. But the enterprise was a perilous one, and theallied forces of Milan were preparing to crush his little army, when anunexpected turn of fortune altered the whole condition of affairs. Duchess Bona, a very beautiful woman, but, as Commines remarks, "_unedame de petit sens_" had become infatuated with a certain AntonioTassino, a Ferrarese youth of low extraction, whom Galeazzo hadappointed carver at the royal table, and who, after the duke's death, had made himself indispensable to his mistress. The _liaison_ hadcreated a coolness between the duchess and her prime minister, of whichBeatrice d'Este and some of the Sforza party cleverly availedthemselves to widen the breach. They deplored the growing arrogance ofSimonetta, and lamented the success of his intrigues against Lodovico, who was his sister-in-law's nearest relative and rightful protector. Acting on their suggestion, Bona took a sudden resolve. She sent amessenger to invite Lodovico to return to Milan in his nephew's name, and late in the evening of the 7th of October, 1479, the Moro, leavingthe camp at Tortona, arrived in Milan, and was secretly admitted intothe Castello by the garden door. The duchess and her son, Gian Galeazzo, a boy of ten, received him with open arms, and great was the joy amongall the Ghibellines of Milan, when they heard to their surprise thatDuke Francesco's son was once more among them. Simonetta looked grave, as he well might, when he heard the news. "Most illustrious duchess, " hesaid to Bona the next day, "do you know what will happen? My head willbe cut off, and before long you will lose this state. " But he proceededto congratulate Lodovico on his return, and was received by him in themost courteous manner. When the news of these events reached the rivalcamps outside Milan, a truce was proclaimed, and the leaders on eitherside disbanded their armies. The object of the expedition was attained, and Lodovico restored to his rightful place at Milan. But neitherRoberto di Sanseverino nor the other Ghibelline leader could be contentwhile their hated rival Simonetta was still at large. They sentmessengers to Lodovico, imperiously demanding his summary punishment, and declaring that they would never lay down their arms until he and hisconfederates were imprisoned. After some delay, Lodovico yielded totheir demand; Bona's faithful secretary was arrested and sent to Paviawith his brother, while the fickle populace sacked their houses. Congratulations poured in from all the kinsfolk of the Sforza family. Caterina Sforza, the illegitimate daughter of Duke Galeazzo, who hadbeen brought up by Bona with her own children, wrote from Rome, whereshe was living with her husband, Girolamo Riario, Count of Imola andForli at the papal court, to rejoice with her brother the young dukeover the fall of the hated minister; "_quelo nefandissimo Cecho_ themurderer of our family and our flesh and blood. " Now at length, headds, she will be able to visit Milan and see her beloved mother oncemore in peace and safety. And her husband's uncle, Pope Sixtus IV. , himself wrote to congratulate both duke and duchess on the arrest ofSimonetta and the restoration of peace and tranquillity. Lodovico wasnow formally associated with Duchess Bona in the regency, and hisbrother Ascanio was recalled and advanced to the dignity of Archbishopof Pavia. Before many months were over peace was concluded withFlorence, and with the full approval of King Ferrante, the Duke ofFerrara accepted Lodovico Sforza as his future son-in-law. 

Meanwhile party feeling still ran high in Milan, and the Ghibellines, with Sanseverino and Pusterla at their head, never ceased to clamour forSimonetta's head. People began to complain that Lodovico, who had beenbrought back to power by the Ghibellines, was after all a Guelph atheart, and a traitor to his party. In vain the Moro advocated mildermeasures, and wrote a letter to Simonetta, offering to release him onpayment of a ransom. The old secretary, who was upwards of seventy yearsof age, refused, saying that he was ill and weary of life, and had nofear of death. At length Lodovico, vexed by the continual recriminationsof his Ghibelline followers, reluctantly gave way. Bona signed the deathwarrant of her old servant, and on the 30th of October, 1480, Simonettawas beheaded in the Castello of Pavia. His brother Giovanni, an able andlearned scholar, was released, and lived to write the famous Sforziada, or history of Duke Francesco's great deeds, which he dedicated to hisson Lodovico. 

Already one-half of the unfortunate minister's prophecy had come true;the other half was soon to be fulfilled. For a few months Bona rejoicedin her freedom from the cares of state, and left all to Lodovico, "whocould do her no greater pleasure than not to speak of these things, "says Commines. She herself was treated with the utmost respect, andspent her time in feasting and dancing, and loaded her favourite withhonours. Tassino lived in rooms next to her own, and rode out with theduchess on pillion behind him. But her favourite, encouraged by thefolly of his mistress, became every day more indolent, until one day hekept Lodovico Sforza and the chief officers of state waiting at the doorof his room while he finished his toilet. Yet nothing could cure Bona'sinfatuation, and she went so far as to beg Lodovico to appoint herminion's father to be governor of the _Rocca_ of Porta Zobia (Giovia), as the Castello of Milan was called. Fortunately Eustachio, who had beenappointed to the post by Duke Galeazzo, and solemnly charged to hold it, in case of his own death, until his son was of age, refused to give upthe keys; and the young duke and his brother Ermes were conducted intothe Rocca, while at the same moment Tassino received an order from theCouncil to leave Milan. This he did without delay, taking with him alarge sum of money and many valuable pearls and jewels which he hadreceived from the duchess. When Bona heard of her favourite's flight sheflew into a frantic rage, and, "forgetful alike of honour and maternalduty, " as Corio writes, she renounced her share of the regency, sayingthat she placed her son in his uncle's care, and left Milan. "Like somedemented woman, " continues Corio, she fled as far as Abbiategrasso, where she was detained by Lodovico's orders, and not allowed to proceedto France as she had intended. In the end, however, she effected herpurpose, and retired to her brother-in-law's Louis XI. 's court, whereshe remained during the next few years, vowing vengeance againstLodovico, and bitterly repenting her weakness in having consented to hisreturn. So Lodovico Moro, "that hero of patience and cunning, " asMichelet calls him, at length attained his object, and found himselfsole Regent of Milan. _Merito e tempore_ was the motto which he hadchosen for his own, and which he placed in golden letters on his shield, and illuminated on the vellum pages of his favourite books, in the firmbelief that all things come to the man who can learn to bide his time. Henceforth his head appeared together with that of his younger nephew onall coins and medals, and the words _Lodovico patrue gubernante_inscribed below. 

Pandolfini, the Florentine ambassador, who had watched his course withprofound interest, sent a minute report of the latest developments ofpublic events to Lodovico's friend, the Magnificent Medici. A yearbefore, when Lodovico had just returned to Milan, the envoy remarked, "Signor Lodovico is very popular here, both with the people and withMadonna. " Again, a little later, he wrote, "Madonna trusts much inMesser Lodovico's good nature. " Now he added, "The whole government ofthe kingdom is placed in Lodovico's hands. " He could not refrain from anexpression of admiration at the peaceable manner in which thisrevolution had been accomplished. "With what ability and skill he haseffected this sudden change!" And he added, "I tell him, if he uses hisopportunities well, he will become the arbiter of the whole of Italy. "

FOOTNOTES:

[2] Caffi in A. S. L. , xiii. 

CHAPTER III

Wars of Venice and Ferrara--Invasion of Ferrara--Lodovico Sforza andAlfonso of Calabria come to the help of Ercole d'Este--Peace of Bagnolo--Prosperity of Ferrara, and cultivation of art and learning at Ercole'scourt--Guarino and Aldo Manuzio--Strozzi and Boiardo--Architecture andpainting--The frescoes of the Schifanoia--Music and the drama--Educationof Isabella and Beatrice d'Este. 

1482-1490

Such was the prince to whom Duke Ercole had betrothed his youngerdaughter, and who had suddenly become one of the chief personages inNorth Italy. But more than ten years were to elapse before thechild-bride even saw her affianced husband. During that time both Milanand Ferrara passed through many vicissitudes, and at one momentBeatrice's father and his state were reduced to the utmost extremity. 

The Venetians availed themselves of the troubled state of Lombardy andthe civil strife that divided the house of Sforza, to attack their oldenemy the Duke of Ferrara. In 1482 Roberto di Sanseverino, the valiantcaptain who had been one of the chief instruments in restoring hiskinsman Lodovico Sforza to his country, left Milan in a rage, because hedid not consider his salary sufficient, and offered his services to theRepublic of Venice. With his gallant sons to help him, he invaded theterritory of Ferrara at the head of an army of seventeen thousand men, and carried all before him. The Pope as usual took up the quarrel of theVenetians, in the hope of sharing the spoil, and while Ercole's ally, King Ferrante of Naples, was engaged in resisting the papal forces, theGenoese, who had revolted against Duchess Bona in 1478, and elected adoge of their own, occupied Lodovico Sforza's attention. The Ferraresetroops were completely defeated in a battle under the citadel ofArgenta, many of the Ferrarese leaders were slain, and the duke'snephew, Niccolo da Correggio, and three hundred men were taken prisonersto Venice. Sanseverino made good use of his advantage, and his sonGaspare, better known by his nickname of Fracassa, marched to the verygates of Ferrara, and planted the Lion of St. Mark on the peacocks'house in the ducal park. Meanwhile the plague had broken out in Ferrara, and so great was the scarcity of wheat in the beleaguered city, thatBattista Guarino, the tutor of the young Princess Isabella, applied toher betrothed husband Francesco Gonzaga for a grant of corn to save himfrom starvation. Worse than all, Duke Ercole himself lay dangerously illwithin the Castello, and a report of his death was circulated throughthe city. At this critical moment Duchess Leonora once more showed hercourage and presence of mind. Seeing the greatness of the danger, shesent her children with a safe escort to Modena, and calling themagistrates together, she harangued them from the garden loggia, andbade them be true to their old lords of the house of Este. The citizens, moved to tears at the sight of Leonora's majesty and courage, shoutedwith one voice, "Diamante!"--the watchword of the house of Este, andvowed to die for their duke. In their enthusiasm, the people broke openthe palace doors, and rushing into the chamber where Ercole lay on hissick-bed, covered his hands with kisses, and would not be satisfieduntil they had heard his voice again and knew him to be alive. Afterthis outburst of loyalty, they rallied bravely to the defence of thecity. Every man who could bear arms in Ferrara helped to man the walls, and the country-folk, rising in thousands, harassed the invading armyand cut off their supplies. Fortunately, help was at hand. On the onehand, Lodovico Sforza's troops checked the advance of the Venetians onthe side of Modena; on the other, Ercole's brother-in-law, Alfonso, Dukeof Calabria, himself rode at the head of fifty horsemen and a troop ofinfantry to the help of the beleaguered city. 

Throughout the long struggle that followed, Lodovico Sforza provedhimself a wise and faithful friend of the house of Este, and it waschiefly owing to him that Ferrara preserved her independence. But theduke and his people had to make great sacrifices on their part, and atthe peace of Bagnolo, which was finally concluded in 1484, seven townswere ceded to Venice, and the fertile district of Rovigo in thePolesina, "_un petit pays_, " in the words of Commines, "_tout environnéd'eau et abondant a merveille en tous biens_. "

A period of renewed peace and prosperity followed upon these disastrouswars. Ercole, although in his early youth he had proved himself avaliant soldier, had in reality far greater taste for the arts of peacethan for those of war, and now devoted himself to the more congenialtask of adorning Ferrara and cultivating letters. His father NiccoloIII. Had been the first prince in Northern Italy to take part in therevival of Greek learning that had been set on foot in Naples andFlorence. He it was who, in 1402, revived the ancient University ofFerrara, and invited the best scholars of the day to give lectures toits students. At his prayer, the Sicilian Hellenist Aurispa, who hadtravelled to Greece and Constantinople in search of Greek manuscripts, fixed his residence at Ferrara; while Battista Guarino of Verona becamethe tutor of Niccolo's own son Leonello, and inspired the young princewith that ardour for learning which made him the most accomplished rulerof his time. It was Niccolo, again, who invited the celebrated Paduandoctor, Michele Savonarola, to fill the chair of medicine at theUniversity of Ferrara. Michele's son became court physician to Ercole, and his grandson, the famous Dominican friar, Fra Girolamo Savonarola, who had forsaken the study of medicine to take the vows of a preachingbrother, delivered his first course of Lent sermons in Ferrara duringthat troubled year 1482. 

The General Council held at Ferrara in 1438 brought some of the firstGreek Oriental scholars together in that city, and Niccolo d'Estehimself assisted at many of the discussions held by these learnedprofessors. His son Leonello, besides encouraging students by his ownexample, devoted great pains and expense to the University library whichhe founded, while his successor, Duke Borso, pensioned poor students, who were clothed and fed at his cost. Ercole now followed in hisfather's and brother's steps with so much success that under his reignthe University of Ferrara became the foremost in Italy, and boasted noless than forty-five professors, while the number of students reachedfour hundred and seventy-four. In those days the most renowned scholarsof the age flocked from all parts of Italy to hear Guarino lecture; andAldo Manuzio, the great printer, and his illustrious friend Pico dellaMirandola, the phoenix of the Renaissance, came to Ferrara to sit at thefeet of this revered teacher. Here Aldo acquired the passion for Greekliterature which made him inscribe the word Philhellene after his nameon his first printed books. Here, in his own turn, he lectured on Greekand Latin authors to the cultured youth of Ercole's court, and here hewould have set up his printing-press, under his friend Duchess Leonora'spatronage, if the Venetian war had not forced him to leave Ferrara. Bothfrom the court of Alberto Pio at Carpi, where he found refuge with akinsman of the Estes, and at Venice, where he founded his famousprinting-press, he kept up frequent communications with the duke'sfamily, and dedicated books to young Cardinal Ercole, and bound andprinted choice editions of Petrarch and Virgil for his sister Isabellad'Este. But if Duke Ercole emulated the zeal of his predecessors in theencouragement of classical learning, he surpassed them all in his loveof travel, of building, and of theatrical representations. During thenext twenty years he indulged freely in all of these favourite pursuits. 

His opportunities of travel, indeed, were limited by the duties of hisposition; but whenever he could find leisure, he gratified his rovingtaste by paying frequent visits to Milan or Venice, where themagnificent palace bestowed upon his ancestor Nicolas II. In the lastcentury, but confiscated during the war with Ferrara, had been restoredto him at the peace of Bagnolo. In 1484, he took Duchess Leonora therewith a suite of seven hundred persons. On this occasion the palaceoriginally decorated by Duke Borso was sumptuously restored, and theDoge and Senate entertained their guests with princely hospitality. Amore distant pilgrimage to the shrine of S. Jago of Compostella inSpain, which Ercole had planned in 1487, had to be abandoned, owing tothe opposition of Pope Innocent VIII. ; but eight years later the dukepaid another visit to Florence, on the pretence of discharging a vowwhich he had made to Our Lady of the Annunziata. To the last theadventurous disposition of the Estes, the love of seeing and hearing newthings, marked his character and governed his actions. 

Meanwhile his imagination found plenty of food for activity at home, andnothing interfered with his love of building or with the delight whichhe took in the stage. Under him, Ferrara became one of the finest citiesin Italy. Her broad streets and spacious squares, her noble statues andimposing monuments, the stately symmetry of her well-kept ways, made adeep impression on Lodovico Sforza when he visited his wife's home. Atthe beginning of his reign Ercole had sent to Florence to borrowAlberti's Treatise on Architecture from Lorenzo de' Medici, and hadcarried out his improvements on the principles advocated by theRenaissance architect. On every side new churches and palaces rose intobeing, a lofty Campanile was added to the ancient Lombard Cathedral, anequestrian statue of Niccolo III. And a bronze effigy of Duke Borsoadorned the piazza in front of the Castello. Soon Ercole's subjectscaught their duke's passion for building, and vied with him in erectingnew and sumptuous houses. His brother, Cardinal Sigismondo, raised thePalazzo Diamante, that magnificent Renaissance structure in the Viadegli Angeli. The Trotti and the Costabili, the Strozzi and Boschetti, all followed suit and built palatial residences in the neighbourhood. 

These fine buildings were surrounded with spacious gardens. One ofErcole's first improvements had been to lay out the noble park outsidethe town, and to people it with stags and goats, with gazelles andantelopes and the spotted giraffes which Niccolo da Correggio describesin his poems; and on the gates leading from the city were marble bustscarved by the hand of Sperandio, the famous medallist who had worked solong for the ducal house, and who has left us portraits of all the chiefpersonages at the Ferrarese court. The courtyard of the ancient Estepalace was adorned with wide marble staircases, the villa of Belfiorewas enlarged and beautified, while that of Belriguardo, twelve milesfrom the city, on the banks of the Po, became celebrated as the mostsumptuous of all the stately pleasure-houses in which Renaissanceprinces took delight. No pains or expense were spared in the decorationof these luxurious country houses. The terraced gardens and marbleloggias were adorned with fountains and statues, the halls were hungwith costly tapestries and gold and silver embroideries. Eastern carpetsand carved ivories, cameos and intaglios, precious gems and raremajolica from Urbino and Casteldurante were brought together in theCamerini of the Castello and the halls of the Schifanoia palace, thatfavourite Sans-Souci of the Este princes close to the court-church of S. Maria in Vado and to the convent of Leonora's friends, the nuns of S. Vito. In this charming retreat, where Borso and Ercole alike loved toescape from the cares of state, we may still see the remnants of thesesplendid decorations which once adorned these halls: the paintedarabesques and stucco frieze of children playing musical instruments, the barrel-vaulted ceilings, and marble doorways with their rows ofcherub heads and dolphins. There the unicorn which Borso took for hisdevice, figures side by side with the imperial eagle granted him byFrederic III when he came to visit Ferrara, and the fleur-de-lis ofFrance, which the Estes were privileged to bear on their coat-of-arms. There we still see fragments of the frescoes on the months and seasonsof the year which Cossa and his scholars painted at the bidding ofsuccessive dukes. Borso is there on his white horse as he rides outhunting, attended by falconers and pages leading his favouritegreyhounds in the leash; or looking on at the races of St. George's Day, surrounded by scholars and courtiers, dwarfs and jesters, and fairladies clad in glittering robes of cloth of silver and gold. All thepageant of court-life in old Ferrara, as it was in the days when DukeErcole reigned and Isabella and Beatrice d'Este grew up under the goodDuchess Leonora's care, passes again before our eyes, as we linger inthese low halls of the little red-brick palace among the fruit trees ofthis deserted quarter. 

Niccolo III. And his elder sons had all been liberal patrons of art, andhad invited the best artists they could find from other parts of Italy. Vittore Pisanello and Jacopo Bellini had both of them visited Ferraraand painted portraits of the Este princes--that of Leonello, with hislong hooked nose and low forehead, is still preserved at Bergamo, andPiero de' Franceschi, the mighty Umbrian, is said to have supplied adesign for Duke Borso's tomb. But it was in later years, under Ercole'sreign, that this little group of native artists arose, and that CosimoTura and his followers founded the school which gradually spread toBologna and Modena and boasted such masters as Lorenzo Costa andFrancia, or helped to mould the genius of a Raphael and a Correggio. Tura himself remained at Ferrara all his life, painting altar-pieces forDuchess Leonora's favourite churches, as well as frescoes in the duke'svillas and portraits of the different members of the ducal family inturn. In 1472, before the Duke's marriage, he painted the portrait ofErcole--strange to say--together with his illegitimate daughter Lucreziad'Este, to be sent as a present to his bride, Leonora of Aragon, at herfather's court of Naples. Again, in the summer of 1485, he was calledupon in his capacity of court painter to paint the likeness of theyouthful Isabella for her affianced husband, Francesco Gonzaga; andbefore the year was out he had to perform the same task for the otherlittle bride, who had just returned from Naples. The following paper inthe Ferrarese archives fixes the exact date of the portrait, which wasevidently sent as a Christmas gift to Lodovico Sforza at Milan. "On the24th of December, 1485, Cosimo Tura received four gold florins from theduke, for painting from life the face and bust of the IllustrissimaMadonna Beatrice, to be sent to Messer Lodovico Maria Sforza, Duca diBari, consort of the said Beatrice--Carlo Continga taking it to him. "Unfortunately, both of these portraits have perished, and the onlyrepresentation of Beatrice as a girl that we have is the sculptorCristoforo Romano's well-known bust in the Louvre. 

While the native schools of painting became active and prosperous underErcole's auspices, a flourishing school of arts and crafts arose inFerrara under the immediate patronage of the duchess. From the day ofher marriage, Leonora not only showed that intelligent love of art andlearning which might have been expected in a princess of the house ofAragon, but a warm interest in the well-being of her subjects, togetherwith excellent sense and a strong practical bent. At her invitation, tapestry-workers from Milan and Florence came to settle at Ferrara, andskilled embroiderers were brought over from Spain. The duchess herselfsuperintended these workers, selected the colours and patterns, andbecame an authority in the choice of hangings and decoration of rooms. While Ercole had an insatiable passion for gems and cameos, antiquemarbles and ivories, Leonora showed an especial taste for gold andsilver metal-work. Silver boxes and girdles curiously chased andengraved were constantly sent to the duchess by Milanese goldsmiths, andamong the workers in this line whom she frequently employed wasFrancesco Francia, the goldsmith painter of Bologna. In 1488, thisartist sent her an exquisite chain of gold hearts linked together, whichexcited general admiration, and may perhaps have been intended as abridal gift for Elizabeth Gonzaga, the sister of Isabella's betrothedhusband, who visited Ferrara that spring, on her way to Urbino. Leonora's own jewels were said to be the finest and most artistic ownedby any princess of her day, and, as in the case of other Renaissanceladies, formed no inconsiderable portion of her fortune; and, inconsequence, they were frequently pawned to raise money for herhusband's wars. The duchess's famous necklace of pearls, we learn, wasrepeatedly lent by the duke to bankers or goldsmiths in Rome andFlorence as pledges for the repayment of loans advanced during the warwith Venice. 

Music was another of Ercole's favourite pastimes, and the choir of hiscourt chapel at one time rivalled that of Milan, which was held to bethe best in Italy. Violinists and lute-players were brought from Naplesto Ferrara, French and Spanish tenors were included among the singerswho accompanied the duke on his journeys. A still more distinctivefeature of his court were the theatrical representations, which became aprominent part of all the palace festivities, and which undoubtedly owedmuch to the duke's taste for dramatic art. Under his directions, aspacious theatre was fitted up in the old Gothic Palazzo della Ragioneon the cathedral square. Here Latin comedies were performed before anaudience which included the most learned classical scholars of the day, and Italian dramas were seen for the first time upon the stage. In 1486, an Italian version of the _Menæchimi_, translated by Ercole himself, was acted here, with interludes of masques and morris dances, violinmusic, and recitations. This was followed, a year later, by aperformance of _Cefalo_, one of the oldest of Italian dramas, a pastoralplay composed by Niccolo da Correggio, chiefly taken from Ovid's"Metamorphoses, " and which is said to have suggested the subjects ofCorreggio's famous frescoes in the Abbess of San Paolo's parlour atParma. Each Christmas and carnival these theatrical representations wererepeated, and many were the distinguished visitors who came to Ferrarato witness these celebrated performances. The _Amphitryon_ and _Cassina_of Plautus were frequently given. On one occasion, a play adapted from adialogue of Lucian's by Matteo Boiardo was acted. Another time, at thewedding of a Marchese Strozzi, a Latin comedy written by thebridegroom's brother, Ercole Strozzi, was performed before the wholecourt. Sometimes, by way of variety, sacred subjects were placed uponthe stages. Tableaux of the Annunciation and the history of Joseph wereintroduced, accompanied with recitations and music. While the duke wasknown to have a strong preference for classical plays, the duchess andher daughters took pleasure in lighter forms of literature, andencouraged the songs and romances which courtly poets wrote for theirbenefit in the _lingua vulgare_. A new school of Italian poets sprang upat Ferrara in the last years of the century. Antonio Tebaldeo, thefriend of Castiglione and Raphael--"our Tebaldeo, " whom Pietro Bembodeclared Raphael had painted in so lifelike a manner that he was not soexactly himself in actual life as in this portrait--had his home atFerrara in these early days, and enjoyed the favour of the MarchionessIsabella in his later years. While the elder Strozzi, Tito, had thereputation of being the best Latin poet of the day, his son Ercolebelonged to the circle of younger scholars, and, like his friends Bemboand Ariosto, wrote elegant Italian verses as well as Latin epistles andorations. Then there was the blind poet Francesco Bello, the author ofthe "Mambriano, " that heroic poem on the favourite Carlovingian legend;Andrea Cossa of Naples, who sang his own _rime_ and _strambotti_ to themusic of the lute; Niccolo da Correggio, called by Isabella d'Este andSabba da Castiglione "the most accomplished gentleman of the age, theforemost man in all Italy, in the art of poetry and in courtesy, " whodevoted his muse to the service of gentle ladies, and composed _canzoni_and _capitoli_ or set Petrarch's sonnets to music for Isabella andBeatrice's pleasure. And among Ercole's courtiers at Ferrara there wasone still greater, Matteo Boiardo, Count of Scandiano, who was intimatewith both duke and duchess, and held many high posts at court. He was amember of the splendid suite sent in 1473 to escort Leonora from Naplesto Ferrara, and afterwards held the important post of Governor of Modenaduring many years. But in the midst of official labours and courtduties, Matteo was all the while engaged in writing his great workof the "Orlando Innamorato, " that wonderful epic in which classic andromantic ideas are mingled together as strangely as in Piero di Cosimoor Sandro Botticelli's paintings. The first cantos of his poem, begun in1472, were published at Venice in 1486, with a dedication to DukeErcole, and the work was continued at intervals throughout his life, andwas only interrupted by the death of the poet. This took place in 1494, when the first French armies were first seen descending upon Italy, andthe sweet singer of high romance broke off abruptly with a propheticnote of warning in his last accents--"While I am singing, I see allItaly set on fire by these Gauls, coming to ravage I know not how manyfresh lands, alas!"

In this city which was at once the home of Italian epic and Italiandrama, at this court where the boy Ariosto was to take up the song thatdropped from the lips of Boiardo, and to wear the laurel in his turn, the young princesses of Este grew up. There were three of them, forLucrezia, the duke's illegitimate daughter, had found a kind mother inthe duchess, and was brought up with her young step-sisters Isabella andBeatrice, until in 1487, she became the wife of Annibale Bentivoglio, and went to live in Bologna. Under Leonora's careful and vigilant eyes, these maidens were trained in all the culture of the day. Theirclassical studies were directed by Battista Guarino, the son of thelearned Verona humanist, the same who begged the Marquis of Mantua for agrant of wheat that he might the better be able to teach his betrothedbride Madonna Isabella during the famine at Ferrara. With him theylearnt sufficient Latin to read Cicero and Virgil, as well as Greek andRoman history. Music and dancing were taught them almost from infancy. They learnt to play the viol and lute, and sang _canzoni_ and sonnets tothe accompaniment of these instruments. Beatrice, we know, waspassionately fond of music. She employed the great Pavian LorenzoGusnasco to make her clavichords and viols of the finest order, and likeher father, she never travelled without her favourite singers. Isabellaherself had a beautiful voice, and sang with a sweetness and grace whichcharmed all hearers. The most accomplished poets of the Renaissance, Pietro Bembo and Niccolo da Correggio, Girolamo Casio and AntonioTebaldeo, were proud to hear her sing their verses, and the Vicenzascholar Trissino, forestalling Waller in this, wrote a _canzone_addressed to "My Lady Isabella playing the lute. "

Messer Ambrogio da Urbino began to give Isabella dancing lessons almostas soon as she could walk. Later on a certain Messer Lorenzo Lavagnolo, who had taught Elizabeth and Maddalena Gonzaga, the young sisters of theMarquis of Mantua, and had afterwards been sent to the court of Milan toteach Duchess Bona's daughters, came to Ferrara. This master, who wascommended to the Duchess of Milan by the Marchioness Barbara of Mantuaas superior to all other professors of the art of dancing, gave lessonsto Isabella and her sisters, as we learn from a letter which she wroteto her affianced husband, thanking him in her sister's name and her ownfor having sent so excellent a teacher to undertake the task, andrecommending this faithful and devoted servant to His Excellency'snotice. A bill for making dresses and scenery that were employed in a"_festa_" composed by Messer Lorenzo for the duke's daughters ispreserved in the Gonzaga archives, and at Lucrezia's wedding, in 1487, this renowned master travelled to Bologna to direct the _fêtes_ given inhonour of her marriage. 

Some knowledge of French seems to have formed part of an Italian lady'seducation at this period, but even Isabella, with all her quickness andtalent, was never able to speak French fluently, and Beatrice hadrecourse to interpreters when she received the visit of King CharlesVIII. At Asti, and was required to make civil speeches in reply to hiscompliments. But they read Provençal poetry and translations of Spanishromances from the rare volumes, sumptuously bound in crimson velvet withenamelled and jewelled clasps and corners, that were among the mostprecious treasures of Duchess Leonora's cabinet. Above all, they tookdelight in French romances, such as "_I reali di Francia_"--that bookwhich was so popular with Italian ladies, and became familiar with theexploits of Roland and the paladins of Charlemagne's court. As they bentover their embroidery-frames at their lady mother's side, in the paintedcamerini of the Castello, or under the acacias and lemon-trees of theSchifanoia villa, they listened to the wonderful fairy tales whichMatteo Boiardo recited, and heard him tell how Rinaldo of Montalbano waspelted with roses and lilies and made captive by Cupid's dames. Now andthen, on summer evenings, they were allowed to join in the water-partiesat Belriguardo, and float down the stream in the ducal bucentaur to thesound of the court violins, or else take part in those huntingexpeditions for which Beatrice developed a passionate taste inafter-years. As the frescoes of Schifanoia show, hunting was always afavourite pastime at the court of Ferrara. The duke kept many hundredhorses in his stables, and the greatest care was bestowed upon his breedof dogs and falcons. When Borso went to Rome in 1471, he took in hisretinue eighty pages, each leading four greyhounds in a leash; and whenhe entertained the Emperor Frederic III. At Ferrara, he presented himwith fifty of his best horses. Ercole often received gifts of Barbaryhorses from the Sultan of Tunis or the famous Gonzaga stables that werereckoned the best in Italy, and bought Spanish jennets and steeds ofIrish race to improve his own breed. And Duchess Leonora owned a specialbreed of greyhounds which were held in high esteem, and a pair of whichshe sent to Caterina Sforza, Madonna of Forli, at the humble request ofthis adventurous lady. 

But it was only on very rare occasions that the young princesses of Estewere allowed to leave their studies, which occupied their whole days, and, as we learn from their different preceptors' letters, absorbedtheir whole attention. Nor, we may be quite sure, was their religiouseducation neglected under the eye of their mother, a sincerely devoutand pious woman, who took pleasure in the converse of learned Dominicansand Carmelites, and paid frequent visits to S. Vito, close to theSchifanoia villa, and to the Convent of Corpus Domini, in which churchshe was buried. Her many charitable works, the liberality with which shehelped her poorer subjects, relieved their wants, and gave dowries tovirtuous maidens, as well as her munificence in adorning altars andchurches with rich ornaments, are recorded by every Ferrarese historian. Sabadino degli Arienti places her high among the illustrious women ofthe age, and says her deeds cannot fail to have opened the adamant doorsof Paradise, while Castiglione speaks of her excellent virtues as knownto the whole world, and pronounces her worthy to have reigned over a farlarger state. With the pattern of this admirable mother before theireyes, with all that was choicest in art and fairest in nature aroundthem, Leonora's daughters grew up to womanhood, and insensibly acquiredthat enthusiasm for beauty in all its varied forms, that fine taste andperception which distinguished them above their contemporaries, whichmade Isabella at the end of her long life still the most attractivewoman of her day, and which caused the bravest soldiers and the wisestscholars to lament the untimely death of the youthful Duchess Beatrice. In all the difficult and tangled ways which they were separately calledupon to tread, the breath of scandal, the slander of idle tongues, neversullied their fair names. Both princesses held fast to the ideal oftheir girlhood, and, leading the same pure and spotless life, left thesame gracious memory behind them, alike in the old Mantuan city on thebanks of the classic Mincio, where Isabella's presence lingers like somedelicate perfume about the _Camerini_ of the ancient Castello, and inthat grander and more splendid court where Beatrice reigned for a fewbrief years by the Moro's side at Milan. 

CHAPTER IV

Isabella d'Este--Lodovico Sforza delays his wedding--Plot against hislife--Submission of Genoa--Duke Gian Galeazzo--The Sanseverini brothers--Messer Galeazzo made Captain-General of the Milanese armies--Hismarriage to Bianca Sforza--Marriage of Gian Galeazzo to Isabella ofAragon--Wedding festivities at Milan--Lodovico draws up his marriagecontract with Beatrice d'Este. 

1485-1490

Isabella d'Este, the eldest of Ercole's and Leonora's two daughters, early displayed the striking beauty and great qualities thatdistinguished her in after-years. Her regular features and delicatecolouring, her ready wit and gracious manners, charmed all the visitorsto Ferrara. The letters of princes and ambassadors were full of herpraises. The Mantuan envoy who was sent to Ferrara in 1480, to arrangethe terms of the marriage contract, was amazed at the little bride'sprecocity. The six-year-old child not only danced charmingly before him, but conversed with a grace and intelligence which seemed to him littleshort of miraculous. All her teachers told the same story. WhateverMadonna Isabella did was well done. Her quickness in learning, hermarvellous memory, and application to her studies were the theme ofevery one at court. She was the apple of her father's eye, her mother'smost sweet and cherished companion--"_la mia carissima e dolce figliuolasopra altre_. " When she married and left home for Mantua, her poor oldtutor shed tears at the loss of his favourite pupil, and wanderedthrough the castle recalling her every word and movement; while forweeks the good duchess could not bear to enter the room or open thewindows of the room which her darling child had occupied, and which wasnow left empty and desolate. 

By the side of this brilliant creature, her younger sister, the littleBeatrice, passed comparatively unnoticed. Her name is scarcely evermentioned in the records of the period. Yet she was only a year youngerthan Isabella, and if all had gone well, the double wedding of the twosisters was to have been celebrated at the same time in February, 1490. But Lodovico Sforza had shown no inclination to press the matter. Heprofessed the most cordial friendship for the Duke of Ferrara, who hadevery reason to be grateful for his help in the Venetian wars, andentertained Ercole magnificently when, in 1487, he paid a visit toMilan. But when the question of her marriage was mooted, he made excusesand suggested further delay. The extreme youth of the bride, the urgencyof affairs of state, were all brought forward as excellent reasons forputting off the marriage until a more convenient season. During the tenyears after his return to Milan, Lodovico's time and thoughts had beenfully occupied. The internal as well as the external affairs of hisstate, the attacks of public enemies and private foes, alike demandedhis whole energies. But so far Fortune had favoured him in a wonderfulway. An attempt was made by Duchess Bona's confessor to assassinate himon the steps of Saint Ambrogio at Christmas, 1485, but fortunatelyfailed, because that day Lodovico entered the church by a side door toavoid the crowd. The sympathy excited by this cowardly attempt on hislife, and by his recovery from a dangerous illness which brought him tothe point of death, helped to strengthen his position at home, whilecomplete success attended his arms and diplomacy. On the one hand, Venice was forced to accept his terms of peace; on the other, Genoa, sorely pressed by her old rival Florence, appealed to the Regent ofMilan for assistance, and once more recognized the supremacy of GianGaleazzo Sforza. A cardinal's hat was obtained for Ascanio Sforza, inwhom Lodovico found an able and loyal supporter both in Rome and Milan. And when, in 1488, Lodovico's niece, Caterina Sforza, turned to him forhelp against the conspirators who had murdered her husband and seizedthe Rocca of Forli, a Milanese army under young Galeazzo di Sanseverinowas promptly sent to her assistance. The citadel was besieged andcaptured, and the rights of Caterina and her son Ottaviano weretriumphantly vindicated. Thus on every side the house of Sforza wasrestored to its former dignity, and the great Condottiere's name wasrespected and honoured. The Milanese once more enjoyed a period of peaceand prosperity, and Lodovico was able to devote himself to his favouritepursuits, the encouragement of learning and of the fine arts. Even atthe most anxious and busiest times, in the midst of the war with Veniceand the negotiations for the league against her, Lodovico had found timeto carry on his brother's schemes for the decoration of the Castello ofMilan, and to help forward the works of the Duomo and the Certosa ofPavia. He had begun to rebuild the palace of Vigevano on a splendidscale, and had set on foot a vast system of irrigation for theimprovement of the ducal estates. Besides encouraging the rising schoolof native artists, he had invited the best foreign architects andpainters, sculptors and poets, to his court. Already Bramante of Urbinowas the chief architect at the ducal court, and now Lorenzo de' Medicisent a young Florentine master to Milan who played the lute divinely, and whose varied talents might prove serviceable to his friend Lodovico. So Leonardo da Vinci came to the court of the Moro, and found in him sogenial and understanding a patron, so generous and kindly a friend, thathe settled at Milan, and remained in the duke's service for the nextsixteen years. Thus Lodovico Sforza had shown himself a wise andexcellent regent, and had earned the gratitude of both prince andpeople, while the young duke in whose name he governed was growing up toman's estate. From his birth Gian Galeazzo had been a frail and sicklychild, subject to constant feverish attacks, and in the year 1483 was sodangerously ill that at one moment his doctors despaired of hisrecovery. As he grew older, it became plain that his mind was as feebleas his body. He was utterly incapable of applying himself to seriousbusiness, far less of administering state affairs. His whole days werespent in idleness and pleasure, in hunting and drinking. Horses and dogswere the only objects in which he took any interest. Under thesecircumstances, it became plain that Lodovico would remain the actualruler of Milan even though his nephew bore the title of duke. Alloutward respect was paid to Gian Galeazzo; he lived in great state, witha household and officers of his own, and was surrounded by regal pomp onpublic occasions. Clad in ducal robes, he appeared seated on a throneerected in front of the Duomo when the Genoese patricians arrived atMilan, and received their homage as duke of the principality of Genoa. His brother Ermes, his sisters Bianca and Anna, shared his state, andwhen Bianca's betrothed husband the young prince of Savoy died, she wasformally affianced in the Duomo to the eldest son of Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary. But the real sovereign of Milan was Lodovico Duke ofBari. Here and there a jealous or discontented Milanese nobleman mightgrumble, but the majority of the duke's subjects felt that in thesetroublous days a strong hand was needed at the helm, and knew that theyhad this strong man in the Moro. 

By degrees Lodovico removed those governors of cities and fortresseswhose loyalty he had reason to suspect, and replaced them byconfidential servants. Filippo Eustachio, captain of the Castello ofMilan, a brave and honest man, Corio tells us, who had refused to yieldup the keys of the Rocca to Bona's minion, but whose brothers had beenimplicated in the plot against Lodovico's life, was one day arrested bythe duke's orders, and imprisoned at Abbiategrasso; he was afterwardsreleased, no evidence of his guilt being produced, but his post wasfilled by one of the Moro's servants. Chief among the trusted captainsin whom Lodovico placed his confidence were the Sanseverini brothers, "igran Sanseverini, " as they were called in the court poet's verses, asmuch on account of their great strength and stature as of the exaltedposition which they held at the Milanese court. Their father, thatturbulent soldier Roberto, after making three desperate attempts tounseat the prince whose return to power he had effected, and being threetimes proclaimed a rebel and outlaw at Milan, had taken service underPope Innocent VIII. And led the campaign against Alfonso of Calabria, asCaptain-general of the Church. But before long he quarrelled with thePope and returned to the service of the Venetian Republic, until inAugust, 1486, at the age of seventy, he fell fighting with heroic valouragainst the Imperialists in the battle of Trent. Of his twelve sons, four entered the service of their kinsman, Lodovico Sforza, and rose tohigh honour and dignity. All of them were mighty men of valour liketheir father before them, while a fifth, Cardinal Federigo, was to provea staunch adherent of the Sforzas in days to come. He inherited thegiant stature as well as the martial tastes of his family, and at theconsecration of Pope Alexander VI. Is said to have lifted Borgia in hisarms and placed him on the high altar. The eldest of the brothers, Giovanni Francesco, Count of Caiazzo, succeeded to his father's estatesin Calabria, but lived at Milan, and became one of Lodovico's chiefcaptains. Both Gaspare--the gallant soldier known by his surname ofCaptain Fracassa--and Antonio Maria, the husband of the fair and learnedMargherita Pia of Carpi, a beloved friend and cousin of the Esteprincesses, were prominent figures at the Milanese court. But the mostfamous and popular of all the brothers was Galeazzo. This brilliant andaccomplished cavalier, who was to play so great a part at the Milanesecourt, early attracted the notice of Lodovico by his personal charm andrare skill in knightly exercises. As a rider and jouster, he was withouta rival. Wherever he entered the lists, at Milan or Venice, at Ferraraor Urbino, he invariably carried off the prize, and was proclaimedvictor in the games. And to this prowess in courtly exercises he joineda love of art and learning which especially commended him to the Moro. Unlike his brother Captain Fracassa, who refused Caterina Sforza'sinvitation to join in dance and song, saying that war was his trade andhe sought no other, Galeazzo was a model of courtesy and grace. All fairladies had a smile for him. Isabella d'Este and Elisabetta Gonzagahonoured him with their friendship, and Beatrice d'Este found in him thetruest of friends and best of servants. Three kings of France, CharlesVIII. , Louis XII. , and Francis I. , singled him out for specialdistinction, and after enjoying the highest honour at Lodovico Sforza'scourt, he lived to become Grand Ecuyer of France in the next century. French Italian chroniclers alike own the fascination of his handsomepresence and extol the _gentilezza_ of this very perfect knight. Leonardo da Vinci and Luca Pacioli the mathematician had in him a noble, generous patron, and Baldassare Castiglione, who knew him in his youthat Milan, has enshrined his memory in the pages of his "Cortigiano. " Itwas this rare union of qualities which endeared the young Sanseverino tothe Moro, who chose him for his intimate friend and companion. On hisreturn from his successful campaign against the Forli rebels, Lodovicoappointed him Captain-general of the Milanese armies, a step whichnaturally excited great jealousy among his rivals, and mortally woundedthe pride of Messer Gian Giacomo Trivulzio, an older captain in the sameservice. Short of stature and rude of speech, with the big nose andrugged features that are familiar to us in Caradosso's medal, this ablesoldier presented a curious contrast to the brilliant and courtly MesserGaleazzo, whose rival he remained to the end of his life. Yet he knewhow to appreciate genius, and after his triumphant return to Milan in1499, employed Leonardo to paint his portrait and design his tomb. Although a Guelph by birth, Trivulzio, up to this time, had been one ofLodovico's most active supporters. But when he saw a younger rivalpreferred to him, he left Milan in disgust and retired to Naples, wherehe entered King Ferrante's service, and became from that time a bitterenemy of the Sforza's. Meanwhile the Moro loaded his favourite Galeazzowith honours and rewards. He gave him the fine estate of Castelnuovo inthe Tortonese, which had once belonged to his father, the greatCondottiere Roberto, as well as a house in Pavia near the church of SanFrancesco and a palace in Milan, near the Porta Vercellina, and allowedhim to build a villa and extensive stables in the park of the Castello. As a last and crowning honour, he bestowed upon this fortunate youth thehand of his illegitimate daughter Bianca, a beautiful and attractivechild to whom he was fondly attached. Of her mother we have no certainknowledge, but she is generally supposed to have been some mistress oflow origin, and Bianca herself is described by a contemporary writer as"_figlia ex pellice nata_. " The wedding was solemnized with greatsplendour in the chapel of the Castello di Pavia, on the last day of theyear 1489, but the young princess was still a child, and Galeazzo had towait five years before he took home his bride. After his marriage headopted the name of Sforza Visconti, and was treated by Lodovico as amember of his family. 

Another wedding which took place about this time was that of the youngduke, Gian Galeazzo. He had already entered his twentieth year, and thePrincess Isabella of Aragon, to whom he had been betrothed in hisfather's lifetime, was turned eighteen, so that the marriage could nolonger be delayed. In November, 1488, his brother Ermes was sent toNaples with a suite of four hundred persons, who entered King Ferrante'scapital sumptuously arrayed in silk brocade, and amazed even hisluxurious courtiers by the splendour of their gold chains and jewelledplumes. At least Isabella's father, Alfonso, who had little love for hisbrother-in-law, and had already found Lodovico more than a match for hisown cunning, could not complain that his daughter had not beenhonourably treated. After a rough passage in the depth of winter, whichsorely tried the patience of the court poet Bellincioni, who was amember of the Milanese suite, the bride landed on the 7th of February, and travelled by land to Genoa and Tortona. There her bridegroom, theyoung Duke of Milan, was awaiting her, with his uncle Lodovico, and abanquet as memorable for ingenuity as for splendour was given in herhonour. Each course was introduced by some mythological personage. Jasonappeared with the golden fleece, Phoebus Apollo brought in a calf stolenfrom the herds of Admetus, Diana led Actæon in the form of a stag, Atalanta followed with the wild boar of Calydon, Iris came with apeacock from the car of Juno, and Orpheus carried in the birds whom hehad charmed with his lute. Hebe poured out the wines, Vertumnus andPomona handed round apples and grapes, Thetis and her sea-nymphs broughtevery variety of fish, and shepherds crowned with chaplets of ivyarrived from the hills of Arcady, bearing jars of milk and honey to thefestive board. At Milan fresh wonders were awaiting the bridal pair. Thecourt of the Castello was hung with blue drapery and wreaths of laureland ivy, above which the ducal arms, designed in antique style, wereseen, supported by figures of Centaurs. Under a seven-columned porticoadorned with crimson-and-gold hangings, the duke's sister, Bianca MariaSforza, received the bride, and led her to a richly decorated chamber inthe Camera della Torre. On the following day the wedding was solemnizedwith great pomp in the Duomo. The duke and duchess, clad in white, walked hand-in-hand up the great aisles of the church, and finally, wereescorted to the rooms prepared for them in the Rocca, and after theMilanese fashion, hung with pure white satin. But the most memorablepart of the wedding festivities, and that to which Lodovico himselfdevoted especial attention, was the performance of an operetta composedby the court poet Bellincioni for the occasion. "It was called _IlParadiso_" adds the chronicler to whom we owe these details, "becauseMaestro Leonardo Vinci, the Florentine, had with great art and ingenuityfabricated a paradise or celestial sphere, in which the seven planetswere represented by actors in costumes similar to those described bythose poets of old, who each in turn spoke the praise of DuchessIsabella. "

The festivities were interrupted by the illness of the young duke, whowas so much exhausted by the fatigues of these successiveentertainments, that he was unable to leave his bed for some weeks. Butin the following summer two splendid tournaments were held at Pavia, atwhich Messer Galeazzo, as Sanseverino is always styled in Milaneseannals, appeared with twenty followers in golden armour, mounted onchargers with gold trappings and harness, and, having unhorsed no lessthan nineteen of his opponents, bore off the first prize, a length ofcostly silver brocade. The duke and duchess were present with theirwhole court, but the Ferrarese ambassador remarked that the crowd allshouted, "Moro! Moro!" and that Signor Lodovico was by far the mostpopular personage with the citizens of Pavia. 

"He is a great man, and intends to be what he is in factalready--everything!" he wrote in his despatches to Ferrara. "And yetwho knows? In a short time he may be nobody. "

Gian Galeazzo, however, showed no signs of interfering with his uncle inthe management of public affairs. On the contrary, he gave full rein tohis pleasure-loving tastes, seldom came to Milan, and spent his days atPavia or Vigevano in the company of his young wife and a few favourites. Duchess Isabella, as time showed, was a woman of strong character anddeep feeling, but she never seemed to have acquired any influence overher feeble husband, and found herself powerless to arouse him to anysense of his position, "_La dicte fille_" says Commines, "_etoit fortcourageuse et eut volontier donné crédit à son mary, si elle eut pu, mais il n'etoit guère saige et révélait ce qu'elle lui disait_. "Lodovico treated both his nephew and niece with the utmost respect, anddiscussed the situation freely with the Florentine ambassadorPandolfini, saying that King Ferrante's envoy had lately gone so far asto suggest that, since this young man could never rule for himself, hisuncle might as well assume the title, as well as the cares, of the headof the state. But this, Lodovico declared, was a crime of which he wouldnever be guilty. "If I were to attempt such a thing, " he exclaimed, "Ishould be infamous in the eyes of the whole world!"

For the present the sense of power, the knowledge that he was the actualruler, sufficed him, and, as the King of Naples himself recognized, noone could have governed Milan more wisely or well than Lodovico did inhis nephew's name. The birth of Duchess Isabella's son, in December, 1490, may have been a blow to his hopes. But the happy event wascelebrated with due rejoicings, the costly presents from the city ofMilan and court officials were displayed in the Castello, and the infantheir of the house of Sforza received the name of his renownedgreat-grandfather, Francesco, together with the title of Count of Pavia. 

Meanwhile Lodovico felt that it was time to think of his own marriage, and to keep the troth which he had pledged to the child-princess ofEste. His actions, as he well knew, were narrowly watched at the courtof Ferrara. Duchess Leonora was beginning to feel anxious about herdaughter's future, and the marriage of Anna Sforza with young Alfonsod'Este had also to be arranged. Accordingly in May, 1489, when the Dukeof Milan's wedding was safely over, the Ferrarese envoy Giacomo Trottiwas sent back to his master duly acquainted with Signor Lodovico'swishes and intentions respecting these important matters. 

On the 10th of May, the articles of the marriage contract were finallydrawn up and signed at the Castello of Ferrara. They were on the samebasis as the marriage treaties which had lately been drawn up betweenthe Marquis Mantua and Isabella d'Este and the Duke and Duchess ofMilan. Lodovico was to receive 40, 000 gold crowns and 2000 more injewels as Beatrice's portion. A sum equal to three-parts of the bride'sdower was to be chargeable on the goods and lands of Signor Lodovico. Ifthe most illustrious Madonna were to die without children, this dowrywas to be returned, as was stipulated in the case of the Duchess ofMilan. With regard to the choice and arrangement of the bride'shousehold, and the number of her women, Lodovico was content to leaveall particulars to the Duke and Duchess of Ferrara, trusting to theirgoodness and prudence to settle all these matters on a scale suitable tothe birth and rank of a princess of this illustrious house. But heespecially begged Duke Ercole to see that Madonna Beatrice was wellsupplied with clothes and other necessary articles of toilet fitting theposition which she would occupy at Milan as wife of the Duke of Bari andRegent of the State. Last of all, the date of the marriage waspositively fixed for the month of May, 1490, Lodovico promising todefray all the expenses of the wedding festivities. At the same time itwas also decided that Madonna Anna's marriage should take place in July, 1490, by which time Signor Alfonso would have completed his fourteenthyear, and the sum due to Messer Lodovico for Beatrice's dowry was to bededucted from that of his niece, who, as a princess of Milan, was toreceive a portion of 100, 000 crowns. 

So Beatrice d'Este's wedding-day was at length fixed, and DuchessLeonora rejoiced in the happy prospect of seeing both her daughtersmarried in the course of the following year. 

CHAPTER V

Marriage of Isabella d'Este--Lodovico puts off his wedding--CeciliaGallerani--Her portrait by Leonardo da Vinci--Mission of GaleazzoVisconti to Ferrara--Preparations for Beatrice's wedding--CristoforoRomano's bust--Duchess Leonora and her daughters travel to Piacenza andPavia--Their reception at Pavia by Lodovico. 

1490-1491

The young Marquis of Mantua, Gian Francesco Gonzaga, had proved himselfa more ardent lover than Lodovico Sforza. He frequently exchangedletters and compliments with his youthful bride, or sent Isabellapresents and verses written in her honour by Mantuan poets. After hisfather's death in 1484, he visited Mantua, and brought Duchess Leonora aMadonna painted by the hand of the great Paduan master, Andrea Mantegna, the court painter of the Gonzagas. In the autumn of the same year, Leonora took her daughter to Mantua for a short visit, where she firstmet Gian Francesco's sister, Elizabeth Duchess of Urbino, who was tobecome her dearest friend and constant companion in the early days ofher married life. Four years afterwards, the same Elizabeth, thepeerless Duchess of Castiglione and Bembo's adoration, stopped atFerrara on her wedding journey to her new home of Urbino, and receivedan affectionate welcome from Leonora and her daughters. The duchess, shewrote, treated her as a mother, while in the Marchesana she had alreadyfound a loving sister and friend. On the 11th of February, 1490, Isabella's own wedding was celebrated at Ferrara, and the followingmorning the bride rode through the streets of the city, with the Duke ofUrbino on her right and the Ambassador of Naples on her left hand. Onthe 12th, the bride set out for Mantua, travelling by water up theriver Po in a stately bucentaur presented to Isabella by Duke Ercole, adorned with rich carving and gilding. Her parents and three brothers, Alfonso, Ferrante, and the boy Ippolito, afterwards well known asAriosto's patron, Cardinal d'Este, with a large suite, accompanied herto the gates of Mantua, where a magnificent reception awaited her. Theyoung marquis had made great preparations to welcome his bride, and, after the fashion of the days, had borrowed gold and silver plate, carpets, and hangings from all his friends and relations, including thefamous tapestries of the Trojan war, which were the chief ornaments ofthe palace of Urbino. The _fêtes_ passed off brilliantly, the crowdswhich assembled in the streets of Mantua were enormous, and the utmostenthusiasm was excited by the youth and loveliness of the bride. Theonly drawback was the absence of Mantegna, whom Pope Innocent haddetained in Rome, in spite of his master's urgent request that thepainter might return in time to arrange the wedding festivities. 

The void which Isabella left in her old home was keenly felt alike byher mother and sister. The duchess could not console herself for herdaughter's absence, and after spending a delightful week with hersister-in-law Elizabeth on the lake of Garda, among the lemon-groves andgardens of those sunny shores, Isabella and her husband returned toFerrara in April. Here she found that Beatrice's marriage had been againput off by Signor Lodovico's wish until the summer, and Isabella agreedto return to Ferrara early in July, and accompany her mother and sisterto Milan. But when July came and the young marchioness reached Ferrara, she found to her surprise that all these plans had been suddenlychanged. Lodovico had once more found it impossible to keep hisengagement, and pleaded urgent public affairs and unavoidable pressureof business to excuse his apparent apathy. This time the duke andduchess were seriously annoyed, and began to doubt if Lodovico everintended to wed their daughter. The question was gravely discussedduring Isabella's visit, and a messenger from Milan suddenly reachedFerrara late one evening. It was no other than Messer Galeazzo Visconti, one of Lodovico's most trusted envoys, who had ridden from Milan ingreat haste, with letters from his lord. The contents of these lettersremained unknown. One thing only was clear: they gave the duke greatdissatisfaction. And Messer Galeazzo departed the next day, as quicklyas he came. "I have tried in vain, " wrote Benedetto Capilupi, theMarquis of Mantua's agent at Ferrara, "to discover the reason of allthese disturbances. Every one is out of temper, and the duke seems to bevery much displeased. M. Galeazzo has left suddenly. "

Isabella returned to join her husband at Mantua, leaving affairs in thisunsatisfactory state. Beatrice's wedding seemed further off than ever, and doubts as to her union with Signor Lodovico began to be openlyexpressed. It was well known at Ferrara, where everything that happenedat the court of Milan was minutely reported to Duke Ercole by hisfaithful envoy, Giacomo Trotti, that Lodovico Sforza had a mistress towhom he was fondly attached, and whom he had for many years past treatedwith the respect and honour due to a wife. This was Cecilia Gallerani, afterwards the wife of Count Lodovico Bergamini, a young Milanese ladyof noble birth, as distinguished for her learning as for her beauty. Shespoke and wrote Latin fluently, composed sonnets in Italian, anddelivered Latin orations to the theologians and philosophers who met ather house. Contemporary writings abound in allusions to the rare virtuesand learning of "la bella Gallerani, " the Sappho of modern times. Scaligero wrote epigrams in her honour, Ortensio Lando classes her withIsabella d'Este and Vittoria Colonna among the most cultured women ofthe age. The novelist Matteo Bandello, himself a friar of the Dominicanconvent of S. Maria delle Grazie at Milan, is never tired of singingCecilia's praises, and of describing the pleasant company who met at thecountess's palace in Milan or at her villa near Cremona. There, he tellsus, all the finest wits, all the most distinguished strangers in Milanassemble, and you may hear valiant captains reasoning with doctors andphilosophers, or look at paintings and designs by living artists andarchitects, and listen to the playing and singing of the best musicians. As a young girl, Cecilia's charms captured the heart of the Moro, who, as early as 1481, bestowed the estate of Saronno, which he had inheritedfrom his brother Sforza, upon her by a deed of gift, in which heextolled her learning and excellence, and at the same time recalled themerits and services of her ancestors. Soon after Leonardo da Vinci'sarrival in Milan, Lodovico employed him to paint the portrait of hisfair young mistress, and we have more than one proof of the admirationwhich the Florentine master's work excited among his contemporaries. Inthe _Rime_ of the court-poet, Bellincioni, we find the following sonnetevidently inspired by this picture and bearing the inscription: "On theportrait of Madonna Cecilia, painted by Maestro Leonardo. " The poetseeks to appease Dame Nature's wrath at the sight of this portrait, inwhich the painter has represented the lovely maiden "listening, notspeaking, " but so full of life and radiance, that the sun's beams growdim before the brightness of her eyes. And instead of envying art, hebids her rejoice that this living image of so beautiful a form will behanded down to future ages, and give thanks to Lodovico's wisdom andLeonardo's genius for having preserved this fair face to be the joy andwonder of posterity. "Thine, O Nature, " he cries, "is the honour! themore living and beautiful Cecilia shall appear in the eyes ofgenerations to come, the greater will be thy glory! For long as theworld endures, all who see her face will recognize in Leonardo's workthe close union of Art and Nature. "

 "Che lei vedrà, così ben che sia tardo, Vederla viva, dirà: basti ad noi Comprender or quel che è natura et arte. "

On the 26th of April, 1498, a year after Beatrice d'Este's death, hersister the Marchioness Isabella herself wrote to the Countess Bergaminifrom Mantua, begging her for the loan of the portrait which Leonardo hadpainted of her and which she had formerly seen in Milan. "Having to-dayseen some fine portraits by the hand of Giovanni Bellini, we began todiscuss the works of Leonardo, and wished we could compare them withthese paintings. And since we remember that he painted your likeness; webeg you to be so good as to send us your portrait by this messenger whomwe have despatched on horseback, so that we may not only be able tocompare the works of the two masters, but may also have the pleasure ofseeing your face again. The picture shall be returned to youafterwards, with our most grateful thanks for your kindness, andassuring you of our own readiness to oblige you to the utmost of ourpower, etc. 

 "ISABELLA D'ESTE. 

From Mantua. "

Cecilia sent the precious picture by the courier to Mantua, with thefollowing note in reply:--

"MOST ILLUSTRIOUS AND EXCELLENT MADONNA AND VERY DEAR LADY, "I have read your Highness's letter, and since you wish to see myportrait I send it without delay, and would send it with even greaterpleasure if it were more like me. But your Highness must not think thisproceeds from any defect in the _Maestro_ himself, for indeed I do notbelieve there is another painter equal to him in the world, but merelybecause the portrait was painted when I was still at so young andimperfect an age. Since then I have changed altogether, so much so thatif you saw the picture and myself together, you would never dream itcould be meant for me! All the same, your Highness will, I hope, acceptthis proof of my good-will, and believe that I am ready and anxious togratify your wishes, not only in respect to the portrait, but in anyother way that I can, since I am ever Your Highness's most devoted slaveand commend myself to you a thousand times. 

 "Your Highness's servant, CECILIA VISCONTA BERGAMINA, [3]

From Milan, the 29th of April, 1498. "

Since that day when the great Florentine first painted her, CeciliaGallerani had developed into a handsome matron, and as Lodovico Sforza'srecognized mistress she enjoyed a position of great honour at court. Forsome years she occupied a suite of rooms in the Castello of Milan, whereher lover constantly visited her and took the greatest delight in hercompany. His passion for this beautiful and intellectual woman onlyseemed to increase 108 with years. She had already borne him one son, the Leone, whom he was known to love so well that his courtiers did notdare tell him the sad news when the child died suddenly in 1487. TheDuke of Bari, it was even said, intended ere long to make her his lawfulwife, and thus to render her future issue legitimate. 

Under these circumstances, it can hardly be wondered if Lodovico Sforzashowed some reluctance in keeping the troth which he had plighted to theyoung princess of Este, while Duke Ercole's vexation was the morepardonable. For a time it seemed as if a rupture between the two houseswas inevitable, and all thought of a union between them must beabandoned. But soon a change came over Il Moro's dream. The difficultiesin the way of a closer union with Cecilia Gallerani were great, and mustinvariably lead to jealousies and quarrels of a serious order. His ownposition in Milan would be endangered, and fresh hindrances placed inthe way of his future designs. At the same time, the alliances withFerrara and Mantua were both of great importance to the state, and couldnot be lightly thrown away. So he determined to sacrifice hisinclinations to political exigencies, and make Beatrice d'Este his wife. 

Accordingly, at the end of August he sent another ambassador, Francescoda Casate, to Ferrara with a magnificent gift for his bride, in theshape of a necklace of large pearls set in gold flowers, with a veryfine pear-shaped pendant of rubies, pearls, and emeralds. This costlyjewel was duly presented to Beatrice in the name of her affiancedhusband, and Duchess Leonora wrote forthwith to give her daughterIsabella the good news, informing her that Signor Lodovico hoped shewould accompany her mother and sister to Milan that autumn for thewedding. The young marchioness was delighted to accept this invitation, and in the course of a few days she paid another visit to Ferrara, toassist in the preparations for her sister's marriage. Messer GaleazzoVisconti was sent there again to learn the duke and duchess's pleasureas to their daughter's journey, and, after making the finalarrangements, left Ferrara on the 26th of November. The bride'sdeparture was fixed for the last day of the year, and the wedding, itwas decided, should take place in the chapel of the Castello of Pavia onthe 16th of January. 

Isabella hurried to Mantua to buy horses and clothes, jewels and platefor her journey, and announced her intention of taking upwards of onehundred persons in her suite, with ninety horses and trumpeters. Afterwards, however, she reduced the number to fifty persons and thirtyhorses at the request of Lodovico, who begged her to bring as fewattendants as possible, owing to the large number of guests who wereexpected at Milan. Her husband, the Marquis Gianfrancesco, had naturallybeen included in the invitation, but as a close ally of the Venetians hedid not think it politic to appear at the wedding of Lodovico Sforza. The Signory of Venice were known to look coldly on this alliance betweenFerrara and Milan, and entertained the deepest distrust of Lodovico'spolicy. So Isabella decided to join her mother and sister on theirjourney up the river, and proceed with them to Pavia and ultimately toMilan. Meanwhile another emissary from Milan had arrived at Ferrara. This was the young sculptor, Cristoforo Romano, who was sent to SignorLodovico to carve a bust-portrait of his bride before she left herfather's home. The son of a Pisan sculptor who had settled in Rome, Cristoforo's genius had attracted attention when he was quite a boy, andhe had been sent to Milan by Cardinal Ascanio Sforza. The young Romanmaster was one of those brilliant and versatile artists who especiallycommended themselves to Lodovico. He sang and played the lute admirably, while his literary tastes made him the intimate friend of Bembo andCastiglione, and a great favourite with the cultured princesses ofMantua and Urbino. He takes a leading part in the dialogues of theCortigiano, and is frequently mentioned as worthy to rank with MichaelAngelo, whose fame he might have rivalled had he not suffered fromcontinual ill health. As it is, the few works which he left behind himare marked with singular grace and refinement. His bust of Beatrice, nowin the Louvre, where for many years it passed as the work of Leonardo, is at once remarkable for its truth and charm. The somewhat irregularfeatures of the maiden of fifteen years are admirably given, theroundness of her cheeks, the pouting lips and slightly _retroussé_ nose, and the curling locks are faithfully represented; yet we realize theforce of character that lies under this soft, child-like face, and thefrank joyousness which made her so attractive. Each stray lock of hairis rendered with delicate accuracy, the brocaded bodice of her gown andthe scarf lightly thrown over her shoulders are elaborately adorned withthe triangular diamond and other favourite devices of the house of Este. The quaint figure of the two hands holding a veil, from whichfertilizing dust falls on the open flower, is supposed to be an emblemof marriage, and is said to signify that Beatrice was already anaffianced bride. But since the words "Herculis filiæ" are cut in themarble, it is plain that Cristoforo carved the bust while the youngduchess was still in her father's home, and probably took it home withhim that autumn to Milan. 

That year the winter set in with unusual severity. The bitter frost andcold which man and beast endured that January were long remembered, bothin Mantua and Ferrara. On Christmas night it began to snow, and so heavyand continuous was the fall, that by noon on the next day the snow laythree feet deep in front of the Vescovado, or Bishop's house, oppositethe Este palace. The Po was frozen over, and the ice on the river neverthawed until the first week in February, while the snow lasted till the12th of March, and some patches might still be seen in the streets ofFerrara on the 20th of that month. 

In the midst of these unwonted rigours, the wedding-party set out ontheir long journey. The royal brides of these days seem to have beensingularly unlucky in the matter of weather. For one thing, they alwaystravelled in the depths of winter. Elizabeth Gonzaga almost died ofexhaustion after the sufferings of her journey from Mantua to Urbino ina violent tempest, which kept her ship tossing on the waves of the Pofor several days and nights. The fleet which conveyed Isabella and herescort from Naples to Leghorn, narrowly escaped shipwreck off the coastof Tuscany. Bianca Sforza had to ride in December over the roughestroads across the Alps of the Valtellina, to join her Imperial lord atInnsbrück. And now Leonora and her daughters were called upon to bravethe terrors of an Arctic winter on their way to Milan. 

"On the 29th of December, 1490, " writes the diarist of Ferrara, "Madonna Beatrice, daughter of Duke Ercole, went to Milan to marrySignor Lodovico Sforza, accompanied by her mother, Leonora Duchess ofFerrara; and also by Messer Sigismondo, her uncle"--the duke's youngerbrother, Cardinal d'Este--"and her brother, Don Alfonso, who went tobring home his bride, Madonna Anna, sister of the Duke of Milan anddaughter of Galeazzo, and he rode in a sledge because the Po wasfrozen. "[4]

The ladies of the party travelled in rude country carts--"_carrette_"--asfar as Brescello, where the Po was navigable, and they were able tocontinue their journey by water to Pavia. Here Messer Galeazzo Viscontiwas awaiting them with a fleet of boats and three bucentaurs, by whichpompous name the rude barges in which these high-born personages travelledwere glorified. The many discomforts and the actual cold and hunger whichthe Este ladies endured during the five days which they spent on boardthese vessels are graphically described in a letter addressed to Isabella'shusband by her Ferrarese lady-in-waiting, Beatrice de' Contrari, after thetravellers had reached Pavia. The boat which bore the provisions for theparty was delayed by stress of weather, so that the travellers were leftwith but scanty breakfast and no dinner. When at length they anchored nearthe shore of Toresella at three o'clock at night, the Marchesana and herladies were in a starving condition. "If it had not been for the timelyhelp of Madonna Camilla, who sent us part of her supper from her barge, Ifor one, " writes the lively lady-in-waiting, "should have certainly beenby this time a saint in Paradise. " As for going to bed, all wish forsleep was put out of their heads by the rocking of the ship and theuncomfortable berths, and the poor Marchesana was so cold and wretchedwithout a fire that she wished herself dead, and her lady-in-waitingcould not keep back her tears. However, at length these miseries wereended, Piacenza was safely reached, on the 12th of January, and theroyal ladies and their companions were hospitably entertained by CountBartolommeo Scotti, and enjoyed the luxury of warm fires and comfortablebeds!

"And now that we have arrived, " wrote Beatrice de' Contrari to her lord, the marquis, "and are beginning to enjoy these weddings for the sake ofwhich we have suffered so many discomforts, I am thinking seriously ofmaking my last will and testament. "[5]

After a day's rest at Piacenza, the bridal party continued their journeyup the river, and reached Pavia at half-past four on Sunday afternoon. Here Signor Lodovico was awaiting them on the banks of the river Ticino, which joins the Po a few hundred yards below the city, with a gallantcompany of Milanese lords and gentlemen, and himself conducted firstBeatrice and then her mother and sister to the shore. Together they rodeon horseback over the covered bridge which spans the river, and passedthrough the long streets until they reached the goal of their journey, and entered the gates of the far-famed Castello of Pavia. 

FOOTNOTES:

[3] G. Uzielli, _Leonardo da Vinci e Tre Gentil donne Milanesi_, p. 23. 

[4] A Muratori, R. I. S. , xxiv. 282. 

[5] Luzio-Renier in A. S. L. , xvii. 85. 

CHAPTER VI

City and University of Pavia--Duomo and Castello--The library of theCastello--Wedding of Lodovico Sforza, Duke of Bari, and Beatrice d'Este, in the chapel of the Castello of Pavia--Galeazzo di San Severino andOrlando--Reception of the bride in Milan--Tournaments and festivities atthe Castello--Visit of Duchess Leonora to the Certosa of Pavia. 

1491

The ancient city of Pavia, the capital of the Lombard kings before theconquest of Charlemagne, still presents a picturesque and imposingappearance to the traveller, who sees the red-brick walls and gates ofthe old fortifications and the slender bell-towers of its Romanesquechurches rising out of the green plains on the banks of the broad andswift Ticino. But it was a far grander and more beautiful sight in thedays when Lodovico Sforza's bride landed near the chapel on the bridge, and in the fading light of the short winter afternoon rode at his sidethrough the chief streets of the old Lombard capital, or, as it wasproudly called, the city of a hundred towers. On the princely cavalcadewound, amid a dense crowd of people shouting, "_Moro! Moro!_" up thelong Strada Nova, with its marble palaces, and newly painted loggiasadorned with busts and frescoes, in front of the stately _Ateneo_ withits halls and porticoes for the different schools, which had thereputation of being the finest university in all Italy, and past therising walls of the new Duomo which Lodovico was building on the site ofthe ruined basilica of Charlemagne's time. A few months before, therenowned Sienese architect, Francesco Martini, had arrived at Pavia onhorseback to give his advice as to the cupola of the new cathedral, accompanied by His Excellency's servant, Magistro Leonardo, theFlorentine, and a vast train of servants, and had been entertained atthe public expense. Martini had soon left again for Milan, after givingthe architect of the Duomo, Bramante's pupil Cristoforo Rocchi, thebenefit of his advice, and promising to send him a model of the cupola;but Leonardo had remained at Pavia all the summer and autumn, turningover old manuscripts in the library of the Castello, and discussinganatomical problems with the professors and surgeons of the university, until a peremptory summons had reached him from the governor of theCastello at Milan, desiring him to return immediately and assist indecorating the ball-room for the wedding _fêtes_. Another visitor, acitizen of Beatrice's own city of Ferrara, had also been at Pavia a fewmonths before--the Dominican friar, Girolamo Savonarola, who had visitedthe Certosa and Castello of Pavia on his way from Brescia to preach atGenoa, before he was summoned at Pico della Mirandola's request to beginhis famous course of Lent sermons in St. Mark's of Florence. But now theduke's painter and the humble friar had both gone their separate ways, Fra Girolamo to startle the scholars of the Medici circle with histhunders, and Leonardo to paint cupids in the halls of the Castello atMilan, and to resume his labours at the great equestrian statue ofFrancesco Sforza, which Signor Lodovico was longing to see finished. Allunconscious of their existence, the young bride of the powerful regentrode at her lord's side and entered the wide courtyard through the greatgateway, under the lofty towers of the famous Castello which for over ahundred and fifty years had been the home of Viscontis and Sforzas. 

After the cold and fatigue of the long journey in this snowy winterseason, the bridal party were thankful to reach the end of their journeyand to enjoy a day's rest before the wedding ceremony, which, afterconsultation with Messer Ambrogio da Rosate, the chief court physicianand astrologer, had been fixed for Tuesday, the 17th of January, thisbeing the day of Mars, and therefore especially propitious for themarriage of a lord, who above all things desired the birth of a son. Throughout his life Il Moro, like many of his contemporaries, had ablind belief in the stars, and placed the most implicit confidence inMesser Ambrogio, who was said to have saved his life during hisdangerous illness at Vigevano three years before, and who had beenlately called upon to cast the horoscope of Pope Innocent VIII. At theearnest entreaty of His Holiness. "Maestro Ambrogio has been suddenlycalled to fly to Vigevano, " wrote Giacomo Trotti to Ferrara one day in1489, "because he is a professor of astrology, by which this excellentSignor orders all his actions. " The date of Lodovico's journeys, thehour of all important court ceremonies, and even the movements of hisarmies in time of war, were regulated by the course of the stars. MesserAmbrogio, consequently, became a most important personage at the courtof Milan. "Without him, " wrote Beatrice's maid of honour to theMarchioness Isabella, "nothing can be done here. "

The beautiful park and gardens at Pavia lay deep in snow, their lakesand fountains were all frozen over, but there was plenty to interest andamuse the visitors within the walls of this great Castello, of whichthey had heard so much, and which was said to be the grandest of royalhouses in the whole of Europe. Three or four generations of masters hadbeen employed by successive Visconti dukes to rear this glorious fabric, which in its palmy days must have been a noble monument of Lombardarchitecture. The long colonnades of low round arches went back toRomanesque days and the times of the first Visconti lords of Pavia; theGothic windows of the banqueting-hall and upper stories had beenfinished in the reign of the great Giangaleazzo, and were enriched withslender marble shafts and exquisite terra-cotta mouldings similar tothose that we admire to-day in the cloisters of the Certosa. The vaultedhalls were painted with the finest ultramarine and gold, and the arms ofSforzas and Viscontis, the lilies of France and the red cross of Savoy, appeared on the groined roof between planets and stars of raised gold. The vast Sala della Palla, where the dukes and their courtiers indulgedin their favourite pastime of "pall-mall, " which Burckhardt calls theclassic game of the Renaissance, was decorated with frescoes by the bestartists of Pavia or Cremona, representing fishing and hunting scenes. Portraits of the dukes and duchesses were introduced, together withlions and tigers, wild boars and stags flying before the hounds, in theforest shades or on the open moor. The ball-room was adorned withhistoric subjects from the lives of the earlier Viscontis. The poetPetrarch, who had once filled a chair in the university, was seendelivering an oration before the duke; and Giangaleazzo, the founder ofthe Duomo of Milan and of the Certosa, was represented seated at afestive board laden with gold and silver plate, entertaining foreignambassadors, with his armour-bearer standing at his side, and hiscupbearer pouring out the wine, while huntsmen and falconers with horsesand dogs awaited his pleasure. Of later date were the frescoes in theduchess's rooms, representing the marriage of Galeazzo Sforza at theFrench court and the reception of Bona of Savoy at Genoa, while thepaintings which adorned the chapel had only lately been completed byVincenzo Foppa and Bonifazio da Cremona. 

Signor Lodovico was very proud, as he might well be, of this hisancestral home, and of the famous library which he had done so much toimprove. He led his guests from room to room, and showed them all therare and curious objects--the armoury with its store of ancient coats ofmail and hauberks, of swords and helmets of ancient design, and itschoice specimens of the engraved and damascened work; the breastplatesand greaves that were a _specialité_ of Milanese armourers at thisperiod; the wonderful clock of copper and brass worked by wheels andweights, upon which Giovanni Dondi had spent sixteen years of ceaselessthought and toil, and which not only had a peal of bells, but a completesolar system, showing the movement of sun, moon, and planets as setforth by Ptolemy. After Dondi's death, Duke Galeazzo had to send toParis for a clockmaker who could regulate the works of this elaboratemachine, which was so much admired by Charles V. When he visited Paviain 1530, that he commissioned a mechanician of Cremona to make a similarone for him to take back to Spain. And Messer Lodovico showed them alsowhat he himself held to be his greatest treasures--the precious booksadorned by exquisite miniatures from the hand of Fra Antonio da Monzaand other living artists, the Sforziada and the Chant de Roland, and therare Greek and Latin manuscripts which he had been at such infinitepains to collect; the _codici_ brought from Bobbio by Giorgio Merula, and the manuscripts which Erasmo Brasca had discovered when _Il Moro_sent him to search for missing texts in the convents of the South ofFrance. For Lodovico himself spared no expense and grudged no time ortrouble in order to enrich what he felt to be a great nationalinstitution. Two years before he had addressed a letter to the son ofMatthias Corvinus, King of Hungary--the prince who was to have weddedBianca Sforza--begging him to have a rare manuscript by Festus Pompeiuscopied for him, and deploring the "decay of the knowledge of the Latintongue in Italy, and the loss of so many priceless classical works whichthe barbarians have carried away. "

The sight of these precious and varied treasures were fully appreciatedby the cultivated Duchess Leonora, who had grown up among the scholarsof her royal father's academy at Naples, and by her daughter, theaccomplished Marchesana Isabella, ever eager, as she says in one of herletters, to see and learn some new thing, "_desiderosa di cosa nova_. "And Signor Lodovico proved himself the most courteous and pleasant ofhosts, conversing with graceful ease on a thousand subjects, andgratifying his new sister-in-law by the marked attention and courtesywith which he treated her. 

"I find myself highly honoured and caressed by Signor Lodovico, " shewrote to her husband from Pavia; and the discerning eyes of theFerrarese ambassador, Giacomo Trotti, noticed how much pleasure HisExcellency already took in the company of Madonna Beatrice and theMarchesana. On that first day which they spent together at the Castello, Trotti wrote to Duke Ercole, "Signor Lodovico is always at his wife'sside, speaking to her and watching her most attentively. And he tells methat it would be impossible for her to give him greater pleasure orsatisfaction than she does, and never ceases to praise her. "

The first impression which the youthful bride made on her husband wasevidently favourable. By all accounts, Beatrice was a singularly lovelyand fascinating child. Without the regular features and distinguishedair of her sister Isabella, there was a distinct charm in her sparklingdark eyes and jet-black hair, her bright colouring and gay smile. Thecontemporary chronicler Muralti describes her in his Annals as "ofyouthful age, beautiful in face, and dark in colouring, fond ofinventing new costumes, and of spending day and night in song anddancing and all manner of delights. " In these early days at Pavia andMilan there was, indeed, Trotti tells us, a certain shyness and reserveabout her that was only natural and might well be ascribed to maidenshyness and timidity, but in the freedom and gaiety of her new life thissoon gave way to the irrepressible mirth and joyousness of youthfulvivacity. From the first she seems to have become sincerely attached toLodovico, who, although considerably older than herself, and alreadythirty-nine years of age, was a very handsome and splendid-looking man, of imposing stature and striking countenance, with courteous manners andgentle ways. And however often he may have excited her jealousy orwounded her feelings, his young wife never wavered in her love for him, but proved, as he himself confessed, the best and most devoted ofcompanions. 

On Tuesday, the 17th of January, the long-delayed wedding finally tookplace, in the Castello of Pavia. A small but very brilliant company wasassembled that day in the ancient chapel of the Visconti. The officialfestivities were to be celebrated at Milan, where the duke and duchessand their court were awaiting the bride's arrival, and the Ferrareseambassador was the only foreign envoy present at the wedding. ButLodovico's personal friends and retainers mustered in force, as well asthose captains and courtiers who could claim kinship with the house ofEste. Niccolo da Correggio was there, as one nearly related to bothbride and bridegroom, and was universally pronounced to be thehandsomest and best dressed of all the cavaliers who were present thatday. There, too, was Galeotto Prince of Mirandola, the husband of thegifted Bianca d'Este, and Rodolfo Gonzaga, the Marquis of Mantua'suncle, and, conspicuous by their lofty stature and martial air, the fourSanseverino brothers. 

The bride, arrayed in a white robe sown with pearls and glittering withjewels, was led to the altar by the Duchess of Ferrara and Marchionessof Mantua, supported by the young Don Alfonso, his uncle Sigismondo, and a select retinue of Ferrarese courtiers and ladies. It was rumouredthat the Marquis Gianfrancesco Gonzaga had himself been seen in thecrowd assembled in the courtyard of the Castello, and, much toIsabella's surprise, Lodovico asked the marchioness, at the banquetwhich followed, if this report were true. But Isabella could only replythat if her husband were at Pavia, she was unaware of the fact, and itwas not until the last day of the tournament at Milan that the marquisappeared in public. 

"The nuptial benediction was pronounced, and the act of espousalsconfirmed by the ring which Signor Lodovico placed on the bride'sfinger, and that night the marriage was consummated, " were the words ofthe official proclamation that was made in Milan the next day, and dulynotified to the magistrates of the different cities in the duchy as wellas to the duke's ambassadors at foreign courts. 

On the following morning Lodovico left for Milan, to complete thearrangements for the bride's reception early in the following week. Nothing, he was determined, should be left undone to do honour to hisnuptials or to make the occasion memorable both in the eyes of thepeople of Milan and throughout Italy. During the summer and autumnpreparations had been actively going on, and a whole army of painters, goldsmiths, and embroiderers were at work, decorating the suite of roomsin the Rocca, or inner citadel of the Castello of the Porta Giovia, adjoining the Corte Ducale, where the Moro and his bride were to take uptheir abode. "Here all hands are busy, " wrote the Ferrarese envoy to hismaster, "and Lodovico takes care that for the duchess nothing is done byhalves. " When the date of the wedding had been finally determined, everynerve was strained to complete the works within the Castello, and animperative summons was issued by Messer Ambrogio Ferrari, the chiefducal commissioner, to the governors of Cremona, Piacenza, and Pavia, commanding the immediate return of the painters who were absent in thesecities. Among the masters especially mentioned in these letters, we findthe names of Bernardino da Rossi, Zenale and Buttinone di Treviglio, Treso di Monza, and Magistro Leonardo. This was none other than thegreat Florentine, then absent at Pavia, who was required to give hisadvice, if not to assist, in the actual decoration of the _Sala dellapalla_ on the first floor of the Castello. The vaulted roof of thisspacious hall, which was to serve as ball-room on this occasion, waspainted in azure and gold to imitate the starry sky, while the wallswere hung with canvases representing the heroic deeds of the greatCondottiere, Francesco Sforza, whose glorious memory his son Lodovicowas always eager to celebrate. At the entrance of the hall, an effigy ofthe hero on horseback was placed under a triumphal arch, with aninscription recalling his greatness, and saying that by virtue of thesemighty exploits his children now triumph and hold festival in hishonour. 

At the same time, orders were sent in the duke's name to the seneschalsof the castles and towns between Pavia and Milan to see that the roadsand bridges were repaired and widened, in order that the bridal partymight be able to travel without hindrance or inconvenience. On the 18thof January, invitations were issued to the chief lords in the state, aswell as to those foreign princes who were connected by marriage with theSforza and Este families, the Marquis of Montferrat, the Marquis ofMantua, Giovanni Bentivoglio of Bologna, and others, requesting them tohonour with their presence a three-days' tournament to be held on thegreat _piazza_ in front of the Castello, during the last week inJanuary. 

While Lodovico was personally superintending the final arrangements, seeing that the last touches were given to the frescoes in the duchess's_Camerino_, or discussing to the masques and comedies that were to beperformed, with Bramante and Leonardo, his bride remained at Pavia withher family and friends. The princesses of Este were well content, fornot only were all the treasures of the Castello and library at theirdisposal, but they had the best of company in the person of MesserGaleazzo di Sanseverino, who had been charged by his father-in-law, Signor Lodovico, to supply his place during the interval of his enforcedabsence. And certainly no better squire of dames could have been foundthan this courteous and brilliant cavalier. He took Isabella andBeatrice out riding in the park, and showed them some of the beautiesof that wide domain, which in the French chronicler's eyes seemed morelike the garden of Eden than any earthly spot. They could not, it istrue, admire those flowery lawns watered by crystal streams, and grovesof plane and cypress and myrtle, which charmed the travellers from thenorth, and made Commines exclaim there was no other region in the worldas divinely beautiful as the Milanese land. But they could visit thepleasure-houses and pavilions in the gardens, and hunt the stags and reddeer that ran wild in the park. For their amusement Messer Galeazzo letfly some of those good falcons of his, with their jewelled hoods andsilver bells, and chased the herons and water-fowl along the lake, whilethe ducal huntsmen followed in their suits of green velvet embroideredwith gold, and blew their golden bugles. Indoors they laughed and sangtogether, and turned over the leaves of the illuminated missals or therare folios of the library. And as they talked of Messer MatteoBoiardo's famous new poem and of the old French romances, a livelydiscussion over the respective merits of the paladins, Roland andRinaldo di Montalbano arose between the two princesses on the one hand, and Messer Galeazzo on the other. Isabella and Beatrice were all infavour of the knight of Montalbano as the type of Italian chivalry, while Sanseverino, who had kinsmen at the court of France and tookdelight in French costumes and French literature, was as much at home inFrance as he was at Milan, and defended the matchless glory of his hero, Orlando. The quarrel waxed warm between them in those idle days, and inthe fulness of their youth and high spirits they amused themselves, crying out, "Rolando! Rolando!" on the one side, and a "Rinaldo!" on theother, until one afternoon Messer Galeazzo was acknowledged victor, andeven Isabella took up his cry of Roland, but soon returned to her oldallegiance, and declared boldly that she would allow no rival to thewronged knight of Montalbano. The controversy was to be prolonged formany a day, and was to become the theme of more than one merry letterand gay challenge between the Marchesana Isabella and the handsomeSanseverino, who soon won over Duchess Beatrice to his side. So the daysflew by until the week was almost over, and the time came to start forMilan. Every hour fresh news reached Pavia of the new wonders andmarvellous entertainments that were awaiting them at the Milanesecapital, and Isabella's spirits rose high with eager expectation anddelight. 

"You ought to be here, " this lively princess wrote to her youngestbrother-in-law, Giovanni Gonzaga, who had stayed behind at Mantua, andwas absent from the wedding _fêtes_. And she told him of all the joustsand banquets and balls that were to succeed each other at Milan, thiswonderful city which she was longing to see for herself. "And amongother _fêtes_, " she added, "there will be three of the finest theatricalrepresentations that have ever been seen. But one thing which will makeyou still more envious is that from Milan we mean to go and visit thatglorious city of Genoa, where you have never been! Only think how manynew places and lands we shall have seen by the time of our return! Wewish you all good things, but fear our wishes will profit you little, and are sure my letter will make your mouth water. "

On Saturday the 21st the bridal party set out from Pavia, and, leavingthe Certosa on the right, travelled across the Lombard plain to Binasco, where they spent the night at the feudal castle of the Visconti, theruins of which may still be seen on the heights above the little town. On Sunday morning the procession entered Milan, and the bride wasreceived by her cousin, Isabella of Aragon, wife of the reigning duke, who had ridden out to meet her at the suburban church of S. Eustorgio, where the bones of the martyred friar, S. Pietro Martire, repose intheir shrine of sculptured marble. At the gates Duke Gian Galeazzo andhis uncle met them, followed by a brilliant company of Milanese nobles, and Lodovico, clad in a gorgeous mantle of gold brocade, rode throughthe streets at the side of his youthful bride. A hundred trumpetersmarched before them, filling the air with strains of martial music, andthe crowds, who had assembled from all parts of Lombardy, throngedaround to gaze on the duchess and her daughters, and more especially onthe Moro's bride. 

The street decorations that day were on the grandest scale. Lodovico hadgiven orders that no expense should be spared, and the magnificence ofthe pageant amazed the foreign ambassadors and visitors from Mantua andFerrara. Not only were the walls and balconies hung with red and bluesatin or brocades, while wreaths of ivy were twined round the columnsand doorways, but one whole street where the armourers had their shopswas lined with effigies of armed warriors on horseback, entirely cladwith chain-armour and plates of damascened steel. "Every one took thesemailed figures to be alive, " says Tristan Calco, the admiring chroniclerto whom we owe these details. The procession halted on the _piazza_ infront of the Castello, and the heralds gave a loud blast of music as thebride was lifted from her horse, and received under the grand portal bythe duchess-mother, Bona of Savoy, and her two daughters, Bianca Mariaand Anna Sforza. Bona herself had returned to Milan at the French king'srequest soon after her son's marriage, and had consented to an outwardreconciliation with her brother-in-law, Lodovico. Her daughter Anna'smarriage with the heir of the house of Este had always been one of theobjects of her fondest wishes, and now she gave Duchess Leonora and herdaughters a cordial welcome to her son's court. 

On the following day the marriage of Alfonso d'Este and the princessAnna was privately solemnized in the ducal chapel, but the final nuptialbenediction was deferred until their return to Ferrara, a month later. Meanwhile the bride's sumptuous trousseau and jewels, as well as thesplendid presents received by her, were displayed during the next weekin the Castello, before the courtiers who came to pay their homage tothe newly wedded Duke and Duchess of Bari. Of Anna Sforza herself wehear little, but her beauty and gentleness are praised by more than onecontemporary chronicler, and endeared her especially to her uncleLodovico, who was sincerely grieved by her early death. She and herhusband paid frequent visits to Milan after her marriage, and were veryhappy in the society of Beatrice, whom she only survived a few months, dying at the birth of her first babe, to the great sorrow of herfather-in-law, Duke Ercole. "She was very beautiful and very charming, "writes the Ferrarese diarist, "and there is little to tell about her, because she lived so short a time. "

The most splendid _fêtes_ were yet to come. On the 24th of January, theday after Alfonso and Anna's wedding, three tribunals were erected onthe piazza, the one occupied by a group of heralds and trumpeters, theother loaded with precious bowls and dishes of gold and silver plate, the gifts of the magistrates of Milan and other cities to SignorLodovico and his bride. The new duchess, accompanied by the otherprinces and princesses, arrayed in their richest robes and literallyblazing with precious jewels, writes an eye-witness, ascended the thirdtribunal erected in the centre, and received the homage of the deputiesof the city; after which two cavaliers, a Visconti and a Suardi, bendingon one knee before the bride, took from her hand two lengths of cloth ofgold, which were hung in the courtyard, as prizes to be given to thevictor in the tournament. That evening two hundred Milanese ladies ofhigh rank were invited to the great ball, or _festa per le donne_, givenin the Sala della palla. On this occasion peasant girls from all partsof Italy, clad in the red, white, and blue of the Sforza colours, dancedbefore the court, and "the palm of Terpsichore, " we are told, wasawarded to a Tuscan maiden. 

On the 26th, the Giostra, which was to be the crowning event of theweek's festivities, began. At the tournament held in Pavia in honour ofGiangaleazzo's wedding, the knights had for the most part appeared intheir ordinary attire; but this time, to add greater splendour to theoccasion, they entered the lists in companies, clad in fancy costumesand bearing symbolical devices after the fashion of the day. First ofall came the Mantuan troop of twenty horsemen clad in green velvet andgold lace, bearing golden lances and olive boughs in their hand, withIsabella's kinsman, Alfonso Gonzaga, at their head. Then came AnnibaleBentivoglio, the young husband of Lucrezia d'Este, with the Bolognaknights, riding on a triumphal car drawn by stags and unicorns, thebadge of the House of Este. These were followed by Gaspare diSanseverino, with a band of twelve riders in black and gold Moorishdress, bearing Lodovico's device of the Moor's head on their helmets andwhite doves on their black armour. Last of all came a troop of wildScythians, mounted on Barbary steeds, who galloped across the _piazza_, and then, halting in front of the ducal party, suddenly threw off theirdisguise and appeared in magnificent array, with the captain of theMilanese armies, Galeazzo di Sanseverino, at their head. He planted hisgolden lance in the ground, and at this sign a giant Moor, advancing tothe front, recited a poem in honour of Duchess Beatrice. [6]

These pageants and masques formed an important feature of Renaissance_fêtes_, and were evidently regarded as such by the chroniclers of thesewedding festivities, but to us the chief interest of this tournamentlies in the knowledge that the Scythian disguise assumed by Galeazzo diSanseverino and his companions was designed by no less a personage thanLeonardo da Vinci. Some of the drawings of savages and masks which wesee to-day on the stray leaves of his sketch-books may relate to thesefigures, but we know for certain that he was actually employed by MesserGaleazzo to arrange this masquerade. In a note in his own handwriting, on the margin of the "Codex Atlanticus, " we read, "Item, 26 of January, being in the house of Messer Galeazzo di San Sev^o, ordering the festaof his Giostra, certain men-at-arms took off their vests to try on someclothes of savages, upon which Giacomo" (the apprentice whom he hadalready caught thieving at Pavia) "took up a purse which lay on the bedwith their other clothes, and took the money that was inside it. " Theactual share which the great Florentine took in the preparation of thewedding festivities has often been discussed, and we are never likely toknow how much of the duchess's cabinet he painted, or what part he tookin the decoration of the city, but at least this characteristic note onthe lad whose honesty he had reason to suspect, proves that he waspresent in Milan at the time, and was the authority to whom Lodovico'sson-in-law naturally turned for advice in planning this masquerade. Incidents of this kind help us to realize how many and varied were theoffices Leonardo was called upon to discharge in his master's service, and how frequent were the interruptions which interfered with thepainting of his pictures or the modelling of his great horse. 

After this pageant, the serious business of the Giostra began, and thetilting-matches lasted during three whole days. Among the foremostknights who distinguished themselves on this occasion, the chroniclerand court poet mention the Marquis of Mantua, who entered the lists indisguise; young Annibale Bentivoglio, who wounded his hand badly, butrefused to leave the ground; the Marchesino Girolamo Stanga, one ofIsabella d'Este's especial friends and of Beatrice's most devotedservants; and Niccolo da Correggio, who was universally admired in hissuit of gold brocade. All four Sanseverini brothers fought in the listswith their wonted skill and valour, but once more Messer Galeazzo, _Gentis columen_, came off the victor and proved himself unrivalled incourtly exercises, both as jouster and swordsman. On the last day of thetournament the prizes were given away, and Messer Galeazzo was conductedtriumphantly to the Rocca, and there received the _pallium_ of goldbrocade from the bride's own hand. [7] As soon as Lodovico recognized theMarquis of Mantua, he sent him a pressing invitation to take his placewith the ducal party; and Gianfrancesco, unable to refuse so courteous arequest, joined his wife and sat down with the rest of his kinsfolk tothe family banquet, which was held that night in the Castello. 

A curious letter, addressed by the Duke of Milan to his uncle CardinalAscanio Sforza in Rome, gives a full and minute account of thistournament, which Giangaleazzo describes as one of the most importantevents of his reign, and which he begs may be fully reported to HisHoliness Pope Innocent. He dwells on the extraordinary magnificence ofthe sight, on the number and size of the lances used, which were morenumerous and larger than ever before seen on these occasions, and endswith a splendid tribute to Messer Galeazzo, who both in valour andfortune surpassed all others. On the other hand, we recognize thecunning of Lodovico in the despatch addressed on this occasion by theducal secretary to the Milanese envoy at Bologna. Here the incidents ofthe Giostra are briefly recounted, and great stress is laid on thevalour displayed by Messer Annibale Bentivoglio, who, notwithstandinghis wounded hand, broke many lances, and, in spite of his great youth, proved himself as skilled a jouster as any, and won no less glory thanif he had borne off the prize, which he would certainly have done iffortune had served him as well as he deserved. 

The wedding festivities were now brought to a close, and wereunanimously pronounced to have passed off with brilliant success. Nothing now remained for the bride's mother but to take leave of herdaughter and return home. Accordingly, on the 1st of February, DuchessLeonora set out on her homeward journey, with her son and his newly-madebride and the Marchioness Isabella, accompanied by an escort of twohundred Milanese gentlemen, with Anna's brother, Ermes Sforza, and theCount of Caiazzo--Gianfrancesco, the eldest of the Sanseverino brothers--at their head. Both Leonora and Isabella were anxious to see theCertosa, of which they had heard so much, on their way back to Pavia, and Lodovico, glad to do the honours of this famous abbey, in which hetook a just pride, sent a courier with the following letter to informthe prior and brothers of the Duchess of Ferrara's visit:--

"Since, besides the other honours which we have paid to the illustriousDuchess of Ferrara, we are above all anxious to show her the mostremarkable things in our domain, and since we count this our church andmonastery to be among the chief of these, we write this to inform youthat the said duchess will visit the Certosa on Wednesday next, on herreturn home. And we desire you to give her a fitting reception, and toprepare an honourable banquet for the duchess and her company, whichwill number about four hundred persons and horses. No excuse on yourpart can be allowed, since this is our will and pleasure. And above allyou will see that an abundant supply of lampreys is prepared. But we arequite sure that you will do your best to pay honour to the duchess, since otherwise we should feel obliged to do a thing that would bedispleasing to you, and send our chamberlain to provide for herhonourable entertainment. "[8]

The prior and brothers of the Certosa knew their own interest too wellnot to comply with this somewhat imperious missive, and left nothingundone which could gratify their illustrious guests. Isabella'scuriosity for the beautiful and marvellous was amply gratified, and inLodovico's future letters to his sister-in-law we find more than oneallusion to "our church and convent of the Certosa, which you saw whenyou were at Pavia. " After spending the following night at the Castellodi Pavia, the duchess and her large party embarked on the bucentaursthat were awaiting them at the junction of the Ticino and the Po, andreached Ferrara on the 11th of February, there to begin a new series ofsplendid entertainments in honour of Don Alfonso's marriage with thisSforza princess. 

FOOTNOTES:

[6] Porrò in A. S. L. , ix. 501, etc. 

[7] T. Chalcus, _Residua_, 90. 

[8] C. Magenta, _I Visconti e Sforza nel Castello di Pavia_, i. 

CHAPTER VII

Beatrice Duchess of Bari--Her popularity at the court ofMilan--Giangaleazzo and Isabella of Aragon--Lodovico's firstimpressions--His growing affection for his wife--His letters to Isabellad'Este--Hunting and fishing parties--Cuzzago and Vigevano--Controversyon Orlando and Rinaldo--Bellincioni's sonnets. 

1491

We have seen how the childhood and early youth of Beatrice d'Este hadbeen spent, first at her grandfather the King Ferrante's court atNaples, afterwards in her own home at Ferrara. Under the watchful eye ofa wise and careful mother, she had been trained in all the learning andaccomplishments of the day, but had been allowed little liberty oropportunity of revealing her strong individuality. Her charms andtalents had been thrown into the shade by the superior beauty andintellect of the Marchioness Isabella, and until the day she landed atPavia she had been regarded in the comparatively insignificant light ofthe younger and less gifted sister. Now all this suddenly changed. Atthe age of fifteen, Beatrice d'Este found herself the wife of the ablestand most powerful prince in Italy, released from all the restraintshitherto imposed upon her and placed in a position of absolute freedomand independence. From the quiet regularity of the sheltered life whichshe had led at Ferrara by her mother's side, she suddenly found herselftransplanted to the gayest and most splendid court in Italy, surroundedby every luxury that wealth could give and every beautiful object thattaste could devise. The bravest captains and the most accomplishedartists of the day were at her feet, ready to obey her orders andgratify her smallest fancy. Leonardo and Bramante were at hand toarrange pageants and masquerades, to paint _amorini_ on her mantelpieceor mythological fables along the frieze of her rooms, to build elegantpavilions, or lay out labyrinths and lakes in her garden. Bellincioniand a dozen other poets celebrated her name and recorded her words andactions in verse; learned scholars and commentators read Dante to herwhen she cared to listen. Niccolo da Correggio not only wrote sonnetsand canzoni for her to sing but invented new patterns for her gowns; andCristoforo Romano laid down the sculptor's chisel to play the lyre orviol for her pleasure. For her the wise man of Pavia, Lorenzo Gusnasco, fashioned cunningly wrought instruments, lutes and viols inlaid withebony and ivory, and organs inscribed with Latin mottoes; and thewonderful tenor, Cordier, the priest of Louvain, sang his sweetest andmost entrancing strains in the ducal chapel. For her amusement the courtjesters laughed and chattered and played their foolish tricks--Diodato, who had followed her from Ferrara, and the witty clown Barone, thepetted favourite of Isabella d'Este and Veronica Gambara and a dozenother great ladies. And Messer Galeazzo was ready to risk his life andruin his best clothes, all for the sake of his duchess. From the momentof Beatrice's arrival at the Milanese court she won all hearts, less byher beauty than by her vivacity and high spirits, her bright eyes andringing laugh, her frank gladness and keen enjoyment of life. Howfavourable was the first impression which the young duchess made uponthose around her, we learn from the letters which the Ferrarese envoyand ladies-in-waiting addressed almost daily to her anxious parents, during the first few weeks after her marriage. Every little incident, each word or act that is likely to please Duchess Leonora, is faithfullyreported by these good servants, in their eagerness to allay the naturalfears of the loving mother for the absent child in her brilliant butdifficult position. The demeanour of Signor Lodovico towards his wife, all he said and thought of her, was narrowly watched by Giacomo Trotti, and duly repeated in his letters to Ferrara. For the present this waseminently satisfactory. "Signor Lodovico, " writes the ambassador duringthe wedding festivities at Milan, "has nothing but the highest praiseboth for his wife and the Marchesana. He is never tired of saying howmuch pleasure he takes in their company. 

"Here jousting and tilting, feasting and dancing, are the order of theday. Signor Lodovico is delighted with his wife's appearance, andto-day, when she gave away the prizes, he kissed her repeatedly in theeyes of all the people. "

And again a few days later, when the festivities were ended and theducal family were enjoying a little rest before the party broke up, hewrites--

"Whenever Lodovico Sforza is wanted, he is always to be found in thecompany of his wife, of the Marchesana, of Don Alfonso and Madonna Anna, with whom he is never tired of talking and laughing, exactly as if hewere a youth of their own age. "

On the 6th of February, after the departure of the duchess and herchildren, Trotti wrote again, remarking, "Signor Lodovico seems to thinkof nothing but how best to please and amuse his wife, and every day hetells me how dear she is to him. "[9]

Among the Ferrarese ladies who had remained at Milan, in attendance onthe young duchess, was her cousin, Polisenna d'Este, who, beingconsiderably older and more sedate, and no longer either young orbeautiful, had for these very reasons been placed by Leonora in herdaughter's household, and desired to keep her informed of all thathappened. Early in February this lady-in-waiting wrote the followingletter to Isabella d'Este, in terms that were well calculated toreassure both the anxious sister and mother as to Beatrice's happinessand her husband's behaviour:--

"MOST ILLUSTRIOUS MADONNA AND DEAR MARCHESANA, "Since I have remained here after your Highness's departure from Milan, continually in the company of your sister, the illustrious Duchess ofBari, and of her husband, Signor Lodovico, I will no longer delay todischarge my duty in sending you some comforting words as to thewell-being and happiness of the said duchess. I cannot express how happyshe is to see herself every day more affectionately caressed and pettedby her husband, who seems to find his sole delight in giving her everypossible pleasure and amusement. It is indeed a rare joy to see themtogether and to realize what cordial love and good-will he bears her. God grant it may last long! And I felt that I must write this good newsto your Highness, knowing that it would give you especial satisfaction. I will only add that the air here seems to suit her particularly well, and that she is certainly very much improved and stronger in appearance, and seems every day to grow more beautiful. I beg of your Highness tocommend me to Madonna Beatrice and Collona. 

 "Your Highness's servant, POLISSENA D'ESTE. 

From Milan, 12th of February, 1491. "

And Beatrice herself wrote to Isabella in answer to her letter from hersister, describing the festivities at Ferrara, where her presence hadbeen sadly missed by her affectionate relatives. 

"I leave you to imagine how much content and delight your letter of the17th has given me. For in it you give me so full and vivid a descriptionof the successful _fêtes_ in honour of the wedding of Madonna Anna, ourbrother's wife and dearest sister, that I seem to have been presentthere myself. And since you know well how much I love and respect you, Iam sure you will understand how glad I was to hear from you. Yourletter, indeed, gave me greater pleasure than any which I have receivedsince you left here, and I am quite sure that all of these pageants andspectacles were distinguished by the utmost beauty and gallantry, as yousay, since they were all planned and arranged by our dear father, whoorders these things with consummate wisdom and perfection. I can wellbelieve that my absence has been a real grief to you, and that these_fêtes_ have given you but little pleasure, since I was not there. Formy own part, I cannot deny that, now I am without your company, I feelnot only that I am deprived of a very dear sister, but that I have losthalf of myself. And if it were not for the new and continual amusementswhich my illustrious husband provides every day for my pleasure, Ishould have been inconsolable until I could be once more with you. Butsince our hearts and thoughts are still one, and we are able to exchangeletters constantly, I beg you to take comfort as I do, and rest contentin feeling that, now these ceremonies are all over, we can at least speakto each other by means of letters, written with our own hands, as youhave promised me. "[10]

This simple, warm-hearted letter, which breathes all the frankness andaffection of Beatrice's nature, is written, like most of her earlyletters, in her own hand. The words are often badly spelt, and herhandwriting is larger and less formed than that of Isabella, which itotherwise resembles. But owing to the multiplicity of interests andoccupations that claimed her time after the first years of her marriedlife, the young duchess generally employed a secretary, and has leftcomparatively few letters. Lodovico himself addressed several letters tohis sister-in-law, to whom he was sincerely attached, and in order tofacilitate the intercourse between the two sisters, and as he said, toleave Isabella no excuse for not answering his communications, he sent acourier regularly every week to Mantua, with orders to await theMarchesana's pleasure and bring back her letters. 

"Loving you cordially as I do, " he writes, a fortnight after herdeparture, "and, knowing that I have in you a very dear sister, nothingcan give me greater pleasure than letters from your hand. I thank yourHighness most sincerely for all that you tell me, and most of all foryour warm expressions of affection and for saying how sorry you were toleave us, and how not even the splendid _fêtes_ in Ferrara could consoleyou for being deprived of our presence. All I beg of you is to writeoften, and I will see that your letters are brought here. "

Besides her sister and brother-in-law and Madonna Polisenna, Isabellahad another correspondent at the court of Milan, in the person of MesserGaleazzo di Sanseverino, with whom she had formed a warm friendship atPavia, and who had promised to give her frequent news of her sister, while at the same time he still carried on the battle over Roland andRinaldo which had been started in the park of the Castello at Pavia. Hetoo, writing on the 11th of February, was able to assure the Marchesanathat all was going well, and that the relations between her sister andSignor Lodovico left nothing to be desired. 

"My Duchess, " as he always calls the mistress to whose service he hadpledged his sword and life, "perseveres in showing Signor Lodovico anaffection which is truly beyond all praise, and, to put it briefly, I amsatisfied that there is such real attachment between them, that I do notbelieve two persons could love each other better. "

The presence of this young and joyous princess gave a touch of romanceto court life, and inspired men like Galeazzo and Niccolo da Correggiowith a chivalrous devotion to her person. Every one was ready to obeyher wishes, and eager to win her smiles and to earn her thanks. 

Even Giangaleazzo, the feeble duke who seldom took pleasure in anythingbut horses and dogs, and often treated his own wife in a brutal way, felt the charm of this bright young creature, and was stirred out of hisusual apathy by the coming of Beatrice. In a letter which he addressedto the Duke of Ferrara after the wedding festivities, he went out of hisway to express the affection with which this charming princess, hiswife's cousin and his uncle's wife, has inspired him. 

"I cannot, " he writes, "sufficiently express how much joy this marriagehas given me, and how glad I am to see the singular virtues and talentsof _Madonna la sposa_. " And after formally congratulating the duke onhis daughter's marriage, and on the renewed alliance between the twohouses, he goes on to say how much he rejoices in his uncle's happiness, which will, he feels sure, only increase his own. "For by means of thismarriage, besides the two sisters which God had already given us, wehave now gained a third, whom by God's grace we shall not love less thanthe two who are ours by nature. "

Giangaleazzo's own wife, Duchess Isabella, a virtuous and high-mindedprincess whose own merits were sadly hampered by her husband's weaknessand folly, was much beloved by her own servants, but inherited the proudreserve of the Aragonese race, and led a secluded existence with herlord, who hated town life and seldom showed his face in Milan. But thisyoung wife of Lodovico, it was easy to see, would soon throw her intothe shade. Beatrice's presence lent a charm to the most tedious courtfunctions. Her high spirits and overflowing mirth threw new zest intoevery pursuit. Grave senators and wise statesmen listened to her wordswith interest, and grey-headed prelates tolerated her merry jokes andsmiled at her irrepressible laughter. She sang and danced, and played atball and rode races, and took long hunting and fishing expeditions tothe royal villas in the neighbourhood of Milan. "My wife, " wroteLodovico to his sister-in-law three months after his marriage, "hasdeveloped a perfect passion for horsemanship, and is always eitherriding or hunting. "

The regent himself was too deeply engaged in state affairs, and devotedtoo much time and attention to the details of administration, to be ableto accompany his wife as a rule. But she had a devoted comrade in herhusband's son-in-law, whom he deputed to escort the duchess on her moredistant expeditions. Since his betrothal to Lodovico's daughter, Galeazzo had enjoyed all the privileges of a son, and was already, whatthe Moro had promised to make him, the first man in the state. Heassisted at all state audiences, and was the only person present whenLodovico received foreign ambassadors. He shared the Moro's privatelife, and always dined alone with the duke and duchess when there wereno other guests at their table. His letters to Isabella d'Este givelively accounts of the expeditions which he took in Beatrice's companyduring the first few months of her married life. 

"This morning, being Friday, " he writes on the 11th of February, 1491, "I started at ten o'clock with the duchess and all of her ladies onhorseback to go to Cussago, and in order to let your Highness enterfully into our pleasures, I must tell you that first of all I had toride in a chariot with the duchess and Dioda, and as we drove we sangmore than twenty-five songs, arranged for three voices. That is to say, Dioda took the tenor part, and the duchess the soprano, whilst I sangsometimes bass and sometimes soprano, and played so many foolish tricksthat I really think I may claim to be more of a fool than Dioda! And nowfarewell for to-night, and I will try to improve still further, so as toafford your Highness the more pleasure when you come here in thesummer. "

But Messer Galeazzo's story does not end here. A day or two later hetakes up the thread of his discourse again, and describes the pleasantday which the duchess spent at Cussago, one of Lodovico Sforza'sfavourite villas on the sunny slopes of the Brianza, six miles fromMilan, on the way to Como. 

"Having reached Cussago, " he goes on, "we had a grand fishing expeditionin the river, and caught an immense quantity of large pike, trout, lampreys, crabs, and several other good sorts of smaller fish, andproceeded to dine off them until we could eat no more. Then, to make ourmeal digest the better, directly after dinner we began to play at ballwith great vigour and energy, and after we had played for some time wewent over the palace, which is really very beautiful, and, among otherthings, contains a doorway of carved marble, as fine as the new works atthe Certosa. Next we examined the result of our sport, which had beenlaid out in front of the place, and took back as many of the lampreysand crabs as we could eat with us, and sent some of the lampreys to hisHighness the duke. When this was done, we went to another palace andcaught more than a thousand large trout, and after choosing out the bestfor presents and for our own holy throats, we had the rest thrown backinto the water. And then we mounted our horses again, and began to letfly some of those good falcons of mine which you saw at Pavia, along theriver-side, and they killed several birds. By this time it was alreadyfour o'clock. We rode out to hunt stags and fawns, and after givingchase to twenty-two and killing two stags and two fawns, we returnedhome and reached Milan an hour after dark, and presented the result ofour day's sport to my lord the Duke of Bari. My illustrious lord tookthe greatest possible pleasure in hearing all we had done, far more, indeed, than if he had been there in person, and I believe that myduchess will in the end reap the greatest benefit, and that SignorLodovico will give her Cussago, which is a place of rare beauty andworth. But I have cut my boots to pieces and torn my clothes, and playedthe fool into the bargain, and these are the rewards one gains in theservice of ladies. However, I will have patience, since it is all forthe sake of my duchess, whom I never mean to fail in life or death. "

[Illustration: SFORZA MS. ILLUMINATED _From a private photograph. _]

Galeazzo was a true prophet, and in the British Museum we may stilladmire the beautifully illuminated deed of gift, adorned with friezes ofexquisite cherubs and medallion-portraits of Lodovico and Beatrice, bywhich the fair palace and lands of Cussago became the property of theyoung duchess. This favourite villa of the Visconti had been left byFrancesco Sforza to his son Lodovico, who had employed a host ofarchitects and painters to adorn its walls. Bramante is said to havereared the noble bell-tower and portico that are still standing, whileMilanese or Pavian sculptors carved the medallions bearing the Sforzaarms, and the portrait of Lodovico that may still be seen on the arcadesof the loggia. To-day the once beautiful country-house is a ruin; themarble doorway which Galeazzo and Beatrice admired, carved it may be bythat same Cristoforo Romano to whom we owe the portal of the Stangapalace, and that of Isabella d'Este's studio at Mantua, has disappeared. Only the fragments of frescoes and the rich terra-cotta mouldings andslender columns of the elegant _cortile_ recall the joyous day whichBeatrice d'Este and her ladies spent at the villa. But their memorysheds a glamour on the scene, and in the story of those Renaissancedays, among so much that is dark and sinister, it is pleasant to recallthis picture of the young duchess and her gallant cavalier singing songsfor pure gladness of heart as they rode out together in the fair springmorning. 

"One thing only, " wrote Messer Galeazzo, "was wanting to our pleasure, and that was the sweet company of yourself, fair Madonna Marchesana. "And with a sigh he tells her how much she is missed in the Castello ofMilan, and how often he wishes he could find her in Madonna the Duchessof Ferrara's rooms, having her long hair combed and curled by herfavourite maidens Teodora and Beatrice and Violante, to all of whom hesends courteous greeting. Then he returns to the old controversy overOrlando, and replies to a gay challenge which Isabella has sent him in aletter to Signor Lodovico, only wishing she were here to defend Rinaldoin person, or rather to be made to own the error of her ways, and toconfess that the knight of Montalbano is not to be compared to Roland!But he warns her that if she perseveres in this heresy, he will draw upsuch an indictment of Rinaldo's faults as will fill her with confusion, and make her recognize with shame his inferiority to Roland, that baronof immortal fame, of whom nothing but good can be said. Isabella, however, stuck to her colours, and, a whole month later, Messer Galeazzosent her a long letter from Vigevano, in which he drew up an elaborateparallel between the conduct of the two paladins, as recorded inBoiardo's poem, and ended with a splendid eulogy of Roland. 

"Roland the most Christian! Roland the pure and strong, prudent, just, and merciful servant of Christ, the true defender of widows and orphans!Of his valour I will say nothing, this being known to all the world; butthis I say, that when I think of my worship for Roland, however sad andill disposed I may be feeling, my heart rejoices, and I become glad ofheart and joyous again. "

So he begs her, for the love that he bears her Highness, to try andamend her ways and recant her errors, and do penitence in this Lentenseason for her fault, after the example of the great apostle St. Paul, who was converted to the Christian faith, and became an elect son andmighty preacher of the gospel, bringing many to righteousness andenjoying the high favour of our Lord God. For Roland, the Marchesa mayknow for certain, has his place in Paradise with the saints, "and inserving him you will be serving God; but if, on the other hand, youpersevere in your false opinions, you will find that you are serving thedevil, who accompanied Rinaldo both in his life here and afterwards inhis death. And remember, " he adds in conclusion, "when the blind leadthe blind, both fall into the ditch!"

Nothing daunted by this long harangue, Isabella retorted in an equallylengthy epistle, flatly denying the charges brought against Rinaldo asfalse and unsupported by a tittle of evidence. Galeazzo replied inanother bantering letter, assuming the part of a priest, and exhortingthe fair sinner to confess her faults in these holy days of Passiontide, lest she should incur greater damnation, and drive her soul into thedevil's jaws. 

"And since this is the hour of penitence and contrition, " he concludes, "I would once more beg and pray your Highness to return to the truefaith and devotion of Roland, having before your eyes the good exampleof our most illustrious duchess, your sister, who has acknowledged hererrors, and become a sincere follower of Roland, as a good Christian, and is now gone to Milan to obtain pardon. 

 "Your most humble and devoted servant, GALEAZ SFORTIA VICECOMES, _Armorum Capitaneus_. [11]

Vigevano, 30th of March, 1491. "

Isabella, however, still remained obdurate, declaring that on no accountwould she follow Beatrice's changeable conduct, and was ready to defendher hero against a hundred thousand opponents. Upon which Galeazzoreminded her that, for all her boastings, she had been constrained toyield to his single-handed efforts in the park at Pavia, and had endedby taking up his cry of "Roland. " The more pity that she should turn herback upon the good cause now, and prove the inconstancy of woman'snature! But he consoled himself by reflecting that the Marchesana wouldsoon be back at Milan, when he would easily be able to make her give upRinaldo, and once more cry "Roland" as she had done before. 

This letter was written by Galeazzo on the 13th of April, after whichthe subject dropped for a while, until it was revived by a visit whichhis brother, Gaspare Fracassa, paid to Mantua in the summer with hiswife, Margherita Pia, a great friend of the Marchesana and Duchess ofUrbino. Isabella could not resist the opportunity of returning thecharge, and sent Messer Galeazzo, by his brother's hands, a challenge tobattle, couched in approved terms, and indicating her choice of arms andof the scene of action. Galeazzo replied in the most courteous language, declaring himself absolutely at the service of his fair challenger, andassuring her that her coming is awaited with the utmost impatience bySignor Lodovico, the Duchess of Bari, and her humble servant. 

Meanwhile Isabella prepared herself for the fray by collecting all theinformation on the subject that she could possibly obtain. In that samemonth of August, when Galeazzo sent her the last-named letter from hisvilla at Castelnuovo, near Tortona, the Marchesana wrote to the Mantuanambassador at Venice, desiring him to send her all the poems andromances concerning French paladins at the court of Charlemagne which hecould discover. At the same time she addressed a letter to her oldfriend, Messer Matteo Boiardo, at Ferrara, requesting him to send herthe concluding cantos of his poem, the "Orlando Innamorato, " which hadnot as yet been given to the world. The poet replied that, to his greatregret, he was unable to comply with her wish, since the cantos inquestion were not yet written; and Isabella could only beg him to lether have a copy of the two earlier books, in order that she mightrefresh her memory by reading them once more. 

But the Marchesana's intended visit to Milan was, after all, put off, and Messer Galeazzo was called away to more arduous duties in camp andfield. The debate, which had been prolonged with so much wit andingenuity on both sides, came to an abrupt ending. It was left to theFlorentine poet, Bellincioni, in whose verses the smallest incidentsthat took place at court were faithfully reflected, to celebrate this"praiseworthy and memorable duel of intellect between these two augustpersonages. " At Beatrice's command Bellincioni wrote three sonnetsillustrating the arguments brought forward on either side. In the first, he adopts Isabella's standpoint, and is all in favour of Rinaldo. In thesecond, he sees a vision of Roland with the saints in Paradise, anddeclares almost in the same language as Galeazzo, that whereas Rinaldowas only a brave soldier, Roland was able and virtuous as well asvaliant. Finally, in the third, he exhorts the illustrious marchionessto recant her errors, since the Scriptures tell us that it is human toerr, and not to follow the bad example of Pharaoh who hardened hisheart, but to see how immeasurably inferior Rinaldo was to his rival, and to become, with Messer Galeazzo and others of his merit, a trueChristian and follower of Roland. 

The whole controversy is a curious instance of the deep interest whichthese great ladies of the Italian Renaissance and their courtiers tookin literary subjects, and especially in the romances of the Carlovingiancycle. This interest was not confined to the upper circles of society, but spread through all classes, and was no doubt largely increased bythe songs and the improvisations of strolling minstrels and Provençalstory-tellers. First of all the Florentine Pulci, and after him Boiardoand Bello of Ferrara, sought inspiration in the same source, and lateron their example was followed by Ariosto and Tasso. And Poggio, writingin the fifteenth century, tells us how in his day a worthy citizen ofMilan, after hearing one of these wandering _cantatores_ chanting thestory of Roland's death with dramatic action and effect, went homeweeping so bitterly that his wife and friends could hardly console himor induce him to dry his tears. "And yet, " remarks the grave historian, "this Roland they tell of has been dead well-nigh seven hundred years. "

Unfortunately, Isabella's share in this singular and interestingcorrespondence has perished, and only Messer Galeazzo's letters survive. These may still be seen in the Gonzaga Archives, where they were firstdiscovered by Signor Alessandro Luzio and Signor Rodolfo Renier. Theselearned writers are in some perplexity as to the identity of the writer, since the letters are signed Galeaz _Sfortia Vicecomes_, and internalevidence will not allow them to have been written by any Galeazzo Sforzaor Visconti then living. But there can hardly be a doubt as to who thewriter actually was. Galeazzo di Sanseverino had been adopted byLodovico Sforza when he married his daughter Bianca, and from that timeused the surname of the ducal house, _Sfortia Vicecomes_, and veryfrequently added his title of _Armorum Capitaneus_, captain of thearmies of Milan. His well-known patronage of artists and love ofletters, as well as his intimate connection with the duke and duchess, all point in the same direction; and if any further proof were needed, the mention of his brother Gaspare, and the allusion to Galeazzo by namein one of Bellincioni's sonnets on the subject, and the fact that one ofthe letters is dated from his own villa of Castelnuovo, near Tortona, would be sufficient to settle the question. The champion of Orlando andthe faithful servant of Beatrice d'Este was, it is evident, none otherthan the friend of Leonardo and Castiglione--that ideal knight, Galeazzodi Sanseverino. 

FOOTNOTES:

[9] G. Uzielli, _Leonardo da Vinci_, etc. , p. 26. 

[10] Luzio-Renier, _op. Cit. _, p. 98. 

[11] Luzio-Renier, _op. Cit. _, p. 104. 

CHAPTER VIII

Relations between Lodovico and Beatrice--Cecilia Gallerani--Birth of herson Cesare--Her marriage to Count Bergamini--Beatrice at Villa Nova andVigevano--The Sforzesca and Pecorara--Lodovico's system of irrigation inthe Lomellina--Leonardo at Vigevano--Hunting-parties and countrylife--Letters to Isabella d'Este. 

1491

All these caresses and adulation, all the expeditions and hunting-partiesand _fêtes_ in her honour, were naturally very delightful to this youngprincess of fifteen summers, who had till now hardly left home, and whoflung herself with such boundless enjoyment into every new form ofamusement. Life for her was full of mirth and rapture; a long prospect ofendless pleasures seemed to open before her as the first breath of springpassed over the green Lombard plains, and the delicious gardens of theCastello of Milan and the long avenues on the sunny terraces of Vigevanoburst into leaf. The world seemed waking into new bliss, and DuchessBeatrice was the gayest and gladdest of its creatures. So at least sheappeared to those who saw her in the full enjoyment of chase or dance. But there was a darker side to the picture. Lodovico looked on his youngwife as a joyous and fascinating child, as he told Giacomo Trotti, "_lieta di natura et molto piacevolina_, " and thought that as long as hetreated her with consideration and respect, and at the same time allowedher every possible indulgence, he might continue to go on his own way andtake his pleasure in whatever form he chose. But he soon found out hismistake. This young wife of his, full of mirth and high spirits as shewas, had a deeper nature and a stronger will than he suspected. If aconstant round of amusements could have satisfied her, she might haveaccepted the playful caresses of her indulgent husband, and been contentwith the share of affection which he bestowed upon her. But Beatriceasked for more than this. She was bent on having sole possession of herlord's heart--of reigning there at least without a rival. And when shediscovered that Lodovico had a mistress actually living in the Castello, whom he visited constantly and loved passionately, her whole being roseup in arms. Her proud spirit would not brook a rival, and she vowed theduke must choose between his mistress and his wife. When the Ferrareseenvoy saw the newly wedded duke on his way to Cecilia Gallerani's roomswithin a month after his marriage, he was full of gloomy forebodings. But Lodovico was perfectly frank with him, and did not attempt to concealhis actions or the motives of his conduct. For a while Beatrice spent hertime riding or hunting about the country with Messer Galeazzo and herladies, and remained in happy ignorance of the true state of affairs. Butthis could not last long. Soon a rumour of Cecilia's presence in theRocca reached her ears; she heard how often the duke was seen in hercompany, and was told that before many weeks were over his mistress waslikely to bear him a child. The first intimation which we have of thisrude awakening which had come to the young duchess is in a letteraddressed by Trotti to Duke Ercole, which he sends in the strictestconfidence, begging his master to allow no one but our illustrious Madonnato read it, and then to burn it without delay. [12] In this letter he saysthat Beatrice has absolutely refused to wear a certain vest of woven goldwhich her husband had given her, if Madonna Cecilia ever appeared in asimilar one, which it seems was also Lodovico's present. The duke himself, he adds, had been to see him that day, and had promised faithfully that hewould put an end to his _liaison_ with Cecilia, and would either marryher to one of his courtiers or desire her to become a nun. Lodovico, itis plain, had realized that the situation had become impossible, andthat he could not keep up his relations with his old mistress withoutcausing open scandal. He was true to his promise, and that carnival hebroke off the connection which gave Beatrice so much pain, and wrote toGiacomo Trotti from Vigevano on the 27th of March, informing him that hehad decided not to see Madonna Cecilia again, and that after her child'sbirth she had agreed to become the wife of Count Lodovico Bergamini. Thisstrange compact was duly carried out. 

On the 3rd of May, the duke's discarded mistress gave birth to a son, who received the name of Cesare; and in the following July, CeciliaGallerani was married to Count Lodovico Bergamini of Cremona, one of theMoro's most loyal servants and subjects. Her trousseau on this occasionwas of the most sumptuous description, and it was noticed that thecorbeille which held her gowns bore the ducal arms. At the same time theDuke of Bari presented her with the stately Palazzo del Verme, originally built by his ancestor, Filippo Maria Visconti, for the greatCaptain Carmagnola, on the _piazza_ of the Duomo, as a token of hisregard and a heritage for her infant son. Court painters and sculptorswere employed to decorate the halls and porticoes with frescoes andmedallions of the finest marble, and at the time of the French invasion, eight years later, Countess Bergamini's palace was described as thefinest private house in Milan. Cecilia devoted herself to the classicalstudies in which she had taken delight from her earliest youth, andentertained her learned friends in her town house or at her villa nearCremona until she died in advanced old age, some years after the last ofLodovico's sons had ceased to reign over Milan. Lodovico seems to havekept his promise loyally, but always treated Cecilia and her husbandwith marked favour, and acknowledged the boy Cesare as his own son. 

A curious letter addressed to him by the poet Bellincioni, in February, 1492, when the duke was absent from Milan for a few days, begins byinforming Lodovico that he has given Duchess Beatrice a pastoral whichshe wishes to send her husband, and goes on to say that he was diningyesterday with Madonna Cecilia. He tells Lodovico how he had seen herson Cesare, who had grown into a very fine child--"_quale è grasso, dicograsso!_"--and how he had made the little fellow laugh. In the sameletter he complains of all that he has to suffer at the hands of enviousdetractors, and by way of ingratiating himself with the duke, remindshis Highness that he had always prophesied Madonna Cecilia's child wouldprove to be a boy. Bellincioni himself composed several sonnets inhonour of Cesare's birth and of his accomplished mother. And among theexquisite miniatures of the little Maximilian Sforza's Libro del Gesù inthe Trivulzian library, we find a picture of Lodovico and Beatrice'schild sitting at dinner with his mother and a lady bearing the name ofCecilia, in whom tradition sees the duke's old mistress, CountessBergamini. 

But although Cecilia remained at court, and even maintained friendlyrelations with her famous lover, she never seems to have given Beatricecause for jealousy again, and her name is never again mentioned inGiacomo Trotti's confidential despatches to his master. Only thesingular fact that Beatrice d'Este's portrait was never, so far as weknow, painted by Leonardo, the supreme master at her husband's court, may well be owing to the remembrance that he had formerly paintedCecilia Gallerani. The proud young duchess who would not wear a robesimilar to that bestowed upon his mistress by her husband, may naturallyenough have declined to have her portrait painted by the same artist, however excellent a master he might be. But whether or no this was thetrue reason of this strange omission, there was certainly no portrait ofBeatrice d'Este by Leonardo's hand in Milan a year after her death, orher own sister Isabella would not have applied to Cecilia Gallerani forthe loan of her picture as an example of Leonardo's art. From this time, however, the young duchess succeeded in winning her husband's heart, andfor many years to come retained undivided possession of his rovingaffections. On the 20th of April, Trotti wrote to Ferrara that SignorLodovico had been to see him on the second or third day in Easter week, and had spoken with the greatest warmth and affection of his wife, withwhom he spent his whole time, and whose charming ways and manners gavehim the greatest pleasure. Madonna Beatrice is, as he says, not only ofa joyous nature, but of noble and elevated mind, and at the same timevery pleasing and no less modest. And in May, when Cecilia's son wasborn, the duke himself told his wife the news, repeating hisdetermination never again to renew the old connection. His letters toIsabella d'Este abound in the same expressions of genuine love andadmiration for his young wife. He is never tired of dwelling on herperfections, on her courage and fine horsemanship, and looks on with anindulgent smile at her wildest freaks and escapades. 

Early in March he and Beatrice went to Vigevano, accompanied as usual byMesser Galeazzo and a few courtiers and ladies. All his life Lodovicoretained especial affection for this old Lombard town, where he had beenborn, and which he had greatly improved and beautified during the lastfew years. By his care the streets were paved, and new houses erected;the buildings of the ancient Forum, which dated back to Roman times, were restored; and the church repaired and adorned with pictures, anddecorated by the hand of the sculptor Cristoforo Romano. 

"At Vigevano, " writes the contemporary Milanese chronicler Cagnola, "aplace very dear to the house of Sforza, Lodovico made a fair and large_piazza_, and adorned it with many noble buildings and a fine park, which he filled with beasts of prey for the pleasure of the ducalfamily. He also laid out some most beautiful gardens, and since all thiscountry was very dry and arid, he constructed aqueducts with greatartifice and ingenuity, and brought water into the place in suchabundance that these lands, which had hitherto been sterile and barren, bore fruit in great quantities. And so entirely did he improve and alterthe whole place that, instead of Vigevano, it might well be called_Citta nova_. "

At the same time Lodovico rebuilt on a magnificent scale the old castlewhich crowns the heights above the valley of the Ticino, and employedBramante to design the lofty tower and the arcaded courts with delicatetraceries and terra-cotta mouldings in the finest Lombard style. Thisfavourite palace of the Moro's has been turned into a barrack, andlittle remains of its former splendour; but Bramante's tower is stillstanding, and on the north gate of the keep we may read a significantinscription placed there by the citizens of Vigevano, recording the manybenefactions of this most illustrious duke, who loved his native city sowell, and was never tired of heaping benefactions on her people. "By hiscare not only was this splendid house raised from the ground, and thesquare of the old Forum restored to its pristine shape, but the courseof rivers was turned, and flowing streams of water were brought intothis dry and barren land. The desert waste became a green and fertilemeadow, "the wilderness rejoiced and blossomed as the rose. "

The same sentiments inspired the verses in which Galeotto del Carretto, one of the most accomplished poets of Beatrice's court, celebratedLodovico's improvements in this his favourite country house:

 "Vigevano, che gia fu gleba vile, Ha fatto adorno, e gli agri a quel contigui Ha coltivati con saper utile, E i steril campi, e al far fructo ambigui Fertili ha facto et abondanti prati, E d'acqua ticinèse tutti irigui. "

Both Cagnola and Galeotto refer, no doubt, to the vast system ofirrigation which Lodovico constructed at immense pains and expense tofertilize this district of Lomellina, and which may well have earned thegratitude of its inhabitants. The great Naviglio Sforzesca, which hasresisted the ravages of time, formed part of this admirable system, andwas probably constructed under the supervision of Leonardo, who wasoften at Vigevano with Lodovico, and who in later years became his chiefengineer. It was here, in the immediate neighbourhood of Vigevano, thatLodovico established his model farm for the encouragement of agriculture. Like all the Moro's other undertakings, this was planned on a splendidscale. The villa itself was an imposing quadrangular building, with fourlofty towers, and a noble gateway adorned with a Latin inscription cut ingold letters on a tablet of massive marble, and bearing the date 1486. These lines, composed at the duke's request by Ermolao Barbaro, thelearned Venetian scholar, who was a personal friend of his, andrepresented the republic at his court, record how Lodovico, the son ofone Sforza Duke of Milan, and uncle and guardian of another, broughtwater to fertilize this barren province, and was the builder of thisfair house, "_villaque amenissima a fundamentis erecta_. " In order tocarry out his schemes, the duke acquired a large extent of land in theneighbourhood, partly by purchase, and partly by the confiscation ofterritory, which, as Corio remarks, naturally provoked much discontentamong individuals, and did not help to increase Lodovico's popularity, although in the end it largely benefited both the state and posterity. He proceeded to dig canals, and bring water on the one side by theNaviglio Sforzesca from the Ticino, and on the other by the Mora Canalfrom the Val Seria. Then, with the help of exports from Vicenza andVerona, he introduced the culture of the mulberry with excellentresults, and planted large vineyards. Here he tried various experimentsin the culture of the vine, such, for instance, as that of burying vinesin winter, which Leonardo noted down when he visited Vigevano in March, 1492. At the same time Lodovico brought vast flocks of sheep fromLanguedoc, and built the large farm known as La Pecorara, close to thenew villa. La Grange, as they called this farm, aroused the admirationof the French chroniclers who followed Louis XII. In his invasion ofLombardy, more than any other of the beautiful and marvellous houses andenchanted gardens which they saw in this wonderful land of Milan. RobertGaguin cannot find words in which to express his amazement at themarvellous number of beasts that he saw there--horses, mares, oxen, cows, bulls, rams, ewes, goats, and other beasts with their young, suchas fawns, calves, foals, lambs, and kids--or the massive pillars andlofty vaulting of the stables, which are described as being larger thanthe whole of the Carthusian convent in Paris. 

"The farm itself, " he writes, "is finely situated in a wide meadow aboutfour leagues in circumference, with no less than thirty-three streams offair running water flowing through the pastures, and well adapted forthe practical uses of agriculture, since they serve for the bathing andcleansing of the animals as well as for the watering of the grass. Theplan of the farm-buildings is a large square, like some noble cloister, and in the park outside are barns and ricks of hay and other produce. Inthe central courtyard are the houses of the governors and captains whodirect all the work on the farm. In the outhouses, which are built inthe shape of a great cross, the labourers have their homes, togetherwith their wives and families. Some of these clean and tend the cattleor groom the horses. Others milk the herds of cows at the proper time. Others, again, receive the milk and bear it into the dairies, where itis made into the great cheeses which they call here Milan cheeses, underthe superintendence of the master cheese-maker. The exact weight ofeverything, that is to say, of the hay, milk, butter, and cheese, iscarefully recorded, and there is an extraordinary wealth and abundanceof all these things. "

These Milan cheeses were so highly esteemed by the French invaders in1499, that Louis XII. Took back a large quantity with him to Blois, andkept them for several years in a room especially devoted to thatpurpose. They were preserved in oil, and are mentioned in one of hiswife Anne of Brittany's inventories of the year 1504. 

Such were the manifold industries which this far-seeing princeestablished on his royal domain, less, as he said, for actual profitthan for the encouragement of better methods in agriculture and thepromotion of his poorer subjects' prosperity. And over all he kept thesame keen and vigilant eye, paying attention to every detail andproviding for every contingency. The management of this model farm andthe progress of the extensive works that were being executed in the newpalace of Vigevano filled every moment that he could spare from affairsof state at Milan. But on this occasion his especial object in visitinghis native city was, as he tells Isabella d'Este, to stock the park withgame of all kinds--deer, chamois, hare, and pheasants--as well as thewild boars and wolves for the more serious sport known as _la grandecaccia_. 

"I am hoping to go to Vigevano on Monday, " he writes from Milan on the26th of February, "with my wife, and intend to make extensive preparationsfor fresh hunting-parties, so that when you are here we may be able togive you the more pleasure. As for my wife, I really believe that sinceyour departure she has not let a single day pass without mounting herhorse!" And later in the summer he says, "My wife has become so clever athawking that she quite outdoes me at this her favourite sport. "

Beatrice herself gives a lively account of her country life during thespring of 1491, in a charming letter which she addressed to her sisterfrom Villa Nova, another of Lodovico's delightful pleasure-houses in thevalley of the Ticino between Milan and Pavia. 

"I am now here at Villa Nova, where the loveliness of the country andthe balmy sweetness of the air make me think we are already in the monthof May, so warm and splendid is the weather we are enjoying! Every daywe go out riding with the dogs and falcons, and my husband and I nevercome home without having enjoyed ourselves exceedingly in hunting heronsand other water-fowl. I cannot say much of the perils of the chase, since game is so plentiful here that hares are to be seen jumping out atevery corner--so much so, that often we hardly know which way to turn tofind the best sport. Indeed, the eye cannot take in all one desires tosee, and it is scarcely possible to count up the number of animals thatare to be found in this neighbourhood. Nor must I forget to tell you howevery day Messer Galeazzo and I, with one or two other courtiers, amuseourselves playing at ball after dinner, and we often talk of yourHighness, and wish that you were here. I say all this, not to diminishthe pleasure that I hope you will have when you do come by telling youwhat you may expect to find here, but in order that you may know howwell and happy I am, and how kind and affectionate my husband is, sinceI cannot thoroughly enjoy any pleasure or happiness unless I share itwith you. And I must tell you that I have had a whole field of garlicplanted for your benefit, so that when you come, we may be able to haveplenty of your favourite dishes![13]

"Ex Villa Nova, 18 Martiji, 1491. "

It is plain from this letter that harmony had been restored between thewedded pair, and that the rock on which Beatrice's happiness had seemedlikely to founder had been fortunately avoided. 

The passing cloud that cast a shadow on her bright young life had rolledaway, and this letter breathes the serene happiness of the spring airsabout her. But her affection for her sister was warmer and stronger thanever, and hardly a day passed without some fresh expression of herimpatience for Isabella's return--an impatience which both Lodovico andGaleazzo seem to have shared. 

On the 21st of April, after describing a successful wolf-hunt fromVigevano, in which the Duke and Duchess of Milan and their courtiers hadall taken part, Lodovico writes--

"The whole distance must have been at least thirty miles, yet on the wayhome both the duchesses stayed behind the rest of us, to make theirhorses race one against the other; and if your Highness had been here, Ithink you would have entered the lists and tried your luck against them. And since you must come soon, and are expected by us impatiently, I willremind your Highness to bring some of those fine Barbary steeds whichyour illustrious lord the marquis keeps in his stables, and then youwill easily be able to beat all the others. "

Again, on the 16th of May, Lodovico writes in the same strain--

"I am as sorry as you are that you could not be here for thesewolf-hunts, because, as you said in the letter written with your ownhand on the 5th instant, I am quite sure you would have given us proofsof your spirit and courage. I must, however, tell you that your sister'sboldness is such that I think even you would hardly come off victor inthis contest, especially as, since you were here, she has made greatprogress both in the arts of horsemanship and of hunting. All the same, I am so impatient to see you together and to match your courage oneagainst the other, that it seems to me a thousand years until yourarrival!"

Beatrice, it appears, was absolutely fearless in the presence of danger, and faced an angry boar or wounded stag with the same lightness ofheart. The greater the risks she ran, the higher her spirits rose. Thisfeature of his young wife's character aroused the Moro's highestadmiration. In a letter of the 8th of July, after recounting the variousincidents of a long day's hunting, he tells the Marchesa what a narrowescape Beatrice has had from an infuriated stag which gored her horse. 

"All at once we heard that the wounded stag had been seen, and hadattacked the horse which my wife was riding, and the next moment we sawher lifted up in the air a good lance's height from the ground; but shekept her seat, and sat erect all the while. The duke and duchess and Iall rushed to her help, and asked if she were hurt; but she onlylaughed, and was not in the least frightened. "[14]

Isabella herself was burning with eager desire to join Lodovico andBeatrice in these hunting-parties, and have a share in the thrillingadventures which they narrated in their letters, But her husband themarquis was away all the spring and early summer; first at Bologna, where he attended his brother Giovanni Gonzaga's wedding, and afterwardswith his sister the Duchess Elizabeth at Urbino. After his return toMantua he fell ill, and when he recovered it was already late in August, and Isabella was compelled very reluctantly to decline Lodovico Sforza'spressing invitations. Money was scarce at the court of Mantua, and theexpenses of a journey to Milan were heavy. So she contented herself withgoing to see her mother that autumn at Ferrara, and put off her visit toMilan until the following spring, much to the disappointment of Beatriceand her husband. Lodovico wrote her word that he had been arranging atournament at Pavia in honour of the christening of Gian Galeazzo's son, the little Count of Pavia, but that since she would not come, he hadmade up his mind to put it off and have no jousting. 

FOOTNOTES:

[12] G. Uzielli, _op. Cit. _, p. 27. 

[13] Luzio-Renier, _op. Cit. _, p. 112. 

[14] Luzio-Renier, _op. Cit. _, p. 113. 

CHAPTER IX

Isabella of Aragon and Beatrice d'Este--Ambrogio Borgognone andGiovanni Antonio Amadeo--Cristoforo Romano and his works at Pavia andCremona--The Certosa of Pavia--Illness of Beatrice--Her journey toGenoa--Correspondence between Isabella and Lodovico Sforza--Visit ofthe Marquis of Mantua to Milan. 

1491-1492

In the frequent letters which Lodovico and Beatrice both of themaddressed to the Marchioness of Mantua, as well as in those of GiacomoTrotti to the Duke of Ferrara, we find many allusions to the Duke ofMilan's wife, Isabella of Aragon. This princess, who was Beatrice'sfirst cousin and only five years older than Lodovico's wife, ismentioned not only as present with her husband at all court festivitiesand hunting-parties, but as her constant companion in all heroccupations and amusements, both at Vigevano and Pavia. In after-days, when Lodovico had a son of his own and was suspected of designs on theducal crown, Duchess Isabella bitterly resented his conduct and that ofhis wife. But there is absolutely no foundation for Corio's statementthat this rivalry between the two duchesses began at the time ofBeatrice's wedding, and that from the moment of her arrival at Milan, Lodovico's wife objected to yield precedence to the Duchess of Milan. The Milanese chronicler wrote after Lodovico's fall, and always assumedthe truth of the worst charges brought against the Moro and his wife. Unfortunately, his hasty and inaccurate statements have been repeated byGuicciardini and other contemporaries, and accepted as literally true bylater writers. In this case Corio probably looked back on the pastthrough the medium of the present, and judged the actors in the drama bythe light of their later conduct. In any case, there is absolutely notrace of any jealousy or rivalry between the two young duchesses in theprivate letters and court records of the period. On the contrary, Isabella seems to have welcomed her cousin's presence joyfully, and tohave found that the dull life which she led by the side of her feeblehusband was sensibly brightened by Beatrice's company. 

Bellincioni, whose verses certainly mirror the court life of the day, ifthey also breathe the incense of flattery, wrote several sonnets inwhich he descants on the close friendship and companionship of the twoduchesses, and the love that bound them together in the tender bonds ofsisterly affection. He is never tired of praising the concord thatreigned in the ducal family, and the pleasure that Beatrice took inIsabella's little son, who was constantly seen in her arms. 

"And when the ladies ask if she does not wish for a son of her own, shereplies in sweet accents, 'This one child is enough for me;' andstraightway all her courtiers repeat and extol her answer. "

But more trustworthy than the rhymes of court poets is the evidence tobe found in the letters describing the daily round of life at Milan orPavia and Vigevano. Here Isabella and Beatrice are mentioned as joiningin the same games and sports, whether playing at ball, sometimes eventrying their strength in wrestling matches. 

"The two duchesses, " writes the Ferrarese ambassador, on the 28th ofApril, "have been having a sparring match, and the Duke of Bari's wifehas knocked down her of Milan. "

Sometimes their escapades were of a decidedly undignified order. Butpractical jokes were much in vogue among these exalted lords and ladiesof the Renaissance. For instance, we find Beatrice's brother Alfonso andMesser Galeazzo, disguised as robbers, breaking into the house ofGirolamo Tuttavilla, one of Lodovico's favourite ministers, at midnight, and leading him blindfold on a donkey through the streets of Milan andinto the Castello, where he was released amid peals of laughter. And thetwo young duchesses seem to have celebrated this Eastertide, which theyspent at Milan, by the wildest freaks. 

"There is literally no end to the pleasures and amusements which wehave here, " writes Lodovico, on the 12th of April, to his sister-in-lawat Mantua. "I could not tell you one-thousandth part of the tricks andgames in which the Duchess of Milan and my wife indulge. In the countrythey spent their time in riding races and galloping up behind theirladies at full speed, so as to make them fall off their horses. And nowthat we are back here in Milan, they are always inventing some new formsof amusement. They started yesterday in the rain on foot, with five orsix of their ladies, wearing cloths or towels over their heads, andwalked through the streets of the city to buy provisions. But since itis not the custom for women to wear cloths on their heads here, some ofthe women in the street began to laugh at them and make rude remarks, upon which my wife fired up and replied in the same manner, so much sothat they almost came to blows. In the end they came home all muddy andbedraggled, and were a fine sight! I believe, when your Highness ishere, they will go out with all the more courage, since they will havein you so bold and spirited a comrade, and if any one dares to be rudeto you, they will get back as good as they give! From your affectionatebrother, "Lodovico. "[15]

Isabella, for all her wisdom and prudence, does not seem to have been inthe least scandalized by her sister's behaviour, and replied that shewould have done worse if any one had ventured to insult her; upon whichLodovico remarked--

"Your letter in answer to my description of my wife and the duchesswalking about Milan with cloths on their heads, delighted me. I am sureyou have far too much spirit to allow rude things to be said to you, andwhen I read your letter, I could see the angry flash in your eye, andhear the indignant answer that you would have had in readiness for anyone who dared insult you. "

The next letter we give was written on the 12th of June, from theCastello di Pavia, where the ducal family spent that summer, and is ofspecial interest on account of the allusions which it contains to thefamous sanctuary of the Certosa. 

"I have spent several days lately at the Certosa, which your Highness, I know, visited when you were last here. And since I did not think thechoir-stalls in the church were in any way suitable or equal in beautyto the rest of the building, I went back there the day before yesterdayand had them taken down, and have ordered new stalls to be designed intheir place. And as I was returning, the duke and duchess and my wifecame to meet me, and attacked me suddenly, and in order to defendmyself, I divided my retainers, who were most of them riding mules, intothree squadrons, and charged the enemy in due order, so there was a finescuffle! Then we came home to see some youths run races, with lances intheir hands, and after that we went to supper. And since thoseillustrious duchesses took it into their heads to return again to theCertosa, they went back there yesterday morning, and when it was timefor them to return, I went out to meet them, and found that bothduchesses and all their ladies were dressed in Turkish costumes. Thesedisguises were invented by my wife, who had all the dresses made in onenight! It seems that when they began to set to work about noonyesterday, the Duchess of Milan could not contain her amazement atseeing my wife sewing with as much vigour and energy as any old woman. And my wife told her that, whatever she did, whether it were jest orearnest, she liked to throw her whole heart into it and try and do it aswell as possible. Certainly in this case she succeeded perfectly, andthe skill and grace with which she carried out her idea gave meindescribable pleasure and satisfaction. "[16]

The passage is eminently characteristic both of the Moro and his wife. We see on the one hand the spirit and resolution which made Beatrice, inthe words of the Emperor Maximilian, not merely a sweet and loving wifeto her lord, but a partner who shared actively in all his schemes andlightened every burden; and on the other, we understand the admirationwhich this force of character and tenacity of purpose excited inLodovico's weaker and more easily swayed nature. Beatrice's masqueraderecalls another curious feature of the day--that taste for Turkishcostumes and interest in Oriental habits which had sprung up in Italyduring the forty years which had elapsed since the fall ofConstantinople. In Venice, Gentile Bellini and Carpaccio were alreadyshowing signs of this familiarity with Eastern habits by the Turkishcostumes and personages who figure in their pictures; and a troop ofTurks were introduced into a masque written by the Milanese poet, Gaspare Visconti, and acted before the Court. These strangers from thefar East, attracted by the fame of the great city of Milan, weresupposed to arrive in a boat on the Lombard shores, singing thefollowing chorus:--

 "Bel paese è Lombardia Degno assai, ricca e galante. Ma di gioie la Soria E di fructi è più abbondante Tanta fama è per il mondo Del gran vostro alto Milano, Che solcando il mar profondo; Siam venuti da lontano, Gran paese soriano, Per veder se cosi sia, Bel paese di Lombardia. "

Still greater interest attaches to Lodovico's description of his ownvisit to the Certosa and of the alterations which he effected in thechoir. This famous church and monastery had been the pride of successiveDukes of Milan, since the day when Galeazzo Visconti laid the firststone in his park of Pavia a hundred years before. Viscontis and Sforzashad alike helped to enrich their ancestor's mighty foundation, and tocarry on the work. But the Certosa owes more to Lodovico Sforza than toany other member of the dynasty. From the day when he returned to Milanand took up the reins of government in his nephew's name, to the lastsad moments when his state was crumbling to pieces, this great shrinewas the special object of his solicitude. In his eyes, as he said in theletter informing the Prior and brothers of Duchess Leonora's visit, theCertosa was the jewel of the crown, the noblest monument in the wholerealm. The completion of the façade and the internal decoration of thegreat church and chapels was one of the objects that lay nearest to hisheart. A whole army of architects and sculptors, painters and builderswere employed under his orders; and so great was the store of preciousmarbles, brought there from Carrara and other parts of Italy, that theplace was said to resemble a vast stone quarry. During the twenty yearsthat the Moro reigned as Regent and Duke in Milan, the new apse built inBramante's classical style, the central cupola, and the beautifulcloisters with their slender marble shafts and dark red terra-cottafriezes of angel-heads, all rose into being. Then Ambrogio Borgognonedecorated the roof of nave and apse, and designed the elaborate_intarsiatura_ of these very choir-stalls to which Lodovico alludes inhis letter to Isabella d'Este. And then the same Lombard master paintedthese frescoes and altar-pieces of grave saints and gentle Madonnas, which still adorn the side chapels with their solemn forms and richgolden harmonies. Many of these are ruined, others we know are gone. Thefragments of the noble banners with portraits of kneeling figures, whichthe artist painted for processional use on solemn occasions are now inour National Gallery. There, too, is that loveliest of all Perugino'sMadonnas, with the warrior Archangels at her side, and the perfectlandscape beyond, which the Umbrian master painted in the last years ofthe century, by the Moro's express command, for his favourite sanctuary. 

But the crowning work of Lodovico's days was the façade of the greatchurch which, after many different attempts, was finally begun in 1491, and mostly executed during the next seven years. This magnificentcreation, the triumph of Lombard genius, was designed by a nativearchitect, Giovanni Antonio Amadeo, or Di Madeo, as he signs himself, apeasant lad who had grown up in his father's farm close by, and whoseearliest independent work is said to have been a group of angels on themarble doorway leading from the church into the cloisters. He hadafterwards been employed at Bergamo, where the Colleoni Chapel and theeffigy of the great Condottiere's young daughter, the sleeping virginMedea, still bear witness to his poetic invention and rare decorativeskill. One of Lodovico's first acts after his return to Milan had beento recall Amadeo to Pavia, and in 1490, this gifted artist was appointed_Capo maestro_ of the Certosa works. To his delicate fancy and exquisiterefinement we owe much of the lovely detail in the church and cloisters, the singing angels of the portals, the reliefs on Gian Galeazzo'smonument, and in the monks' lavatory, and the medallions of the Sforzasover the doorways of the choir. There we may see the strongly markedfeatures and refined expression of the great Moro, between his brotherand his nephew, while above the opposite portal are the four Duchessesof Milan, Bianca Maria Visconti, Bona of Savoy, Isabella of Aragon, andBeatrice d'Este with the same soft, beautiful face, the same long coilof hair and jewelled net that we see in her portrait in the Brera or inCristoforo Romano's bust in the Louvre. 

But the wonderful marble façade, with its great central portal andround-headed windows, its historical reliefs and marvellous wealth ofdecorative sculpture, is Amadeo's grandest creation. We know not how farit was completed before 1499, when his labours as chief architect of thecathedrals of Milan and Pavia compelled him to give up his post at theCertosa; but in much of the ornamental detail--in the angels that adornits branches of the candelabra between the windows, in the profusion ofcarved trophies, armorial bearings, burning censers, cherub-heads, leaf-mouldings, flowers and fruit that has been lavished on everyportion of the west front we recognize his handiwork. And this façade ofthe Certosa, more than any other architectural work of the age, bearsthe stamp of Lodovico Sforza's peculiar genius. Alike in the abundanceof classical motives and in the amazing wealth of invention and infinitegrace that inspired the whole conception, we recognize Lodovico'spassionate love of the antique and minute attention to detail. We knowthat he was constantly on the spot, as the letter to his sister-in-lawproves, and that when absent from Pavia the works of the Certosa wereconstantly in his mind. He was always writing orders to Amadeo to buymarbles and hurry on the work, always urging the prior to hasten thecompletion of the church, or inquiring in Florence and Rome for newmasters to paint altar-pieces for the Certosa. And to-day, when so manyof his noblest creations have perished, when the glorious pile of theCastello of Milan, with its stately towers and frescoed halls, richdecorations and vast gardens, has been defaced and battered by the handsof barbarian invaders, when Leonardo's fresco is a wreck and the tombof Beatrice broken to pieces, when Vigevano and Cussago are in ruins, and the matchless library of Pavia has been scattered to the winds, werejoice to think that the Certosa remains to show us how splendid werethe dreams and how rare the skill of artists in the days when LodovicoSforza reigned over Milan. 

One of the finest artists who was working at the Certosa underLodovico's eye in the summer of 1491, was the accomplished Romansculptor, Giovanni Cristoforo Romano. We remember how he had been sentto Ferrara in the autumn of the previous year to execute a bust ofBeatrice for his master. Since then he had gone back to his work at theCertosa, where he was employed upon the monument which Lodovico wasraising to his ancestor Gian Galeazzo Visconti, the founder of the greatCarthusian Abbey. His exact share in this noble work, which was begun in1490, remains uncertain, but both the effigy of this duke and the figureof the Madonna and Child in the upper part of the monument are generallyascribed to his hand. At the same time Cristoforo had promised to designthe chief portal of the ancient Stanga palace in Cremona, which wasbeing restored by Lodovico's Superintendent of Finances, the MarcheseStanga, known in court circles as the Marchesino, to distinguish himfrom his father, Duchess Bianca Maria's faithful servant. That June theMarchesino was married at Milan to a daughter of Count GiovanniBorromeo, and on this occasion, doubtless, he employed the gifted Romansculptor to design the magnificent doorway which now adorns the Louvreand is a masterpiece of classic elegance. But now a fresh invitationreached Cristoforo from another quarter. 

The Marchioness of Mantua had seen the Roman master's bust of her sisterBeatrice when she came to Milan in the winter for the weddingfestivities, and was seized with an ardent wish to have her featurescarved in marble by the same unrivalled artist. On the 22nd of June shewrote to Beatrice from her favourite villa at Porto, near Mantua, begging her to ask Lodovico if he would kindly allow "that excellentmaster, Johan Cristoforo, who carved your Highness's portrait inmarble, " to come to Mantua for a few days, that he might render her thesame service. Beatrice, who was always ready and anxious to gratifyIsabella's wishes, replied that she had shown the letter at once to herhusband, and that Lodovico would gladly comply with her sister'srequest, and had written to beg the Marchesino--for whom JohanCristoforo was working at that moment--to send this master to Mantua. "No doubt by this time, " he adds, writing from Pavia on the 15th ofJuly, "Messer Cristoforo is already on his way to Mantua. "

But the sculptor, like most great artists, took his time about his work, and would not be interrupted or hurried, even to please so charming andillustrious a lady as Isabella d'Este. He wrote a courteous note to theMarchesa from Pavia, saying how gladly he would have obeyed her summonson the spot, and how deeply he regretted that this was impossible, sincehe could not leave the work upon which he was engaged for the Marchesinounfinished. But he hoped to have the pleasure of seeing her some day. Meanwhile he suggested that she should order two pieces of fine marblefrom Venice, and see that they were very white and without stain or veinof colour. Isabella, however, was not easily discouraged, especiallywhere excellent masters and works of art were in question, and, as shewrote on another occasion to Niccolo da Correggio, liked to have herwishes gratified on the spot. This time she wrote to the Marchesinohimself, begging him to send Messer Johan Cristoforo to Mantua as soonas possible. Now Giovanni Stanga, besides being a finished courtier, wason intimate terms with the fair Marchesana herself and with all herfamily. Only a few weeks before, Isabella had written him a charmingletter of congratulation on his marriage, and he often sent presents ofsilver boxes and ornaments both to her and Duchess Leonora. So, when hisown doorway was finished, he did his best to induce the sculptor tooblige the marchioness. But Cristoforo had evidently no intention ofleaving Pavia at present. The summer months slipped away, and stillIsabella waited in vain. At length, in October, she heard from theMarchesino that Messer Cristoforo feared it was impossible for him tocome to Mantua at all this year, since his whole time was spent inworking at the Certosa, besides which he was one of the Duchess ofBari's singers, and must obey her wishes and travel with her, now inone direction, now in another. "At present, " adds the writer, "he iswith her in Genoa. "

It was not, in fact, until after Beatrice's death that Isabella obtainedLodovico's leave for his favourite sculptor to visit Mantua. By thattime the duke's affairs were in dire confusion, and seeing there waslittle hope of further employment and none of certain pay, MesserCristoforo left the Milanese court sorrowfully and went to Mantua, wherehe carved the lovely doorway still to be seen in Isabella's studio of_Il Paradiso_ at the top of the grim old Castello, and designed thebeautiful medal of the marchioness herself, which was praised as adivine thing at the Court of Naples, and which the old scholar Jacopod'Atri kissed a thousand times over, for the sake of its beauty and ofthe likeness which it bore to the beloved mistress whom he had not seenfor so many years. Afterwards we know Cristoforo moved on to Urbino, where Bembo and Emilia Pia and the good duchess all gave him a gladwelcome, and Castiglione enshrined his memory in the pages of the_Cortigiano_. Then, again, we find him in his native city, Rome, searching for antiques in the ruins of the Eternal City, and examiningthe newly discovered Laocoon with Michelo Angelo, until at last theincurable malady which had long undermined his strength put an end tohis life, and he died in the prime of manhood at the Santa Casa ofLoreto. But his best work was done, and his happiest years were spent, in the service of Duchess Beatrice, at the court of Milan. 

If Lodovico did not always care to part from his best artists atIsabella's request, he rarely failed to oblige his charmingsister-in-law in other matters. Presents of game and venison, choicevegetables and fruit, artichokes and truffles, apples and pears orpeaches, were constantly borne to Mantua by his couriers; and in returnIsabella would send him the famous salmon-trout of the Lake of Garda, that were accounted such rare delicacies, and which Lodovico was fond ofseeing at table, especially, as he often remarked, in Lent. Thecorrespondence between the two courts was briskly kept up that year, although Isabella was unable to visit Milan. Lodovico himself rarelymissed a post, and complained repeatedly that Isabella was not soregular a correspondent as himself. 

"Certainly, my affection for your Highness is greater than yours forme, " he says, writing in September, 1491. "It is plain that I think ofyou much oftener than you think of me, and I know for certain that Iwrite far more letters to you than you ever write to me. "

But Isabella was unwearied in the applications which she made constantlyto her brother-in-law on behalf of persons who, rightly or wrongly, hadbeen accused of offences against the laws of Milan. Often, it must beowned, these suppliants whom she recommended to mercy proved to becriminals of the worst type; and quite as often the _protégés_ whom shesent to Milan turned out to be utterly worthless characters. This madeher a little ashamed of the perpetual recommendations with which shetroubled Lodovico, and explains the apologetic tone of a note which sheaddressed to him in June, 1491, on behalf of some suppliant for money. 

"The letters of recommendation which I have received in this case are sourgent that I feel it would be brutal to refuse the petition I send you, especially since they are addressed to me by private friends. But ifyour Highness complains, as you may justly do, of the frequency of myappeals, I must ask you to impute their persistency less to me than tomy innate compassion, which induces me to intercede for all who ask ingood faith. But the truth is, your Highness has given me so many tokensof affection that many persons who seek your favour apply to me, trusting to my powers of intercession. And since I should be wellcontent to let the whole world know the love and kindness which yourHighness shows me, I grant these requests the more easily, because Iremember what good fruit my recommendations have hitherto borne. "

Sometimes, when the Marquis Gianfrancesco was away from Mantua, we findhis wife consulting Lodovico on affairs of state, asking him to preventher neighbour Galeotto della Mirandola from constructing a canal whichmay injure her subjects, or appealing to the Sanseverino brothers in thecase of a faithless servant of hers who had sought shelter under theCount of Caiazzo's banners. Beatrice, in her turn, occasionally sent herservants and subjects with recommendations to Mantua. For instance, that July a Milanese soldier named Messer Giacomello arrived at thecourt of the Gonzagas, with letters from the Duchess of Bari and MesserGaleazzo di Sanseverino, asking for leave to fight a duel with a man ofAscoli who had insulted him; and the marchioness, ignorant of thecustomary method of treating these challenges, referred the case to herhusband in a long and elaborate statement. 

Towards the end of September Beatrice fell ill, and for some days herhusband was seriously uneasy about her. The anxiety which he showed, andthe attentions with which he surrounded her, were duly reported byGiacomo Trotti in a letter to Ferrara. 

"Signor Lodovico, " he wrote on the 18th of September, "does not leavehis wife's bedside by day or night. He is always with her, and thinks ofnothing but how he can best please and amuse her. The only cause ofregret he has is that as yet there are not any signs of the birth of ason and heir. "

Lodovico's concern for his young wife was genuine. He wrote dailyreports of her health to Isabella and her mother, and on the 4th ofOctober rejoiced to be able to tell the Marchesana that her sister hadonce more been able to assist at a boar-hunt, which had taken place sixmiles from Pavia. 

"Yesterday your sister came to look on at a boar-hunt, six or sevenmiles from here. She drove to the spot in a chariot with a raised seatat the back, very much like the pulpits from which friars preach! Hereshe stood up, to be out of danger, and enjoyed herself immensely, asbeing placed at such a height, she could see the whole hunt better thanany one else. "

A few days later he wrote again to say he had decided to send his wifeto Genoa, since the air of Pavia was not healthy, he felt convinced, atthis season of the year, and in the hope that change would help tocomplete her cure. 

"To-morrow my wife starts for Genoa _incognita_. I am sending her, firstof all, to give her pleasure and do her health good, and, secondly, toprepare the way for your Highness when you come here next. "

Unfortunately, we have no further particulars of this visit to Genova laSuperba, that city which both the sisters were so anxious to see, andthe letters in which Beatrice described this journey to her husband haveeither perished or still lie buried in some private archives. All weknow is that Cristoforo Romano was among the singers who accompanied theduchess on this occasion, although she travelled _incognita_ and tookonly a few persons in her suite. 

By December Lodovico and his wife were again settled in Milan, wherethey received an unexpected visit from the Marquis of Mantua in thefirst week of that month. Gianfrancesco's own wife was absent with hermother at Ferrara, and without even informing Isabella of his intention, he suddenly arrived at Milan, and spent a week at the Castello with theDuke and Duchess of Bari. As a rule, the company of the marquis, a bravesoldier, but not apparently a very attractive person, with his shortungainly figure and rugged features, his dark complexion and roughmanners, was not particularly agreeable to his polished brother-in-law;but he received a kindly welcome from both his hosts on this occasion, and was highly gratified with the honours and attention that were paidhim. Isabella, on her part, was overjoyed to hear of the kindness withwhich her husband had been treated at the court of Milan, and declaredthat his letters gave her as much pleasure as if she had been with himherself. Lodovico did his guest the honours of his palace and city, showed him the treasures and jewels of the Castello, and sent him homeloaded with gifts. Among other presents which Gianfrancesco receivedfrom his brother-in-law were a pair of lions which the Moro, who wasconstantly sending to Africa for wild beasts, showed him in hismenagerie, and promised to send him as soon as they were sufficientlytame. Some weeks, however, passed before they were pronounced fit totravel safely, and it was not till February of the following year thatthey were sent to Mantua, with a note from Lodovico, explaining that thekeeper who accompanied them was accustomed to wild beasts, and wouldteach Gianfrancesco's servants how to treat them. 

FOOTNOTES:

[15] Luzio-Renier, _op. Cit. _, p. 111. 

[16] Luzio-Renier, _op. Cit. _, p. 114. 

CHAPTER X

Claims of Charles VIII. To Naples--Of the Duke of Orleans to Milan--Intrigues of the Venetian Senate, of Pope Innocent VIII. , and ofFerrante and Alfonso of Naples--Visit of the French ambassadors to Milan--Treasures of the Castello--Jewels of Lodovico Sforza--Isabella ofAragon and her father--An embassy to the French court proposed--Secretinstructions of the Count of Caiazzo--_Fête_ at Vigevano--Tournament ofPavia. 

1491

The most important event at the court of Milan that winter was the visitof the French ambassadors. The young King of France, Charles VIII. , nowthat he had emancipated himself from his sister's tutelage and felthimself his own master, was beginning to cherish secret dreams ofconquest, and already turned envious eyes towards the kingdom of Naples, that ancient heritage of the House of Anjou. His own ardour for militaryglory was fanned by the presence at the French court of several exilednoblemen, who had fled from Naples to escape the harsh rule of KingFerrante and his hated son Alfonso, and were burning to avenge theirwrongs. Chief among these were Antonio, Prince of Salerno, the head ofthe great Sanseverino family, and his cousin, the Prince of Bisignano, both of whom were in constant communication with their kinsmen at theMilanese court. At the same time, Charles VIII. 's brother-in-law andcousin, Louis, Duke of Orleans, a valiant and ambitious prince justthirty years of age, who had inherited the Lombard town of Asti from hisgrandmother, Valentina Visconti, and claimed the Duchy of Milan in rightof his descent from the Visconti dukes, rejoiced at the prospect ofadvancing his pretensions against the rival House of Sforza. 

Already more than one invitation to cross the Alps had reached theyoung French king from Italy. In January, 1484, when Venice was waging adesperate war against Milan and Naples, Antonio Loredano was sent to theFrench court with secret instructions to remind Charles VIII. , who hadjust succeeded his father, Louis XI. , that the kingdom of Naples hadformerly belonged to his family, and that, besides occupying a throne towhich he had no right, Ferrante of Aragon had instigated Lodovico Sforzato usurp the crown of Milan. The Venetian envoy was further desired toinform the Duke of Orleans that Lodovico evidently intended to makehimself Duke of Milan in his nephew's stead, and to point out that Louiscould not find a better moment than this, to assert his own claim to theduchy of his Visconti ancestors. 

"Say all you can to instigate the Duke of Orleans to undertake thisenterprise, " were the secret instructions of the Ten, "and tell theFrench that if they wish to dethrone the tyrant Ferrante and seizeNaples, they will never have a better opportunity. "[17]

A month later the Venetian Government sent another message to Louis ofOrleans, urging him to invade Milan, and offering him the help of theirforces. The duke was by no means averse to the suggestion, but Anne deBeaujeu, who governed France during her brother's minority, wiselydeclined to meddle in the quarrels of Italian States, and by Augustpeace had been concluded between Venice and Milan. 

Five years afterwards Pope Innocent VIII. , having quarrelled with KingFerrante, invited Charles VIII. To invade Naples, and offered him theinvestiture of this important fief of the Church. But at that time theFrench monarch had no leisure to think of a foreign expedition. He wasalready engaged in war with Maximilian, King of the Romans, and in afierce quarrel with the States of Brittany over the regency of thatprovince during the minority of young Duchess Anne, the betrothed brideof the future Emperor, whose first wife, Mary of Burgundy, had died in1482. Finding that there was no prospect of help from this quarter, thePope had been forced to come to terms with Ferrante, whose armiesthreatened Rome, and made peace with Naples in January, 1492. 

Meanwhile Charles VIII. Had mortally offended the King of the Romans bysending back his daughter Margaret, to whom while yet Dauphin he hadbeen formally betrothed by his father, Louis XI. , and who had beeneducated in Touraine for the last six years, and taking Maximilian'saffianced bride, Anne of Brittany, for his wife. The marriage wassolemnized in the Castle of Langeais in December, 1491, and two monthsafterwards the new queen was crowned at Saint Denis. Maximilian nowsought to form a coalition against Charles, to avenge his injuredhonour; and his ally, Henry VII. Of England, sent a letter to LodovicoSforza, asking him to join the league and invade France from the south. 

Under these circumstances Charles VIII. Was naturally anxious tostrengthen the old alliance which had existed between his father and theHouse of Sforza. Even before his own marriage, in the summer of 1490, Lodovico had sent Erasmo Brasca on a private mission to the French king, to ask for a renewal of the investiture of the Duchy of Genoa, originally granted to Francesco Sforza by Louis XI. Since those days, Genoa had been lost during the regency of Duchess Bona, and onlyrecovered in 1888, by Lodovico's successful negotiations. Now CharlesVIII. Gladly granted the regent's request, and proposed to send anembassy to Milan in the course of the next year. Lodovico, on his part, prepared to give the French ambassadors a splendid reception, and inMarch, 1491, wrote to his chief secretary, Bartolommeo Calco, fromVigevano, giving minute instructions for the preparation of a suite ofrooms in the Castello, where the Most Christian King's envoys were to belodged. Since, at that time, extensive improvements were being made inother parts of the palace, Lodovico gave up his own rooms on the groundfloor for the use of these distinguished strangers. The chiefambassador, the Scottish noble, Bernard Stuart d'Aubigny, Chamberlain toKing Charles, he wrote word, would occupy the Duchess of Bari'sapartment, known as the Sala della Asse, from the raised platform at oneend of the room, and would use the duchess's boudoir, with the paintedAmorini over the mantelpiece, and the adjoining chambers for his diningand robing room. The second ambassador, Jean Roux de Visque, was tooccupy Lodovico's apartments; and the third, King Charles's doctor, theItalian Teodoro Guainiero of Pavia, would be lodged in the rooms ofMadonna Beatrice, Niccolo da Correggio's mother, and of the duke'ssecretary, Jacopo Antiquario. All of these rooms had been decorated andhung with rich tapestries and curtains of velvet and brocade forLodovico's wedding a year before, but on this occasion he desired thatcanopies adorned with the _fleur-de-lys_ should be placed over the beds, and that other changes should be made in the hangings and furniture. Andsince there was not room in the Castello, where the court officials andservants who were daily lodged and fed within its precincts alreadynumbered some two hundred, for the whole of the suite, the remainderwere to be entertained at the duke's expense at the different inns ofthe city, at the sign of the Stella, the Fontana and Campana. 

A few weeks later the ambassadors arrived at Milan, and weremagnificently received by Lodovico and his nephew, both of whom woresumptuous vests of white Lyons brocade, presented to them in the Frenchking's name, at the ceremony of investiture which followed. Giangaleazzowas formally invested with the Duchy of Genoa, and did homage to therepresentative of his suzerain, the French king, in the presence of thewhole court. Among the members of the ducal family present on thisoccasion was the duke's elder sister, Bianca Maria, who still remainedunmarried since her affianced husband, the son of Matthias Corvinus, hadbeen driven from the throne of Hungary, after his father's death in1490. The splendour of the ceremony, and the dazzling white velvet suitsworn by her brother and uncle, were long remembered by this princess ofseventeen, who spent most of her time with her mother, Bona, atAbbiategrasso. More than seven years afterwards, when poor Giangaleazzowas dead, and the Sforzas' throne was already tottering to its fall, Bianca Maria, then the wife of the Emperor Maximilian, wrote fromFribourg, begging her uncle to try and procure her a robe of the whitevelvet woven at Lyons, "like the vests worn by yourself and my brother, of blessed memory, on the day when he was invested with the Duchy ofGenoa. "[18] The young empress, whose mind, as her husband complained, never rose above childish things, and who, in the lonely splendour ofher grim castles in the Tyrol, pined for the brightness of her fairMilanese home, had set her heart on a gown of this material, and beggedher kind uncle to excuse her if she asked too much, assuring him thatnothing else could give her so much pleasure. 

The beauty of Milan, with its stately Castello and white marble Duomo, its spacious streets and long rows of armourers' and goldsmiths' shops, its beautiful gardens and frescoed palaces, made a deep impression uponthese strangers from the North. Never had they seen so fair a city or sorich a land. Marvellous were the tales they had to tell their countrymenof the splendid court where they had lived like princes, and of thiswealthy and magnificent Signor Lodovico, who had entertained them in soroyal a manner. 

But although the investiture of Genoa had been provisionally granted, and a treaty of alliance agreed upon, several articles of the leaguestill remained to be discussed. Negotiations dragged on all through theyear, chiefly with regard to certain castles belonging to Charles'sally, the Marquis of Montferrat, which had been seized by the Milanese. Niccolo da Correggio was sent to France in the summer to endeavour tobring matters to a satisfactory conclusion, but nothing was finallysettled until the winter, when Charles decided to send a second embassyto Milan. This time one of the former envoys, Jean Roux de Visque, wasselected for the office, and, together with Le Sieur Pierre deCourthardi, left Paris early in December, and arrived at Milan inJanuary, 1492. 

Lodovico himself received the ambassadors in the Castello, andentertained them with his wonted magnificence. A treaty was drawn up, bywhich Charles agreed to recognize all the claims advanced by the Duke ofMilan, and admitted the Duke of Bari by name as governor of his nephewinto the defensive and offensive league concluded on the 13th ofJanuary, and on the 19th the French ambassadors left Milan. Before theirdeparture, however, Lodovico, anxious to do his guests honour and at thesame time impress them with his wealth and the vast resources at hiscommand, himself conducted them over the Treasury of the Castello, which was deservedly regarded as one of the principal sights of Milan. 

There, in the heart of the Rocchetta, close to his own apartments, wasthe vaulted room, decorated with frescoes by Leonardo and Bramante, andknown as the Sala del Tesoro. Here, piled up in enormous chests, werethe vast store of gold ducats which he kept as a reserve fund for theState, and the priceless jewels that were his own private property. Here, too, in oak presses, secured by ingenious contrivances devisedexpressly for the purpose by Leonardo, were the treasures of gold andsilver plate, the salvers and goblets, the dishes and vases of antiqueshape, in which the Moro took especial pride, and which were onlyexhibited on festive occasions. Milan was at this time one of therichest states in Italy. The revenue of the duchy, under Lodovico's wiseand careful rule, exceeded the sum of 600, 000 ducats--that is to say, double the revenue of Naples, and more than six times as much as that ofMantua, and was only surpassed by that of Venice, which amounted to800, 000 ducats; while, according to the same table, the revenue ofEngland in the fifteenth century was calculated at 700, 000 ducats, andthat of France at 1, 000, 000 ducats. And here, too, in the Sala delTesoro, were the jewels belonging to Lodovico, a collection which atthis time included some of the most famous gems in the world. A few ofthese which he pawned to a Venetian merchant in 1495, were valued at150, 000 ducats, and a list, which is still preserved in the Trivulziolibrary, gives a description of the different jewels which in thetroubled times at the close of his reign were pledged to bankers in Romeand Milan. [19] There was the balass ruby, called _El Spigo_ or "the earof corn, " which was valued at the enormous sum of 250, 000 ducats; andthe jewel of _Il Lupo_, "the wolf, " consisting of one large diamond andthree choice pearls, which the goldsmiths priced at 120, 000 ducats. There was the famous _Puncta_, or diamond arrow, given by DuchessBeatrice's grandfather, Niccolo d'Este, to Francesco Sforza; and the_Caduceus_, a favourite device of the Moro's, wrought in large pearls, each of which was said to be worth 25, 000 ducats; while the balass ruby, known as the Marone, often worn as a brooch by Beatrice, was valued at10, 000 ducats. Another balass bore the effigy of Lodovico, and theinsignia of the Moraglia, or Mulberry, was composed of emeralds, diamonds, and pearls. This jewel was frequently worn by the Morohimself, at state banquets, as well as the famous Sancy diamond, whichhad been found on the body of Charles the Bold after the battle ofNancy, and afterwards acquired by Lodovico, whose agents were always insearch of precious stones of fine water and rare workmanship. 

Such were a few of the treasures which the regent displayed before thedazzled eyes of the French ambassadors. Unfortunately the presents whichhe gave them on their departure seemed to them poor and insignificant, after the marvels which they had seen in the Castello, and theircupidity was but ill-satisfied. 

"The French envoys, " wrote the Florentine ambassador, Pandolfini, to hismaster, Lorenzo de Medici, "are gone away disappointed with SignorLodovico's gifts, expecting to receive a handsomer present after seeingall the splendours of the Treasury. "[20]

Lodovico now determined to send an embassy to the French court to returnthe king's civilities and congratulate him on his marriage. He was themore anxious to strengthen his alliance with France on account of thegrowing estrangement between himself and the royal family of Naples. Hitherto, indeed, King Ferrante had maintained cordial relations withthe Regent of Milan, whose claims to this position he had been the firstto support, and whose marriage with his granddaughter Beatrice formed anew link between the Houses of Aragon and Sforza. But his son Alfonso, Duke of Calabria, who had frequently visited Milan during the long warwith Venice, had never forgiven Lodovico for treating with the Venetiansindependently, and made no secret of his hatred for his brother-in-law. The quarrel between the two princes was naturally embittered by thecomplaints which Alfonso received from his daughter Isabella, Duchess ofMilan. Her miserable husband, Giangaleazzo, showed less inclination thanever to take his proper place at the head of affairs, and abandonedhimself to low debauchery. In his drunken fits it was even said that heforgot himself so far as to strike his wife. 

"There is no news here, " wrote the widowed Marchioness of Montferratfrom Milan to her envoy at Mantua, on the 2nd of May, 1492, "saving thatthe Duke of Milan has beaten his wife. "[21]

But the proud and high-spirited duchess began to resent the subordinateposition in which she and her husband were placed at their own court, and she tried to instil her keen sense of this injustice intoGiangaleazzo's feeble mind. When Lodovico came to Pavia that spring, hisnephew began by refusing to see him, but before long he forgot hiswrongs, and after behaving for a few days like a sulky child, was on themost affectionate terms with his uncle when they met again. Isabellasoon found that no dependence could be placed upon this foolish youth, who cared for nothing but his dogs and horses, and repeated everythingthat she said to Lodovico. So she devoured her griefs in silence, andonly gave utterance to her sorrows in her letters to Naples. 

Meanwhile, Alfonso did his utmost to stir up enemies against Lodovico, while, with habitual duplicity, he sent flattering messages to hisbrother-in-law, and begged for the continuance of his friendship. ThatFebruary envoys were sent from Naples to France, under pretence ofbuying horses and dogs for hunting, but with secret instructions topersuade Charles VIII. , if possible, to break with Lodovico Sforza, andrefuse to acknowledge him as Regent of Milan. Charles, however, was toomuch intent on his own plans for the conquest of Naples to pay any heedto these proposals, and the only result of Alfonso's intrigues was tostrengthen the alliance between France and Milan. 

Gianfrancesco, Count of Caiazzo, the eldest of the Sanseverino brothers, was chosen by Lodovico as chief ambassador to the French king, andreceived secret instructions to show Charles VIII. The proposals whichhad been made to the Regent of Milan by the King of England andMaximilian, King of the Romans. 

"Let him know by this means, " runs the letter, still preserved in theMilanese archives, "how unwilling we are to act in any way against hisinterests, and let him see that we have preferred his alliance to thatof the mightiest monarchs in Europe. Take care also to insist on theimportance of the Duchy of Milan and on the exalted position that weoccupy in the eyes of other Italian States. And assure him that we arehis firm and loyal friends, whose constancy neither threats nor promisescan ever shake. "[22]

Count Carlo Belgiojoso, Galeazzo Visconti and Girolamo Tuttavilla, Countof Sarno, who was himself one of King Ferrante's exiled subjects, wereselected to accompany Caiazzo on his mission. On the 23rd of Februarythey left Milan, and reached Paris towards the end of March. 

Not only had Lodovico given his envoys minute instructions as to thelanguage they were to hold in treating with the French king, but theclothes they were to wear, the presents which they bore to Charles VIII. And his queen, the very day and hour of their entry into Paris, were allregulated by his orders. His astrologer, Ambrogio di Rosate, had fixedupon the 28th of March as the most propitious moment for Caiazzo toenter Paris, and on that day, accordingly, the Milanese ambassadors, splendidly arrayed in rich brocades and cloth of gold, rode through thestreets of the capital, and under the walls of the old Louvre, where theking and queen had their abode. On the following day, Charles himselfreceived the envoys, and Galeazzo Visconti delivered a long Latindiscourse prepared by Lodovico. On the 30th they were presented to thequeen, and a few days afterwards they accompanied the royal party on ahunting expedition in the forest of Saint-Germain, but found the sportof a rude and fatiguing description, and complained that both men andanimals were very savage in their habits. Every detail of theproceedings was faithfully reported to Lodovico by Antonio Calco, thesecretary of the mission. For his benefit and that of Beatrice, he notonly describes the costumes of the royal pair--the king's gorgeousmantle of Lyons velvet, lined with yellow satin, and the queen's goldbrocade robe and cape of lion skin lined with crimson--but gives aminute account of Anne of Brittany's coiffure, a black velvet cap witha gold fringe hanging about a finger's length over her forehead, and ahood studded with big diamonds drawn over her head and ears. So curiouswere Beatrice and her ladies on these matters, that Lodovico wrote onthe 8th of April from Vigevano, desiring Calco to send him a drawing ofthe French queen's costume, "in order that the same fashion may beadopted here in Milan. " At the same time Lodovico desired Caiazzo toshow especial civility to the Duke of Orleans, assuring him that theDukes of Bari and Milan both regarded him as their own kinsman, andhoped that the love and friendship between them would be that ofbrothers. The ambassador was further empowered to offer the hand ofBianca Sforza, the duke's unmarried sister, to James IV. , the young Kingof Scotland, through Stuart d'Aubigny, the Scottish nobleman whomCharles VIII. Had sent as his envoy to Milan. Meanwhile, King Ferrante'semissaries were doing their best to stir up the Duke of Orleans againsthis Sforza rivals, and had secretly offered his granddaughter Charlottein marriage to the youthful Scottish monarch. 

But for the moment Lodovico's star was in the ascendant, and hisinfluence reigned supreme at the French court. Charles VIII. Formallyratified all the conditions of the treaty which had been signed at Milanin January, and wrote to inform Pope Innocent that he had entered intoclose alliance with the house of Sforza, and would regard any injurydone to the Dukes of Milan and Bari as a personal wrong. 

The object of the embassy being accomplished, Count Caiazzo, GaleazzoVisconti and Tuttavilla took leave of the French king and returned toMilan on the 5th of May, leaving Count Belgiojoso as permanent envoy atParis. The triumph of Lodovico's diplomacy was complete, and withoutshedding a drop of blood, or making any warlike demonstration, he hadoutwitted all his foes and secured the alliance of his most powerfulneighbour. 

The good news gave fresh zest to the pleasures of Beatrice's court thatsummer, and to all the memorable enterprises upon which Lodovico wasengaged at home. 

Early in March the Duke and Duchess of Bari left Milan to take up theirabode at Vigevano, and held a series of brilliant _fêtes_ and huntingparties in this newly-finished palace. The works upon which Bramante andhis companions had been employed for years past were finished, the greathall with its richly-wrought marble capitals, the noble tower andimposing porticoes, were all complete. The last stone was in its place, and on the great archway that formed the entrance to the stately pile, Lodovico placed this proud Latin inscription, bearing the date, 1492. 

 "LUDOVICUS MARIA SFORTIA VICECOMES PRINCIPATU JOANNI GALEACIO NEPOTI AB EXTERIS ET INTESTINIS MOTIBUS STABILITO POSTEAQUAM SQUALLENTES AGROS VIGEVANENSES IMMISSIS FLUMINIBUS FERTILES FECIT AD VOLUPTARIOS SECESSUS IN HAC ARCE VETERES PRINCIPUM EDES REFORMAVIT ET NOVIS CIRCUMEDIFICATIS SPECIOSA, ETIAM TURRI MUNIVIT POPULI QUOQUE HABITATIONIS SITU ET SQUALORE OCCUPATAS STRATIS UT EXPEDITIS PER URBEM VIIS AD CIVILEM LAUTICIAM REDEGIT DIRRUTIS ETIAM CIRCA FORUM VETERIBUS EDIFICIIS ARCAM AMPLIANT AC PORTICIBUS CIRCUMDUCTIS IN HANC SPECIEM EXORNAVIT. ANNO A SALUTE CHRISTIANA NONAGESIMOSECUNDO SUPRA MILLESIMUM ET QUADRIGENTESIMUM. "

He had given back peace to his nephew's realm and had vanquished externalfoes and quelled internal dissensions, he had brought rivers of water tomake the barren fields of Vigevano fertile, and had rebuilt the ancientForum and raised fair porticoes and fine houses round the wide square. And now, as a crowning gift to this his native city, he had restored andbeautified the ancestral castle of the illustrious house of Sforza andhad reared stately halls and a fair tower to make Vigevano a home ofperpetual delight. 

During the continual round of amusements in which these festive weekswere spent, Beatrice had little time for writing, and the only letter wehave from her hand during this visit to Vigevano is one addressed to hersister Isabella, in which she begs for information respecting FatherBernardino da Feltre, a famous revivalist preacher of the Franciscanorder, who had travelled through the cities of Central Italy, preachingrepentance and founding the charitable institutions known as Monte diPietà for the relief of the poor. 

"A report has reached us here, " wrote the young duchess, "that thevenerable Father Bernardino da Feltre, who has been preaching in Veronathis Lent, was heard to declare from the pulpit that he had received amessage from heaven, warning him that he would die in Holy Week, aftermiraculously opening the eyes of a blind man. Now I am very anxious toknow if this report is true, and since at Mantua you are sufficientlynear Verona to learn the truth of these tales, I beg you to makeinquiries and let me know the result. "

A fortnight later, Isabella, who had been absent from Mantua, was ableto satisfy her sister's curiosity and at the same time answer a previousnote in which Beatrice had given her a bad character of one of theMarchesana's _protégés_, an archer in Fracassa's service. She writes:--

"MOST ILLUSTRIOUS AND HONOURED SISTER, "Only yesterday I received two letters which you wrote to me on the 16thand 17th of April: the one in answer to my recommendation of Malacarno, Signor Fracassa's archer, the other regarding a report which had reachedyou as to certain words which Fra Bernardino da Feltre is said to havespoken at Verona. In reply to your first letter, I assure your Highnessthat if I had ever dreamt Malacarno could be guilty of such detestablecrimes, I would never have pleaded his cause, since naturally I hatesuch conduct. But as I had been told his faults were trifling, Iconsented to intercede with you on his behalf; and now I hear the badcharacter he bears, am well satisfied to hear the punishment which hehas received, and praise your illustrious consort's prudence, while atthe same time I thank you for the very kind expressions in your letter. As to Fra Bernardino's supposed prophecy that he would die this HolyWeek after miraculously opening the eyes of a blind man, I find thatthere is absolutely no truth in the report you mention. Neither atVerona, nor yet at Padua, where he has also been preaching, did he everuse such language, which indeed his humility would forbid, and as I havelearnt from a monk who attended his sermons. All the same, in order tosatisfy you and make sure of the truth, I have made further inquiries, the result of which I now lay before you, begging you to commend mewarmly to your illustrious lord. [23]

"Mantua, May 2nd, 1492. "

From Vigevano, Lodovico and his wife moved to Pavia, where the summermonths were spent in entertaining a succession of guests, and, asbefore, Beatrice and Isabella joined together in hunting parties andamusements of every description. Giangaleazzo had totally forgotten hispassing vexation, the clouds which darkened Isabella's sad life seemedto lift for the moment, and once more harmony reigned in the ducalfamily. The _fêtes_ in honour of her son's christening, which had beenpostponed in the previous summer, were now celebrated with increasedsplendour. Bramante was summoned to arrange a succession of dramaticperformances, and a grand tournament was held in the park of theCastello, in which Messer Galeazzo and his brother and all the mostskilled jousters at court took part. And the Moro's accomplished friend, Ermolao Barbaro, the young Venetian patriarch, who had been once moresent as envoy to Milan, composed a wonderful Latin epigram in honour ofthe occasion, praying Pallas not to avert her face in sorrow at thesound and tumult of war, which is after all but a mimic display, andcalling upon her, the goddess whose wisdom Lodovico honours above allthe thunders of Jove, to bless the great house of Sforza, illustriousalike in the arts of war and peace. 

FOOTNOTES:

[17] Secret Archives of the Venetian Senate, Reg. 31, fol. 123, 131, etc. , and Reg. 32, fol. 87. 

[18] F. Calvi, _Bianca Maria Sforza_. 

[19] C. Trivulzio in A. S. L. , iii. 530. 

[20] V. Delaborde, _L'Expédition de Charles VIII. En Italie_, p. 228. 

[21] G. Uzielli, _op. Cit. _, p. 6. 

[22] Archivio di Milano, _Potenze esterne Francia_. 

[23] Luzio Renier, _op. Cit. _, p. 348. 

CHAPTER XI

Intellectual and artistic revival in Lombardy--Lodovico and hissecretaries--Building of the new University of Pavia--Reforms andextension of the University--The library of the Castelloremodelled--Poliziano and Merula--Lodovico founds new schools atMilan--Equestrian statue of Francesco Sforza--Leonardo's paintings atMilan--Lodovico as a patron of art and learning. 

1492

The year 1492 was one of great enterprises. The intellectual andartistic movement which Lodovico Sforza had inaugurated was now in fullvigour, and the fruits of his wise and enlightened rule began to appearin every direction. 

"Now that the wars were ended, " writes Corio, "an era of peace andprosperity began, and everything seemed on a firmer and more stablefoundation than it had ever been in times past. The court of our princeswas most splendid, full of new fashions, rich clothes, and endlessdelights. Here Minerva and Venus vied with each other, while beautifulyouths and maidens came to learn in the school of Cupid, Minerva heldher gentle academy in Milan, and that illustrious prince, LodovicoSforza, brought men of rare excellence from the furthest ends of Europeat his expense. Here the learning of Greece shone, together with theprose and verse of the Latin race. Here the muses of poetry, and themasters of sculpture reigned supreme; here came the most distinguishedpainters from distant regions; here night and day were heard sounds ofsuch sweet singing, and such delicious harmonies of music, that theyseemed to descend from heaven itself. "

Foremost among the "men of singular merit" whom Lodovico attracted tohis court and retained in his service, were his two secretaries, Bartolommeo Calco and Jacopo Antiquario of Perugia. Both were men ofgreat learning and discernment, fired with the same passion for arts andletters as their master, and as liberal as he was in assisting poorerscholars. Calco was Lodovico's right hand and chief adviser in his greatschemes for beautifying cities and palaces. He delivered his orders tothe countless artists in his employment, arranged court festivities andgenerally conducted the duke's correspondence. Jacopo Antiquario wasmore purely a scholar, who protected other men of letters, and helpedthem generously in time of need. His honest nature and kindly actionsmade him singularly beloved, and a contemporary describes him as themost learned of good men, and the best of learned men; while hisintimate friend, the great printer, Aldo Manuzio, has immortalized hismemory in the beautiful epistle in which he dedicates the Moralia ofPlutarch to this man, whose name, he prays, may go down to future ageslinked with his own. Both of these secretaries proved able assistants inthe great revival of art and learning which is Lodovico's lasting titleto fame. Chief among these was the reform and extension of theUniversity of Pavia. During the troubled times that followed GaleazzoSforza's death, this ancient University had sunk to a very low ebb. Theprofessors remained unpaid, and in many cases ceased to lecture, thebuildings were small and inconvenient and the students lawless andriotous. Lodovico set himself with a stern hand to repress abuses on theone side, while on the other he grudged neither time nor money inpromoting the cause of learning. A letter which he addressed to thestudents from Vigevano in August, 1488, only a few weeks before thedangerous illness which almost ended his life, deserves to be quoted, ifonly as an example of the attention which he gave to every detail ofadministration. 

"Not a day passes, " he writes, "but I hear of some fresh misconduct onyour part, some crime committed or some uproar excited in the city, byyou who are scholars of the University. Even last Holy Week yourbehaviour towards certain gentlemen and citizens of Pavia was justly thecause of scandal and complaint. Such things are not to be borne, nor doI intend to bear them any longer. Schools are intended for learning, andthe object of all study and learning is that we may know how to livewell, and, by our good conduct and fair lives, gain honour and praiseboth in the eyes of God and man. We do not see that the human and divinelaws, in which you are daily instructed, produce any good effect if youcan behave as you have done in this case towards peaceable citizens, especially in these holy days when the fear of God should, above all, control your ways and actions. If you thus neglect the laws of goodliving, nothing but confusion can be the result. And know that, unlessyou speedily return to better ways, and show more respect for our holyreligion, and more honourable treatment of our honest citizens, no loveof learning will induce me to countenance such misconduct. For torepress crime, keep Italy in peace, and maintain the honour of ourillustrious lord duke, is the first and chief object of our endeavours. "

Meanwhile, Lodovico neglected no means of improving the condition ofboth professors and scholars of the University. In 1489, the magnificentnew Ateneo which he had planned was completed, and the different schoolsof medicine, jurisprudence, fine arts and letters, were brought togetherunder the same roof. The most distinguished foreign scholars wereinvited to occupy the different professional chairs, their salaries wereraised and their numbers increased. Giasone del Maino, who was professorof law at Pavia for fifty-two years, and whose reputation as juristattracted students from all parts of the world, received the largesalary of 2250 florins at this time, while Giorgio Merula of Alessandria, the historian, who for many years was professor of rhetoric at theUniversity, and received only 375 florins in 1486, had his salaryraised in 1492 to 1000 florins. Next to the law schools, that ofmedicine was the most noted for its excellence at Pavia, and among itsdistinguished professors were Alvise Marliani, who was said to rivalAristotle in philosophy, Hippocrates in medicine, and Ptolemy inastronomy, and who was court-physician in turn to Lodovico Sforza, tohis son Maximilian, and to the Emperor Charles V. ; and Ambrogio ofVarese, who occupied the chair of astrology, and taught the science ofAlmansor, as it was termed. This favourite servant of the Moro receivedthe title of Count and the castle and lands of Rosate from Gian Galeazzoin 1493, "for his services, " so ran the patent, "in saving my illustriousuncle the Duke of Bari's life. " Oriental study was another branch oflearning that Lodovico especially encouraged. Count Teseo de'Albonesi ofPavia became noted as the first Chaldaic scholar of his age, and in 1490, the Moro established a chair of Hebrew, and appointed the Jew BenedettoIspano to be the first professor, with express injunctions to study thetext of the Bible. This experiment, however, proved a failure, and so fewscholars attended his lectures that at the end of a year the chair wasabolished. At the same time, new colleges were opened, and scholarshipsfounded for poor students; and in 1496, Lodovico being then reigning Dukeof Milan, granted the professors of law, medicine, philosophy and finearts, an exemption from all taxation. Under his fostering care theUniversity flourished as it had never flourished before. Scholars fromall parts of Europe came to attend Giasone di Maino's lectures, thenumber of professors reached ninety: that of students was said to bethree thousand. As the Milanese poet Lancinus Curtius sang in his Latinrhymes, "The fair-skinned Germans with their long hair flowing on theirnecks, the English and the knights from Gaul, the Iberian from the goldensands of Tagus, all hasten thither from the far North. The rude Pannonianlays aside his military cloak to join the eager throng who crowd into thevirgin temple and seek the Helicon of Phoebus under the carved dome ofwisdom, which bears Lodovico's name above the stars. "

But the Moro patronage of learning was by no means limited to Pavia. Hedid his utmost to revive the ancient University of Milan, which had longfallen into decay, and founded new and flourishing schools in this city. The best Pavian professors Merula and the Greek Demetrius Calcondilaamongst others, were invited to lecture to the Milanese students. FraLuca Pacioli of Borgo San Sepolcro, the famous mathematician, came toteach them geometry and arithmetic, and Ferrari occupied the first chairof history ever founded in Italy, while the priest Gaffuri became thefirst public instructor in the new school of music. In short, as acontemporary writes, there was not a science of any description thatcould not be learnt at Milan in the days of Lodovico Sforza. 

The endowment of research was another point in which Lodovico showedhimself to be in advance of his age. He granted liberal pensions toBernardino Corio and Tristano Calco, "the Milanese Livy, " who continuedthe history of the Visconti begun by the Alessandria professor andaddressed letters in his own hand to the private owners of valuablemanuscripts, requesting the loan of works that would assist thesewriters of Lombard history, "in order that a perpetual memory of thegreat deeds done by our ancestors may be preserved for futuregenerations. " From his earliest years history had been one of Lodovico'sfavourite studies, and an illuminated volume of extracts from Greek andRoman history which he compiled under his tutor Filelfo's direction atthe age of fifteen may still be seen in the library of Turin. And inriper years, amid all the pressure of State affairs and politicalanxieties, he never let a day pass without having some passages fromancient and modern history read aloud to him by his secretaries. So wiseand enlightened a prince well deserved the high praise bestowed upon himby the Bolognese scholar, Filippo Beroaldo, and the great Florentine, Angelo Poliziano, with whom Lodovico frequently exchanged letters, andwho in one of his effusions thus addresses his princely friend: "All theworld knows you to be a prince of brilliant genius and singular wisdom, while above all others you cherish the noble arts and show your love forthese intellectual studies which we profess. " The jealousy of his ownsubjects was often roused by the favour with which Lodovico regardedscholars of other nationalities, and on one occasion a fierce quarrelarose between Merula and Poliziano, in which the Lombard historianstooped to the vilest personalities. Another Pavian professor with whomhe had a controversy over certain commentaries of Martial, had, itappears, ventured to hint that Merula did not really know Greek, aninsinuation which provoked the most violent display of anger on hispart, and when Poliziano endeavoured to appease both parties, theaffronted Lombard flew at him like a small terrier attacking some bigmastiff. All Lodovico's tact and courtesy were needed to allay thestorm, and when at length Merula died in 1494, the duke ordered theimmediate destruction of all the papers relating to this deplorablecontroversy, of which all parties, he felt, had good reason to beashamed. The remodelling of the library of the Castello di Pavia wasanother important work which was carried out in the year 1492, byTristano Calco the historian and kinsman of the chief secretary, underthe eye of Lodovico himself, while he and Beatrice spent the summer atPavia. All the rare and precious manuscripts which he had been at suchpains to collect in France and Italy and Germany, and the ancient bookscontained in the library were catalogued and arranged for the use ofstudents. For Lodovico was not only bent on enriching the ducal library, but was determined to make its treasures accessible to scholars of allnationalities. He allowed contemporary historians, Corio, Merula, andTristan Calco himself, to borrow manuscripts freely, and, what was evenmore admirable in those days of persecution, gave permission under hisown hand and seal to a Jewish scholar, named Salomone Ebreo, to live inthe Castello with his family, in order that he might translate Hebrewmanuscripts into Latin for the promotion of theological studies, andalso be enabled to study the text of the Hebrew Bible belonging to thelibrary. 

It is melancholy to reflect on the sad fate of this pricelesscollection, upon which Lodovico and his ancestors had expended so muchcare and thought. In 1499, the bulk of the library of the Castello wascarried off to Blois by Louis XII. And its precious contents weredispersed. Some were taken to Fontainebleau by Francis I. And afterwardsby Henry Quatre to Paris, where they are still the glory of theBibliothèque Nationale. Others again found their way into differentpublic and private collections, and may be seen at Madrid and St. Petersburg, in London and Vienna, still bearing the inscription "DePavye au roi Louis XII. , " which tells us that they once formed part ofthe Sforza Library. An illuminated manuscript of Aulus Gellius, andanother of the "Triumphs" of Petrarch, encircled with miniatures andbearing Lodovico's name, which originally belonged to the samecollection, are among the treasures of the Bibliothèque Nationale. Manymore no doubt have disappeared, lost in the general anarchy andconfusion which prevailed in the Milanese during the century after theMoro's fall. 

The newly discovered art of printing was also liberally encouraged byLodovico, one of whose _protégés_, Alessandro Minuziano, set up aprinting press in Milan before Aldo Manuzio had settled in Venice, andin the course of the year 1494, published twenty-two books, including aLatin dictionary by Dionigi Este and complete editions of Cicero andTacitus, Pliny and Suetonius, as well as the works of Filelfo and theSonnets and Triumphs of Petrarch. In 1496, a treatise on music byFranchino Gaffuri was published, with a dedication to the duke, and wasfollowed by the appearance of several works on harmony. 

The munificence of Lodovico stirred up others to follow his example. Hissecretary Bartolommeo Calco founded free schools, where Greek and Latinprofessors lectured free of charge to poor Milanese students; and twoother noblemen, Tommaso Grassi and Tommaso Piatti, endowed similarinstitutions. The new passion for learning spread from Milan and Paviato other cities, and even Lombard villages had their public schools andlecturers. Everywhere the same thirst for knowledge was felt and thesame respect for scholars was shown. For as Signor Lodovico wrote to hisfriend Poliziano, at Florence, "Both natural inclination and the exampleof our ancestors have inspired us with ardent love for learned men andan eager desire to honour and reward them to the best of our power. "

If the intellectual movement which took place during the twenty years ofLodovico Moro's rule in Milan commanded general admiration; if learningflourished there as it had never done before, the widespread revival ofart in Lombardy was a still more remarkable feature of the period. Thisindeed was the province in which Lodovico's true genius was mostapparent, and in which his own fine taste, vast power of organizationand minute attention to detail, all made themselves felt and bore richfruit. "This, " wrote Isabella d'Este--herself no mean judge of thesematters--from Lodovico's court, "is the school of the Master and ofthose who know, the home of art and understanding. "

Throughout the Milanese, architects and engineers, painters andsculptors, with a host of minor craftsmen, were carrying out the vastprojects that emanated from this one man. The decoration of the capitalwas naturally among the chief objects of his ambition. 

"In the year 1492, " writes the chronicler Cagnola, "this glorious andmagnanimous prince adorned the Castello di Porta Zobia with many fairand marvellous buildings, enlarged the Piazza in front of the Castello, and removed obstructions in the streets of the city, and caused them tobe painted and beautified with frescoes. And he did the same in the cityof Pavia, so that both these towns, that were formerly ugly and dirty, are now most beautiful, which things are very laudable and excellent, especially in the eyes of those who remember these cities as they wereof old, and who see them as they are to-day. "

Chief among Lodovico's most honoured and trusted servants was Bramanteof Urbino, whose genius excited so marked an influence on thedevelopment of Lombard architecture, and who was to the builders whatLeonardo became to the painters of Milan. "Signor Lodovico lovedBramante greatly, and rewarded him richly, " writes Fra Gaspare Bugati, aDominican friar of S. Maria delle Grazie, the Moro's favourite church, which this great architect did so much to beautify. During this year, Bramante, having finished the palace of Vigevano and completed the newbuildings at the royal villas of Abbiategrasso, Cuzzago and otherplaces, upon which he had been long engaged, began several importantworks in Milan itself. The new cloister or Canonica attached to theancient basilica of S. Ambrogio, with its graceful columns anddark-green marble capitals, and the apse of S. Maria delle Grazie, soonto be crowned with that matchless cupola that remains among Bramante'smost perfect works, were both begun in 1492. A few years before, between1485 and 1490, he had built the Baptistery of San Satiro, which anotherof Lodovico's chosen artists, the great Como sculptor, Caradosso, wasnow engaged in modelling the lovely terra-cotta frieze of children andthe medallions bearing, it is said, his own portrait and that ofBramante. The noble church of S. Maria presso San Celso, which inBurckhardt's opinion combines magnificence and simplicity better thanany building of the Renaissance, was the work of Bramante's assistant, Dolcebuono, and owed its erection to the munificence of Lodovico, wholaid the first stone in 1491. Nor were churches and palaces the onlybuildings upon which Lodovico lavished his gold and employed his mostdistinguished masters. In those days, the hospitals of Rome, Florence, Venice and Siena were the finest in Europe, and when Luther visitedRome, he is said to have been more impressed by the size and splendourof the hospitals, than by anything else in Italy. The great Moro, determined not to allow Milan to remain behind his age in this respect, employed Bramante to adorn the Gothic buildings of the Ospedale Maggiorewith the arched windows and stately porticoes that we still admire, while he encircled the cloisters with marble shafts and terra-cottamouldings after his own heart. And in 1488, after his own recovery fromillness, and that terrible visitation of the plague which had carriedoff fifty thousand inhabitants of Milan in six months, Lodovico foundedthe vast Lazzaretto, which still deserves its proud title, and may wellbe called a "glorious refuge for Christ's poor. "

Meanwhile the works of the Duomo of Milan, that other great foundationof the Visconti dukes, were being vigorously carried on. In 1481, Lodovico had nominated his favourite Pavian master, Amadeo, thearchitect of the Certosa, as Capomaestro in succession to GuiniforteSolari; but the Councillors of the Fabric declined to accept hissuggestion, and sent to Strasburg for a German architect, JohnNexemperger of Graz, who held the office for some years, but effectedlittle, and was finally dismissed in 1486. After his departure, theruinous state of the central cupola requiring immediate attention, Lodovico invited Luca Fancelli, the chief architect of the Gonzagas atMantua, to visit Milan, and by his advice Leonardo, Bramante, and otherleading masters were invited in 1487 to design models for a new cupola. On this occasion Leonardo executed a model, which, however, does notseem to have satisfied the Fabbricieri, and after applying in vain tohis ambassador in Rome and Florence for a master able and willing toundertake the task, Lodovico returned to his first choice, and appointedAmadeo and Dolcebuono, architects of the Duomo, with powers to alter andperfect the models of the cupola submitted to them for inspection. Inorder to strengthen their hands and satisfy himself, Lodovico invitedLuca Fancelli of Mantua and Francesco Martini of Siena to decide on therespective merits of the models already prepared. Caradosso was sent toconduct Martini from Siena, while Gaffuri, Professor of Music, escortedFancelli from Mantua by the duke's orders, and both masters were richlyrewarded for the pains and presented with silken vests and clothes fortheir servants over and above the pay to which they were entitled. 

On the 27th of June, 1490, a meeting was held in the Castello, at whichLodovico presided, and after much deliberation the final execution ofthe cupola was entrusted to Amadeo and Dolcebuono. Bramante himself wasnot present on this occasion, but he approved highly of the modelselected, and praised its lightness and elegance. 

As for Leonardo, he was absorbed in other studies, and had apparentlyceased to take any interest in the subject. After allowing his firstmodel to be spoilt, and receiving payment for a second which he neverbegan, he had, as already mentioned, accompanied the Sienese architect, Martini, to Pavia, to give his opinion on the new Duomo in course oferection. There he lingered, studying anatomy or discussing scientificand philosophical questions with the University professors, until he wasrecalled to Milan, to assist in the preparations for Beatrice's wedding_fêtes_. Many and varied were the tasks on which Leonardo had beenemployed since the day, some eight years before, when the MagnificentMedici first sent him to his friend at Milan. In the letter which theyoung master, proudly conscious of his powers, himself addressed toLodovico Sforza, offering him his services, he had, first of all, retailed at length his different inventions "for the construction ofbridges, cannons, engines, and catapults of fair and useful shapehitherto unknown, but of admirable efficiency in time of war, " afterwhich he proceeded to give the following account of his artisticcapacities:--

"In time of peace I believe I can equal any man in constructing publicbuildings and conducting water from one place to another. I can executesculpture, whether in marble, bronze, or terra-cotta, and in painting Iam the equal of any master, be he who he may. Again, I will undertake toexecute the bronze horse to the immortal glory and eternal honour of theduke, your father, of blessed memory, and of the illustrious House ofSforza. And if any of the things I have mentioned above should seem toyou impossible and impracticable, I will gladly make trial of them inyour park, or any other place that may please your Excellency, to whom Icommend myself in all humility. "

The master had kept his word, and justified the confidence which fromthe first Lodovico Sforza placed in him. According to Vasari and thebiographer of the Magliabecchiana, who wrote about 1540, Leonardooriginally attracted the Moro's notice by the surpassing charm withwhich he played on a silver lyre of his own invention, and afterwardsfascinated him by his conversation. But from the moment of his arrivalat Milan the Florentine artist was employed by his new master to paintportraits and frescoes, to construct canals, arrange masques andpageants, or invent mechanical contrivances for use on the stage or inthe house. A thousand different studies in his sketch-books andmanuscripts bear witness to the strange variety of subjects upon whichhis versatile genius was brought to bear. But the most important workupon which Leonardo was engaged, and that which lay nearest to LodovicoSforza's heart, was the equestrian statue of Duke Francesco Sforza. This, we learn from the master's own words, was the true reason thatbrought him to Milan. In a letter to the Fabbricieri of the Duomo ofPiacenza, he describes himself as Leonardo the Florentine whom SignorLodovico brought to Milan to make the bronze horse, and says that he canundertake no other task, for this will fill his whole life, if indeed itis ever finished! Countless were the designs, endless the differentforms which the great master made for this model, which was, after all, never to be cast in bronze, and was destined to perish by the hands ofFrench archers. At one time it seemed as if he could neither satisfyhimself nor yet his master. In July, 1489, Pietro Alamanni, one ofLorenzo de' Medici's agents, wrote to ask his master if he could sendanother artist capable of executing the work to the Milanese court. 

"Signor Lodovico, " he says, "wishes to raise a noble memorial to hisfather, and has already charged Leonardo da Vinci to prepare a model fora great bronze horse, with a figure of Duke Francesco in armour. Butsince His Excellency is anxious to have something superlatively fine, he desires me to write and beg you to send him another master, foralthough he has given the work to Leonardo, he does not feel satisfiedthat he is equal to the task. "

Probably Lodovico's confidence had been shaken by Leonardo's endlessdelays and hesitation, but a few months later the master was at workagain, this time it appears on a completely new model of the greatstatue. On April, 1490, we find the following memorandum in Leonardo'swriting:--

"To-day I commenced this book, and began the horse again. "

But soon another interruption came to interfere with the progress of thegreat work. There was the visit to Pavia, and the decoration of theball-room in the Castello, and the wedding _fêtes_, and the tournamentsin which Messer Galeazzo sought his help. And in this year--1492--wefind Leonardo at Vigevano with the Moro in March, making designs for anew staircase for the Sforzesca, and studying vine-culture, and later inthe summer drawing plans of a bath-room for Duchess Beatrice, and of apavilion with a round cupola for the duke's labyrinth in the gardens ofthe Castello. It was in this same year, according to Amoretti, that hefinished the beautiful painting of the Holy Family, upon which he hadlong been engaged. This may have been the picture ordered by Lodovico asa gift for the art-loving King of Hungary, Matthias Corvinus, when hisniece Bianca Maria was betrothed to that monarch's son. 

"Since we hear that His Majesty delights in pictures, " wrote Lodovico toMaffeo di Treviglio, the ambassador whom he was sending to Hungary in1485, "and we have here a most excellent painter, with whose genius weare well acquainted, and who, we are sure, has no equal, we have orderedthis master to paint a figure of Our Lady, as beautiful and perfect andholy as he can imagine, without sparing pains or expense. He has alreadyset to work, and will undertake nothing else until this picture isfinished, and we are able to send it as a gift to his said Majesty. "

The painter who had no equal could be none other than Leonardo; but itwould be interesting to know if this picture, originally destined forMatthias Corvinus, was the Nativity eventually given by Lodovico in 1493to Bianca Maria's future husband, the Emperor Maximilian. All traces ofthis altar-piece, however, as well as of the Bacchus and other subjectswhich Leonardo painted for the Moro, have vanished; and the only worksthat remain to us of his Milanese period are the cartoon of the Virginand St. Anne now in the Royal Academy, and the "Vierge aux Rochers" inthe Louvre, which was originally painted between 1490 and 1494 for achapel in San Francesco of Milan, the church where the great CondottiereRoberto di Sanseverino was piously buried by his sons, after his deathin the battle of Trent. The fame which Leonardo had attained, and thehigh esteem in which he was held by the Moro, is proved by the verses ofcontemporary poets, and especially by those of his fellow-countryman, Bellincioni, the court-poet who died in 1492. 

"To-day, " he sings, "Milan is the new Athens! Here Lodovico holds hisParnassus; here rare and excellent artists flock as bees to seek honeyfrom the flowers; here, chief among them all, is the new Apelles whom hehas brought from Florence. " In the volume of Bellincioni's Sonnets, published soon after his death by the priest Francesco Tanzio, the nameMagistro Leonardo da Vinci appears in a marginal note, and in anothersonnet inscribed to "Four illustrious men who have grown up under theshadow of the Moro, " the editor gives the respective names of thesefamous individuals as "the painter Maestro Leonardo Florentino, thegoldsmith Caradosso, the learned Greek scholar Giorgio Merula, calledthe sun of Alessandria, and Maestro Giannino, the Ferraresegun-founder. "

"Rejoice, O Milano, " sings the poet in these verses--"rejoice above all, that within your walls you hold one who is foremost among excellentartists, Da Vinci, whose drawing and colouring are alike unrivalled byancient or modern masters. "

The fact that Lodovico was able to keep this great master at his courtduring so long a period is the best proof we have of his knowledge ofmen and love of art. These sixteen years were the most brilliant andproductive of Leonardo's life. Never again was he to enjoy a freedomand independence so complete, never again was he to find a master asgenerous, as stimulating to his powers of brain and hand as the greatMoro. It was not only that Signor Lodovico gave him the large salary of2000 ducats--about £4000 of our money--"besides many other gifts andrewards, " as Leonardo himself told Cardinal de Gurk, but that he washimself so fine a connoisseur and understanding a patron. More thanthis, he knew how to deal with men of genius, and could make allowancefor their wayward fancies, and humour their caprices with infinite tactand kindliness. And from the little that we glean of his intercoursewith Leonardo, he seems to have treated him rather as an equal than as asubject, and more like a friend than a servant. 

The glimpses that we catch of Leonardo's private life from the writingsof contemporaries, whether in Bandello's _novelle_, or in Bellincioni's_rime_, all give the same pleasant impression, and show the ease andliberty which he enjoyed at the court of Milan. And in his own"Trattato" (Cap. 36) the painter describes himself as living in a finehouse, full of beautiful paintings and choice objects, surrounded bymusicians and poets. Here he sits at his work, handling a brush full oflovely colour, never so happy as when he can paint listening to thesound of sweet melodies. The spacious atelier is full of scholars andapprentices employed in carrying out their master's ideas or makingchemical experiments, but careless of the noise of tools and hammers, the fair-haired boy Angelo sings his golden song, and Serafino thewondrous _improvisatore_ chants his own verses to the sound of the lyre. Visitors come and go freely--Messer Jacopo of Ferrara, the architect whowas "dear to Leonardo as a brother, " the courtly poet Gaspare Visconti, and Vincenzo Calmeta, Duchess Beatrice's secretary, or, it may be, thegreat Messer Galeaz himself, whose big jennet and Sicilian horse themaster has been drawing as models for the great equestrian statuestanding outside in the Corte Vecchia. There, among them all, thepainter bends over his canvas seeking to perfect the glazes and scumblesof his pearly tints, or trying to realize some dream of a face thathaunts his fancy with its exquisite smile. He has, it is true, manylabours--"_a tanta faccenda!_" as he wrote to the councillors ofPiacenza--and at times he hardly knows which way to turn, but he is hisown master, free to work as he will, now at one, now at another. He hasno cares or anxiety. He can dress as he pleases, wear rich apparel if heis so minded, or don the plain clothes and sober hues that he prefers. He has gold enough and to spare; he can help a poorer friend and educatea needy apprentice, or save his money for a rainy day; and, above all, he has plenty of books and leisure to meditate on philosophicaltreatises, or ponder over the scientific problems in which his souldelights. He can find time to jot down his thoughts on many things, towrite his great treatise on painting, and to draw the wonderfulinterlaced patterns inscribed with the strange words which have puzzledso many generations of commentators. And he has friends, too, dear tohis heart--Messer Jacopo, and the wise Lorenzo da Pavia, that master oforgans whose hands were as deft in fashioning lyres and viols as indrawing out sweet sounds, with whom he loved to commune of musicalinstruments and eternal harmonies, and the boy Andrea Salai, with thebeautiful curling hair, whom he loved to dress up in green velvetmantles, and shoes with rose-coloured ribbons and silver buckles. 

"Such, " he tells us, "was I, Leonardo the Florentine, at the court ofthe most Illustrious Prince Signor Lodovic. " And what the Moro was toLeonardo that he showed himself to other artists and men of letters. Inthe poet's words, he was the magnet who drew men of genius (_virtuosi_)from all parts of the world to Milan. He might be an exacting andcritical master, he was certainly never satisfied with any work short ofthe best--even Leonardo, we have seen, did not always find him easy toplease--but once he discovered a man who was excellent in any branch ofknowledge, he thought no cost too great to retain him at his court. Andso the foremost scholars and the finest artists, Giorgio Merula andLancinus Curtius, Caradosso and Cristoforo Romano, Bramante andLeonardo, were all drawn to Milan in turn, and, having once entered theMoro's service, remained there until the end. 

"We know, O most illustrious Prince!" wrote Tanzio in his preface toBellincioni's Sonnets--"we know that you, the Chief of the Insubrians, are no less a lover of your country than of your glorious father, inwhose honour you have reared that mighty and immortal work, the greatColossus, which, like himself, remains without a rival. We see youequally anxious to glorify both his memory and your own great city. Wesee Milan, by your care, not only adorned with peace and wealth, withnoble churches and edifices, but with rare and admirable intellects, whoall turn to you in their hour of need, as the rivers flow into the vastocean. "

Nor was it only in Milan and Pavia that this revival made itself felt. The new impulse spread from city to city. The lovely Renaissance façadeof S. Maria dei Miracoli at Brescia was completed in 1487, and the greatChurch of the Incoronata at Lodi, begun in 1488, was continued duringthe next twenty years under the superintendence of Dolcebuono andAmadeo. Bramante supplied designs for the new façade and portals thatwere added to the cathedral of Como in 1491, and for the majestic churchof Abbiategrasso, close to this favourite country house of the Sforzas. A number of other churches, both in Milan and the neighbourhood, weredesigned by him or his scholars, and bear witness to the revolutionwhich he had effected in Lombard architecture. At Piacenza and Cremona, at Saronno and Lugano, new churches and palaces arose, and the famousSanctuary of Varallo in the Val Sesia was founded in 1491 by that devoutpersonage, Messer Bernardino Caimo, on his return from a pilgrimage tothe Holy Land. The same passion for building and decoration prevailedeverywhere. On all sides poets and scholars celebrated Lodovico's nameas the Pericles of this new Athens, and joined in the chorus of praisewhich inspired Pistoia's famous line--

"E un Dio in cielo e il Moro in terra. "

"There is one God in heaven and the Moro upon earth. "

CHAPTER XII

Beatrice d'Este as a patron of learning and poetry--Vincenzo Calmeta, her secretary--Serafino d'Aquila--Rivalry of Lombard and Tuscan poets--Gaspare Visconti's works--Poetic jousts with Bramante--Niccolo diCorreggio and other poets--Dramatic art and music at the court ofMilan--Gaffuri and Testagrossa--Lorenzo Gusnasco of Pavia. 

1492

Lodovico Moro, as we have seen, was justly extolled by hiscontemporaries as the most illustrious Mecænas of his age. As AbbéTiraboschi, the learned historian of Italian literature, wrote ninetyyears ago, "If we consider the immense number of learned men who flockedto his court from all parts of Italy in the certainty of receiving greathonours and rich rewards; if, again, we remember how many famousarchitects and painters he invited to Milan, and how many noblebuildings he raised, how he built and endowed the magnificent Universityof Pavia, and opened schools of every kind of science in Milan; ifbesides all this we read the splendid eulogies and dedicatory epistlesaddressed to him by scholars of every nationality, we feel inclined topronounce him the best prince that ever lived. " And in Beatrice d'Este, Lodovico possessed a wife admirably adapted to share his aims andpreside over his court. Both her birth and education fitted her for theposition which she now occupied. Her youth and beauty lent a new lustreto the court, her quick intelligence and cultured tastes led her toappreciate the society of poets and scholars. The natural love ofsplendour, which she shared with the Moro, went hand-in-hand withartistic invention. Her rich clothes and jewels were distinguished bytheir refinement and rare workmanship. The fashions which sheintroduced were marked by their elegance and beauty. She took especialdelight in music and poetry, and gave signs of a fine and discriminatingliterary judgment. And like Lodovico, she knew not only how to attractmen of genius, but how to retain them in her service. Where, again, asksCastiglione, who had known her in her brightest days at Milan, shall wefind a woman of intellect as remarkable as Duchess Beatrice? And her ownsecretary, the writer known as "_l'elegantissimo_ Calmeta" in thecultured circles of Mantua and Urbino, has told us how much men ofletters owed to her sympathy and help. In the life of his friend, Serafino Aquilano, written seven years after Beatrice's death, when theMilanese was a French province and the Moro a captive at Loches, Calmetarecalls the brilliant days of his old life at Lodovico's court, andspeaks thus of his lost mistress:--

"This duke had for his most dear wife Beatrice d'Este, daughter ofErcole, Duke of Ferrara, who, coming to Milan in the flower of heropening youth, was endowed with so rare an intellect, so much grace andaffability, and was so remarkable for her generosity and goodness thatshe may justly be compared with the noblest women of antiquity. Thisduchess devoted her time to the highest objects. Her court was composedof men of talent and distinction, most of whom were poets and musicians, who were expected to compose new eclogues, comedies, or tragedies, andarrange new spectacles and representations every month. In her leisurehours she generally employed a certain Antonio Grifo"--a well-knownstudent and commentator of Dante--"or some equally gifted man, to readthe Divina Commedia, or the works of other Italian poets, aloud to her. And it was no small relaxation of mind for Lodovico Sforza, when he wasable to escape from the cares and business of state, to come and listento these readings in his wife's rooms. And among the illustrious menwhose presence adorned the court of the duchess there were threehigh-born cavaliers, renowned for many talents, but above all for theirpoetic gifts--Niccolo da Correggio, Gaspare Visconti, and Antonio diCampo Fregoso, together with many others, one of whom was myself, Vincenzo Calmeta, who for some years held the post of secretary to thatglorious and excellent lady. And besides those I have named there wasBenedetto da Cingoli, called Piceno, and many other youths of no smallpromise, who daily offered her the first fruits of their genius. Nor wasDuchess Beatrice content with rewarding and honouring the poets of herown court. On the contrary, she sent to all parts of Italy to inquirefor the compositions of elegant poets, and placed their books as sacredand divine things on the shelves of her cabinet of study, and praisedand rewarded each writer according to his merit. In this manner, poetryand literature in the vulgar tongue, which had degenerated and sunk intoforgetfulness after the days of Petrarch and Boccaccio, has beenrestored to its former dignity, first by the protection of Lorenzo de'Medici, and then by the influence of this rare lady, and others likeher, who are still living at the present time. But when Duchess Beatricedied everything fell into ruin. That court, which had been a joyousParadise, became a dark and gloomy Inferno, and poets and artists wereforced to seek another road. "

Calmeta himself was a prolific writer both of verse and prose, whosetranslation of Ovid's _Ars amandi_, dedicated to Lodovico Moro, washighly esteemed by his contemporaries, and whom Castiglione introducesamong the speakers of his _Cortigiano_. Like his friends Niccolo daCorreggio and Gaspare Visconti, Beatrice's secretary was a ferventadmirer of Petrarch, and wrote an elaborate commentary on the _Canzone_, "_Mai non vo' più cantar como io solea_, " which he dedicated to Isabellad'Este and sent her with a letter expressing his conviction that no onebefore him had ever fully understood this profound and subtle poem. Another of Beatrice's _protégés_ was Serafino, the famous improvisatoreof Aquila in the Abruzzi, a short and ugly little man, whom CardinalBibbiena once laughingly compared to a carpet-bag (_valigia_)! But inspite of his dwarfed stature and elfish appearance, Serafino sang hisown _strambotti_ and eclogues so well, and had so fascinating a way ofaccompanying himself on the lute, that the Este and Gonzaga ladies allentreated him for new verses, and literally wrangled over the manhimself! Like Calmeta and many others, however, after spending some timeat the courts of Mantua and Urbino, he came to Milan, and devoted histalents to the service of Duchess Beatrice until her death, after whichhe went his way sadly, and sought shelter in his old haunts. Most of histime after this was spent with the good Duchess Elizabeth at Urbino, where the Milanese refugees found a warm welcome, and where Serafino wascaressed and _fêted_ by all the great ladies in turn, until a prematuredeath closed his career, and he died in Rome in 1500, lamented in proseand verse by the most cultured spirits of the age. 

While Beatrice encouraged these foreign poets to settle at Milan, Lodovico invited the Tuscans Bellincioni and Antonio Cammelli, surnamedPistoia, to his court, in the hope of refining and polishing the rudeLombard diction. The priest Tanzio, writing after Bellincioni's death in1492, remarks that this influence had already borne fruit, and that thesonnet, which was practically unknown in Milan before Bellincioni'scoming, was now diligently cultivated there. But, not unnaturally, abitter rivalry sprung up between the Lombard and the Tuscan poets, and afierce poetic warfare was exchanged between them. Bellincioni'ssuspicious and quarrelsome nature is revealed in his letters to hispatron, in which he is always complaining of the envious detractorswhose wicked tongues are employed in backbiting him day and night. Hisown character was by no means free from the same imputations; and theFerrarese poet, Tebaldeo, the friend of Raphael and Castiglione, composed a witty epitaph, in which he warns passers-by to avoid the lastresting-place of this singer, who had made so many enemies in life, lesthe turn in his grave and bite them. Bellincioni's bitterest foe was acertain Bergamasque poet, Guidotto Prestinari, who wrote many odes andsongs in honour of Beatrice, and represented the old Lombard school. Onone occasion this misguided person even dared to attack Leonardo, andwrote a sonnet in which he jeers at the great painter for spending histime in hunting for curious worms and insects on the hills of Bergamo, when he visited his friends of the Melzi family. Leonardo scorned totake any notice of these petty insults, but in his letter to thecouncillors of Piacenza we see the contempt which he had for Lombardartists--"those rude and ignorant workmen, " as he calls them, "who boastthey will get letters of recommendation from Signora Lodovico or hisCommissioner of Works, Messer Ambrogio Ferrari, when not one of them isfit to undertake the task. " And certain epigrams in the WindsorSketchbook are plainly directed against the false and venal science ofthe astrologer Ambrogio da Rosate, whose name is given in the margin, and show how cordial was Leonardo's hatred of the duke's all-powerfulfavourite. 

Fortunately, both Leonardo himself, as well as Calmeta and Pistoia, wereon friendly terms with Gaspare Visconti, who, originally a scholar ofPrestinari, became the chief representative of the Lombard school ofpoetry at Milan, and whom Beatrice's secretary places next to Niccolo daCorreggio among the best poets of her court. This popular poet andpolished cavalier was a great favourite, not only with Beatrice and herhusband, but with Galeazzo di Sanseverino, the Marchesino Stanga, andall the chief personages at court. Born in 1461 of noble Milaneseparents, he married Cecilia, daughter of Cecco Simonetta, Duchess Bona'sill-fated minister, and was advanced to the dignity of _Eques Auratus_and ducal councillor. After the death of Bellincioni he succeeded to thepost of court poet, and was often employed by Lodovico to addresscomplimentary verses to other princes or to write sonnets on passingevents, whether his theme were a royal wedding or the death of afavourite falcon. His most important work was a romance entitled "Paoloe Daria, " founded on Bramante's discovery of a tomb containing the ashesof these lovers, when the foundations of his new cloisters at S. Ambrogio were being laid in the year 1492. The incident excited greatinterest at court, and Gasparo dedicated his poem to Lodovico--"_mioDuca_"--and introduced an eloquent eulogy in honour of his friendBramante in the first canto. In the following year he published a volumeof rhymes, dedicated to Niccolo da Correggio, who sent the book to theinsatiable Isabella d'Este, saying this would please her better than anyverses that he could write. Finally, in 1496, he formally presented theduchess with a copy of his poems, written in silver letters and gold onivory vellum, and enriched with miniatures of rare beauty. Thissumptuous volume, bound in silver-gilt boards enamelled with flowers, and containing 143 sonnets as well as epistles on love and otherphilosophical and theological subjects, was dedicated to Beatrice in thefollowing words:--

"To the Most Illustrious Duchess of Milan, Gaspare Visconti, Havingbeen told by many honourable persons, chief among whom is MesserGaleazzo Sanseverino, that the said duchess graciously pleads my causewith His Excellency the Duke, I beg of her to accept this book, dedicated to her by her humble servant. " The same grateful sentimentsinspired the lyric which followed, in which the poet implored theduchess to use her well-known influence with her lord, and incline hiswill to look favourably upon her servant's prayer--

"Donna beata! e Spirito pudico!Deh! fa benigna a questa mia richiestaLa voglia del tuo Sposo Lodovico. Io so ben quel che dico!Tanta è la tua virtu che ció che vuoiDello invitto cuor disponer puoi. "[24]

An ardent lover of Petrarch, to whose poems these of the Milanese poetwere often compared by his admirers, Gaspare Visconti took the lead in alively poetic contest with Bramante on the respective merits of Danteand Petrarch, The discussion was carried on during many weeks, in thepresence of the duchess and her courtiers in the beautiful gardens ofVigevano, or in those fair pleasure-houses by the running streams in thepark at Pavia, where Beatrice and her ladies spent the long summer days. Gaspare found animated supporters in his friends Calmeta and Niccolo daCorreggio, who was himself an enthusiastic admirer of Petrarch, and onone occasion journeyed twenty-five miles from Correggio over the worstroads in the world to see the remote village of Rosena, where the Tuscanpoet had composed some of his finest _canzoni_. On the other hand, Bramante had the duke and duchess on his side. We know how, at the endof a long day's work, Lodovico loved to listen to the reading of the"Divina Commedia" in his wife's boudoir, and ponder the meaning of thatgreat vision of heaven and hell. And when the catastrophe of Novara hadcrushed his last hopes, and he was borne a captive into the strangeland, the only favour he asked of his victors was the loan of a volumeof Dante, "_per studiare_"--in order that he might study the divinepoet's words. One of Gaspare's sonnets on the subject, which wasafterwards printed, bears this inscription: "These verses were notwritten with any pretence of deciding between the merits of these twogreat men, but solely to answer Bramante, who is a violent partisan ofDante. "

Another poetic tourney, in which both the great architect and his friendVisconti were the chief combatants, turned on Bramante's supposedpoverty and the complaints with which he filled the air, calling on allthe gods in heaven to help him in his misery. This was in the summer of1492, and not only Gaspare, but Bellincioni, who was then living, andMascagni of Turin took up the parable, and charged Bramante with beggingfor a pair of shoes, when all the while he was receiving five ducats aweek from the duke, and was secretly hoarding up a store of gold. Tothis Bramante replied in a sonnet full of allusions to Calliope, Erato, and all the Muses, begging his friends for pity's sake to give him acrown, if they would not see him left barefoot and naked to battle withrude Boreas. A whole series of curious sonnets from Bramante's pen hasbeen lately discovered by M. Müntz among the Italian manuscripts in theBibliothèque Nationale, and reveal the burlesque side of the greatarchitect's character, and the biting wit which made his opponents givehim the name of Cerberus. [25]

These poetic jousts or encounters of wits were a favourite amusement ofthe cultured princesses of the Renaissance and their courtiers. Thus itwas that Poliziano and Ficino discussed philosophical questions beforeLorenzo in the gardens of Careggi or on the terraces of Fiesole; soCastiglione and Bibbiena reasoned of art and love with Duchess Elizabethand Emilia Pia, in the palace of Urbino, till the short summer night waswell-nigh over and the dawn broke over the peaks of Monte Catria. And atMilan, where in Beatrice's days there was less pedantry and more freedomand gaiety than in any court of the day, these lively debates foundespecial favour. The most brilliant courtiers and bravest knights, thegravest scholars and officers of state alike took part in them. MesserGaleazzo, as we have seen, was an adept at the game, and could wield hispen and challenge fair ladies in defence of Roland as gallantly as hecouched his lance to ride in the lists or wielded his sword in the thickof the battle. So, too were the Marchesino Stanga and his friendGirolamo Tuttavilla. Both these noblemen were great sonnet-writers, andare classed by Pistoia among those illustrious lords, who, like MesserGaleazzo and Signor Lodovico himself, were poets and writers as well asstatesmen and generals. 

Bramante addressed several of his sonnets to Count Tuttavilla, who inhis turn had a lively controversy in rhyme with the Marchesino. Andwhen, in the spring of 1492, Tuttavilla accompanied the Count of Caiazzoon his embassy to France, Gaspare Visconti sent him a sonnet asking forthe latest news from Paris, which Duchess Beatrice and all her ladieswere dying to hear. 

"Tell me if the Queen of France is fair, and how the king appears inyour eyes--whether he is cruel or clement, inclined to walk in the pathsof virtue or of vice. And tell us, too, if the people of Paris seem tofear the English and the Spaniard, and if they are true followers ofMars? Tell us how the crowds who walk the streets are clad, and whatcustoms and manners they have, and how they speak, and what they think. Tell me how many students their University numbers, and in what branchesof learning they excel. Tell me the names of their lawgivers andhistorians, and if any classical antiquities are to be found in Paris. Tell me how the Abbey of S. Denis is built, and what style ofarchitecture prevails in the far North? And tell me, too, if I dare ask, have you perchance in Paris found some fair lady to bend a gracioussmile upon you, and console you for all that you have left behind?"

Girolamo Tuttavilla replied in verses of the same light and airy strain, alluding to the fierce contest over Dante that waged between DottoreBramante and his foes, and laughing at friend Bellincioni's furiousrages, but saying that he at least is wiser, and will take the _viâmedia_ and steer warily between the two contending parties. 

But the best poet at Lodovico's court, a sweeter singer and a finerscholar than the much-praised Bellincioni or the gay Visconti, wasNiccolo, the "gran Correggio" of Gaspare's song. The son of thataccomplished princess of Este, Beatrice the Queen of Festivals, rearedby her in all the culture of Ferrara, this singularly polished andhandsome personage was in the eyes of his contemporaries the model of aperfect courtier. To have known him was in itself a liberal education. Sabba da Castiglione, that fastidious scholar and refined writer of thesixteenth century, counted himself fortunate because as a boy he hadseen and known "this most famous, most courteous and gifted cavalier inall Italy. " Ariosto saw him in his vision upholding the Fountain ofSong, and chanting in his own lofty and noble style--

 "Un Signor di CorreggioCon alto stil par che cantando scriva. "

Niccolo had come to Milan in Beatrice's bridal train, and remained thereever since, highly valued and beloved by Lodovico and all the ducalfamily, riding in jousts and tournaments, going on foreign missions, andcomposing songs and eclogues for that young duchess whose death was oneday to inspire some of his most touching verses. But the MarchesaIsabella was the true goddess of his adoration, the mistress to whom hisheart and lyre alike were pledged, who was for him, not only "_la miapatrona e signora_, " but "_la prima donna del mondo_, " "the first ladyin all the world. " For her he translated Breton legends and Provençalromances; for her he set Virgil and Petrarch to music; for her fairsake, old and stiff as advancing years have made him, he is ready tobreak a lance or join once more in the dance. At Christmas-time, in thelast days of 1491, the impatient Marchesana had written to remind himthat she had never yet received the eclogue which he had promised tosend her at her brother Alfonso's wedding, and refused to be put offwith any other verses, saying that his poems pleased her more than thoseof any living bard. When in later years she found that Niccolo wasinclined to transfer his allegiance to her sister-in-law, LucreziaBorgia, she was sorely affronted, and after his death entered into along contention for the possession of the book of poems which he hadleft behind. 

There were many other poets of Beatrice's court whose names were famousin their day, but have long ago been forgotten, and whose works havepassed into oblivion with all that vanished world. There was Lancino diCorte, or, as he preferred to style himself, Lancinus Curtius, thewriter of Latin epigrams; and Antonio di Fregoso, the noble Genoeseyouth who, like Niccolo, won Calmeta and Ariosto's praises, and whosepoetic disputes with Lancinus were a feature of Cecilia Gallerani'sentertainments; and Baldassare Taccone of Alessandria; and PietroLazzarone of the Valtellina. There was Galeotto del Carretto, theMontferrat poet and historian, who left his home at Casale to composeplays and sonnets for Beatrice, and who, like Niccolo da Correggio, wasone of Isabella's favourite correspondents, and sent her eclogues andstrambotti to sing to the lute. When Beatrice died he had just finisheda comedy dedicated to this princess, which he afterwards sent toIsabella, begging her to accept it both for his sake and that of thelamented _Madonna Duchessa sorella_, who had taken pleasure in readinghis effusions. And there was another Tuscan poet, Antonio Cammelli ofPistoia, who composed a whole volume of sonnets dedicated to "that mostinvincible Prince, the light and splendour of the world, Lodovico Moro. "These sonnets are of great interest, less on account of their poeticmerit than because of the fidelity with which they commemorate politicalevents. The invasion of the French, the conquest of Naples, the battleof Fornovo, the peace of Vercelli, the proclamation of Lodovico as Dukeof Milan, his coronation _fêtes_ at Milan and Pavia, are all carefullyrecorded. Nor does the series end here; in another sonnet the poet takesup the note of warning, and bids Lodovico beware of the new King ofFrance and, ceasing to dally with Fortune, prepare to defend his fairduchy. The next time Pistoia took up his pen, it was to wail over theduke's fall and the ruin of Italy, and to hurl curses on the head of thefalse servants who had betrayed their trust and yielded up the Castelloto their master's foes. This, at least, may be said to Pistoia'scredit--he did not forget his generous patron in the days of adversity;and when Pamfilo Sasso, the Modena bard who had basked in the sunshineof the Moro's favour, assailed the fallen duke in his verses, Pistoiarose up in defence of his old master, and fiercely rebuked the cowardlypoet. 

"I send you, " wrote Calmeta to the Marchioness of Mantua in 1502, in aletter enclosing Pistoia's verses, "an invective against Sasso forcertain sonnets and epigrams which he printed at Bologna against ourDuke Lodovico Sforza, and which some people say that I wrote. It wasnever my habit to attack others, but if I had wasted a little ink indefending so illustrious a prince, I hardly think I should deserve muchblame. "[26]

Before the coming of Beatrice there had been no theatre in Milan, butLodovico had done his best to encourage dramatic art. As early as 1484, he had written to the Duke of Ferrara, asking him to lend him aBolognese actor, Albergati by name, who was also a skilled mechanic, togive sacred representations during Holy Week in Milan. The presence ofDuke Ercole's daughter naturally gave a fresh impulse to the growth ofdramatic art, and after Lodovico's visit to Ferrara in 1493, a theatrewas erected in Milan. Courtiers and poets vied with each other in theproduction of plays and masques at each successive Christmas orCarnival. In 1493, Niccolo da Correggio wrote a pastoral entitled _Mopsae Daphne_, which was performed at court that Carnival, and which heafterwards sent to Isabella, promising to explain its allegoricalmeaning at their next meeting. Another time, Gaspare Visconti composedthe masque with the chorus of Turks, to which we have already alluded, for representation before the duke and duchess. On one occasion a piececalled _La Fatica_ was acted at the house of Antonio Maria Sanseverino, whose wife, Margherita of Carpi, was the sister of Elizabeth Gonzaga'sbeloved companion, Emilia Pia, and herself a learned and cultivatedprincess. On another a representation described as _La Pazienza_ wasgiven before the court, in honour of a visit which Cardinal FederigoSanseverino paid to Milan. 

Music, as Calmeta tells us, was another art that flourished in anespecial manner at the Milanese court. Both Lodovico and his wife werepassionately fond of music, and the delicious melodies that dailyresounded through their palace halls were the theme alike of chroniclerand poet. When first Lorenzo de Medici had sent Leonardo to his friend'scourt to charm the Moro's ears with the surpassing sweetness of hisplaying, he had brought with him a well-known musician and maker ofinstruments, Atalante Migliorotti, who stood high in Lodovico's favour, and spent much of his time at Milan. We find Isabella d'Este writing toher friend, Niccolo da Correggio, in 1493, begging him to procure herthe loan of a silver lyre, given him by Atalante, that she may learn toplay this instrument; and in the following year the marchioness herselfstood godmother to the Florentine musician's infant daughter, who wascalled Isabella after her illustrious sponsor. And in 1492 we findLodovico writing to thank Francesco Gonzaga for allowing a certainNarcisso, who was in the Marquis of Mantua's service, to visit Milan, and saying what exquisite pleasure this singer's voice has afforded him. The following summer, Isabella, in her turn, begged her sister to allowher favourite violinist, Jacopo di San Secondo, to spend a few weeks atMantua; and on the 7th of July Beatrice wrote to desire his return. "Since you are back at Mantua, I think you will not want Jacopo di SanSecondo much longer, and beg you to send him back to Pavia as soon aspossible, since his music will be a pleasure to my husband, who issuffering from a slight attack of fever. " This Jacopo was a famousviolin-player of his day, who had settled at the Moro's court, and whoafter Lodovico's fall left Milan for Rome, where he became the friend ofRaphael and Castiglione, and is said to have served as model for thelaurel-crowned Apollo of the Parnassus, in the Vatican Stanze. Anotherof Beatrice's favourite singers was Angelo Testagrossa, a beautifulyouth who sang, we are told, like a seraph, and who, after the death ofthis princess, accepted Isabella's pressing invitation to Mantua, wherehe composed songs and gave her lessons on the lute. Testagrossa is saidto have sung in the Spanish style, which was much in vogue at Milan, where a Spaniard named Pedro Maria was director of the palace concerts, and is frequently mentioned in Bellincioni's poems. The priest FranchinoGaffuri, as already stated, occupied the first chair of music everfounded in Italy. Besides this master's works on music, another treatiseon harmony, composed by a priest named Florentio, and dedicated toCardinal Ascanio Sforza, is preserved in the Trivulzian Library, with afine miniature of Leonardo playing the lyre as frontispiece. 

Both the Flemish priest Cordier, with the wonderful tenor voice, and theaccomplished master Cristoforo Romano were, as we know, among thechosen singers who accompanied Beatrice on her travels. And there wasone more gifted artist, who, like Atalante Migliorotti, was both askilled musician and a mechanic, and whose whole life was devoted to theconstruction of musical instruments of the choicest quality, LorenzoGusnasco of Pavia. It was Lodovico Moro who first discovered the raretalents of this "master of organs, " as he was styled by hiscontemporaries, and it was for Beatrice's use that he began to makethose wonderful clavichords and lutes and viols that made his namefamous throughout Italy. In his hands the manufacture of musicalinstruments was carried to the highest pitch of excellence. He grudgedno labour and spared no pains to make his work perfect. The choicestebony and ivory, the most precious woods and delicate strings weresought out by him; the best scholars supplied him with Greek and Latinepigrams to be inscribed upon his organs and clavichords. In his opinionboth material and shape were of the utmost importance, because, as hewrote to Isabella d'Este, "beauty of form is everything, " "_perche ne laforma sta il tuto_. " The work of this gifted maker naturally acquired arare value in the eyes of his contemporaries. Sabba da Castiglione andTeseo Albonese praise him as the man who, above all others, has learntthe secret of combining lovely melodies with beauteous form, just as adivine soul is enshrined in a fair body. Painters and scholars aliketook delight in Lorenzo's company. He was the intimate friend ofGiovanni Bellini and Andrea Mantegna, of Pietro Bembo and Aldo Manuzio, of Leonardo and Isabella d'Este. It was in these festive days, in theCastello of Pavia, that Lorenzo da Pavia first met both the greatFlorentine and the accomplished princess who set so high a store on hisfriendship. For more than twenty years Isabella corresponded regularlywith this gifted artist, and employed him not only to make organs andlutes for her, but to buy antiques and cameos, Murano glass andtapestry, choice pictures and rare books. Whether she wished for a_fantasia_, or Holy Family from the hand of Gian Bellini, or a choiceedition of Dante or Petrarch from the press of Aldo Manuzio, it was toMesser Lorenzo that the request was addressed. In 1494, the Pavianmaster moved to Venice, where he found it easier to procure materialsfor his trade, and was able to carry on his work on a larger scale. Bythis time his fame had spread far and wide through Italy. He made anorgan for Matthias Corvinus, the King of Hungary, and another which hehimself took to Rome for Pope Leo X. But his relations with DuchessBeatrice were not interrupted by this change of abode. In that same yearhe made her that clavichord which Isabella describes as the best andmost beautiful which she had ever seen, and which she never ceased tocovet until, after her sister's death and Lodovico's fall, she obtainedpossession of the precious instrument. 

It was at Venice, in the early spring of 1500, that Leonardo da Vincionce more met this master, whom he had formerly known so well at Paviaand Milan. There the two artists who had lived together for many yearsin the Moro's service conversed sadly of the terrible catastrophe whichhad overwhelmed their old master in sudden and inevitable ruin, andmourned over the disastrous fate which had plunged the fair Milaneseinto confusion and misery. Then, as they looked back on the happy daysof their former life, and talked of their old companions, the painterbrought out a drawing which Lorenzo immediately recognized as theportrait of Isabella d'Este, the illustrious princess, who was proud tocall herself their friend. 

"Leonardo, " he wrote the next day to the Marchesana, "is here in Venice, and has shown me a portrait of your Highness, which is as natural andlifelike as possible. "[27] This drawing, which the princess describes ina letter to the painter as being _ni carbone_ and not in colours, is nowone of the treasures of the Louvre, and has an inestimable value, bothas the work of Leonardo and as a genuine portrait of the most brilliantlady of the Renaissance. 

FOOTNOTES:

[24] Uzielli, _Ricerche_, i. : Renier, _Gaspare Visconti_. 

[25] _Gazette des B. Arts_, 1879, p. 514. 

[26] Renier, _Sonetti di Pistoia_ p. 35. 

[27] A. Baschet, _Aldo Manuzio_, pp. 70-75. 

CHAPTER XIII

Visit of Duke Ercole to Milan, and of Isabella d'Este--Election of PopeAlexander VI. --Bribery of the Cardinals--Influence of Ascanio Sforzaover the new Pope, and satisfaction of Lodovico--Hunting-parties atPavia and Vigevano--_Fêtes_ at Milan--Visit of Isabella toGenoa--Lodovico's letters--Piero de Medici--King Ferrante's jealousy ofthe alliance between Rome and Milan. 

1492

That summer Isabella d'Este at length accomplished her long-intendedvisit to her sister, whom she had not seen since the wedding _fêtes_. Early in July she received a pressing invitation from Lodovico himself, urging her to accompany her father, Duke Ercole, who was expected atMilan towards the end of the month. But, as she wrote to her husband, who was then in Venice, it was quite impossible for her to start on herjourney at this early date. In the first place, half of her householdwas in bed, ladies and servants alike were suffering from a feverishepidemic which had attacked the whole court; and in the second place, many preparations were necessary if she were to appear at Milan in stateworthy of the Marquis of Mantua's wife. "Of course, if you wish it, " sheadds proudly, "I will set off alone, in my chemise, but this I think youwill hardly desire. "

Signor Lodovico's invitation, however, was gladly accepted, and Isabellamade every preparation to start by the middle of August. She sent toFerrara, urging her favourite goldsmith, as he loved her, to finish anecklace of a hundred links by next week, and begging him to lend hersome more jewelled chains for the use of her courtiers andmaids-of-honour. And the same day she wrote to the Venetian merchantTaddeo Contarini, excusing herself for her delay in paying for somejewels which she had lately bought, since her visit to Milan necessarilyentailed heavy expenses. By the 10th of August she was able to start onher journey, and spent a night on the way at Canneto with her kinswoman, Antonia del Balzo, wife of Gianfrancesco Gonzaga of Bozzolo, who came tomeet her with two beautiful daughters. "Messer Andrea Mantegna himself, "exclaimed the marchioness, "could not paint fairer maidens!" On the12th, she reached Cremona, where Lodovico's cousin, Francesco Sforza, was awaiting her, and a crowd of people hailed her arrival withenthusiasm. After spending a night in the Episcopal palace, she went onto Pizzighettone, where she discovered that her best hat had beenforgotten, and sent a messenger back to Mantua with the key of her blackchest, desiring one of her servants to look out her hat with thejewelled feather and send it after her by a flying courier. On the 15th, the Marchesana reached Pavia, where both the Duchesses of Milan and Barirode out to meet her, and placing her between them, after many embraces, conducted her through the city. Here the two dukes and all theambassadors were awaiting her, and a troop of trumpeters and outridersescorted the party up to the castle gates. That evening she supped alonewith Beatrice, and the hours flew by in delightful intercourse. Bothsisters were in the highest spirits, and Isabella anticipated thegreatest pleasure from her visit, only regretting that her husband hadnot been able to accompany her. 

"The only news here, " she wrote next day to the marquis, "is theelection of this new Pope, which fills every one with great joy, and issaid to be entirely due to Monsignore Ascanio, who will, they say, bethe new Vice-Chancellor. "

On the 25th of July, Innocent VIII. Had breathed his last, and on the6th of August, the conclave met to elect a new Pope. Among thetwenty-three Cardinals of which the Sacred College then consisted, threewere prominent candidates for the papal tiara. First of all there wasCardinal Roderigo Borgia, the oldest and wealthiest of the group, whoheld the three most important archbishoprics in Spain, as well asinnumerable benefices in the rest of Christendom, and whose scandalousvices amid the general corruption of morals in Rome offered no bar tohis advancement to the chair of St. Peter. Cardinal Ascanio Sforza, therich and powerful brother of Lodovico Moro, was the second candidatefor the tiara; while the third was Giuliano della Rovere, Cardinal ofS. Pietro in Vincula, whose well-known French sympathies, as well as theinfluential position which he had occupied in Rome under his uncle, Sixtus IV. , made him unpopular with most of his colleagues. When AscanioSforza saw that he could not ensure his own election, he threw his wholeinfluence on the side of Borgia, who lavished his gold and promisesfreely among the other members of the Sacred College, with the resultthat he was elected on the 11th of August, and proclaimed Pope under thetitle of Alexander VI. The secret Archives of the Vatican[28] give fullparticulars of this election, which was obtained by the most flagrantsimony, and proved a prelude to the days of confusion and misery whichFra Girolamo Savonarola, the Dominican of Florence, daily prophesiedwere in store for the Church. Ascanio Sforza was the first to reap thereward of his base compliance. The new Pope loaded him with favours, andopenly acknowledged his indebtedness both to him and Lodovico, while atMilan the event was hailed with public rejoicings, and joy-bells andsolemn processions celebrated the accession of this pontiff, who wasdestined to prove the most bitter enemy of the House of Sforza. 

"Signor Lodovico, " wrote the Ferrarese envoy, our old friend GiacomoTrotti, to his master, "is in the highest spirits at the success of hisbrother's efforts. Cardinal Ascanio is likely, people say, to administerall the papal estates, and will be every bit as much pope as if he satin Alexander's chair. "

Isabella's letters to her husband give the same impression. On the 19thof August she wrote from Pavia--

"To-day I dined with Signor Lodovico and my sister in their rooms, according to our usual habit of taking our meals together, sometimes inmy rooms, sometimes in theirs. After dinner he dismissed all thecompany, excepting the Duke and Duchess of Milan, myself, and mycompanions, whom Signor Lodovico invited to remain, and with his ownlips he read aloud a letter from his ambassador in Rome, saying that HisHighness had sent for him, and addressed him in the following terms:'Take note of my words. I acknowledge that I have been made pope by theaction of Monsignore Ascanio, contrary to all expectations, and in atruly miraculous manner. I mean to show myself the most grateful ofpopes. It is my pleasure that he should sit in my chair, and dispose ofmy spiritual and temporal estate as if I were myself, ' with many otheraffectionate words. Cardinal Ascanio has already received the firstproofs of his gratitude, since, besides the vice-chancellorship, thePope has given him his own furnished house in Rome, as well as the cityof Nepi, and many other things. And His Highness has already dined withhim in private. 

"Besides this, Signor Lodovico read us a letter which the Pope hadwritten with his own hand to Monsignore Ascanio, complaining that he hadnot seen him for half a day, a period which seemed to him more like athousand years, and begging him to come to him at once, since he hadmany things of the utmost importance to settle with him. Afterdescribing this interview, the said Monsignore went on to tell howwarmly His Holiness spoke of Signor Lodovico, saying that he wasdetermined to maintain the most cordial relations with His Highness, andprofit in all cases by his advice, and only wished that he were seatedin his chair. All of this, my dear lord, affords the court here reasonfor the greatest rejoicings, and I have expressed both in word andgesture the pleasure which your Highness and I take in these things, because of our close union with Signor Lodovico. "

The marchioness goes on to describe a hunting-party, in which the wholecourt had taken part. 

"Yesterday, about four o'clock, all of these lords and ladies rode outwith me to a place called S. Pirono, some four miles from Pavia, and hadfine sport. White tents were erected in the meadows on the edge of theforest, and in the midst a _pergola_ of green boughs, under which theduchess and I took our places, the duke and others, whether on horsebackor on foot, occupying other tents. One stag of the eight which werefound there, ran out of the wood, followed by eight of the Duke ofBari's dogs. Messer Galeazzo galloped after it with a long spear, andkilled it before our eyes. To-morrow we dine at Belriguardo, and go onto supper at Vigevano, where we expect my father, who is to arrive onThursday. "

Duke Ercole had reached Pavia on the 4th of August, and had paid avisit to the Certosa with his son-in-law, after which he returned toFerrara, where his presence was required, owing to urgent affairs ofState connected with the Pope's death. Now he once more joined hisdaughters, accompanied by his son Alfonso and a troop of actors andpages skilled in singing and reciting poetry. Among them was youngAriosto, the bard of the Orlando Furioso, who was to celebrate thepraises of all the princely personages present at Pavia and Vigevano, inhis great poem, and who on this occasion probably met Leonardo for thefirst time. _Fêtes_ and hunting-parties now succeeded each other everyday. Even the King of Naples' ambassadors went out hunting, and one ofthem succeeded in wounding a wild boar. Isabella sent her husbandwonderful accounts of the thrilling adventures and splendid sport whichafforded the two sisters such unfeigned delight. 

"To-day, " she wrote on the 27th of August, "we went out hunting in abeautiful valley which seemed as if it were expressly created for thespectacle. All the stags were driven into the wooded valley of theTicino, and closed in on every side by the hunters, so that they wereforced to swim the river and ascend the mountains, where the ladieswatched them from under the _pergola_ and green tents set up on thehillside. We could see every movement of the animals along the valleyand up the mountain-side, where the dogs chased them across the river;but only two climbed the hillside and ran far out of sight, so that wedid not see them killed, but Don Alfonso and Messer Galeazzo both gavethem chase, and succeeded in wounding them. Afterwards came a doe withits young one, which the dogs were not allowed to follow. Many wildboars and goats were found, but only one boar was killed before oureyes, and one wild goat, which fell to my share. Last of all came awolf, which made fine somersaults in the air as it ran past us, andamused the whole company; but none of its arts availed the poor beast, which soon followed its comrades to the slaughter. And so, with muchlaughter and merriment, we returned home, to end the day at supper, andgive the body a share in the recreations of the mind. "[29]

Four venison pasties were despatched to Mantua the next day as apresent to the marquis, whose absence from these expeditions his wifenever ceased to regret, and for whom, at least in these early years ofher married life, she had a genuine affection. 

"All of these days, " she writes on the 22nd, "I have been trying towrite to Your Highness, but have never been able to find time, as I amalways in my sister's and Signor Lodovico's company. Now I have atlength snatched a moment, and hasten to pay you a visit in mind, since Icannot do so in person. For greater even than all the pleasures which Iam enjoying here, is the satisfaction I receive when I hear that you arewell and happy. " A week later she wrote again: "It really seems an agesince I saw Your Highness, and, pleasant and delightful as it is here, Ibegin to get a little tired of these scenes, but rejoice at the prospectof paying a visit to Genoa before long. " And in an affectionate letterto her mother, she says that sometimes in the middle of the finest huntshe remembers with a pang how long it is since she has seen her, and howfar away she is from Ferrara, and the thought throws a shadow over thebrightest sunshine and the gayest pastimes. 

After a succession of boar hunts at Novara and Mortara, Lodovico andBeatrice took their guests to Milan on the 15th of September, andIsabella entered the capital on horseback between the two youngduchesses, while "the old Duchess Bona, " she tells her husband, "and herdaughter Madonna Bianca, with many other ladies, were awaiting me in myrooms in the Castello, the same suite which Signor Lodovico occupied atthe time of his wedding. "

The duke's mother still remained at court, and occupied rooms in theCastello, although she made no secret of her aversion for her powerfulbrother-in-law, and was secretly intriguing against him with her nephew, Charles VIII. At her request the French king wrote a letter to Lodovico, desiring him to give the duchess's mother leave to come to France forhis wife Anne of Brittany's confinement. But the Moro, fearing theeffect of Bona's presence at the French court, courteously declinedCharles's invitation, alleging as an excuse the fact that both Bona'sdaughter-in-law, the Duchess Isabella, and her young sister-in-law, hisown wife Beatrice, were expecting similar events early in the nextyear, while her daughter Bianca was of marriageable age and needed hermother's protection. At Milan new pleasures awaited Isabella. Theatricalrepresentations in honour of Duke Ercole, were given by the Delle Torrefamily and other noble houses, and Isabella spent long days with hersister in the park and beautiful gardens of the Castello, among theroses and fountains which Lodovico loved. He was never tired ofbeautifying and enlarging the grounds, which now extended three milesround the Castello, and sent to Mantua for a pair of swans to adorn thelake, saying how much he liked to watch the movements of thesewhite-plumed birds upon the water. To his sister-in-law, as Isabellaalways repeated in her letters, the Moro showed himself the kindest andmost generous of hosts, and was unwearied in providing for heramusements and gratification. 

"To-day, " she writes on the evening after her arrival at Milan, "SignorLodovico showed me the treasure, which Your Highness saw when you werelast here, but which has lately received the addition of two largechests full of ducats, and another full of gold quartz about two and ahalf feet square. Would to God that we, who are so fond of spendingmoney, possessed as much!"[30]

After which characteristic expression, the Marchesana proceeds to tellher lord that the date of her departure for Genoa has been fixed for thelast day of September, and to describe her brother-in-law's preparationsfor the visit. Before her departure, he made a splendid present, whichshe describes in a letter written on the 20th of September. "YesterdaySignor Lodovico sent me, with the Duchess of Milan and Bari, to look atsome sumptuous brocades which he had seen in the house of one of therichest merchants here. When we came home, he asked me which Iconsidered the finest. I replied that what I had most admired was acertain gold and silver tissue embroidered with the twin towers of thelighthouse in the port of Genoa, bearing the Spanish motto, _Taltrabalio mes plases par tal thesauros non perder_. "

The Moro praised her good taste, saying that he had already had a_camora_, or robe, made for his wife of this material, and begged herto accept fifteen yards of the same stuff, and wear it for his sake. 

"This brocade, " wrote Isabella joyfully to her husband, "is worth atleast forty ducats a yard!" And without delay she sent for a tailor tocut out the gown, in order that she might wear it once before she leftMilan. 

The Marchesino Stanga and Count Girolamo Tuttavilla were chosen toescort Isabella to Genoa, where she was received in state by thegovernor Adorno, and splendidly entertained at the Casa Spinola by thechief citizens. Beatrice's delicate state of health had prevented herfrom accompanying her sister on this journey, but she still persisted intaking long hunting expeditions, and one day when she and the Moro werestaying at Cuzzago, encountered a savage boar which had already woundedseveral greyhounds. 

"My wife, " wrote the Moro to his sister-in-law, "came suddenly face toface with this furious beast, and herself gave it the first wound, afterwhich Messer Galeazzo and I followed suit, so that the boar must havehad great pleasure in feeling how much trouble it had given us and towhat dangers its hunters had been exposed. "

The result of this long and fatiguing hunting expedition was thatBeatrice fell seriously ill. Lodovico was much alarmed, and sent dailybulletins both to his sister-in-law and to her mother at Ferrara. "Thereis no fresh news to give you here, " he wrote on the 6th of October. "Mywhole days are spent at the bedside of my dear wife, endeavouring todistract her thoughts and amuse her mind as best I can during herillness. "

Isabella, who had intended to return home from Genoa, hurried back toMilan at the news of her sister's illness, and did not leave her untilshe was convalescent. During these weeks Lodovico showed himself themost devoted and attentive of husbands, and his letters to Isabella arefull of the practical jokes and witty dialogues and repartees with whichhe and Messer Galeazzo amused the duchess. The following letter affordsa characteristic specimen of the kind of fooling which these greatRenaissance lords and ladies carried on at the expense of thehalf-witted jesters and buffoons who were attached to their differenthouseholds:--

"DEAR SISTER AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS AND EXCELLENT LADY, "You know what good sport we had in the wild boar-hunts at which youwere present this last summer. Poor Mariolo, you remember, could not bethere, first because he was ill at Milan, and afterwards because he wasrequired to keep my wife company during her illness, and was muchdistressed to have been absent from these expeditions, when he heardthat even the king's ambassadors had wounded a wild boar. And he told usall what great things he would have done, had he only been present. Nowthat my dearest wife is better, and begins to be able to go out-of-doorsagain, I thought we would have a little fun at his expense. Some wolvesand wild goats having been driven into a wood near La Pecorara, which, as you know, is about a mile from here, on the way to La Sforzesca, Cardinal Sanseverino had a common farm pig shut up in the sameenclosure, and the next day we went out hunting, and took Mariolo withus. While we hunted the wolves and wild goats, we left the pig to him, and he, taking it for a wild boar, chased it with a great hue and cryalong the woods. If your Highness could only have seen him running afterthis pig, you would have died of laughter, the more so that he gallantlytried to spear it three times over, and only succeeded in touching itsside once. And seeing how proud he was of his prowess, we said to him, 'Don't you know, Mariolo, that you have been hunting a tame pig?' Hestood dumb with astonishment, and stared as if he did not know what wecould mean, and so we all came home infinitely amused, and every oneasked Mariolo if he did not know the difference between a wild boar anda tame pig!

 "Your brother, LODOVICO MARIA SFORTIA. [31]

Vigevano, December 6, 1492. "

The most remarkable thing about these letters is that a prince who wasengaged in so much and varied business, who himself conducted a vastcorrespondence in which the most intricate diplomatic questions of theday were involved with his envoys at the different European courts, andpersonally superintended every detail of administration, while at thesame time he gave minute instructions to the hundreds of architects, sculptors, and painters in his service, should have found time to writethese bantering epistles to his sister-in-law. One of these letters, forinstance, is devoted to a long account of the jokes that passed betweenMesser Galeazzo and the duchess at table, how Messer Galeazzo begged tobe allowed a taste of the duchess's soup, and complained that he wasforgotten now that the Marchesana was no longer there, and how Beatricetold him she would write and tell her sister, to which he replied, "Tellher whatever you like, as long as I get my soup!"

Yet at this very moment, when he penned these joking letters toIsabella, Lodovico was engaged in some of the most difficult and anxiousnegotiations with other States. 

During Ercole d'Este's visit, the question of sending the customarycongratulations to the new Pope had been discussed, and Lodovico hadsuggested that the ambassadors of the four allied powers--Milan, Naples, Florence, and Ferrara--should send a joint deputation, both as a mark ofspecial honour to His Holiness, and as a public manifesto to foreignpowers of the strength of these united States. The step, he wasconfident, would produce a good effect both on the King of the Romansand Charles VIII. Of France, whose designs on Italy were alreadyexciting alarm. Both the Duke of Ferrara and King Ferrante, who had beenconsulted through his ambassadors, when they came to hunt at Vigevano, agreed readily to Lodovico's proposal, and the only person to raiseobjections was Piero de' Medici, who had lately succeeded his father aschief magistrate of Florence, and pretended to the same power. The deathof his friend Lorenzo had been sincerely deplored by Lodovico, who, before many months had passed, began to discover how weak andcontemptible a character his son possessed, and had already consultedhis astrologer as to the influence which this young man would have uponhis own fortunes. Now the vain and foolish youth refused to join in theproposed embassy to the Vatican, because he wished to appear alonebefore Alexander VI. And impress that new Pope by the magnificence ofhis apparel and retinue. Not content with frustrating the Moro's plan, Piero induced King Ferrante to withdraw his consent to the jointdeputation, a step which did not tend to improve the strained relationsthat had existed for some time past between Naples and Milan. CardinalGiuliano della Rovere had retired to Ostia in disgust at the election ofthe Borgia Pope, leaving Ascanio Sforza all powerful at the Vatican, andthe Pope availed himself of every occasion to show his friendship forLodovico. Already a marriage had been proposed between Alexander'sdaughter Lucrezia Borgia and Giovanni Sforza, Prince of Pesaro, and theKing of Naples looked with alarm on the friendly relations that existedbetween the Holy See and Milan. "Alexander VI. , " said Ferrante, bitterly, "has no respect for the Holy Church, and cares for nothing butthe aggrandisement of his own family. Rome will soon become a Milanesecamp. "

But while Lodovico Sforza looked with suspicion on the intrigues ofFerrante's son Alfonso, and was anxious to strengthen his alliance withother powers, he had as yet no thought of inviting the French to invadeItaly. On the contrary, the whole tenor of his private letters andpublic despatches was marked by the same anxiety to maintain cordialrelations with the different Italian states, in order that they mightpresent a united front to foreign enemies. However friendly were hisadvances to the King of France, he had never by word or hint given himthe slightest encouragement to invade Italy or assert his claim to thecrown of Naples. It was only when he saw peace restored between Charlesand Maximilian, on the one hand, and on the other a treaty of allianceconcluded between the Pope and the King of Naples, that he began totremble for his own safety, and suddenly changed his policy. But for themoment counsels of peace prevailed, and the ambitious Moro could lookforward with hope and confidence to the coming year, that promised tobring him new joys, and perchance the fulfilment of his long-cherisheddesire, in the birth of a son and heir. 

FOOTNOTES:

[28] Pastor's "History of the Popes, " vol. V. P. 383, etc. 

[29] Luzio-Renier, _op. Cit. _, p. 350, etc. 

[30] Luzio-Renier, _op. Cit. _, p. 356. 

[31] Luzio-Renier, _op. Cit. _, p. 361. 

CHAPTER XIV

Birth of Beatrice's first-born son--The Duchess of Ferrara atMilan--_Fêtes_ and rejoicings at court and in the Castello--The courtmoves to Vigevano--Beatrice's wardrobe--Her son's portrait--Letters toher mother and sister--Lodovico's plans for a visit to Ferrara andVenice. 

1493

On the 25th of January, at four o'clock on a winter's afternoon, Beatrice gave birth to a son in the Rocchetta of the castle of Milan. 

"Signor Lodovico's joy at the birth of his first-born son is beyond alldescription, " wrote Giacomo Trotti to his master, Duke Ercole. DuchessLeonora was present on the occasion, and herself announced the happyevent in a letter to her daughter Isabella, who promptly sent a specialenvoy with her congratulations to the Duke of Bari and her sister. Afortnight before, Leonora had set out for Pavia, where Trotti had beensent to meet her, and crowds shouting _Moro! Moro!_ had everywherehailed her arrival. Three days later, she reached Milan in time to makethe last preparations before the birth of her grandson. The child, afine healthy boy, received the name of Ercole, in compliment to hisgrandfather, the Duke of Ferrara, but was afterwards called Maximilian, when the emperor became his godfather after his marriage to BiancaSforza. The auspicious event was hailed with public rejoicings. Thebells rang for six days, and solemn processions were held, andthanksgivings offered up in all the churches and abbeys of the Milanese. Prisoners for debt were released, and the advent of the new-born princewas celebrated with as great honour as if his father had been thereigning duke. Already some of the courtiers attached to Giangaleazzo'shousehold began to whisper that the birth of Francesco, the little Countof Pavia, two years before, had been celebrated with far less pomp. Butin the same week Duchess Isabella, who was residing in the _Corteducale_ of the Castello, gave birth to a daughter, who received the nameof Bona, so that, as Lodovico informed the foreign ambassadors, therewas double cause for rejoicings. 

Full and elaborate details of the ceremonies observed on this occasion, and of the splendid _fêtes_ that attended the recovery of the twoduchesses, were sent to Isabella d'Este at Mantua by her mother's maidof honour, Teodora degli Angeli. Every particular of the decorations inthe rooms of the Castello, the colour of the hangings and the draperiesof the cradle, the gowns worn by the different princesses at theirsuccessive appearances in public, was faithfully reported for Isabella'sbenefit. On the eve of the young prince's birth, the sumptuous cradleand layette prepared for his reception were shown to the Ambassadors, chief magistrates, and nobles of Milan, and displayed on tables coveredwith gold and crimson brocade, lined with Spanish cat, in the Sala delTesoro, adjoining Beatrice's rooms. All through the next fortnightcostly gifts for the young duchess and her new-born babe were receivedfrom the magistrates of Milan and the chief towns of the duchy, andprincipal courtiers. On Sunday, the 4th of February, the ambassadors, councillors, magistrates and court officials, together with many nobleMilanese ladies, were invited to present their congratulations toBeatrice, and that evening the gifts presented to her were publiclydisplayed in the Sala del Tesoro. The doors of the shelves along thewalls were thrown open, and the splendid gold and silver plate, themassive jars, bowls, vases, and dishes, which they contained, wereranged in tiers on a stand, protected by iron bars and guarded by twomen-at-arms wearing ducal liveries. The seneschal of Lodovico'shousehold, Ambrogio da Corte, received the guests at the doors of theRocchetta, paying each of them the honours due to his rank, andconducted them to the Sala del Tesoro. There they were received bystewards clad in silver brocade, who led them through a suite of roomsadorned with gilded columns and hung with white damask curtains richlyembroidered with equestrian figures and other Sforzesque devices, intothe presence of the duchess. This chamber was still more richlydecorated than the others. "Indeed, it is calculated, " writes theadmiring maid of honour, "that the tapestries and hangings here areworth 70, 000 ducats. " Two pages guarded the doors, and within, near thefireplace, Duchess Leonora sat at her daughter's bedside, accompanied bytwo or three ladies. Beatrice's own couch was gorgeously adorned withdraperies of mulberry colour and gold, and a crimson canopy bearing thenames of Lodovico and Beatrice in massive gold, with red and whiterosettes and a fringe of golden balls which alone was valued at 8000ducats. 

"All, " exclaimed Teodora--"_bello e galante_, beyond words!"[32]

After paying their respects to the illustrious mother, the guests passedon into the room of the new-born child--_la camera del Puttino_. Herethe walls were hung with brocades of the Sforza colours, red, white, andblue, and tapestries, embroidered with all manner of beasts and birdsand fantastic designs. But the golden cradle itself, which had been madein Milan, was the most beautiful thing of all, with its four slendercolumns and pale blue silk canopy enriched with gold cords and fringes. "Truly rich and elegant beyond anything that I have ever seen!" writesthe ecstatic maid of honour, whose eyes were fairly dazzled by the sightof all these splendours, and who, as she told Isabella, was lost inwonder and admiration at the magnificence of the Milanese court. After aglimpse of the royal infant, sleeping under his coverlid of cloth ofgold, watched over by Beatrice's ladies, the visitors were conductedinto Signor Lodovico's hall of audience, where he received theambassadors and chief councillors, and through the adjoining room, occupied by his favourite astrologer, Messer Ambrogio daRosate--"without whom nothing can be done here, " remarks Teodora--backto the entrance hall, where the seneschal was in waiting to escort themto the gates. 

Messer Ambrogio, as Teodora opined, had to be consulted before theduchess was allowed to leave her bed. This was on Wednesday, the 24th ofFebruary, on which day both the royal ladies issued from their rooms atthe same hour. "Now at length, " wrote the lively maid of honour toIsabella, "I am able to inform your Highness that the illustriousMadonna your sister has left her room, and those poor tormented soulswhose task it has been for so many nights to bring in shawls to spreadover the presents, are at last freed from their labours. "

That same day, both the young duchesses went in state to S. Maria delleGrazie, to return thanks and praise to God for the birth of theirchildren. The royal ladies rode in the Duchess of Ferrara's chariot, asumptuous carriage hung with purple, and were accompanied by Leonoraherself and five other Sforza princesses--Alfonso d'Este's wife, Anna;Duke Giangaleazzo's sister, Bianca Sforza; Signor Lodovico's daughter, Bianca, the youthful bride of Galeazzo Sanseverino; MadonnaBeatrice--Niccolo da Correggio's mother--and Madonna Camilla Sforza ofPesaro. The toilettes worn on this occasion were exceptionally rich, asTeodora relates. "Our Madonna, Duchess Leonora, wore black, as usual, but was very gallantly adorned with her finest jewels. The Duchess ofBari had a lovely vest of gold brocade worked in red and blue silk, anda blue silk mantle trimmed with long-haired fur, and her hair coiled asusual in a silken net. Duchess Isabella wore gold brocade and greenvelvet enriched with crimson cords and silver thread, and a mantle ofcrimson velvet lined with grey silk. Both ladies were covered withjewels. Madonna Anna's _camora_ was of cloth-of-gold with crimsonsleeves, lined with fur and edged with gold fringe. One fine inventionwhich I noticed was a new trimming made of grey lamb's wool, but therewas no end to the variety of colours and fringes or to the beauty of thejewels. "

After hearing a solemn Te Deum and other canticles very beautifully sungby the choir of the ducal chapel, the whole party drove to the house ofCount Della Torre, who entertained the dukes and duchesses, ambassadorsand councillors, and all the chief gentlemen and ladies of the court ata splendid banquet. On the following day the duchesses and princesseswere entertained at a feast given by Niccolo's mother, Madonna Beatrice, in her rooms in the Castello, and appeared in fresh costumes and stillmore splendid jewels. On Friday no _fête_ was given, but most of theyouthful princes and princesses went out hunting in the park, and threestags were killed in the course of the day. Beatrice appeared in ariding-habit of rose-tinted cloth, and a large jewel instead of afeather in her silk hat, and rode on a black horse. Madonna Anna woreblack and gold, with a pearl-embroidered crimson hat, and her sisterBianca also appeared on horseback, while Duchess Leonora spent the daywith old Duchess Bona in her rooms. 

On Saturday a _fête_ was given at the house of Gaspare di Pusterla. Beatrice looked particularly charming with a feather of rubies in herhair, and a crimson satin robe embroidered with a pattern of knots andcompasses and many ribbons, "after her favourite fashion, " adds Teodora. It is these very ribbons that we still see to-day, both in the fewportraits that we have of the short-lived duchess, and in the marbleeffigy upon her tomb. Isabella of Aragon appeared on this occasion, in agown embroidered with books and letters, a favourite device ofRenaissance ladies; while Anna Sforza was all in white, "because it wasSaturday, " explained Teodora, and she had vowed to wear no colours onthat day for a certain number of weeks. This was a common practice withmany Italian princesses who had lately recovered from illness or givenbirth to a child, and one to which we find frequent allusion in thecorrespondence of Isabella d'Este. On Saturday all the court attendedhigh mass at S. Maria delle Grazie, and a last entertainment was given, this time by Duchess Beatrice herself, in the Rocchetta. 

The next day, Lodovico took his wife and mother-in-law, with the Duchessof Milan and their other guests, to Vigevano, to enjoy a little rest andcountry air. But here fresh amusements awaited them, and the splendourof Beatrice's wardrobe and the treasures of her _camerini_ filled theFerrarese visitors with wonder and envy. On the 6th of March, BernardoProsperi wrote to tell Isabella that our Madonna had been conducted bythe jester Mariolo over Beatrice's "_guardaroba_, " and had seen all thesplendid gowns, pelisses, and mantles which had been made for her duringthe last two years, about eighty-four in all, "besides many more, " addsthe writer, "which your sister the duchess has in Milan. " The costlinessof the materials, and the rich and intricate embroidery which coveredsatins and brocades, made Leonora exclaim that she felt as if she werein a sacristy looking at priests' vestments and altar frontals. Afterexamining all of these fine clothes, the duchess was taken into twoother _camerini_, where Beatrice, after the fashion of great ladies inthose days, had collected her favourite books and _object d'art_. Onecabinet was full of Murano glass of delicate shape and colour, ofporcelain dishes, and majolica from Faenza or Gubbio. Another heldivories, crystals, and enamels engraved in the same style as Lodovico'svases in the treasury at Milan. Perfumes and washes filled another case, while a separate cabinet was devoted to hunting implements, dog-collars, pouches, flasks, horns, knives, and hoods for falcons. "There was, indeed, " added Duchess Leonora's attendant, "enough to fill many shops. "

The evenings at Vigevano were enlivened with music and singing, and, byLodovico's orders, a band of Spanish musicians who had been sent fromRome to Milan by his brother, Cardinal Ascanio, came to play beforeBeatrice and her mother, who both admired the sweet strains of theirlarge viols, and examined the shape and size of their instruments withcuriosity. On Sunday theatrical representations were given, and Beatriceappeared in a wonderful new gown made of gold-striped cloth, with acrimson vest laced with fine silver thread "arranged, " wrote an admiringlady-in-waiting, "in the most graceful fashion. This your sister wore, "she adds, "because it was Carnival Sunday; but even now, although Lenthas begun for most of us, Carnival is not yet over for these highnesses, since Signor Lodovico and his duchess, Messer Galeazzo, the Duke andDuchess of Milan, and many of their courtiers, have receiveddispensations from Rome to eat meat all the same. "[33]

Meanwhile Beatrice's little son was growing into a strong healthy child, and her letters are full of the beauty and perfections of her preciousbabe. Again and again, in her notes to Isabella, she talks of "my sonErcole, " with all a young mother's proud delight. 

"I cannot tell you, " she writes to her sister, "how well Ercole islooking, and how big and plump he has grown lately. Each time I see himafter a few days' absence, I am amazed and delighted to see how much hehas grown and improved, and I often wish that you could be here to seehim, as I am quite sure you would never be able to stop petting andkissing him. "

Isabella, on her part, wrote warmly to her sister in return, saying howmuch she longed to see her beautiful boy--"_il suo bello puttino_" and"not only to see him, but to hold him in my arms and enjoy his companyafter my own fashion. "

Duchess Leonora returned to Ferrara at the end of another week, and oneof Beatrice's first anxieties was to have a portrait of her childpainted for her mother. On the 16th of April, she wrote from herfavourite country house Villa Nova, where she had brought the babe toenjoy the sweet spring air--

MOST ILLUSTRIOUS MADAMA MINE, AND DEAREST MOTHER, "Your Highness must forgive my delay in writing to you. The reason wasthat every day I have been hoping the painter would bring me theportrait of Ercole, which my husband and I now send you by this post. And, I can assure you, he is much bigger than this picture makes himappear, for it is already more than a week since it was painted. But Ido not send the measure of his height, because people here tell me if Imeasure him he will never grow! Or else I certainly would let you haveit. And my lord and I, both of us, commend ourselves to your Highness, and I kiss your hand, my dearest mother. 

 "Your obedient servant and child, BEATRICE SFORTIA DA ESTE, with _my own_ hand. [34]

To the most illustrious Lady my dearest Mother, Signora Duchessa di Ferrara. "

The baby's portrait was forwarded to Mantua for Isabella's inspection, together with a letter from her mother, saying--

"I enclose a drawing which has been sent to us from Milan, to show howwell our grandson thrives, and certainly, if we have been already toldhow flourishing he is, this gives us a living witness to his beauty andwell-being. And if you ask me whether the portrait is a good one, I needonly tell you who has sent it and who is the master who has done thisdrawing, and then I am sure you will be satisfied. "

Leonora's words excite our wonder as to who the artist could be whosename of itself would be enough to satisfy Isabella of the excellence ofthe work. As Signor Luzio has already remarked, [35] it is impossible toread these words without thinking that Leonardo must have been theartist employed by Lodovico on this occasion to take a sketch of hisinfant son. But the drawing of Ercole has vanished, and the painter'sname remains unknown. 

Another name which recurs frequently in Beatrice's letters to both hermother and sister at this time, is that of a Spanish embroiderer, namedMaestro Jorba, noted for his rare skill, who was in the service of theDuchess of Ferrara, and was left by her at Vigevano in April, to designhangings and gowns for Lodovico's wife. On the 14th of March, Jorba wassent back to Ferrara with a letter from Beatrice to her mother, expressing her satisfaction with his work; and in April, Leonora senther a new design for a _camora_ which the clever Spaniard had invented. 

"I have to-night, " wrote Beatrice in reply, "received the design of the_camora_ made by Jorba, which I admire very much, and have just shown itto my embroiderer, as your Highness advised. He remarks that the flowersof the pattern are all the same size, and since the _camora_ willnaturally be cut narrower above than below, the flowers ought to bealtered in the same proportion. I have not yet decided what will be thebest thing to do, but thought I would tell you what Schavezi says, andwait to hear what you advise, and then do whatever you think best. "

Later in the same year, we find Maestro Jorba once more at Milan, working for Duchess Beatrice, much to the annoyance of her sisterIsabella, who was anxious to secure the services of the skilfulembroiderer, and offered him a salary of two hundred ducats a year if hewould settle at Mantua. Jorba, however, seems to have preferred toremain at Ferrara, and only paid occasional visits to the princesses ofEste at Milan and Mantua. 

Throughout April, all the tailors and embroiderers, goldsmiths andjewellers, in Beatrice's service were busy making preparations for avisit which their mistress was shortly to pay to her old home. BeforeLeonora left Vigevano the Moro had promised to bring his wife and childto Ferrara in May, and had decided to send Beatrice to Venice, with hermother Duchess Leonora, who was going to spend a few days with her sonAlfonso and his wife, at the palace of the Estes on the Canal Grande. Hehad further intimated his intention of paying a visit to hissister-in-law at Mantua on the way. Isabella, who had just accepted aninvitation from the Doge, Agostino Barbarigo, to visit Venice for theFeast of the Ascension, was somewhat dismayed when the news reached her, and looked forward with no little alarm to the prospect of entertainingher splendid brother-in-law. She wrote off without delay to consult herhusband on the subject--

"Madama sends me word that Signor Lodovico has decided to visit Ferrarain May, and gives me the list of the company who are to attend him, which I enclose for you to see. For my part I can hardly believe it, butshall be sorry if I am at Venice when such _fêtes_ are being held atFerrara. Your Highness must decide what you think is best for the honourof our house, since when I was at Milan Signor Lodovico told me that ifhe came to Ferrara he would visit Mantua on the way. No doubt you willdo what seems to be most prudent, and will let me know your wishes. Butperhaps I may be mistaken. [36]

"Mantua, 9th of April, 1493. "

Isabella was still more disturbed when she heard that Lodovico intendedto send his wife to Venice. Her pride shrank from the bare notion ofappearing before the Doge and Senate at the same time as her sister, whose sumptuous apparel and numerous suite she felt herself unable torival. "Nothing in the world, " she wrote to Gianfrancesco, who was thenat Venice as captain-general of the Republic's forces, "will induce meto go to Venice at the same time as my sister the duchess. "

And she insisted on her desire to appear before the Doge, not as a guestand foreign visitor, but as a daughter and servant, begging that shemight be treated without any pomp or ceremony. 

Fortunately, whether from political motives, or from his usualattention to his astrologer's advice, Lodovico deferred his visit toFerrara until the middle of May, and himself wrote a courteous letter toIsabella, expressing his regret that he would after all be unable toaccept her invitation to Mantua, since he found himself obliged to visitParma. The marchioness, thus happily relieved from her fears, set offfor Ferrara on the 4th of May, and proceeded to Venice a week later, having doubled the number of her retinue, and strained every nerve topresent an appearance which should not offer too marked a contrast withBeatrice's regal splendours. 

FOOTNOTES:

[32] L. Porrò in A. S. L. , ix. 327. 

[33] Porrò, _op. Cit. _, p. 330. 

[34] A. Venturi in A. S. L. , xii. 227. 

[35] Archivio Storico Lombardo, xvii. 368. 

[36] Luzio-Renier, _op. Cit. _, p. 365. 

CHAPTER XV

Lodovico's ambitious designs--Isabella of Aragon appeals to herfather--Breach between Naples and Milan--Alliance between the Pope, Venice, and Milan proclaimed--Mission of Erasmo Brasca to the king ofthe Romans--Journey of Lodovico and Beatrice to Ferrara--_Fêtes_ andtournaments--Visit to Belriguardo, and return of Lodovico toMilan--Arrival of Belgiojoso from France. 

1493

The birth of Beatrice's son marks a new development in her husband'spolicy. Up to that time the Moro seems to have been content to govern inhis nephew's name, and had rejected with horror King Ferrante'ssuggestion that he should depose Gian Galeazzo as incapable, and reignin his stead. But whether it was that Beatrice in her turn had becomeambitious to bear the title of Duchess of Milan and see her sonrecognized as heir to the crown, or whether the birth of his son stirredup new desires in her lord's breast, it is certain that the spring of1493 was a turning-point in Lodovico's career. From this time he beganto aim at reigning in his nephew's stead, and applied himself in goodearnest to obtain legal recognition of his title. In the first place, the birth of Ercole, and the extraordinary honours paid to the child andhis mother on this occasion, had the effect of exasperating Isabella ofAragon, and exciting new and bitter rivalry between herself andBeatrice. Gian Galeazzo, sunk in idle pleasures and debauchery, had longceased to take any interest in the government of Milan, or to show theleast wish to assert himself. He was recognized on all hands asaltogether unfit to rule--in the words of the historian Guicciardini, "_incapacissimo_. " But with his wife it was different. In public shecontrolled her rage and appeared with her cousin at _fêtes_ and stateceremonies, but in private she wept bitter tears. Already her father, Alfonso, Duke of Calabria, had begged his sister Duchess Leonora and herhusband to try and induce Lodovico to restore the Duke and Duchess ofMilan to their rightful position, and the good duchess, who was onfriendly terms with Bona of Savoy and with her own niece, Isabella ofAragon, did all in her power to soften the rivalry between the two youngprincesses. But after her departure from Milan, Isabella's ill-concealedanger broke out, and, according to Corio, she wrote the memorable Latinletter to her father. 

"It was then, " writes the Milanese chronicler, "that the duchess, beinga princess of great spirit, refused to endure the humiliations to whichshe and her husband were exposed, and wrote to Alfonso her father, afterthis manner: 'Many years have passed, my father, since you first weddedme to Gian Galeazzo, on the understanding that he would in due timesucceed to the sceptre of his father and ascend the throne of Galeazzoand Francesco Sforza and of his Visconti ancestors. He is now of age andis himself a father; but he is not yet in possession of his dominions, and can only obtain the actual necessaries of life from the hands ofLodovico and his ministers. It is Lodovico who administers the state, treats of war and peace, confirms the laws, grants privileges, imposestaxes, hears petitions, and raises money. Everything is in his power, while we are left without friends or money, and are reduced to live asprivate persons. Not Gian Galeazzo, but Lodovico, is recognized as lordof the kingdom. He places prefects in the castles, raises militaryforces, appoints magistrates, and discharges all the duties of a prince. He is, in fact, the true duke. His wife has lately borne him a son, whoevery one prophesies will soon be called Count of Pavia, and willsucceed to the dukedom, and royal honours were paid him at his birth, while we and our children are treated with contempt, and it is notwithout risk to our lives that we remain under the roof of the palace, from which he would remove us in his envious hatred, leaving me widowedand desolate, destitute of help and friends. But I have still spirit andcourage of my own; the people regard us with compassion, and look uponhim with hatred and curses, because he has robbed them of their gold tosatisfy his greed. I am not able to contend with men, and am forced tosuffer every kind of humiliation. There is no one here to whom I canspeak, for even our servants are given us by him. But if you have anyfatherly compassion, if a spark of royal or noble feeling still lives inyour heart, if love of me and the sight of my tears can move your soul, I implore you to come to our help, and deliver your daughter andson-in-law from the fear of slavery, and restore them once more to theirrightful kingdom. But if you will not help us, I would rather die by myown hands than bear the yoke of strangers, which would be a stillgreater evil than to allow a rival to reign in my place. '"

This letter was probably composed by the historian, but there is nodoubt that it reproduces the wronged duchess's sentiments, and thatCorio does not exaggerate the effect which his daughter's indignantappeal produced upon Alfonso. "Shall we suffer our own blood to bedespised?" he is said to have exclaimed, when he called upon his fatherto avenge his daughter's wrong, and at the same time pointed out howfraught with danger to the realm of Naples was the existence of sopowerful and independent a prince as Lodovico. But the old kingpreferred to have recourse to his usual expedients of cunning andintrigue, and while he employed every artifice to undermine Lodovico'sinfluence both at the other courts of Italy and in France, he sentambassadors to congratulate the Moro on his son's birth, and onlyexpostulated in a friendly manner with his kinsman. Lodovico himself, however, was too astute not to see the dangers which threatened him, andhe became doubly anxious to form a close alliance with the Pope, andwith his old enemies the Signory of Venice. Early in 1493, AlexanderVI. , now Lodovico Sforza's firm friend, proposed a new alliance betweenhimself, Milan, and Venice to the Doge and Senate, and Count Caiazzo wassent by Lodovico to negotiate the terms of the treaty, which was to holdgood for twenty-five years, and had for its express object themaintenance of the peace of Italy. Ferrara and Mantua both joined thenew league, which was solemnly proclaimed at Venice on St. Mark's day, when, after high mass, the Doge conferred the honour of knighthood onTaddeo Vimercati, the Milanese ambassador, and the banners of Milan andof the Pope were borne in procession round the Piazza. 

In order to confirm the alliance, Lodovico not only agreed to visitFerrara in May, but also decided to send his wife at the head of anembassy to Venice, as a proof of his friendship for his new allies. Fourexperienced councillors, Count Girolamo Tuttavilla, Galeazzo Visconti, Angelo Talenti, and Pietro Landriano, were chosen to accompany her, andan elaborate paper of secret directions was drawn up by Lodovicohimself, dated the 10th of May. On the same day a still more importantpaper of instructions was delivered by the Moro to Erasmo Brasca, theenvoy whom he sent that week to Germany. This agent was instructed tolay two proposals before Maximilian, King of the Romans. In the firstplace, he was to offer him the hand of Bianca Maria Sforza, the Duke ofMilan's sister, with the enormous dowry of 400, 000 ducats. In thesecond, he was to ask Maximilian, on Lodovico's behalf, for a renewal ofthe investiture of Milan, formerly granted to the Visconti dukes, butnever obtained by the three princes of the house of Sforza. As, on theextinction of the Visconti race, the fief ought to have returned to theempire, it was in the emperor's power to bestow the duchy upon Lodovico, whose title would thus be rendered perfectly legal, while Gian Galeazzowould become the usurper, he himself, his father, and grandfather havingonly held the dukedom by right of a popular election, which had neverbeen confirmed by the emperor. This, then, was the proposal which theMoro secretly made to Maximilian, whose father, the Emperor FredericIII. , was at the time still living, but was known to be in very failinghealth. The King of the Romans was by no means insensible to theadvantages of an alliance with the powerful Regent of Milan, or to thelarge dowry which Bianca Maria would bring with her to replenish hisempty coffers. Some objections were raised by the German princes, whochose to consider this marriage with a Sforza princess beneath theimperial dignity, but Maximilian himself readily consented to allLodovico's conditions, and promised to grant him the investiture of theduchy of Milan as soon as he succeeded his father, only stipulatingthat this part of the agreement should be kept secret for the present. The royal bridegroom was to receive three hundred thousand ducats asBianca's dowry, while the remaining hundred thousand, which representedthe tribute dues on the investiture of the duchy, as an imperial fief, were to be paid when this part of the transaction was accomplished. 

Meanwhile Maximilian had already entered into negotiations with CharlesVIII. , who, in his anxiety to undertake the expedition of Naples, wasready to make any sacrifices in other directions; and on the 15th of Maythe Treaty of Senlis was concluded between the two monarchs. Lodovico'sambassador, Belgiojoso, accompanied the French king to Senlis, and kepthis master fully informed of all that happened at court. But while theMoro had repeatedly assured Charles of his friendly intentions, he hadhitherto prudently abstained from offering any device as to the youngking's warlike designs against Naples, and had, it was well known, opposed them. When in March, Charles VIII. Had begged him, as a personalfavour, to send him his son-in-law, Galeazzo di Sanseverino, of whoseknightly prowess he had heard so much, in order that he might conferwith this distinguished captain on military questions, Lodovicoabsolutely refused to consent, fearing the suspicions which MesserGaleazzo's presence at the French court might excite. 

Such was the state of political affairs when, on the 18th of May, 1493, Lodovico and Beatrice, with their infant son, arrived at Ferrara. Theyspent the night before their arrival at the palazzo Trotti, in thesuburbs, and on the following morning entered the town by the bridge ofCastel Tealde. After riding in state up the Via Grande and the Via degliSablioni to the Castello they visited the Duomo, attended mass, and madean offering at the altar. The Piazza was decorated with green boughs andbright draperies, and crowds thronged the streets, shouting "_Moro!Moro!_" as the young duchess rode by in all her bravery, escorted by herbrother Alfonso and Madonna Anna, who had ridden out to meet her, with agay company of Ferrarese lords and ladies. That day Beatrice wore the_camora_ of wonderful crimson brocade, embroidered with the lighthousetowers of the port of Genoa, and a velvet cap studded with big pearls, "as large as are Madama's very largest gems, " wrote the faithfulProsperi to Isabella d'Este, "as well as five splendid rubies. "

On this occasion Lodovico was determined to dazzle the eyes of the worldby his splendour, and the robes and jewels of Beatrice were the wonderof Ferrara and Venice. Ten chariots and fifty mules laden with baggagefollowed in their train, and Prosperi describes one marvellous new_camora_, which Beatrice brought with her, embroidered with Lodovico'sfavourite device of the caduceus worked in large pearls, rubies, anddiamonds, with one big diamond at the top. Not to be outdone by hersister-in-law, Madonna Anna appeared in a crimson and grey satin robe, adorned with letters of massive gold, and borrowed her mother-in-law'sfinest pearls for the occasion, so that, as Prosperi reports, her jewelsmade almost as fine a show as those of the duchess. Nor was this rivalryin clothes and jewels limited to the royal ladies themselves. Our livelyfriend, Duchess Leonora's maid of honour, Teodora, gives Isabella anamusing account of the keen emulation that existed between the Milaneseand Ferrarese ladies who were to accompany the two duchesses toVenice. [37] Beatrice's ladies each wore long gold chains, valued at twohundred ducats apiece, and her chief maids of honour had been providedwith some of their mistress's brocade robes for the occasion. Hearing ofthis, the Ferrarese ladies begged duchess Leonora to give them similarnecklaces, and did not rest until they were supplied with chains valuedat two hundred and twenty ducats apiece. And since it transpired thatBeatrice had given some of her ladies strings of pearls for theirpaternosters, Madama presented each of her attendants with pearlrosaries of a still handsomer and costlier description. When SignorLodovico saw this, he went up to Beatrice, saying, "Wife, I wish all ofyour ladies to wear pearl rosaries;" and straightway ordered some muchlarger and finer ones to be made for the Duchess of Bari's attendants. "But Madama, " adds Isabella's correspondent, gleefully, "has given someof her smaller pendants to our ladies, a thing which I do not think theduchess can supply; and there is one other point in which the duchess'ssuite will come off the worst. Madama has had pelisses of green satinwith broad stripes of black velvet made for all her ladies, which theyare to wear at Venice, and is taking a fresh supply of jewels to lendthem when they arrive. This I think the duchess can hardly manage. "

However, the next day Prosperi reports that the famous goldsmithCaradosso has just arrived with a quantity of rubies and diamonds, whichMesser Lodovico has bought for two thousand ducats, and is having strunginto necklaces for his wife's ladies. 

A week of brilliant festivities had been arranged by Duke Ercole inhonour of his son-in-law. A splendid tournament was held one day on thePiazza in front of the Castello. "Messer Galeazzo rode in the lists, "writes the old chronicler of Ferrara, "with all his usual _gentilezza_, and carried off the prize against his brothers Caiazzo and Fracassa, Niccolo da Correggio, Ermes Sforza, and all other rivals. Afterwards, taking a massive lance in his hand, he charged a gentleman of Mirandola, broke his lance, and unseated him, so that both horse and man rolledover together. And Lodovico sent one hundred ducats to the soldier ofMirandola, because he fought so well. Another day a single-handedcontest between a Milanese and a Mantuan man-at-arms was held in thecourtyard of the castle, and won by the Mantuan, and Lodovico gave him asatin vest with a gold fringe and skirt of silver cloth, and the Marquisof Mantua and others made him fine presents. "[38] Then came thehorse-races for the _pallium_, which Don Alfonso won, and at whichGianfrancesco Gonzaga's famous Barbary horses made a splendid show. Abeautiful _festa_ was also held one afternoon in the gardens, at whichall the court assisted, and in the evenings, theatrical representationsof the _Menæchmi_ and other Latin plays were given, which pleasedLodovico so well that he declared he must build a theatre at Milan onhis return. Amongst the pieces given on this occasion was a comedy, ofwhich the plot, Prosperi remarks, appeared to be aimed against SignorLodovico, but it seems to have given him no offence. 

The Moro was apparently in the highest good-humour, courteous andaffable, after his wont, to all, and full of proud delight in his wifeand child. He admired the palaces and gardens of Ferrara, and surveyedDuke Ercole's latest improvements with keen interest. The width andcleanliness of the streets, struck him especially, and he determined tofollow the duke's example and remove the forges and shops which blockedup the road and interfered with the traffic and the pleasantness of theprospect at Milan. But of all the sights which he saw in Ferrara, whatpleased him best was Ercole's beautiful villa of Belriguardo. OnSaturday, the 25th of May, after Beatrice and her mother had started forVenice, Ercole took his son-in-law and the Milanese nobles to spend theday at this his favourite country house, and entertained the party at abanquet in the famous terraced gardens on the banks of the Po. The sameevening Lodovico found time to write to his wife, in which he tells herhow much he is enjoying the loveliness of the summer evening atBelriguardo. 

"I would not for all the world have missed seeing this place. Really, Ido not think that I have ever seen so large and fine a house, or onewhich is so well laid out and adorned with such excellent pictures. I donot believe there is another to rival it in the whole world, and did notthink it possible to find a villa at once so spacious and so thoroughlycomfortable and well arranged. To say the truth, if I were asked whetherVigevano, or the Castello of Pavia, or this place was the finest palacein the world--the Castello must forgive me, for I would certainly chooseBelriguardo!"[39]

From Belriguardo, Ercole and his son-in-law proceeded to visitMirandola, the castle and principality of Bianca d'Este's husband, CountGaleotto, and the court of the scholar princes of Carpi, who wereintimately connected with the Sanseverini and other noble Milanesehouses. After visiting Modena, the ducal party returned to receive theVenetian ambassadors at Ferrara, and accompanied them to Belriguardo, which Lodovico was not sorry to visit a second time. Here the Moro tookfarewell of his hosts, and, leaving his infant son at Ferrara to awaithis mother's return, he set out for Parma, on his way back to Milan. 

Here at Torgiara, in the Parmesana, he was joined by his envoy, CountBelgiojoso, who, in his anxiety to bring his master the latest news, hadridden the whole 600 miles from Senlis in six days. This faithfulservant had already written to give Lodovico details of the treatyconcluded between Charles VIII. And Maximilian, and had informed him ofthe French king's resolve to invade Italy without delay. Now, at hismaster's summons, he rode to Parma as fast as relays of the fleetesthorses could take him, and fell seriously ill on the day after hisarrival. The news which he brought determined Lodovico in the policywhich he was about to adopt, and decided him to withdraw all oppositionto the French king's expedition against Naples. Charles VIII. Nowappeared as the friend and ally of Maximilian, and even consented tosupport Lodovico's suit with the King of the Romans. "It seems strange, "wrote the Florentine ambassador at the French court to Piero de' Medici, "that the king should support Signor Lodovico in a thing so harmful tothe interests of his cousin the Duke of Orleans' claims, but so it is, and this will show you the influence that now predominates in the royalcounsels. "

Belgiojoso reached Torgiara, in the district of Parma, on the 4th ofJune, and on the 24th, Maximilian sent the despatch from the castle ofGmünden, by which he accepted the hand of Bianca Sforza in marriage, andpromised Lodovico Sforza the investiture of the duchy of Milan as soonas he himself should receive the imperial dignity. In the same month ofJune, the marriage of the Pope's daughter, Lucrezia Borgia, to GiovanniSforza of Pesaro was celebrated with great pomp in the Vatican, and thePope and cardinals joined in the orgies which followed. But old KingFerrante gnashed his teeth with rage, and his son Alfonso vowedvengeance against the hated Moro and all his crew. And in the Duomo ofFlorence, the fiery Dominican friar, Fra Girolamo of San Marco, preaching with passionate fervour to the crowds who hung on his lips, boldly denounced the shameless profligacy that reigned in high places, and warned the Church and the world of the avenging sword of the Lord. 

FOOTNOTES:

[37] Luzio-Renier, _op. Cit. _, p. 374. 

[38] Muratori, R. L. S. , xxiv. 284. 

[39] E. Motta in _Giorn. St. D. Lett. Ital. _, vii. 387. 

CHAPTER XVI

Visit of Beatrice and her mother to Venice--Letters of Lodovico to hiswife--Reception of the duchesses by the Doge at S. Clemente--Theirtriumphal entry--Procession and _fêtes_ in the Grand Canal--Letter ofBeatrice to her husband--The palace of the Dukes of Ferrara in Venice. 

1493

The spring of 1493, as we have already said, proved a turning-point inLodovico Sforza's policy. And it also marked a new period in the life ofBeatrice d'Este. Up to this time the young duchess was a bright andjoyous child, intellectual and cultivated like the other ladies of herfamily, but eager, above all, to enjoy the splendour and gaiety of hernew life, to taste of every pleasure, and fling herself into everypassing amusement. But now she appears in a new light. For the firsttime, on this visit to Venice, she takes a leading part in politicalaffairs, and comes before the Doge and Senate as her husband'sambassador and spokeswoman. Here we see this princess, who was not yeteighteen years of age, assuming the character of orator and diplomatist, and revealing these talents which excited the admiration of the EmperorMaximilian and made him pronounce her unlike all other women. 

In selecting his young wife for this important mission, Lodovico hadacted with his usual prudence and forethought. He saw her remarkablepowers of mind, and trusted implicitly in her womanly tact and charm. When the Venetian Senate first heard that Lodovico was to visit Ferrara, they announced their intention of sending ambassadors to request him toaccompany the two duchesses to Venice. But the Moro felt that, at thiscritical moment of his negotiations with both Charles VIII. AndMaximilian, his presence at Venice might lead to awkward questions andexcite the suspicion of these princes. So he preferred to send his wife, whose journey with her mother and brother would appear rather in thelight of a party of pleasure, and whose youth and charms would disarmsuspicion, and at the same time exert a beneficial influence on thecounsels of the Republic. In the written instructions which he gaveTuttavilla and the other envoys who accompanied Beatrice, they weredesired to lay especial stress on the honour which the rulers of Milanwere doing the Signory of Venice by the choice of so exalted a lady tobe their messenger. 

"The presence of the most illustrious Duchess of Bari is the best prooftheir Excellencies can have of the singular satisfaction with which theDukes of Milan and Bari regard the conclusion of this league. Insending, the one his aunt, the other his wife, who is the dearest thingthat he possesses, to congratulate the Signory on this auspiciousoccasion, they show you how great and exceptional is the pleasure whichthey feel at this alliance between our two states. "

On Saturday, the 25th of May, the Duchess of Ferrara, with her twodaughters, Beatrice Duchess of Bari and Madonna Anna Sforza, and her sonAlfonso, accompanied by a large retinue numbering in all 1200 persons, sailed down the Po into the Adriatic, on their way to Venice. Beatricewas accompanied by Antonio Trivulzio, Bishop of Como, Francesco Sforzaand his wife, and several other Milanese gentlemen of rank, besides thefour ambassadors already named, and in her train were the famous Flemishtenor Cordier and the other court singers of the ducal chapel. On the20th the party reached Chioggia, where they were entertained in thehouses of noble Venetian families, and on the following day sailed upbetween the islands, under the long sandy shore of the Lido, into theport of Venice. At Malamocco, the fort on the southern point of Lidoguarding the entrance of the harbour, they were received by a deputationof patricians, while at S. Clemente the old Doge, Agostino Barbarigo, himself came out to meet them in the bucentaur, followed by an immensecompany of boats and gondolas in festive array. 

"Of all cities that I have ever known, Venice is the one where thegreatest honour is paid to strangers, " wrote Philippe de Commines, when, a year and a half later, he came to Venice as ambassador from his mostChristian Majesty. And on this occasion the welcome offered to the wifeof the powerful Moro was grander, and the _fêtes_ given in her honourwere more splendid, than had been seen for many years. 

"Never, " wrote Taddeo de' Vimercati, the Milanese ambassador, "was lordor lady received with greater joy, or more magnificently entertainedthan the duchess has been on this occasion. " And in his letters to hiswife Isabella, the Marquis of Mantua, who had arrived at Venice threedays earlier, and was among the spectators of his mother andsister-in-law's triumphal entry, dilates on the extraordinary honoursthat were paid them, on the vast concourse of people assembled to greettheir arrival, and the exultation with which they were received. Hedescribes the procession of barks and gondolas, filled with ladies ingay toilettes, that were seen rowing across the lagoon many hours beforethe arrival of the illustrious visitors, and tells how the old Doge--thesame whose venerable figure is familiar to us in Giovanni Bellini'saltar-piece, at Murano--made his way to S. Clemente early in theafternoon, and retired to rest for an hour or two, in a chamber preparedfor his Serene Highness, until the Ferrarese bucentaurs were seen in thedistance. Gianfrancesco dwells on the number and beauty of the gailydecorated barges and triremes, and describes the magnificent loggia hungwith tapestries and wreaths of flowers which had been erected in frontof the _palazzo_ occupied by the Milanese ambassador, at the entrance ofthe Canal Grande. But what impressed him most of all were the thunderingsalvoes of artillery which burst from the fleet of galleys, from thearsenal and the Milanese embassy, at one and the same moment, as aboutfive o'clock the Ferrarese bucentaurs reached Malamocco and entered theVenetian waters. "The whole air, " he writes, "was filled with confusion, when these demonstrations of great rejoicing burst simultaneously uponour ears. "

Isabella d'Este, who had herself lately returned from Venice and was nowwith her beloved sister-in-law, Elizabeth Duchess of Urbino, at thevilla of Porto, devoured her husband's letters greedily, although sheprofessed indifference, and wrote to her mother, "To me all theseceremonies seem very much of the same nature, and are all alike verytedious and monotonous. "

There was one point, however, upon which Gianfrancesco confessed himselfunable to gratify his wife and sister's curiosity. "I will not attempt, "he says, "to describe the gowns and ornaments worn by these duchessesand Madonna Anna, this being quite out of my line, and will only tellyou that all three of them appeared resplendent with the most preciousjewels. "[40] Fortunately, this omission was supplied by one ofBeatrice's secretaries, Niccolo de' Negri, who, in a letter to Lodovico, informed him, on the day of her arrival at Venice, that the duchess woreher gold brocade, embroidered with crimson doves, with a jewelledfeather in her cap, and a rope of pearls and diamonds round her neck, towhich the priceless ruby known as El Spigo was attached as pendant. Butthe best account we have of Beatrice's visit to Venice is contained infour of her own letters addressed to her husband, which have beenpreserved in the archives of Milan. They were originally publishedtwenty years ago by Molmenti, who, however, omitted some portions whichare given here, and transcribed some of the dates incorrectly. Unfortunately, several of the letters in which Beatrice daily recordedthe events of this memorable week for her lord's benefit are missing. But although the narrative is incomplete, it is none the less of rarevalue and interest. The first two letters after her departure fromFerrara are missing, but in their stead we have two notes from Lodovico, which show how tenderly he thought of his absent wife, and how carefullyhe followed her movements. On the evening of the 25th, he wrote theletter that has been already quoted, from Belriguardo; on the 26th, hesent her a second note in reply to the letters which he had justreceived. In one of these Beatrice had apparently given a lively accountof her triumphs at cards in the games which she had played with hercompanions on board the bucentaur. Like Isabella d'Este and most of hercontemporaries, the duchess was very fond of _scartino_ and otherfashionable card-games, and had the reputation of being exceptionallylucky. In the course of the year 1494, Lodovico informed GirolamoTuttavilla, who was at one time treasurer to the duchess, that his wifehad won no less than three thousand ducats, all of which she declaredhad been spent in alms. "When I remarked that this seemed a very largesum, the duchess confessed she had paid some of it to embroiderers andother craftsmen. Even then I fail to see how she could have disposed ofmore than a few hundred ducats. At this rate I fear she will be unableto buy lands or build new houses, but when you return from Naples, wemust try and carry out some plans better worthy of your name. "

On this occasion Beatrice seems to have won a considerable sum of moneyat the game of _britino_ during her journey to Chioggia, and hadapparently informed her husband of her good luck, for he writes inreply--

"MY DEAREST WIFE, "It has given me the greatest pleasure to hear from your last lettersthat you have been winning your companions' money, and since I concludeyou have been playing at _buttino_, I hope you will remember to keepaccount of your winnings, so that you may keep the money for yourself. But I only say this in case you win, as if you lose, I do not care tohear about it. Commend me to the illustrious Madonna Duchessa, ourcommon mother, as well as to Don Alfonso and Madonna Anna, and saluteall the councillors for me. 

 "Your most affectionate husband, LODOVICUS MARIA SFORTIA. [41]

Belriguardo, 26th of May, 1493. "

The first of Beatrice's letters that we have was written on the eveningof her arrival at her father's house in Venice and is dated May 27. 

"MOST ILLUSTRIOUS PRINCE AND EXCELLENT LORD, MY DEAREST HUSBAND, "I wrote to you yesterday of our arrival at Chioggia. This morning Iheard mass in a chapel of the house where I lodged. The singersassisted, and I felt the greatest spiritual delight in hearing them, Messer Cordier as usual doing his part very well, as he did alsoyesterday morning. Certainly his singing is the greatest consolationpossible. Then we breakfasted, and at ten we entered the bucentaur, dividing our company between the middle-sized and small bucentaur and afew gondolas, which were prepared for us, as being safer, since theweather was still rather stormy. My most illustrious mother, Don Alfonsoand Madonna Anna, with a very few servants, entered the small bucentaur, and the other ladies and gentlemen travelled on the larger bucentaur, orin small gondolas, while I entered another gondola with Signor Girolamo, Messer Visconti, and a few others, so as to lighten the small bucentaurand travel more comfortably, as we were assured. So we set out andreached the port of Chioggia, where the ships began to dance. I took thegreatest delight in tossing up and down, and, by the grace of God, didnot feel the least ill effects. But I can tell you that some of ourparty were very much alarmed, amongst others Signor Ursino, Niccolo de'Negri, and Madonna Elisabetta. Even Signor Girolamo, although he hadbeen very frugal, felt rather uncomfortable; but no one in my gondolawas really ill, excepting Madonna Elisabetta and Cavaliere Ursino, atthe port of Chioggia. Most of the others, especially the women, werevery ill. The weather now improved so much, that we arrived at Malamoccoin quite good time. Here we found about twenty-four gentlemen, withthree well-fitted and decorated barges, one of which we entered, with asmany of our suite as it could hold, and were honourably seated in theprow. Several Venetian gentlemen now entered our barge, and a certainMesser Francesco Capello, clad in a long mantle of white brocade, embroidered with large gold patterns, like your own, delivered anoration to the effect that this illustrious Signory, having heard ofyour presence at Ferrara, had sent two ambassadors to show the love theybear you, and that now, having heard of my Lady Mother's and my ownvisit to Venice, they had sent the other gentlemen who received us atChioggia, and now, as a further token of their affection, sent these toMalamocco, to express the great pleasure the Signory felt at our coming, and to inform us that the Doge himself, with the Signory and a numberof noble matrons, were about to give us welcome and do us honour to thebest of their power. My mother, with her usual modesty, begged me toreply, but I insisted on her saying a few words, and afterwards began tospeak myself. But hardly had she finished speaking, and before I hadbegun, than all the gentlemen ran up to kiss our hands, as they had donethe day before, so that I could only express my feelings by courteousgestures. 

"Then we set off towards Venice, and before we reached S. Clemente, where the Prince was expecting us, two rafts came towards us, andsaluted us with the sound of trumpets and firing of guns, followed bytwo galleys ready for battle, and other barks decked out like gardens, which were really beautiful to see. An infinite number of boats, full ofladies and gentlemen, now surrounded us, and escorted us all the way toS. Clemente. Here we landed, and were conducted to a spacious pavilionhung with drapery, where the Prince, accompanied by the members of theSignory, met us and bade us welcome, assuring us how eagerly ourpresence had been desired, and saying that my lord father the duke andyour Excellency could do him no greater pleasure than to send us, whomhe looked upon as his dear daughters. All this and much more concerningthe fatherly love which he bore us, he hoped to be able to express at afuture occasion. Then he placed my lady mother on his right and myselfon his left, with Madonna Anna next to me, and next to my mother theMarquis of Mantua and Don Alfonso--the Marchese having arrived with thePrince--and so he conducted us on board the bucentaur. On the way weshook hands with all the ladies, who stood up in two rows behind thePrince, and then sat down in the same order. All of our ladies shookhands with the Prince, and we set out again on our journey, meeting aninfinite number of decorated galleys, boats, and barks. Among others, there was a raft with figures of Neptune and Minerva, armed with tridentand spear, seated on either side of a hill crowned with the arms of thePope and our own illustrious lord, together with your own and those ofthe Signory of Venice. First Neptune began to dance and gambol and throwballs into the air to the sound of drums and tambourines, and thenMinerva did the same. Afterwards they both joined hands and dancedtogether. Next Minerva struck the mountain with her spear, and an olivetree appeared. Neptune did the same with his trident, and a horse jumpedout. Then other personages appeared on the mountain with open books intheir hands, signifying that they had come to decide on the name thatwas to be given to the city on the mountain, and they gave judgment infavour of Minerva. This representation was said to signify that theexistence of states is founded on treaties of peace, and that those wholay the foundations will give their name to future kingdoms, as Minervadid to Athens. 

"As we sailed on, we saw many other barks and galleys, all richlydecorated. Among them was one galley of armed Milanese, with a Moor inthe centre, armed with a spear, and bearing shields with the ducal armsand your own fastened to the stern and prow. Round this Moor werefigures of Fortitude, Temperance, Justice, and Wisdom with a sceptre inhis hand, all of which made a fine pageant, and the firing of guns andcannons at the same time sounded quite splendid. 

"Besides these there were many barks representing the different arts andcrafts of Venice, very beautiful to see. And so we entered the CanalGrande, where the Prince, who talked to us all the way with the utmostfamiliarity and kindness, took great pleasure in showing us the chiefpalaces of this noble city, and pointing out the ladies, who appearedglittering with jewels at all the balconies and windows, besides thegreat company--about a hundred and thirty in number--who were alreadywith us in the bucentaur. All the palaces were richly adorned, andcertainly it was a magnificent sight. The Prince showed us all the chiefobjects along the canal, until we reached my father's palace, where weare lodged, and where the Prince insisted on landing and conducting usto our rooms, although my mother and I begged him not to take thistrouble. We found all the palace hung with tapestries, and the bedscovered with satin draperies adorned with the ducal arms and those ofyour Excellency. And the rooms and hall are hung with Sforzesca colours, so you see that in point of good entertainment, good company, and goodliving we could desire nothing better. This evening three gentlemencame to visit me in the name of the Signory, and made the most splendidoffers, beyond all that could have been expected, for my pleasure andconvenience. To-morrow, if the audience has taken place, you shall hearmore. I commend myself to your Highness. [42]

"Venice, May 27, 1493. "

"_Era stupendissima cesa a vedere!_ It was a magnificent sight!"exclaimed Beatrice. And indeed the scene was one which would havestirred a less impressionable nature than that of this young princess, who was so keenly alive to joy and beauty, and who now for the firsttime saw "this most triumphant city of the world, " in all the lovelinessof the summer evening. Both the Milanese ambassador and the Marquis ofMantua said they had never seen the like. The blue waters of the lagoonswarmed with boats and gondolas decked with flowers and streamers of thegayest hues, the Venetian Gothic palaces along the canal were hung withIndian and Persian carpets. The rich colours of Oriental stuffs relievedthe dazzling whiteness of Istrian stone, and festoons of fresh leavesand flowers were twisted round their columns of porphyry and serpentine. From each carved balcony and painted window fair Venetian ladies lookeddown in their sumptuous robes, glittering with gold and gems, and theair rang with the _Vivas_ of the crowds who filled the gondolas orflocked along the Riva to see the gay pageant. It was a spectacle suchas Venice alone could offer in these days of her glory, when the CanalGrande was, as Commines justly said, the finest street in the wholeworld. 

And the Palazzo to which the old Doge conducted Beatrice and her motherwas the oldest and one of the grandest in that long avenue of palaces. Originally built for the Pesaro family, it had been presented to NiccoloII. Of Este in gratitude for his services when, a hundred years before, he had supplied the Republic with corn during the long war againstGenoa. Since then the house had been repeatedly sequestered during thewars between Venice and Ferrara, and had only been restored to DukeErcole after the conclusion of the peace of Bagnolo. Now its ancientwalls, dating as far back as the year 900, had been freshly decoratedwith frescoes, and the long arcades and loggias, with their massivepillars and Byzantine capitals of grey marble, were enriched withshields carved with the unicorns and lilies of the house of Este. Within, the spacious halls were lavishly adorned with gilding andvariegated marble, with fine pictures and the painted _cassoni_ andchairs which we still admire on old Venetian palaces, while thetapestries and hangings bearing Sforza devices and the Moro's favouritemottoes met Beatrice's eyes at every turn. As she wrote in her joyousletters to her husband, there was nothing lacking that could charm theeyes or please the mind, and the courtesy and hospitality of thevenerable old Doge and of the Venetian Signory left nothing to bedesired. 

FOOTNOTES:

[40] "Storia di Venezia nella Vita privata, " p. 60. 

[41] Luzio-Renier, _op. Cit. _, p. 376. 

[42] Molmenti, _op. Cit. _, p. 693. 

CHAPTER XVII

_Fêtes_ at Venice in honour of the Duchess of Ferrara and Duchess ofBari--Beatrice d'Este has an audience with the Doge andSignory--Explains Lodovico's position and his treaties with France andGermany--Visit to St. Mark's and the Treasury--_Fête_ in the ducalpalace--The Duchess visits the Great Council--Takes leave of theDoge--Return to Ferrara. 

1493

A series of _fêtes_ had been arranged by the Doge and Signory of Venicein honour of their illustrious guests, and the order in which they tookplace is given by the Marquis of Mantua in a letter to his wife. OnTuesday races were held in the piazza for a _pallinum_ of twenty yardsof crimson velvet; on Wednesday afternoon a regatta took place on theRiva. Amongst other amusing contests, Pietro Bembo tells us there was arace between boats rowed by four women, a thing never before seen inVenice, and which, on account of its novelty, excited the greatestamusement. "In which marvellous contention, " says Bembo, "a thinghappened which added greatly to the pleasure of the spectacle and to thegeneral mirth. A bark won the race that was rowed by a mother and hertwo daughters and one daughter-in-law, this being arranged out ofcompliment to Duchess Leonora, who has herself two daughters and onedaughter-in-law. "

On the morning after her arrival, Beatrice received a visit from threegentlemen sent by the Doge to confer with her on the object of hermission. Much to their surprise and admiration, says Romanini, theVenetian historian, the young duchess, who was not yet twenty years ofage, requested to be allowed the honour of an audience with the Signory. Before leaving the Este palace these gentlemen assisted at mass, whichwas privately celebrated in the duchess's rooms, and heard Cordier sing, as we learn from a short note addressed to Lodovico on the morning ofthe 28th. 

"This morning, " she writes, "as soon as I was dressed, I heard mass sungin my own rooms. Messer Cordier sang, and, as usual, did his partadmirably, which pleased me greatly, both on account of the rare delightwhich his talent gives me, and because on this occasion the gentlemenwho had been sent to see me by the Doge were also present, and expressedthe greatest admiration for his singing. "

Beatrice and the four Milanese ambassadors were then escorted to theducal palace, where the young duchess was admitted to the Sala delCollegio, and laid her husband's memorial before the Signory. But, as M. Delaborde remarks, the language which Beatrice employed on this occasiondiffered considerably from the written instructions which had been givento the Milanese envoys by Lodovico. During the interval, Belgiojoso'sdespatches relating to the Treaty of Senlis, and announcing the Frenchking's fixed intention of undertaking an expedition against Naples, hadproduced a sensible alteration in Lodovico's policy. In the letter ofthe 10th of May, the ambassadors were desired to congratulate theVenetian Signory in the most cordial terms on the conclusion of theleague between Milan, the Pope, and the Republic, and to dwellespecially on the importance of being in readiness to resist foreigninvasions at this critical time when the French monarch and the King ofthe Romans were about to settle their differences. But when Beatriceherself addressed the Signory, she insisted on the excellent relationsof Lodovico as Regent of Milan with both France and Germany, and, aftersetting forth the pains which her lord had taken to oppose the Frenchexpedition, laid Belgiojoso's latest despatch before the Signory. Inthis missive the Milanese envoy informed Lodovico of Charles theEighth's intention to send an envoy to Milan, Venice, and Rome, and seekthe help of these powers in carrying out his designs for the conquest ofNaples. Beatrice, addressing the Venetian Signory in her lord's name, asked their advice as to the answer which he should give to the Frenchking, and ended by informing them of his negotiations with Maximilianfor the investiture of the duchy of Milan, which, she added, werealready far advanced. After some deliberation, the Signory returned acourteous but evasive answer, begging the duchess to assure her husbandof their most friendly sentiments, but saying that the French king'sproposals required grave consideration, and that they must, first ofall, communicate with the Pope as head of the League. 

At a second conference which the Doge had with the young duchess on the1st of June, Beatrice, acting under Lodovico's directions, laid stresson the fact that her husband as regent was all-powerful in Milan, andcould dispose of the treasure and castles of Lombardy at his pleasure. The Doge understood by this, as we learn from the secret records of theVenetian Government, that the real aim of the duchess was to discoverhow far the Republic was disposed to uphold Lodovico's claim to theducal title, but he merely returned a civil answer and repeated hisprofessions of friendship. If Beatrice's mission, however, secured novery tangible result from the wise and crafty Venetian, her charms madea deep impression upon the old councillors, who one and all marvelled ather wisdom and eloquence, and grudged no pains or expense to give herpleasure. "No honours, " writes Cardinal Bembo, "were held too great forthese royal ladies, who in those joyous times had come to see the city, nor was any kind of pleasure or generous liberality lacking in thesplendid _fêtes_ with which they were entertained on this memorableoccasion. " As for Beatrice herself, she was enchanted with the beautiesof Venice and the courtesy of her hosts, and longed to see and hear allthe wonders of the famous city. The greater part of these days was spentin visiting the chief sights of the place--the great Dominican andFranciscan churches, S. Zanipolo with the tombs of the doges and theGothic shrine of S. Maria Gloriosa with Giovanni Bellini's newly paintedMadonnas in all their radiant loveliness, the graceful Renaissancebuildings of S. Maria dei Miracoli and the Scuola di S. Marco, which theLombardi had lately finished. Like all royal visitors, the duchesseswere conducted over the arsenal, which Commines justly calls the finestthing of the kind in the whole world, and were shown not only the fleetof a hundred ships in port, but the galleys in course of construction, the men making the oars, the women and children at work on the sails andropes, the sulphur and saltpetre mills, and the splendid armoury, allenclosed within lofty walls, and guarded by twin towers crowned with thewinged lion. And they saw what was indeed one of the wonders of theworld--the glorious front of St. Mark's just as we see it in GentileBellini's great picture, with the many domes and myriads of pillars, theglittering mosaics and famous bronze horses, and the crimson standardsfloating from the three tall Venetian masts on the Piazza. We are nottold whether Beatrice, like her sister Isabella d'Este, ascended theCampanile to enjoy the wonderful prospect over the lagoons, but we knowthat she went to hear the singing of the Augustinian nuns, a communityof noble Venetian maidens as famous for the many scandals attached totheir society as for the perfection of their musical services. Above allthings in Venice, the duchesses admired the magnificent pile of theducal palace and the noble mural paintings on which the Bellini andtheir fellow-artists were at work in the Great Hall, a sight of whichthe great fire of the sixteenth century has deprived future generations. 

But the most splendid _fête_ given in Beatrice's honour was the banquet, ball, and torchlight procession that were held on Thursday in the ducalpalace. That same morning the duchesses attended mass in state at St. Mark's, and by the Doge's request the Milanese choir took part in theservice. Beatrice's letters to her husband give a full account of theday's festivities--

"MOST EXCELLENT AND ILLUSTRIOUS LORD, MY DEAREST HUSBAND, "To continue my relation of what is happening here day by day, I mustnow inform you that this morning my illustrious mother, Don Alfonso, Madonna Anna, and I, with all our company, set out for St. Mark's, wherethe Prince invited both us and our singers to assist at mass and see theTreasury. But before reaching St. Mark's, we landed at the Rialto, andwent on foot up those streets which are called the Merceria, where wesaw the shops of spices and silks and other merchandise, all in fairorder and excellent both in quality and in the great quantity andvariety of goods for sale. And of other crafts there was also a goodlydisplay, so much so that we stopped constantly to look at now one thing, now at another, and were quite sorry when we reached St. Mark's. Hereour trumpets sounded from a loggia in front of the church, and we foundthe prince, who advanced to meet us at the doors of St. Mark's, andplacing himself as before, between my illustrious mother and myself, ledus to the high altar, where we found the priest already vested. There weknelt down with the prince and said the confession, and then took theseats prepared for us and heard mass, which the priest and hisassistants sang with great solemnity, and our singers did their part, and their singing greatly pleased both the Prince and all who werepresent, especially that of Cordier, who always takes great pains to dohonour to your Highness. After mass, we accompanied the Prince to seethe Treasury, but had the greatest difficulty in the world to get in, because of the crowds of people who were assembled there, as well as inthe streets, although every one tried to make room for us, even thePrince crying out to try and clear the way. But at last the Princehimself was forced to retire on account of the great pressure of thecrowd, and left us to enter with only a few others, and even then we hadthe greatest difficulty to get in. Once safely inside the Treasury wesaw everything, which was a great pleasure, for there was an infinitequantity of most beautiful jewels and some magnificent cups andchalices. When we came out of the Treasury, we went on the Piazza of St. Mark, among the shops of the Ascensiontide fair which is still going on, and found such a magnificent show of beautiful Venetian glass, that wewere fairly bewildered, and were obliged to remain there for a longtime. And as we walked along from shop to shop, every one turned to lookat the jewels which I wore in the velvet cap on my head, and on the vestembroidered with the towers of the Port of Genoa, and especially at thelarge diamond which I wore at my breast. And I heard people saying oneto the other--'That is the wife of Signor Lodovico. Look what finejewels she wears! What splendid rubies and diamonds she has!'

"At last, since the hour was already late, we went home to dine, and bythis time it was nearly two o'clock. [43]

"Venice, May 30, 1493. "

The day's labours, however, were hardly begun, and in her next letterBeatrice resumes her story--

"After dinner and a little rest, a large company of gentlemen came toconduct us to the _festa_ at the palace. We travelled in barges, and, when we reached the palace, were conducted into the Great Hall. There agrand tribunal was erected at one end of the hall, in two divisionsrunning the whole length of the walls, and in the centre of the hall asquare stage was placed for dancing and theatrical representations. Weascended the tribunal, where we found a number of noble Venetian ladies, one hundred and thirty-two in all, richly adorned with jewels. On thewing to our right as we entered sat the Lord of the Company of 'thePotenti'--'a group of the famous company of La Calza, which included thewealthiest and most illustrious youths of Venice'--seated on a throneunder a canopy of gold brocade, with Don Alfonso as a member of thecompany on his right hand. We took our seat on the left wing, and sentMadonna Anna to take her place by the Lord of the Company. The Princewas not present on this occasion, being too old and infirm to take partin such fatiguing entertainments; but a certain Messer ConstantinoPrivolo occupied his place, as the oldest member of the Signory. Thechiefs of the _festa_ led out several ladies to dance, two or three at atime, and then came to ask if some of our ladies and gentlemen would notalso take part in the dance. So, to show our friendly intentions, weagreed, and Conte Girolamo da Figino and a few others danced. Of thewomen, the wife of Count Francesco Sforza, the daughters MesserSigismondo and of Messer Raynaldo, and a few others, also danced. Duringthe dancing, by reason of the excessive heat of the room, my head beganto ache, and as my throat also felt a little sore, I left the hall andretired to rest in another room for an hour. When I returned, it wasalready dark. A hundred lighted torches hung from the ceiling, and arepresentation was given on the stage, in which two big animals withlarge horns appeared, ridden by two figures, bearing golden balls andcups wreathed with verdure. These two were followed by a triumphalchariot, in which Justice sat enthroned, holding a drawn sword in herhand inscribed with the motto _Concordia_, and wreathed with palms andolive. In the same car was an ox with his feet resting on a figure ofSt. Mark and the adder. This, as your Highness will readily understand, was meant to signify the League, and as in all their discourses to methe Prince and these gentlemen speak of your Highness as the author ofpeace and tranquillity of Italy, so in this representation they placedyour head on the triumphal arch above the others. Behind the chariotcame two serpents, ridden by two other youths, dressed like the firstriders. All these figures mounted the tribunal in the centre of thehall, and danced round Justice, and after dancing for a while, theirballs exploded, and out of the flames, an ox, a lion, an adder, and aMoor's head suddenly appeared, and all of these danced together roundthe figure of Justice. Then the banquet followed, and the differentdishes and _confetti_ were carried in to the sound of trumpets, accompanied by an infinite number of torches. First of all came figuresof the Pope, the Doge, and the Duke of Milan, with their armorialbearings and those of your Highness; then St. Mark, the adder, and thediamond, and many other objects, In coloured and gilded sugar, making asmany as three hundred in all, together with every variety of cakes andconfectionery, and gold and silver drinking-cups, all of which werespread out along the hall, and made a splendid show. Among other things, I saw a figure of the Pope surrounded by ten cardinals, which was saidto be a prophecy of the ten cardinals whom the Pope is going to maketo-morrow! The banquet was spread out upon the stage, and the disheswere handed round with many of these triumphs, and the Pope and the Dukeand Duchess of Milan fell to my share. When the banquet was finished, wehad another representation, in which the two youths on serpents playedthe chief part. A messenger arrived, riding on a triumphal car in aboat, bearing a letter in a packet, which he presented to the Lord ofthe Company, who opened it, and, after reading the letter, handed itback to him; then he entered the boat again and left the hall, followedby the others on their serpents. This last figure was said to be aherald who had been sent to announce the proclamation of the League, anda little while afterwards the triumphal car of the League, as describedabove, appeared again, followed by four giants. The first one carried ahorn of foliage and fruit, the two next bore two clubs with gold andsilver balls, or catapults, while the last carried a cornucopia, similarto that borne by the first giant in his hand. Then came four animals inthe shape of Chimeras ridden by four naked Moors, sounding tambourinesand cymbals or clapping their hands. They were followed by fourtriumphal cars, bearing figures of Diana, Death, the mother of Meleager, and several armed men--four or five persons in each chariot, the wholeintended to represent the story of Meleager, which was fully set forth, from his birth to his death, with interludes of dances. The whole fablewould take too long to repeat, but Gian Giacomo Gillino will be able torecite it from beginning to end, if you care to hear it. This was theconclusion of the whole _festa_. After this we entered our boats, andthe clock struck one before we got home. The bishop of Como was sittingby me all the evening, and his infinite weariness at the length of theperformance, and his dislike of the great heat in that crowded hall, made me laugh as I never laughed before. And in order to tease him andhave more fun, I kept on telling him that there was still more to come, and that the acting would go on till to-morrow morning; and it was mostamusing to see him stretch himself first on one leg, then on the other, and to hear him complain, 'My legs are worn out. When will this _festa_ever come to an end? Never again will I come to another. ' I really thinkthat his sighs and groans gave me as much pleasure as the _festa_itself. When at length we reached home, I supped frugally and then wentto bed, as it was already three o'clock. The gown that I wore afterdinner was of crimson and gold watered silk, with my jewelled cap on myhead, and the rope of pearls with the Marone as a pendant. I commendmyself to your Highness. Your Excellency's most affectionate wife, "BEATRICE SFORTIA VISCOMTIS. [44]

Venetina, May 31, 1493. "

On the back of this letter are the words--

"To the most illustrious Prince and excellent Lord, my dearest husband, the Lord Lodovico Maria Sfortia, etc. _Ubi. Sit. Cito. Cito. _"

On Saturday, the 1st of June, Beatrice wrote another letter, in whichshe describes her visit to the Great Council and final interview withthe Doge, but makes no mention of political affairs, which were no doubtreserved for a separate despatch. 

"To-day after dinner, " she begins, "we went to the palace, honourablyattended by many Venetian gentlemen, to visit the Great Council, andwere conducted into the Great Hall. Here in the centre of the hall wefound the Prince, who had descended from his rooms to meet us, and whoaccompanied us to the Tribunal, where we sat in our usual order, and theCouncil began to vote by ballot for elections to two different offices. When this was over, my lady mother thanked the Prince for all thehonours which had been paid us, and took her leave. When she hadfinished speaking, I did the same; then, following the instructionswhich you had given me in your letter, I offered myself as a daughter toobey all the Doge's commands. The Prince replied that he needed nothanks, for he had only done what might be expected from a father for abeloved daughter, excusing himself if anything had been left undone, andbegging I would not impute what was lacking to him, but to the failureof his servants to discharge their duties, and assuring me once morethat his will could not be better disposed towards me. Then he once moreexpressed the paternal love which he cherished towards our mostillustrious duke, towards your Highness and myself, and again placedhimself and his Government at the disposal of your Excellency, with manyvery generous expressions, begging me to salute your Highness and begyou to be of good courage, and tell you that the Signory accepted all myoffers, and would, if need be, avail themselves gratefully of your help. After this, I replied again in similar terms, and he again desired me togreet you warmly from him, and beg you to take good care of your ownhealth and person. Our councillors were then presented to him, andMonsignore da Como returned thanks very courteously and repeated ourexpressions of gratitude, as was convenient, and then took leave. Healso replied in suitable terms to all that the Prince had said to me, which speech I will not repeat here, for fear of wearying yourExcellency. 

"The Prince then rose and accompanied us to the foot of the greatstaircase, and here shook hands and left us. After that we went to visitthe Queen of Cyprus at Murano, where she received us with great honourand gave us a beautiful entertainment. We also visited the shrine of St. Lucia, and so ends my tale for to-day. To-morrow morning, by the graceof God, we hope to set out on our journey at eight o'clock. I commendmyself to your Excellency. 

 "Your most illustrious lordship's wife, BEATRICE SFORTIA. 

Venice, 1st of June, 1493. "

And so, with a pleasant trip across the sunny waters of the lagoon and a_festa_ in the beautiful gardens of Caterina Cornaro, that royal ladywho never neglected an opportunity of showing her friendship for thehouse of Este, Beatrice's week at Venice came to an end. The success ofher visit had been complete, and both the Milanese ambassador andNiccolo de' Negri were eloquent on the splendour of the _fêtes_ held inher honour and the favourable impression which she had made on thesegrave and reverend signers. 

The secretary especially, in his letters to Lodovico, dwells withcomplacency on the admiration which the young duchess's gowns andjewels, and still more her own charms, had excited among the Venetians. "On every occasion the duchess appeared clad in new and beautiful robesand glittering jewels. Her jewels, indeed, were the wonder of the wholetown. But I shall not be wrong if I say that the finest jewel of all isherself--my dear and most excellent Madonna, whose gracious ways andcharming manners filled all the people of Venice with the utmost delightand enthusiasm, so that your Highness may well count himself what heis--the happiest and most fortunate prince in the whole world. "

FOOTNOTES:

[43] E. Motta, _op. Cit. _, p. 390, etc. 

[44] Motta e Molmenti, _op. Cit. _

CHAPTER XVIII

Return of Beatrice to Milan--Visit of Duke Ercole and Alfonso to Pavia--Death of Duchess Leonora--Beatrice's _camora_ and Niccolo daCorreggio's _fantasia dei vinci_--Marriage of Bianca Maria Sforza toMaximilian, King of the Romans, celebrated at Milan--Letter of Beatriceto Isabella d'Este--Wedding _fêtes_ and journey of the bride toInnsbrück--Maximilian's relations with his wife--Bianca's future life. 

1493

On the 2nd of June, Beatrice and her mother left Venice and returned toFerrara, where she once more embraced her infant son and enjoyed a fewdays' rest after all her _fêtes_ and journeyings. The 7th of June wasspent at Belriguardo, and from this favourite villa the young duchesswrote to her sister, expressing her regret that she would be unable tovisit Mantua on her return to Milan. 

"I would most willingly come to see you at Mantua, as I had hoped to do, and as you know I still desire, and should very much enjoy a few dayswith you in the country, but my husband is exceedingly anxious for myreturn. So I must beg your Highness to let me enjoy a sight of you inthe bucentaur, and not to insist upon my landing this time. "

Isabella complied with her sister's request, and went to meet theduchess at Revere, where Beatrice stopped for a few hours on her way upthe Po, to join her husband at Pavia. Lodovico was naturally impatient, not only to see his wife again, but to hear from her own lips all thathad happened at Venice. And he on his part had much to tell her of thenews which Belgiojoso had brought from France, and of the despatcheswhich he received from Erasmo Brasca in Germany. 

The summer months were spent in the Castello of Pavia, where Beatricenursed her husband in a slight attack of fever, and afterwards receiveda visit from her father and brother. They arrived on the 25th of August, bringing with them a troop of actors to perform the _Menæchmi_ and someof the other comedies which had pleased Lodovico so much at Ferrara. Duke Ercole himself, as usual, took keen interest in these theatricals, and before he left home sent to borrow two complete Turkish costumes andturbans from the Marquis of Mantua, in order to supply deficiencies inhis actors' wardrobe. Three days after his arrival, Borso da Correggio, a young nephew of Niccolo, who had travelled to Pavia with the duke, sent the following note to give his cousin Isabella the latest news ofher family:--

"MOST ILLUSTRIOUS SISTER AND HONOURED LADY, "We arrived on the 25th at Pavia, and were received by these excellentlords and ladies with the usual formalities. We find both of theduchesses well and happy, one of them, indeed--her of Milan--expects thebirth of another child shortly, but our own duchess is as gay and joyousas ever. On the 27th the comedy of _The Captives_ was acted, and theperformance went off very well. To-day _The Merchant_ is to be given, and will, I hope, prove equally successful. To-morrow we are to have athird. Our way of living is as follows. Early in the morning we go outriding. After dinner we play at _scartino_, or else at 'raising deadmen' and '_l'imperiale_, ' and other card games, till it is bed-time. Theplayers are, as a rule, the Duke and Duchess of Bari together, Ambrogioda Corte, and some third man, whoever may happen to be present. To-dayyour father the duke, Don Alfonso, and Messer Galeaz Visconti areplaying at pall-mall against Messer Galeaz Sanseverino, Signor GirolamoTuttavilla, and myself. The Duchess of Milan does not join us in thesegames, and only appears at the theatricals. The Duke of Bari is moredevoted to the duchess than ever, and is constantly caressing andembracing her. My lord your father is altogether intent on the comedies. When they are ended, hunting-parties will begin, and we shall all beready for the quails. "

These amusements were unexpectedly interrupted by the news of DuchessLeonora's serious illness, a gastric affection which ended fatally onthe 11th of October. The death of this virtuous and admirable lady wasdeeply lamented both by the members of her immediate family circle andby the subjects to whom she had endeared herself by her goodness ofheart. Funeral orations in her honour were delivered both at Mantua andMilan, and Ariosto pronounced a panegyric in verse over her grave. Theyoung Duchess Beatrice, who had been with her mother at Venice solately, wept bitter tears, and for several weeks could scarcely bepersuaded to leave her room. Some anxiety was felt respecting her sisterIsabella, who, after being married for three years, was now expectingthe birth of her first child, and during ten days the news was concealedfrom her. But by the end of that time the Marchesa began to be uneasy, and to inquire why she received no letter from Ferrara. Soon the sadnews reached her from Milan, "whether out of mere imprudence or by somemalicious design, we cannot discover, " wrote one of her ladies to theabsent marquis. Isabella, however, showed her usual prudence andself-control. After the first burst of grief, she bore her loss withfortitude, and found distraction in putting herself, her rooms, and herhousehold into mourning. In her anxiety to appear elegant, even in hergrief, we find her asking Beatrice to send her some of the white lawnveils that were made in Milan, since she could find none to her taste inMantua. And at the same time, she begged one of her friends at theMilanese court to give her minute details as to the colour and materialof the mourning worn by the duchess. On the 25th of October, hercorrespondent replied--

"Although I have not yet been able to see the Duchess of Bari, since shestill remains entirely in her room, yet, in order to satisfy yourHighness, I have made inquiries as to the kind of mourning that shewears. Her Excellency is clad in a robe of black cloth, with sleeves ofthe same, and a very long mantle, also of black cloth, and wears on herhead a black silk cap with muslin folds, which are neither grey noryellow, but pure white. She hardly ever leaves her room, and SignorLodovico spends most of his time with her, and they two and MesserGaleaz have their meals alone in their rooms. "[45]

A fortnight later, Beatrice roused herself from her grief to help herhusband in the preparations for his niece Bianca Sforza's wedding to theEmperor Maximilian. The death of the old Emperor Frederic III. , whobreathed his last at Linz on the 19th of August, and the elevation ofhis son to the imperial throne, had hastened the development ofLodovico's plans. The King of the Romans, as he was still called, untilhe could be solemnly invested with the imperial insignia, now proposedto send ambassadors to Milan, before the end of the year, to solemnizehis espousals with the Princess Bianca and bring his bride across theAlps to Innsbrück. The date of the wedding was fixed for the last weekin November, and Lodovico prepared to celebrate the event with fittingsplendour. The widowed Duchess Bona was transported with joy at theprospect of this exalted alliance, and forgave the Moro all his sins inher delight at seeing her daughter become an empress. On her part, Beatrice prepared to lay aside her mourning for the occasion, and appearin a new and wonderful robe at her niece's wedding. 

Accordingly she wrote to Isabella on the 12th of November, asking hersister's leave to make use of a design for a new _camora_, which hadbeen suggested by Niccolo da Correggio. 

"I cannot remember if your Highness has yet carried out the idea of thatpattern of linked tracery which Messer Niccolo da Correggio suggested toyou when we were last together. If you have not yet ordered theexecution of this design, I am thinking of having his invention carriedout in massive gold, on a _camora_ of purple velvet, to wear on the dayof Madonna Bianca's wedding, since my husband desires the whole court tolay aside mourning for that one day and to appear in colours. This beingthe case, I cannot refrain from wearing colours on this occasion, although the heavy loss we have had in our dear mother's death has leftme with little care for new inventions. But since this is necessary, Ihave decided to make a trial of this pattern, if your Highness has notyet made use of it, and send the present courier, begging you not todetain him, but to let me know at once if you have yet tried this newdesign or not. "[46]

The courier to Mantua brought back word that the marchioness had not yetmade use of Niccolo's invention, and begged that her sister would feelherself at liberty to adopt the idea and "satisfy her appetite. "Beatrice ordered the _camora_ to be put in hand without delay, andMesser Niccolo had the satisfaction of seeing the duchess appear in thisrobe at the imperial wedding. The subject is of special interest, because this same pattern is repeated in the sleeves of Ambrogio dePredis' portrait of Lodovico's fair young daughter Bianca, which musthave been painted about this time, and was probably adopted at the wishof Beatrice, who was fondly attached to her youthful step-daughter. Again, this same linked tracery or "_fantasia dei vinci_, " as it iscalled in Beatrice and her sister's letters, is to be seen both in thedecorations that adorn the ceiling of a hall in the Castello of Milan, and on the vaulting of the sacristy in St. Maria delle Grazie. And asMr. Müntz[47] has lately pointed out, this same interlaced ornament, or_vinci_, in which the Belgian professor, M. Errera, sees a play upon thegreat painter's name, forms the motive of the famous circular engravingsbearing the words "_Academia Leonardi Vinci_, " which have given rise toso many conjectures as to the existence of that mysterious institution. All these repetitions of the pattern invented by Niccolo da Correggio, and adopted by Beatrice d'Este for her wedding robe, show howfashionable the _fantasia dei vinci_ became at the Milanese court, andlead us to imagine that Leonardo himself may have had some part in theoriginal design. 

On the 5th of November, Lodovico wrote a note to Vigevano, where he andBeatrice had retired after Duchess Leonora's death, informing hisfather-in-law that he was on the point of returning to Milan to receivethe imperial ambassadors, Gaspar Melchior, Bishop of Brixen, and JeanBontemps. These important personages arrived on the 7th, and were met byLodovico and his nephew, the Duke of Milan, at the Porta Orientale, opposite the newly erected Lazzaretto, and conducted in state to theirrooms in the Castello. Here the German envoys were loaded with gifts, and magnificently entertained during the next three weeks. The nuptialceremony was put off a week, to allow time for the arrival of thespecial envoys whom at the last moment Charles VIII. Had decided tosend, to do homage to his allies, and finally took place on St. Andrew's festival, the 30th of November, in the Duomo of Milan. 

The street decorations on this occasion surpassed anything which hadbeen seen before; the doors and windows were wreathed with ivy, laurel, and myrtle boughs, and the walls hung with tapestries and brocadesembroidered with the armorial bearings of the different royal housesconnected with the Sforza family. The adder of the Visconti, the crossof Savoy, and the imperial eagle were seen side by side with themulberry-tree and other favourite devices of the Moro and his race, while all manner of strange and fantastic emblems were introduced byprivate owners, and one house exhibited the effigy of a crocodile, "acreature never before seen, " remarks the historian, Tristan Calco, "inour city. " But the most striking feature of the whole was the triumphalarch erected on the piazza in front of the Castello, and, by Lodovico'sorders, crowned with Leonardo's model for the colossal equestrian statueof the great captain, Francesco Sforza. This clay horse, to which theFlorentine master had devoted so many years of arduous labour, and whichhad cost him such infinite thought and care, was now at lengthcompleted, and the Milanese poets with one voice celebrated the praiseof Lodovico, who had ordered the work, --

 "Per memoria del padre un gran colosso;"

and the fame of Leonardo, whose rare genius had produced this unrivalledstatue--

 "Guarde pur come è bello quel cavallo Leonardo Vinci a farli sol s'è mosso Statura bon pictore, e bon geometra Un tanto ingegno rar dal ciel s'impetra. "

So Baldassare Taccone sang in his poem on Bianca's wedding, while agreater scholar, Lancinus Curtius, recorded the completion of thelong-expected work in the following epigram:--

 "Expectant animi, molemque futuram Suspiciunt; fluat æs; vox erit: Ecce deus!"

The court poet Taccone waxes eloquent over the splendour of theprocession, led by Messer Galeazzo, captain-general of the armies, andthe beauty of the bride, whose tall and slender figure showed toadvantage in her gorgeous apparel, with her long fair hair flowing overher shoulders, as she rode through the streets bowing in response to theenthusiastic cheers of the crowd. He paints the marvellous scene insidethe Duomo, where the venerable Archbishop of Milan sang mass in thepresence of the most brilliant assembly ever seen within its walls, andthe firing of guns and ringing of bells marked the moment when theBishop of Brixen placed the imperial crown on the bride's head. Tacconedescribes the glittering array of chandeliers and vases, designed afterSignor Lodovico's favourite antique fashion, which adorned the highaltar, the blaze of a thousand wax lights which illumined the majesticchoir, the sweet perfumes of incense and celestial harmonies of themusic that filled the air. And, like a true courtier, he contrives tomake everything, decorations, music, and processions, redound to thepraise of the great Moro, the author of all the glories of Milan. 

But we have an equally minute and perhaps more interesting descriptionof the scene from Beatrice's own pen, in a letter which she sent to hersister Isabella from Vigevano on the 29th of December. The marchioness, whose state of health prevented her from being present on the importantoccasion, had begged her sister to send her full accounts of theceremony, but, owing to the _fêtes_ which followed the wedding and thejourney of the court as far as Como with the imperial bride, a wholemonth elapsed before Beatrice was able to fulfil her promise. 

"MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LADY AND DEAREST SISTER, "I told you some time ago that I would let you have a full account ofthe triumphant display held in Milan, at the marriage of her Most SereneHighness the Queen of the Romans, and I certainly desired the chancellorto send you this account. But since you write that it has never reachedyou, the fault must rest with the said chancellor, and you must excuseme for this apparent neglect. 

"On the last day of the past month the nuptials took place, and inpreparation for this solemnity, a portico was erected in front of theChiesa Maggiore of the city of Milan, with pillars on either side, supporting a purple canopy, embroidered with doves. Within the church, the aisles were hung with brocade as far as the choir, in front of whicha triumphal arch had been erected on massive pillars. This was entirelypainted, and bore in the centre an effigy of Duke Francesco onhorseback, in his ducal robes, with the ducal arms and those of the Kingof the Romans above. This triumphal arch was square in shape, andornamented with pictures of antique feasts, and the imperial insigniaand the arms of my husband were placed on the side towards the highaltar. Beyond this arch were steps that led up to a great tribunalerected in front of the high altar. On the left was a small tribunalfrom which the Gospel was sung, hung with gold brocade; on the right wasanother, adorned with silver brocade; and behind these tribunals wereseats ranged in order and covered with draperies, for the councillorsand other feudatories and gentlemen. In the extreme corners of the choirwere two raised stages, one for the singers, the other for thetrumpeters, and in the space between were seated the doctors of law andmedicine, with their birettas and capes lined with fur, each accordingto his rank. The altar itself was sumptuously adorned with all thesilver vases and images of saints which you saw in the Rocchetta whenyou were at Milan. 

"The street leading to the Duomo was beautifully decorated. There werecolumns wreathed with ivy all the way from the bastions of the Castelloto the end of the piazza, and between the columns were festoons ofboughs bearing antique devices, and round shields with the imperial armsand those of our house, and Sforzesca draperies were hung above thestreet all the way from the Castello to the Duomo. Many of the doors hadtheir pillars wreathed with ivy and green boughs, so that the seasonseemed to be May-time rather than November. On both sides of the street, the walls were hung with satin, excepting those houses which have latelybeen adorned with frescoes, and which are no less beautiful thantapestries. 

"On the morning of the day, at about nine o'clock, the reverend andmagnificent ambassadors of the King of the Romans rode to the church, honourably attended by the Marchese Ermes, the Count of Caiazzo, CountFrancesco Sforza, the Count of Melzo, and Messer Lodovico da Fojano, andtook their seats on the grand tribunal, close to the small tribunalcovered with cloth of gold, on the left as you go in, this being countedthe most honourable place, as it is the Gospel side. At ten o'clock, herserene Highness the Queen ascended the triumphal car which our dearestmother of blessed memory gave me when I was at Ferrara, and which wasdrawn on this occasion by four snow-white horses. The queen wore a vestof crimson satin, embroidered in gold thread and covered with jewels. Her train was immensely long, and the sleeves were made to look like twowings, which had a very fine appearance. On her head she wore anornament of magnificent diamonds and pearls. And to add to the solemnityof the occasion, Messer Galeazzo Pallavicino carried the train, andCount Conrado de' Lando and Count Manfredo Torniello each of themsupported one of the sleeves. Before the bride walked all thechamberlains, courtiers, officials, gentlemen, feudatories, and last ofall the councillors. The queen seated herself in the centre of the car, the Duchess Isabella being on her right, and myself on her left. Thesaid duchess wore a _camora_ of crimson satin, with gold cords loopedover it, as in my grey cloth _camora_, which you must remember; and Iwore my purple velvet _camora_, with the pattern of the links worked inmassive gold and green and white enamel, about six inches deep on thefront and back of my bodice, and on both sleeves. The _camora_ was linedwith cloth of gold, and with it I wore a girdle of St. Francis made oflarge pearls, with a beautiful clear-cut ruby for clasp. On the otherside of the chariot were Madonna Fiordelisa"--an illegitimate daughterof Duke Francesco Sforza, who occupied rooms in the Castello, --"MadonnaBianca, the wife of Messer Galeazzo; and the wife of Count FrancescoSforza. The chariot was followed by the ambassadors who have been sentby his Most Christian Majesty of France to honour these nuptials, andafter them came the envoys of the different Italian powers, according totheir rank, then the lord duke and my husband on horseback. These werefollowed by about twelve chariots containing the noblest maidens ofMilan, who had been especially chosen and invited to attend thesolemnity, and the ladies of the queen, all wearing the same livery, with tan-coloured _camoras_ and mantles of bright green satin. Both theDuchess Isabella's ladies and mine were riding in these chariots. And aswe drove to the Duomo in this procession, all the shops and windows onthe road were hung with satin draperies and filled with men and women, and it was impossible to count the crowds of people who thronged everypart of the streets. 

"When we reached the gates of the Duomo, we alighted from the chariotsand found Madonna Beatrice waiting to receive the bride, with a numberof noble ladies, and we proceeded as far as the steps of the tribunal, where the ambassadors of the King of the Romans advanced to meet thequeen, whom they conducted to her place on the great tribunal in frontof the high altar. Then we all took our proper places--that is to say, the ambassadors mounted the tribunal covered with cloth of gold, thequeen was led to the tribunal of silver brocade, between the Frenchambassadors, while behind them were seated the envoys of the otherpowers, the duke and my husband, Duchess Isabella and myself. The otherhonourable relatives of the bride occupied a lower range of seats, andthe central part of the tribunal was filled with a large number ofladies. On the queen's side, the councillors, feudatories, and othercourtiers, officials, and chamberlains occupied the remainder of theseats. As for the rest of the people, the church, which is a very largeone, could not contain them all. 

"When we were all in our places, the Most Reverend Archbishop of Milanentered in full vestments, with the priests in ordinary, and began tocelebrate mass with the greatest pomp and solemnity, to the sound oftrumpets, flutes, and organ-music, together with the voices of thechapel choir, who adapted their singing to Monsignore's time. At thesinging of the Gospel, two of the priests in ordinary of the cathedralbore the incense, the one to the ambassadors of the King Maximilian, andthe other to the queen, the duke and duchess, and my husband and myself, who were opposite. The Pax was given, when the right time came, by theBishop of Piacenza to the king's representatives, and to us others whosat on the other tribunal by the Bishop of Como. After mass had beencelebrated with the greatest solemnity, the queen rose from her placebetween the ambassadors of his Most Christian Majesty, and, accompaniedby the duke and my husband, Duchess Isabella and myself, and followed byall the princes of the blood, advanced to the altar. The ambassadors ofKing Maximilian advanced on their side, and we all stood before thealtar, where Monsignore the Archbishop pronounced the marriage service, and the Bishop of Brixen first gave the ring to the queen, and then, assisted by the archbishop, placed on her head the crown, which act wasaccompanied with great blowing of trumpets, ringing of bells, and firingof guns and shells. And the said crown was of gold, enriched withrubies, pearls, and diamonds, set in the form of arches meeting in theshape of a cross, and on the top of all was a figure of the globe, crowned with a small imperial cross, after the pattern given by theambassadors, in obedience to the king's directions. 

"After this, every one walked in procession to the gates of the Duomo, the above-named feudatories bearing the train and sleeves. Then thewomen, as well as the men, mounted horses, and a _baldacchino_ of whitedamask lined with ermine was prepared, under which the queen rode, preceded by the ambassadors and the whole court, with the duke and myhusband at their head. Next to the queen rode the ambassadors of herhusband the king, the Bishop of Brixen being on the left hand, outsidethe _baldacchino_, and so the long procession moved towards theCastello. All the clergy of the city of Milan, richly apparelled andvery devout in appearance, were drawn up between the Castello and Duomo, both on the way thither and on the return journey. Messer Zoan FrancescoPallavicino and Messer Francesco Bernardo Visconti acted as the queen'sstaff-bearers, from the Duomo to the Castello. The _baldacchino_ wascarried all the way by doctors robed in the manner described above, andbehind the queen rode the duchess and myself, followed by the relatives, courtiers, and invited guests, all on horseback. Then came the ladies ofthe queen, those of the duchess, and my own, all sumptuously clad andmaking a splendid show, and finest of all was the queen, with theimperial crown on her head. Nothing but gold and silver brocade was tobe seen, and the least well-dressed persons wore crimson velvet, so thatthe costumes were a marvellous sight, besides the infinite number ofgold chains worn by knights and others. All those who were presentagreed that they had never seen so glorious a spectacle. And theambassador of Russia, who was among the spectators, declared that he hadnever seen such extraordinary pomp. The nuncio of His Holiness the Popesaid the same, as well as the French ambassador, who declared that, although he had been present at the Pope's coronation and at that of hisown king and queen, he had never seen as splendid a sight. Your Highnessmay judge from this how full of pleasure and glory these nuptials havebeen. All the people shouted for joy, and so at length we reached theCastello of Milan, where the procession broke up and the crowddispersed. I wished for your presence many times during the wholeceremony, but since this desire of mine could not be satisfied, Ithought I would give you this account with my own hand. Commendingmyself to your Highness as ever, "Your sister, BEATRIX SFORTIA VICECOMES ESTENSIS DUCHISA BRI. [48]

Vigevano, December 29, 1493. 

To my illustrious lady and most dear sister the lady Isabella diGonzaga Estensis, Marchionissæ Mantuæ. "

The splendours which Beatrice describes with so much enthusiasm did notend with the bride's return to the Castello. Here Bianca's magnificenttrousseau was exhibited before the admiring eyes of the ladies of Milan. It was valued at 100, 000 ducats, and included not only rich clothes andcostly jewels, but gold and silver plate for use in the royal chapel andon the dinner-table, altar fittings and bed-hangings, mirrors andperfumes, and a vast store of fine linen, carpets, saddles andhorse-trappings of the most sumptuous description. The court poet goeson to tell how Duchess Bona welcomed her daughter with tears of joy, andhow during the next two days high festival was held in the Castello. There was a tournament, in which the "gran Sanseverini" once more provedtheir valour, and Messer Galeaz as usual bore off the prize, followedby much feasting and dancing, and a grand display of fireworks. "So manytorches and lights illumined the darkness of night, that all Milanblazed as if the city were on fire. "

On the third day after the marriage ceremony, the queen started on herjourney across the Alps, attended by Maximilian's ambassadors and anumerous suite, which included her brother, Ermes Sforza; her cousin, Francesco Sforza; the Archbishop of Milan; the poet Gaspare Visconti;and the great jurist Giasone del Maino, as well as Erasmo Brasca, whowas to resume his post of envoy to the King of the Romans. The Duke andDuchess of Milan, Lodovico and Beatrice, and Bona of Savoy allaccompanied Bianca as far as Como, where the bishop and clergy came outto meet her, and conducted her in state to the cathedral. After a solemnthanksgiving service, at which all the court assisted, the queen and theGerman ambassadors spent the night in the episcopal palace, while theother princes and princesses were entertained in the houses ofdistinguished courtiers in the town. On the following morning the bridetook leave of her family, and embarked on a richly decorated bargefitted out by the royal citizens of Torno and rowed by forty sailors, while her suite followed in thirty smaller boats, painted and decked outwith laurel boughs and tapestries. Niccolo da Correggio, whose daughterLeonora was one of the ladies chosen to accompany Bianca on her journey, has described the beauty of the scene that morning, the blue waters ofthe lake covered with glittering sails, the shores crowded with peoplein holiday attire, and the joyous sounds of music that filled the air asthe gay _cortége_ left Como. The bridal party reached Bellagio insafety, and after spending the night at the Marchesino Stanga's castle, started on their journey towards the upper end of the lake. But hardlyhad they left the shore, than the weather changed and a violent stormscattered the fleet in all directions. The poor young queen and herladies wept and cried aloud to God for mercy, and their companions werescarcely less terrified. Only Giasone del Maino preserved his composureand smiled at the terror of the courtiers, who gave themselves up forlost, while he exhorted the frightened boatmen to keep their heads. Fortunately, towards nightfall the tempest subsided, and after tossingon the waves for several hours, the queen's barge with part of the fleetmanaged to put back into Bellagio. The next day a more prosperous startwas made, and on the 8th of December the party set off on horseback tocross the mountain passes. But the hardships of the journey were not yetover. A rough mule-track was the only road that led in those days overthe Alps that divided the Valtellina from the Tyrol, "that fearful andcruel mountain of Nombray, " as the Venetian chronicler calls the passnow crossed by the Stelvio road. No wonder the sight of thoseprecipitous cliffs filled the Milanese ladies with terror, and theyshrank from exploring such barbarous regions in the depth of winter. Onemaid of honour had to be left behind at Gravedona, unable to bear thefatigues of the journey, and Bianca herself complained bitterly toErasmo Brasca of the hardships which she had to endure. "The queen, "wrote the ambassador to Lodovico, "conducts herself well on the whole, but often complains that I deceive her, by telling her, each morningwhen she mounts her horse, that she will not find the road so roughto-day, and then, as ill luck will have it, it turns out to be worsethan ever. " At length, however, on the 23rd of December, the travellersreached Innsbrück, and Bianca was kindly received by Maximilian's uncle, the Archduke Sigismund of Austria, and his wife, with whom she spentChristmas and beguiled the winter days with dancing and games, whileErasmo Brasca went on to meet the King of the Romans at Vienna. Eventhen some weeks passed before this laggard bridegroom joined his newlywedded wife, and Erasmo Brasca's mind was sorely perturbed at hisprolonged delays and excuses. Bianca, however, whose childish mind waseasily distracted, found plenty of amusement in her new surroundings andwrote long and affectionate letters to her uncle Lodovico, telling himhow she and the Archduchess Barbara had been dressing up their ladies _àla Tedesca_ and _à la Lombarda_, and how the court painter, Ambrogio dePredis, who had accompanied her from Milan to paint Maximilian'sportrait, had just made a picture of the archduchess, which greatlypleased her. And she informs her uncle that the German princess had sentto ask her for a portrait of Signor Lodovico, which she had been veryanxious to see and had studied with the greatest interest. 

Finally, on the 9th of March, Maximilian arrived at the castle of Hall, where his bride met him, and the marriage was at length consummated, "tothe confusion of all our enemies, " as Brasca wrote triumphantly to hismaster on the following morning. This union, in which Lodovico's friendsand foes alike acknowledged a master-stroke of successful diplomacy, wasnot destined to prove a very happy one. From the first Maximilian lookedwith critical eyes on this bride of twenty-one, who was thirteen yearsyounger than himself, and told Erasmo Brasca that Bianca was quite asfair as his first wife, Mary of Burgundy, but inferior in wisdom andgood sense to that princess, adding that perhaps she might improve intime. He treated her kindly to begin with, and gratified her by thehandsome robes which he gave her in order that she might appear attiredin German fashion at her coronation. Before long, however, he began tofind fault with her extravagant habits, and complained that she hadspent 2000 florins, presented to her by the city of Cologne, in onesingle day. Brasca himself felt obliged to remonstrate with her on herfoolish tricks, especially for eating her meals on the floor instead ofat table, and other bad habits which annoyed the emperor, while theviolent friendship which she made with one of her ladies, Violante byname, led to continual intrigues and quarrels. Maximilian soon began tofind her presence wearisome, and to leave her mostly to herself, andwhen he found that his hopes of an heir did not seem likely to berealized, he allowed the poor empress to lead a very dull and solitarylife. Left alone, as she often was for weeks, in the vast, gloomy castleof Innsbrück, Bianca pined for the bright and sunny villas and palacesof Milan, and looked back sadly on the gay years of her old life. Shewas constantly writing affectionate letters to her uncle, asking him togive places and pensions to her old friends and servants in Milan, andbegging him for portraits of himself and Beatrice, as well as for thesilks and feathers, the jewels and perfumes, with which her thoughtswere always busy. [49]

But, to do her justice, she proved a loyal friend to Lodovico in hisdarkest days, and when his children lived in exile at Innsbrück, theyfound a kind and loving protector in the empress during the fewremaining years of her life. From the year after her marriage her healthbegan to droop, and she became gradually weaker, until in 1510 she diedof this lingering illness, and was buried in the Franciscan church ofInnsbrück, where the bronze effigy of Maximilian's Lombard bride, robedin the rich brocades which she loved so well, still adorns his sumptuousmausoleum. 

FOOTNOTES:

[45] Luzio-Renier. _op. Cit. _, pp. 380-382. 

[46] Luzio-Renier, _op. Cit. _, p. 383. 

[47] "Leonardo da Vinci, " by Eugène Müntz, vol. I. P. 226. 

[48] Luzio-Renier, _op. Cit. _, p. 388. 

[49] F. Calvi, _Bianca Maria Sforza_

CHAPTER XIX

State of political affairs in Italy--Vacillating policy of LodovicoSforza--Death of King Ferrante of Naples--Alliance between his successorAlfonso and Pope Alexander VI. --Lodovico urges Charles VIII. To invadeNaples--Sends Galeazzo di Sanseverino to Lyons--Cardinal della Rovere'sflight from Rome--Alfonso of Naples declares war--Beatrice atVigevano--The Gonzagas and the Moro--Duchess Isabella and her husband atPavia. 

1493-1494

While Lodovico's newly-formed alliance with Maximilian strengthened hishands on the one hand, on the other it helped to aggravate the strainedrelations already existing between himself and the royal family ofNaples. The promise of the investiture of Milan, which he had receivedfrom the emperor, soon became known; it was freely discussed that autumnboth in Rome and Venice, and gave Alfonso of Calabria good reason totake up arms in defence of his son-in-law Gian Galeazzo's rights. ButKing Ferrante still hesitated to declare war against Milan, and, whilehe raised forces and made preparations for the defence of his dominions, was far more concerned to detach Lodovico from the French alliance thanto interfere in the domestic affairs of Milan on behalf of hisgranddaughter and her husband. In August he succeeded in making peacewith Pope Alexander, and even consented to a marriage contract betweenhis granddaughter Sancia, and Godfrey Borgia, the Pope's young son. Thisnew departure alarmed Lodovico seriously, and produced a markedalteration in his foreign policy. When Charles the Eighth's envoy, Perron de' Baschi, visited Milan in June, he met with polite but vagueanswers from the Moro, and received no distinct promise of support inthe conquest of Naples. But early in September, Count Belgiojosoreturned to France, and lost no time in seeking an interview with theking. "Is your Majesty going to undertake the expedition or not?" werehis first words. "Signor Lodovico is anxious to learn your intention. "

"I have already told Signor Lodovico my intentions a thousand timesover, by envoys and letters, " replied the king, petulantly, andproceeded to intimate that if the Moro played him false, he wouldsupport the Duke of Orleans in reviving his old claims on the Milanese. Belgiojoso hastened to assure Charles of his master's friendlysentiments, upon which the king's ill temper mollified, and he said, "Then I will regard him as a father, and seek his advice in everything. "

All the same, when Charles repeated his request that Lodovico shouldsend him Messer Galeazzo, and expressed his great wish to see the heroof so many tournaments in person, the Moro once more gave an evasiveanswer, and told Belgiojoso that he could not spare his son-in-law atpresent. The Pope showed his friendliness to the house of Este byincluding Beatrice's brother Ippolito, a lad of fifteen, among thetwelve cardinals whom he created that September, his own son, CesarBorgia, being another of the number. In November he sent Lodovico hiscordial congratulations on his niece's marriage with the emperor, andpresented Maximilian with a consecrated sword. 

"This is the state of affairs in Italy at present, " wrote the chroniclerMalipiero on the 25th of September, 1493. "The Pope is in league withLodovico of Milan. Maximilian, King of the Romans, has been electedemperor, and has taken Bianca Sforza to wife with 400, 000 ducats, andLodovico is to be invested with the duchy of Milan by him as emperor. AtRome Cardinal Ascanio's affairs prosper, and Lodovico of Milan is onintimate terms with the Pope and all of his allies. And Duke Ercole hassent his son Alfonso to France to tell King Charles that his troops willhave free passage to Naples through his dominions, because he is thefather-in-law of Lodovico. "

Under these circumstances, old King Ferrante, becoming desperate, made alast effort to win over Lodovico to his side, and implored him to usehis influence to stop the French monarch, warning him that the tide ofevents might in the end prove too strong for him. "The time will come, "replied Lodovico proudly, "when all Italy will turn to me and pray to bedelivered from the coming evils. " In his anxiety to recover the Moro'sfriendship, the old king even thought of coming to Genoa himself to meethis granddaughter's husband, and arrive at some agreement. But early inthe new year he fell ill, and died of fever on the 25th of January, atthe age of seventy. 

The death of Ferrante and accession of his son Alfonso, the father ofDuchess Isabella, and a personal enemy of the Moro, brought matters to acrisis. The old king could never conquer his dislike of the Pope, andhad only given a reluctant consent to the proposed marriage of hisgranddaughter with a Borgia. Alfonso, on the contrary, was ready toagree to any terms which might conciliate Alexander VI. , and employedevery artifice to obtain the Pope's support, and that of Piero de'Medici against France and Milan. In spite of the compliments that wereexchanged on both sides upon his accession, Alfonso's enmity to LodovicoSforza was well known at Naples, and the Milanese ambassador, AntonioStanga, warned Lodovico to beware of assassins and prisoners, since, tohis certain knowledge, the "new king has paid large sums of money toseveral Neapolitans of bad repute, who have been sent to Milan on someevil errand. " After much vacillation on the Pope's part, and prolongednegotiations with both France and Naples, he was induced by the Orsini, who were staunch allies of the house of Aragon, to grant Alfonso theinvestiture of Naples, and to send his son, Cardinal Juan Borgia, toofficiate at his coronation. A papal bull was addressed to CharlesVIII. , warning him not to invade Italy at the peril of his soul, andCardinal Ascanio Sforza, whose influence had been hitherto all-powerfulwith the Pope, left the Vatican and retired to his own palace. ThePope's change of front finally determined Lodovico's policy. From thismoment he threw himself heart and soul into the alliance with France, and left no stone unturned to bring Charles VIII. Into Italy. In animportant letter which, on the 10th of March, he addressed to hisbrother, Cardinal Ascanio, who shared all his secrets, he reminds himthat he had originally been no friend to the French invasion. 

"It is not true, " he writes, "that the whole movement proceeds from me. It was the Most Christian King who took the initiative, which is provedby the appeal for the investiture of Naples, which he addressed to thelate Pope Innocent, and also by many letters written on the subject byour own hand. When the Treaty of Senlis was signed, he sent his envoy totell me that he meant to invade Italy. At that moment, seeing how badlythe King of Naples had behaved against the Holy Father, I was not sorryto come to the help of His Holiness. I ceased to dissuade the MostChristian King from the enterprise. I approved his resolution, and nowhe is at Lyons. "

As late as the 6th of February, Lodovico had again declined to sendMesser Galeazzo to France, saying that every one would think he had cometo hasten the king's movements, and that in this way Charles would losethe honour of the campaign. But when the news of the alliance betweenAlfonso and the Pope reached him, he made no further difficulties, andon the 1st of April, Galeazzo started for Lyons. On the 5th, he enteredthe town secretly, disguised as a German, and, accompanied only by fourriders, made his way to the royal lodgings, and saw the king privately, this being the day which had been selected by Lodovico's astrologer, Ambrogio da Rosate, for his arrival at court. On the following morninghe made his public entry, attended by a suite of a hundred horsemen cladin the French fashion, which Messer Galeazzo himself commonly affected. The king received him with the utmost cordiality, and conducted himimmediately to see the queen, whom he presented with a magnificentSpanish robe in Lodovico's name, together with choice specimens ofMilanese armour, jennets from his own famous breed, and several handsomesilver flagons filled with fragrant perfumes, in which Charles tookespecial delight. The French king fell an easy victim to this brilliantcavalier's personal charm. He insisted on seeing him ride in a tiltingmatch before the court, and could talk of nothing but Messer Galeazzo'sfeats of horsemanship, whether in council or at table, and even when hewent to bed. He bestowed the order of St. Michel upon his guest, and, among other marks of favour, he invited Galeazzo to his private rooms, where he sat with a few of his favourites, and, taking one of thefairest maidens by the hand, presented her to his visitor. Then the kinghimself sat down by another, and so they remained for some hours inpleasant conversation. "

In his reply to Belgiojoso, who duly reported these events to hismaster, Lodovico dwells with infinite satisfaction on the great honourswhich have been paid to his dear son, and rejoices to hear that hisMajesty has introduced him into his private apartments, and even sharedhis domestic pleasures with him. The presence of Galeazzo di Sanseverinoat Lyons had, no doubt, the effect of counteracting the intrigues of theDuke of Orleans and the Aragonese party at the French court, and theconfidence with which he inspired Charles dissipated any doubts whichthe king may have entertained of Lodovico's honesty. "The mission ofSignor Galeazzo, " wrote Belgiojoso, "has been crowned with success. Without his coming, the enterprise would have been utterly ruined. "

Another and still more powerful advocate of the expedition now appearedat Lyons in the person of Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere, who, inGuicciardini's opinion, "was the fatall instrument of all the miseriesof Italy. " This bitter enemy of the Borgias had been repeatedlythreatened with assassination by the Pope's creatures, and, feeling thatOstia was no safe place for him, he embarked one night in a fisherman'sbark and fled first to Savona and thence to Genoa. Here, with Lodovico'sassistance, he managed to proceed on his journey to France, and on the1st of June reached Lyons, where his vehement invectives against thePope and urgent entreaties helped to hasten the king's preparations. Atthe same time Erasmo Brasca, acting under Lodovico's orders, succeededin disarming Maximilian's opposition to the French king's invasion ofItaly, and wrote to his master on the 14th of June, informing him thatthe French ambassador had just left Worms with an assurance from theemperor that he would not impede that monarch's designs upon Naples. When, ten days later, Galeazzo di Sanseverino returned to Milan, the diewas cast, and the French invasion of Italy was at length finallydetermined. Meanwhile the long-expected rupture between Milan and Napleshad taken place. On the 8th of May, Alfonso was crowned by the papalnuncio, Juan Borgia, after the marriage of the Princess Sancia toGodfrey Borgia had been solemnized on the previous day. A fortnightlater, as the king rode in state, accompanied by all the foreignambassadors, to church on the Feast of Corpus Christi, he took occasionto ask the Milanese envoy, Antonio Stanga, if the news which reached himfrom Lyons were true, and the French king's enterprise, after beingalmost given up, had now been decided upon, owing to Messer Galeazzo'svisit. The ambassador listened deferentially, cap in hand, butcourteously disclaimed all knowledge of such information. 

"Tell Signor Lodovico, " returned the king, "that he will be the first torue the day when the French set foot in Italy. "

"Before I had time to reply, " writes Stanga, "the other ambassadors hadarrived to salute his Majesty, and I did not see him again alone. "

A few days later the Milanese envoy was abruptly dismissed, and wardeclared against Milan. Alfonso committed the first open act ofhostilities by seizing Lodovico's principality of Bari. At the same timea fleet was equipped to attack Genoa, and the land forces prepared tojoin the papal army and march through Romagna against the Milanese. 

The winter of 1494, "that most unhappie year for Italy, " writesGuicciardini, "for that in it was made open the way to infinite andhorrible calamities, " was spent by Lodovico and his wife at theirfavourite palace of Vigevano. After Bianca's wedding they had retiredthere, to spend the remaining period of Beatrice's mourning at thiscountry retreat, and did not leave until the spring was well advanced. From here Beatrice wrote on the 3rd of January to rejoice with hersister Isabella on the birth of her first child, a daughter, whoreceived the name of Leonora, after their beloved mother. The duchesscongratulated her sister in affectionate terms, and signed herself, "_Quella che desidera vedere la Signoria Vostra_. " She who desires tosee your Highness, "BEATRICE SFORZA D'ESTE. "[50]

Below she added messages from her baby-boy: "Ercole begs me to commendhim to your Highness, and to his new cousin. "

Perhaps Beatrice was the more cordial and warm in expressing heraffection for her sister because of the difference that had latelyarisen between her husband and the marquis, who had lately been invitedto take the command of the King of Naples' troops in the war againstMilan. This offer he eventually declined, as well as an invitation fromthe French king to enter his service; but on this and other occasionshis attitude excited Lodovico's displeasure, while the Moro's somewhatimperious request annoyed both Gianfrancesco and his wife. For onething, Isabella could not forgive the way in which her brother-in-lawdesired that fish from the lake of Garda should to sent to Milan at hispleasure, and wrote to her husband on the 1st of February in thefollowing terms:--

"I am quite willing to see that fish should be sent to Milanoccasionally, but not every week, as he requests in his imperiousfashion, as if we were his feudatories, lest it should appear as if wewere compelled to send it, and it were a kind of tribute. "

But although Beatrice's exalted position and the splendour of theMilanese court sometimes excited Isabella's envy, and Lodovico'spretensions ruffled her equanimity, nothing ever disturbed the happyrelations between the sisters. Beatrice was always frank and generous inher behaviour to Isabella, and the marchioness remained sincerelyattached to her, and in her letters to her beloved sister-in-law, theDuchess of Urbino, constantly assures her that she holds the next placein her heart to that occupied by her only sister, "_la sorella miaunica, la Duchessa di Bari_. "

It was at Vigevano that winter, on the 28th of January, that Lodovicodrew up the deed of gift by which he endowed his wife with his palacelands of Cussago, as well as the Sforzesca and other lands in thedistrict of Novara and Pavia. The deed, signed with his own hand, andrichly illuminated by some excellent miniature painter of the Milaneseschool, is preserved in the British Museum, and is an admirable exampleof contemporary Lombard art. Medallion portraits of Lodovico andBeatrice are painted on the vellum, together with a frieze of lovely_putti_, supporting their armorial bearings, and a variety of Sforzadevices and mottoes, interspersed with festoons of foliage and fruit, torches and cornucopias. Lodovico's strongly marked features and longdark hair are relieved by the richness of his dark blue mantle sown withgold stars, while Beatrice wears a gold _ferronière_ on her brow. Herdark brown hair is coiled in a jewelled net, a lock strays over hercheek, as in Zenale's portrait in the Brera altar-piece. Her mauvebodice is enriched with gold arabesques, and a cross of pearls hangsfrom a long chain she wears round her throat. 

There were no _fêtes_ that spring at Milan or Pavia. The treasury wasexhausted by the great expenses of the Empress Bianca's wedding, and thecourt was still in mourning, while Lodovico's time and thoughts wereabsorbed in diplomatic correspondence and preparations for war. Butthere were gay hunting-parties at Vigevano, in which Beatrice joinedwith all her wonted spirit and love of sport. 

"I must thank you for your pleasant account of my brother'shunting-expeditions, " wrote Lodovico on the 18th of March to his oldfavourite, Count Tuttavilla, who was staying in Rome with CardinalAscanio; "but I really think, if my brother were here and could join inour hunting-parties, he would find them even more delightful. " In thesame letter he gives Girolamo a hint of the deed of investiture which hewas hoping to receive from Maximilian. 

"I have nothing else to say, saving that, by reason of the warmfriendship we entertain with his serene Majesty the King of the Romans, as well as with the Most Christian King, to which we may add the lovewhich his Holiness bears us, I hope soon to give you some good newswhich will greatly please you. "[51]

Girolamo Tuttavilla, the old and tried servant to whom this letter wasaddressed, had left Milan in February, owing to a quarrel with Galeazzodi Sanseverino and his brothers, whose haughty manners gave frequentoffence to other Milanese courtiers. Both Lodovico and Beatrice, to whomTuttavilla was sincerely attached, did their best to allay hisdispleasure, and Cardinal Ascanio tried to induce his guest to usegreater moderation in speaking of Messer Galeazzo and his brothers; but, although Girolamo kept up friendly relations with the duke and duchess, the wound was never healed, and he refused to return to Milan. Heafterwards entered the service of the young King Ferrante of Naples, andwhen a league was formed to oppose the French invaders, was appointed tocommand the cavalry, but found himself once more brought into contactwith his old rivals Galeazzo and Fracassa, who were at the head of theMilanese contingent, and soon parted company with them, complainingthat Messer Galeazzo would obey no one. But he never renounced hisallegiance to Lodovico, and sent him and Beatrice his most heartycongratulations when the Moro became Duke of Milan. 

The Sanseverini brothers seem frequently to have given offence toLodovico's other ministers by their proud bearing. Even the mild andpatient Erasmo Brasca incurred Messer Galeazzo's displeasure byrepeating some reports about his French leanings which had reached theGerman court, and had to send an apology before he could obtain pardonfor his mistake. But nothing could diminish the favour with whichLodovico regarded his son-in-law, and during his absence at Lyons wefind him busy in preparing a new and splendid palace at Vigevano toreceive Messer Galeazzo and his youthful bride. In a letter which theMoro addressed on the 11th of May to his superintendent of works, theMarchesino Stanga, we find a mention of this building, as well as of thedecoration of several rooms in the Castello of Milan. 

"MARCHESINO, --We have given orders that the rooms which are being addedon the garden side should be furnished according to the enclosed list, and desire that you should provide Messer Gualtero with the necessarymoney, 127-1/2 ducats, which you will charge on the extraordinary fund. You will provide in the same way for the moneys which I have assignedfor the building of Messer Galeazzo's palace, and for the conduits forwatering the Giardinato and the adjoining lavatories, also for thepainting of the hall and dining-room occupied by the chamberlain of myillustrious consort, so that they may be fit for use, as arranged, bythe end of the month. "[52]

Neither the pressure of political affairs nor the anxieties ofapproaching conflict could destroy Lodovico's interest in artisticmatters in the decorations of the Castello or the furnishing of his newrooms. The object which at this time lay nearest to his heart was thecompletion of Santa Maria delle Grazie, the Dominican church which hehad taken under his especial protection, and which he intended to be theburial-place of his family. Even now Bramante was engaged inconstructing the new cupola, and before long his favourite painterLeonardo was to set to work on his great Cenacolo in the refectory. 

While Lodovico and Beatrice were pursuing these different objects oftheir ambition, the unfortunate Duchess Isabella was eating out herheart in the Castello of Pavia. After the imperial wedding, at which shehad made so brave a show, she and Gian Galeazzo retired to Pavia, andwere rarely seen in public again. The duke's health and mental conditionbecame every day more enfeebled, and his wife devoted herself wholly tohim and her children. That winter she gave birth to a second daughter, who was named Ippolita after her grandmother, but died at the age ofseven. And now, as if to increase the sadness of her forlorn condition, came the prospect of war with Naples, and the invasion of her father'sdominions by a foreign monarch, who entered Italy as the ally ofLodovico, the usurper of her husband's throne. But melancholy as hersurroundings were, and keenly as she felt the sight of her rivalBeatrice's prosperity, the privations which she and her husband wereforced to endure have been greatly exaggerated. According to Corio, theywere often destitute of food and necessaries, and reduced to the vergeof starvation. This chronicler, however, was not only frequentlyinaccurate in his statements, but had a spite against Duchess Beatrice, whose character and actions he totally misrepresented, while, afterLodovico's fall, his ingratitude towards his former master drew downupon him the bitter reproaches and invective of Lancinius Curtius. Inthis instance his statements are refuted by the bills for the expensesof the ducal household, which are still preserved in the Milanesearchives. From these records we learn that Isabella's ladies were asnumerous and as richly dressed as those of any reigning sovereign, andthat her _camoras_ and jewels were as sumptuous as Beatrice's own. GianGaleazzo's stables were always well filled with horses and hounds, forLodovico was too wise to grudge his nephew anything that tended tooccupy his thoughts and distract them from public affairs. And duringhis last illness the unfortunate duke announced his intention of givingdowries to a hundred poor maidens on his recovery, which affords anotherproof that his poverty was not so great as Corio has declared. But nonethe less it was a bitter mortification for a king's daughter of theproud house of Aragon to see herself and her husband left with the meresemblance of power, while her cousin reigned in her place. 

FOOTNOTES:

[50] Luzio-Renier, _op. Cit. _, p. 389. 

[51] Gabotto, G. _Tuttavilla_. 

[52] Luca Beltrami, _Il Castello di Milano_. 

CHAPTER XX

Arrival of the Duke of Orleans at Asti--The Neapolitan fleet sentagainst Genoa--The forces of Naples repulsed at Rapallo--Charles VIII. At Asti--Beatrice d'Este entertains him at Annona--The king'sillness--His visit to Vigevano and Pavia--His interview with the Dukeand Duchess of Milan--Last illness and death of GiangaleazzoSforza--Lodovico proclaimed Duke at Milan--Mission of Maffeo Pirovano toMaximilian. 

1494

On the 10th of July, the Duke of Orleans crossed the Alps with theadvanced guard of the French army, and arrived at his own city of Asti, the fief which had formed part of the dowry of his grandmother, Valentina Visconti. Lodovico Sforza went to meet him at Alexandria onthe 13th of July, and held a council of war there. The navalpreparations that were being made at Genoa were the chief subject ofdiscussion, and Orleans asked for a loan of sixty thousand ducats, whichthe Moro undertook to arrange. This was the first meeting between thesetwo princes, who were destined to become such bitter enemies in days tocome. Even now it was well known that the Duke of Orleans assumed thetitle of _Dux Mediolani_, and his deeply rooted aversion to the Moro wasno secret at Milan. But both princes had the same courtly and polishedmanners, and Lodovico on his part took care that nothing should bewanting in the entertainment of his rival. The other ambassadors watchedthe scene with curious eyes, but the first impression which Louis ofOrleans made upon them was distinctly unfavourable. "He has a small headwith not much room for brains, " wrote Pietro Alamanni to Piero de'Medici; "Lodovico will soon get the better of him. "

Much interest was excited among the Milanese ladies by the arrival ofthe French duke, and Benedetto Capilupi, who had been sent from Mantuato invite Beatrice to the christening of her infant niece, LeonoraGonzaga, wrote to Isabella on the 23rd of July--

"The duchess says that when the Duke of Orleans comes here, she willhave to leave off her mourning and dance, and be kissed by the duke, whowill kiss all the maids of honour and all the court ladies after theFrench fashion. Barone, the jester, says that when he has kissed MadonnaPolissena d'Este, he will be tired of it and will go no further. Whenthe Count Dauphin and other princes of the blood royal arrive, theduchess sends your Highness word that you will have to come too andreceive some of these kisses. "

The Duke of Orleans, however, had no time to waste in paying hisrespects to the ladies of Beatrice's court. Directly after his interviewwith Lodovico, he went on to Genoa to fit out the French fleet to opposethat in which Alfonso's brother, Don Federigo, had already sailed toattack Genova. Twice over during the next few weeks the Neapolitanforces landed at Porto Venere and Rapallo, but each time they wererepulsed by the Genoese and French troops, supported by a strongMilanese contingent under the gallant Fracassa and Antonio diSanseverino, after which Don Federigo retired to the harbour of Leghorn, and was soon recalled to defend Naples itself against the French. On the27th of July, the Count of Caiazzo received the _bâton_ of command fromLodovico's hands on the piazza in front of the Castello of Milan, andstarted at the head of fifteen hundred foot soldiers and light cavalryto join the French army that was marching into Romagna to meet theforces led by Ferrante Duke of Calabria. On the 23rd of August, Isabellad'Este came to Parma at her brother-in-law's invitation to meet him andthe French ambassador, and see the first French troops under LaTrémouille and Stuart d'Aubigny--the Marchese d'Obegnino, as theItalians called him--march through the town. The spectacle, however, wasless imposing than she expected, only about four hundred light cavalryriding past, as she describes it, in some confusion and disorder. 

Meanwhile Charles VIII. Had at length crossed the Alps and after pawningthe jewels of his allies, the Marchioness of Montferrat and Duchess ofSavoy, to pay his troops, arrived at Asti on the 9th of September. Herehe was received with great honour by Lodovico and his father-in-law, Duke Ercole, who rode out to meet him on his entry into the town. Themagistrates and citizens welcomed him as their liege lord, and theilliterate French barons were amazed to hear a child of eleven, Margareta Solari, declaim a Latin oration with perfect ease and fluency. Two days afterwards Beatrice herself arrived at the castle of Annona, inthe neighbourhood of Asti, bringing her choir of singers and musicians, and accompanied by eighty ladies especially chosen for their beauty andrich attire, and gave the king a magnificent reception. Charlesadvanced, cap in hand, to greet the duchess, and, beginning withBeatrice and Bianca, the young wife of Messer Galeazzo, kissed all theladies present. The beauty and vivacity of the young duchess made a deepimpression upon the susceptible French monarch, who could not take hiseyes off her, and after spending some time with her in livelyconversation, begged her to allow him to see her dance. Beatrice readilycomplied with his request, as she tells Isabella in the followingletter, written from Annona on the 12th of September:--

"About noonday the king came here to pay me a friendly visit with thechief lords of his court, and remained for about three hours with me andmy ladies, conversing with the greatest familiarity and affection. Iassure you that no prince in the world could have made himself moreagreeable. He desired to see my ladies dance, and then begged me todance before him, which seemed to give him great pleasure. "[53]

The young king himself, short and ill proportioned as he was, with roundshoulders and a large head, a very wide mouth and big nose, cut but avery sorry figure by the side of the stately Moro and the handsomeSanseverini brothers; but his good nature and genial manners atoned forhis want of presence, and surprised Beatrice and her ladies, who hadexpected a far more formidable personage. "He was little in stature andof small sense, very timid in speech owing to the way in which he hadbeen treated as a child, and as feeble in mind as he was in body, butthe kindest and gentlest creature alive, " says Commines, who accompaniedCharles to Asti, and was sent on as ambassador to Venice. Guicciardini'sjudgment is more severe--

"And for the increasing of the infelicities of Italy, he whose comingbrought all these calamities, was void of almost all the gifts ofnature and the mind. For it is most certaine that King Charles from hisinfancie was of complexion very delicate and of body unsound anddiseased, of small stature, and of face, if the aspect and dignitie ofhis eyes had been taken away, foule and deformed, his other membersbearing such equal proportion that he seemed more a monster than a man. He was not only without all knowledge of good sciences, but scarcely heknew the distinct characters of letters; his mind desirous to command, but more proper to any other thing, for that being environed alwayeswith his familiars and favourites, he retained with them no majestie orauthoritie; he rejected all affaires and businesse, and yet if he diddebate and consider in any he showed a weak discretion and judgment. Andif he had anything in him that carried appearance of merite of praise, yet being thoroughly weighed and sounded, it was found farther off fromvertue than vice. He had an inclination to glory, but it was temperedmore with rashness and fury than with moderation and counsell: hisliberalities were without discretion, measure, or distinction, immoveable oftentimes in his purposes, but that was rather anill-grounded obstinacy than constancie, and that which many call bountiedeserved more reasonably in his the name of coldnesse and slacknesse ofspirit. "[54]

The splendours of the court of Milan, and more especially the toilettesof the Duchess Beatrice and her ladies, amazed the French chroniclers, who have left us a graphic description of the scene at the castle ofAnnona. The poet André de la Vigne, in his rhyming chronicle "Le Vergierd'honneur, " describes Beatrice's sumptuous apparel in the followinglines:--

 "Avecques luy fist venir sa partie Qui de Ferrare fille du duc estait; De fin drap d'or en tout ou en partie De jour en jour volontiers se vestait Chaines, colliers, affiquetz, pierrerie, Ainsi qu'on dit en ung commun proverbe, Tant en avait que c'etait diablerie. Brief mieulx valait le lyen que le gerbe. Autour du col bagues, joyaulx carcaus, Et pour son chief de richesse estoffer, Bordures d'or, devises et brocans. "

And in his "Histoire de Charles VIII. " (1684) Godefroy quotes thefollowing letter, written by an eye-witness from the French camp to theking's sister, Anne Duchess of Bourbon, for whose benefit Charles hadBeatrice's portrait painted by Jean Perréal and sent to Moulins:--

"People crowd to meet and welcome the king from all parts, princes andprincesses, dukes and duchesses. Only this morning a new one hasarrived, the description of whose dress will, I am sure, please you. First of all, when she arrived she was on a horse with trappings of goldand crimson velvet, and she herself wore a robe of gold and greenbrocade, and a fine linen _gorgerette_ turned back over it, and her headwas richly adorned with pearls, and her hair hung down behind in onelong coil with a silk ribbon twisted round it. She wore a crimson silkhat, made very much like our own, with five or six red and greyfeathers, and with all that on her head, sat up on horseback as straightas if she had been a man. And with her came the wife of Seigneur Galeaz'and many other ladies, as many as twenty-two, all riding handsome andrichly apparelled horses, and six chariots hung with cloth of gold andgreen velvet, all full of ladies. They had intended to visit the king inhis lodgings, but this he would not allow, and, in order to appeargracious, said that he would visit them, but he did not go to theirlodgings that day, feeling unwell. The next day, after dinner, he wentto see this lady, whom he found magnificently arrayed, after the fashionof the country, in a green satin robe. The bodice of her gown was loadedwith diamonds, pearls, and rubies, both in front and behind, and thesleeves were made very tight and slashed so as to show the white chemiseunderneath, and tied up with a wide grey silk ribbon, which hung almostdown to the ground. Her throat was bare and adorned with a necklace ofvery large pearls, with a ruby as big as your 'Grand Valloy, ' and herhead was dressed just the same as yesterday, only that instead of a hatshe wore a velvet cap with an aigrette of feathers fastened with a claspmade of two rubies, a diamond, and a pear-shaped pearl, like your own, only larger. After that the king had paid her a visit, he returned tohis house, but first he had some conversation with her, and made herdance in the French fashion, with some of her ladies. And I can assureyou, madame, that she danced wonderfully well in the French fashion, although she said she had never danced in this manner before. If theking were not going to send you her picture, to show you the fashion ofher dress, I would have endeavoured to obtain one to send you myself. "

A grand _fête_ was arranged for the following day, but the king fellsuddenly ill of small-pox, and had to call in Messer Ambrogio da Rosateto attend him. All his plans were altered, and more than a fortnightelapsed before he was able to leave his room. This delay discouraged theFrench, who suffered from the great heat, and complained, as Comminestells us, of the sourness of the country wine, the last vintage havingbeen a bad one. All Lodovico's smooth words and tact were needed to keepthe leaders in good humour in these trying circumstances. On the otherhand, Alfonso of Naples, taking courage, boldly announced that theapproach of winter and want of pay would force the French to retreat, and Piero de' Medici sent a troop of Florentine soldiers to join theDuke of Calabria in Romagna. But their triumph was of short duration. Onthe 6th of October the king had recovered sufficiently to leave Asti, and while most of his army marched direct to Piacenza, he himselftravelled by Casale and through the dominions of his ally, the youngMarquis of Montferrat, to Vigevano. Here Lodovico and Beatrice once moregave their royal guest a splendid reception, and held a banquet andboar-hunt in his honour during the next two days. The beauty of thepalace, and the wealth and magnificence displayed on all sides, filledthe French with wonder; but although Charles took Lodovico's advice onall points, and was apparently on the most cordial terms with his host, he asked for the keys of the castle at night, and desired his guards tokeep strict watch at the gates. "The fashion of their friendship wassuch, " says Commines, "that it could not last long. But for the presentthe king could not do without Lodovico. "

On the 13th, Charles slept at the Sforzesca and visited Lodovico'sfamous farm of La Pecorara, or Les Granges, as the French chroniclerstermed this vast farm, where agricultural industries were cultivated onsuch a splendid scale. They saw the spacious buildings, the stables withtheir noble columns and separate accommodation for mares and stallions, and the superb breed of horses which were reared under Messer Galeazzo'scare; the pastures with their 14, 000 buffaloes, oxen, and cows, and asmany sheep and goats; and the large dairies, where butter and cheesewere made on the most approved system, and marvelled afresh at theindustry of the Milanese farmers and the wealth and fertility of thiswonderful land. The next day the king went on to Pavia, where triumphalarches had been prepared for his reception, and the clergy andprofessors of the university hailed his presence in long harangues andcomplimentary speeches. At first lodgings had been prepared for him inthe city, but, according to Commines, some of the king's followers hadinspired him with fears of foul play, and he preferred to take up hisabode in the Castello itself. Lodovico himself showed him the libraryand other treasures of his ancestral palace, and took him out hunting inthe park. On the 15th, he visited the Duomo and Arca di S. Agostino, andon the 16th, rode out to the Certosa, where the monks entertained bothprinces at a grand banquet in a house outside the cloister precincts. Inthe evenings, comedies were acted or musical entertainments given in theCastello for the king's amusement. 

At the time of Charles's visit to Pavia, the Duke and Duchess of Milanand their children were occupying their rooms in the Castello, butduring the last few weeks Giangaleazzo had become seriously ill and wasunable to leave his bed. Both his wife and his mother Bona wereassiduous in their attentions to the sick prince, and Isabella hardlyever left his bedside. The chronicler Godefroy, who has left us sofaithful and accurate an account of Charles VIII. 's expedition, describes the splendid _fêtes_ given to the king at Pavia, and says thatthe Duchess Isabella, with her young son Francesco, herself received himat the portico of the Castello, but does not mention his visit to thesick duke. Another trustworthy authority, Corio, tells us that Charleswith great thoughtfulness paid a visit to his cousin, who was sufferingfrom an incurable disease, and growing visibly worse, and that theunfortunate duke recommended his wife and children to the king's care. Commines, who was at Pavia three days before Charles, on his way toVenice, says that he saw the little four-year-old prince Francesco, butnot the duke, since he was very ill and his wife very sorrowful, watching by his bedside. "However, " he adds, "the king spoke with him, and told me their words, which only related to general subjects, for hefeared to displease Lodovico; all the same, he told me afterwards thathe would have willingly given him a warning. And the duchess threwherself on her knees before Lodovico, begging him to have pity upon herfather and brother. To which he replied that he could do nothing, andtold her to pray rather for her husband and for herself, who was stillso young and fair a lady. "

The Venetian chronicler, Marino Sanuto, gives a more sensational accountof the interview. According to him, Isabella absolutely refused to seethe king, and, seizing a dagger, declared she would stab herself ratherthan meet her father's mortal enemy. Lodovico, however, in the endinduced her to receive the king, upon which she threw herself in tearsat the feet of Charles VIII. , and implored him to spare her father andbrother and the house of Aragon. The king's kindly heart was touchedwith compassion at the grief of the unhappy princess, but he only spokea few consoling words, and promised that her son should be as dear tohim as if he were his own son. When Isabella renewed her earnestentreaties on her father's behalf, he replied that it was too late forhim to give up the expedition, which had already cost him so muchtrouble and money, and which was now so far advanced that he could notretire with honour. On the 17th of October, Charles, after assisting atmass in the chapel of the Castello, left Pavia for Piacenza, where hejoined the French army and prepared to enter Tuscan territory. Here helearnt that the Duke of Calabria had been worsted in two engagements bythe forces of the Count of Caiazzo and the French under d'Aubigny, andwas in full retreat. And here on the 20th, a courier from Pavia arrived, bringing Lodovico word that his nephew was dying. He set out at once forPavia, and met another messenger on the way who told him that the dukewas already dead. Two days after Charles VIII. 's departure from Pavia, Giangaleazzo became suddenly worse. A fresh attack of fever was broughton by his own folly in drinking large quantities of wine and eatingpears and apples contrary to his doctor's express orders, in spite ofthe continual sickness from which he suffered. The next day he wasrather better, and in the evening of the 20th, the four doctors who wereattending him sent Lodovico an improved account, saying that the dukehad slept for some hours, and had afterwards been able to take somechicken-broth, raw eggs, and wine. Now he had fallen asleep again. Hewas certainly no worse, they added, although still very weak and by nomeans out of danger. That same evening he spoke cheerfully to histrusted servant, Dionigi Confanerio, and asked to see two horses whichLodovico had sent him, and which were brought into the hall adjoininghis rooms for his inspection. Afterwards he spoke affectionately of hisuncle, and said he was sure that Lodovico would have come to see him ifhe had not been obliged to wait upon the French king. And he askedDionigi in a confidential tone if he thought that Lodovico loved him andwas sorry to see him so ill, and seemed quite satisfied with hisattendant's assurances on the subject. A former prior of Vigevano, whohad known the dying prince from his childhood, and had been summoned toPavia by the duchess, now paid the duke a visit and heard hisconfession, after which Giangaleazzo asked to see his greyhounds, whichwere brought to his bedside, and spoke cheerfully of his speedy recoverybefore he fell asleep. Early the next morning he died in the presence ofhis wife and mother and the doctors who had attended him during the lastfew weeks. 

A few hours later Lodovico reached Pavia, and without a moment's delayhastened on to Milan, giving orders that the duke's body should beremoved as soon as possible to the Duomo of Milan. There during the nextthree days the dead prince lay before the high altar, clad in the ducalcap and robes, with his sword and sceptre at his side, and his whiteface exposed to view. Meanwhile Lodovico had lost no time. His firstact, on his arrival in the Castello, was to summon the councillors, magistrates, and chief citizens of Milan to a meeting on the followingday, but even before these dignitaries could be assembled, he calledtogether a few of his immediate friends and courtiers in the great hallof the Rocchetta, and after informing them of his nephew's premature andlamentable end, proposed that his son Francesco should be proclaimedduke in his father's place. Upon this, Antonio da Landriano, prefect ofthe Treasury, responded in an eloquent speech, dwelling on the danger inthese troublous times of placing the helm of the state in the hands of afour-year-old child, and calling on Lodovico, for the sake of the peoplewhom he had hitherto ruled so well and wisely in his nephew's name, toundertake the burden of sovereignty and ascend the ducal throne. "Sincethe death of Giangaleazzo's father, " he said, "we have had no duke butyou; you alone among our princes can grasp the ducal sceptre with a firmhand. " These last words were hailed with loud applause by the Moro'sfriends, and when Landriano had ended his speech, Galeazzo ViscontiBaldassare Pusterla, the able lawyer Andrea Cagnola, and several othercouncillors, well known for their devotion to the Moro, all spoke in thesame strain. 

"It was propounded, " writes Guicciardini, "by the principals of theCounsell, that, in regard of the greatness of that estate and thedangerous times prepared now for Italy, it would be a thing prejudicialthat the sonne of John Galeaz, having not five yeares in age, shouldsucceed his father, and therefore, as well as to keepe the liberties ofthe State in protection, as to be able to meete with the inconvenienceswhich the time threatened, they thought it just and necessary--derogatingsomewhat for the public benefite, and for the necessite present from thedisposition of the laws--as the laws themselves do suffer to constraineLodovic, for the better stay of the commonweale, to suffer that unto himmight be transported the title and dignitie of Duke, a burden veryweightie, in so dangerous a season; with the which colour, honestie givingplace to ambition, the morning following, making some show of resistance, he tooke upon him the name and armes of the Duke of Milan. "

The Florentine historian's account of the transaction is accurate in allbut the last particular. Lodovico was indeed proclaimed duke in hisnephew's stead, and, clad in a mantle of cloth of gold, rode thatafternoon through the streets of the city, and visited the church of S. Ambrogio, to give thanks for his accession to the throne. The ducalsword and sceptre were borne before him by Galeazzo Visconti, the bellswere rung, and the trumpets sounded, while the people hailed him withshouts of _Duca! Duca! Moro! Moro!_ But he was careful to style himselfLodovicus Dux, and would not assume the title of Duke of Milan until hehad received the imperial privileges, confirming his election andgranting him the investiture of the duchy. These he lost no time insecuring. Already a few weeks before this, Maximilian, mindful of hisengagements at the time of his wedding, had sent his wife's uncle thediploma granting him the desired investiture for himself and his sons, both legitimate and illegitimate, in succession. The original deed hasnever been discovered, but, according to Corio, the diploma was grantedon the 5th of September at Antwerp, with the express stipulation that itwas not to be published until after the Feast of St. Martin. Thisdiploma must have reached Lodovico a week or two before his nephew'sdeath, and had been kept secret, in obedience to Maximilian's desires. That memorable day when he rode through the streets of Milan, accompanied by the ambassadors of Florence and Ferrara, he said in replyto the congratulations of the latter, our old friend Giacomo Trotti, "Inanother month you will hear greater news. " "I verily believe you, " saidthe Florentine, Pietro Alamanni, who recorded these words, to Piero de'Medici, "that he means to make himself greater still, and dreams of akingdom of Insubria and Liguria. " And Donato de' Preti evidently thoughtthe same. "Signor Lodovico, " he wrote to Isabella d'Este, "is not yetcalled Duke of Milan, but merely duke, and all documents sent out by theCancelleria are worded in this manner. Some persons who knew hisExcellency well, say that it is his intention to call himself _RexInsubrium_. On the return of the ambassador who has been sent to theemperor, perhaps this will be announced. "

Now that Giangaleazzo was actually dead, the Moro felt that there was notime to be lost in obtaining the publication of the imperial diploma. Accordingly he ordered one of his most trusted agents, Maffeo Pirovano, to start the next day for Antwerp, with letters informing Maximilian andhis wife of Giangaleazzo's death, and asking for the prompt despatch ofambassadors with the coveted privileges. And that same evening he wrotelong and minute instructions to Maffeo himself and to Erasmo Brasca atAntwerp, urging them to lose no time in laying the case before theemperor. The letter to Maffeo, discovered in the Taverna archives atMilan, and first published by Signor Calvi in his life of Bianca Sforza, is of especial interest. 

"MAPHEO, --We have written this evening to Germany to inform the MostSerene King of the Romans of the death of the illustrious Duke, ournephew, and must now send you to state our case _vivâ voce_ to hisMajesty, desiring him to give effect in our person to the ducalprivileges, which he never consented to give our nephew, in consequenceof the wrong which the emperor supposed to have been done him by ourfather and brother, in holding the duchy without any concession from theimperial authorities. And therefore the said king has conceded theseprivileges to us, as being innocent of this fault, and as having claimsto the title by reason of our maternal descent, but has desired thatthese privileges should not be made public before the next feast of St. Martin, and before this date will not fix the time and place for theexpedition of the said privileges. The approach of this time, the factthat this death has compelled us to take up the succession, haveimpelled us to send an envoy to the said king, and for this purpose wehave made choice of yourself, being persuaded that your faithfulness andprudence will be equal to the gravity of this emergency. And so I desireyou to start with the utmost speed, and not to rest till you have foundhis Majesty, and our councillor and ambassador Messer Erasmo Brasca, towhom you will explain the reason of your coming, and having through hismeans obtained an audience of his Majesty, you will pay him our dutifulrespects, and, after delivering your credentials, by virtue of them willproceed to tell him how immediately after this death the chiefs of theState and of the people of this city approached me to offer theircondolences in the customary manner, and signified their fears andanxieties as to the succession. One and all, speaking in the name of theState, declared that they would have no lord but ourselves, andentreated us with earnest words to accept this dignity, saying that ifwe refused they would not be content and would have to consider someother mode of action. After this has been explained to the king, youwill tell him that, seeing on the one hand the conditions imposed by hisMajesty respecting the privileges, which we do not intend to infringe, and on the other the dangers that might arise if the State were leftwithout a lord until the time fixed for the promulgation of theprivileges, and being further aware that the people of Milan set theexample and draw after them all the rest of the State, we have chosen toaccept the burden they offer us, and have ridden through the town inorder to satisfy the wishes of the people. And this we have done, inorder not to leave the State and city in doubt as to the last duke'ssuccessor, without taking either title or armorial bearings, lest weshould incur the same blame as that illustrious lord our father. Thus, solely to prove that the State is not left without a lord, and at thesame time not to infringe the conditions attached to the privileges, wehave taken this name of duke, and will inscribe our name as _LudovicusDux_ in letters and other documents, without specifying of what place weare duke, so as to observe the commands laid upon us by his Majesty notto publish the privileges before the feast of St. Martin. The full formwhich we intend to adopt at the said feast will be signified to himafter this feast, when we shall adopt the style of _Dux Mediolani_ inaccordance with this command. But we will abstain from publishing theprivileges until we have the approval of the said Majesty, which we hopeto obtain as soon as the term which he fixed shall expire. 

"And you will also tell his Majesty that the publication of theseprivileges carries with it the investiture and enjoyment of the temporalpossessions of the duchy, and therefore, as our procurator, you will askfor this investiture with all respect and submission. And you will beghis Majesty to send us an ambassador to declare that he places us inpossession of the duchy, in order that he may give the world an outwarddemonstration of the act that he has already done in private. This, webeg to assure his Majesty, shall ensure a perpetual obligation on ourpart and that of our posterity towards his Majesty, who may count on thefidelity of this State in all contingencies, most of all in the affairsof Italy, where no State can be greater or of more importance than thisone, which has the same influence in Italy as he has in Germany. Andsince the form of investiture has been given this summer to theTreasurer of Burgundy, you can obtain it from him by means of MesserErasmo, and we will afterwards send you the imperial mandate that youmay arrange this. As to the form of delivery of the temporalities, wedesire to follow that which was employed in the cases of former dukes, which we will seek out and let you have. To this effect you willnegotiate with the Most Serene King of the Romans, making use of theadvise of Messer Erasmo, in order to obtain this concession in themanner that we devise. 

"You will also visit our niece, the Most Serene Queen, and condole inour name on the duke's death, which is a common cause of grief to bothof us, and will recommend our affairs to her, begging her Majesty toassist you, and to employ great warmth and fervour in addressing theMost Serene Lord her husband. 

"Milan, 22nd October, 1494. "

These instructions were followed by a short letter from Lodovico, enclosing the petition to be presented to Maximilian, and urging him tolose no time in reaching his destination. 

"MAPHEO, --We enclose the petition for the investiture, and have to-daysent you money and horses. There is nothing more to say, excepting tourge you once more to use all diligence to seek out His Serene Majesty, and with the help of Erasmo leave nothing undone that may induce him togrant the investiture without delay, and at the same time send back withyou persons empowered to put me in possession of the temporalpossessions of the duchy. Without these two things, all that has beendone till now will be of no avail. "

On the 21st, Lodovico sent an official intimation of his nephew's death, and of the "incredible grief" which this sad event had given him, to hisrelatives and allies. On the 22nd, he issued another circular, informingthem in well-turned phrases of his election by the people of Milan, andof his consent to take up the burden imposed upon him by the will of hissubjects. And on the same day the Mantuan envoy, Donato de' Preti, writing to Isabella d'Este, gave her the following version of affairs:"This morning a meeting was held in the Castello, at which SignorLodovicus was proclaimed King of Milan in the presence of the gentlemenand councillors assembled in the Rocchetta, no one else being nominated. Few spoke, and very little was said, but Signor Lodovico was chosen byuniversal acclamation, or at least with no dissent. This afternoon hecame out of the Rocca clad in gold brocade, and rode all round the townfor the space of two hours, and the shops are closed, and all the bellsof the city are to be rung for three days. " At Pavia, where the Moro hadmade himself greatly beloved both by the citizens and the members of theuniversity, there was great rejoicing when the people heard him publiclyproclaimed duke to the sound of fifes and trumpets. "All the people ofPavia, " wrote Count Borella, on the 23rd of October, "are filled withthe utmost joy and delight, like the loyal and affectionate servants ofyour Highness that they are, and pray that you may live long to enjoyyour exalted dignity. "

On the evening of the 27th, the body of the late duke, after lying instate during several days before the high altar in the Duomo of Milan, "was buried in the vault of his ancestors with the greatest pomp andhonour, " as the Mantuan envoy told Isabella d'Este. "The Marchese Ermes, the Ferrarese ambassador, with the whole house of Visconti, and all thecouncillors, ministers, and court officials attending, robed in black. An immense concourse of people were present, together with priests andfriars innumerable, and the blaze of lighted wax candles was so great inthe church that I could see nothing. An eloquent and highly ornatesermon was preached by a Mantuan friar, named Giovanni Pietro Suardo. "

And the next day his successor joined the French king in his camp underthe walls of Sarzana. He had at length attained the object of hisambition, and was reigning on his father's throne. 

"To sum up the whole matter, " writes Commines, "Lodovico had himselfproclaimed Lord of Milan, and that, as many people say, was the reasonwhy he brought us over the mountains. "

FOOTNOTES:

[53] Luzio-Renier, _op. Cit. _, p. 394. 

[54] Guicciardini's "Italy, " Fenton's English translation, vol. I. P. 34. 

CHAPTER XXI

Lodovico joins Charles VIII. At Sarzana--Suspicious rumours as to thelate duke's death--Piero de' Medici surrenders the six fortresses ofTuscany to Charles VIII. --Lodovico retires in disgust from thecamp--Congratulations of all the Italian States on his accession--Griefof Duchess Isabella--Her return to Milan--Mission of Maffeo Pirovano toAntwerp--His interviews with Maximilian and Bianca--Letter of Lodovicoto the Bishop of Brixen--Charles VIII. Enters Rome--His treaty withAlexander VI. And departure for Naples. 

1494

The short week which had elapsed between the king's departure from Paviaand the return of Lodovico to the French camp had effected a completechange in the situation. Suddenly the Moro found himself at the heightof his ambition, elected duke by popular acclamation, and in actualpossession of the throne, while he held in his hands the imperialdiploma that was to give him a surer and safer title to the duchy thanany of his race had possessed. 

"All that this man does prospers, and all that he dreams of by nightcomes true by day, " wrote the Venetian chronicler. "And, in truth, he isesteemed and revered throughout the world and is held to be the wisestand most successful man in Italy. And all men fear him, because fortunefavours him in everything that he undertakes. "

But already ugly rumours began to be whispered abroad. The unhappy duke, it was openly said at Florence and Venice, had, it was plain, died ofpoison, administered by his uncle. The moment of his death was soopportune, and fitted in so exactly with Lodovico's plans; thepromptness with which the Moro had acted in seizing the crown whichought to have belonged to Giangaleazzo's son, helped to confirm thesuspicions that were aroused in the minds of men whom the new duke'spolicy had inspired with distrust, and who looked with jealous eyes onthe success of his diplomacy. The French king's doctor, TheodoreGuainiero of Pavia, was quite sure he had detected signs of poisoning inthe sick duke's face when he had been present at the interview betweenhis royal master and poor Giangaleazzo at Pavia. Contemporarychroniclers, improving upon this remark, with one voice asserted thatthe doctor had found evident traces of poison on the body at apost-mortem examination held after the duke's death, ignoring the factthat at that moment Theodore Guainiero was with King Charles atPiacenza. So the legend grew, and found ready acceptance among bothFrench and Italians, who alike hated the Moro with deadly hatred. 

"And if the duke were dispatched by poison, there was none, " wrote theFlorentine historian, "that held that his uncle was innocent, and eitherdirectly or indirectly, as he, who not content with an absolute power, but aspiring, according to the common desires of great men, to makethemselves glorious with titles and honours, and especially he judgedthat both for his proper heritage and the succession of his children, the death of the lawful duke was necessary, wherein ambition andcovetousness prevailed above conscience and law of nature, and thejealous desire of dominion enforced his disposition, otherwise abhorringblood, to that vile action. "

The careful examination of the various documents connected withGiangaleazzo's death has led recent historians to a differentconclusion. "Nothing is further from the truth, " writes Magenta, in hishistory of the "Castello di Pavia, " "than that Giangaleazzo died ofpoison. " And Delaborde, Porrò, Cantù, as well as those able and learnedscholars, Signor Luzio and Signor Renier, all endorse these statements, and ascribe the duke's death to natural causes. Even Paolo Giovio, whohated the Moro as the man who had betrayed his country to the French, owns that there is much reason for doubting the truth of the accusationbrought against him in this instance. Charles VIII. , it is plain, didnot himself believe in Lodovico's guilt. When the news of Giangaleazzo'sdeath reached him, he caused a solemn requiem mass to be held in theDuomo of Piacenza, and distributed liberal alms to the poor of the townin memory of his dead cousin. And Galeazzo di Sanseverino, who hadremained in attendance upon the king, informed Lodovico, in one of hisletters, that the only remark which His Most Christian Majesty had madeon the subject was to express his sorrow for the duke's orphan children, and to say that he hoped Signor Lodovico would treat them as his own, towhich Galeazzo replied that he might rest assured they would want fornothing. But the suspicion that the duke's end had been hastened by hisuncle's act found general acceptance in the French army, and deepenedthe distrust with which Lodovico was already regarded. At this criticalmoment, the unexpected action of Piero de' Medici helped to bring abouta breach between the Moro and his allies. 

When, on the 31st of October, the new duke reached the French campbefore the Tuscan castle of Sarzana, he found to his surprise that Pierode' Medici, who up to this time had been the staunchest ally of Naples, had arrived there the day before, to make his submission to KingCharles. Sanuto relates how this craven son of the magnificent Lorenzothrew himself at the feet of the French monarch, and promised to acceptwhatever conditions he chose to impose. Not only did he agree to givethe army of Charles free passage through Tuscany, and to dismiss theFlorentine troops which he had levied, but he actually promised tosurrender the six strongholds of Sarzana, Sarzanello, Pietra Santa, Librafratta, Leghorn, and Pisa. Thus, without a single blow, the cityand state of Florence was placed at the mercy of the invaders. Even theFrench councillors who negotiated the terms of the treaty, were amazedat the readiness with which their demands were accepted, and toldCommines afterwards that they marvelled to see Piero de' Medici settleso weighty a matter with so much lightness of heart, "mocking andjeering at his cowardice as they spoke. " Lodovico, on his part, receivedthe news of Piero's disgraceful concessions with ill-concealed disgust. Now that he had attained his own objects, and had nothing to fear fromAlfonso, whose armies were in full retreat, he would willingly have seenthe progress of the French delayed, and the king forced to winter inTuscany, and was bitterly annoyed to find that the passes of theApennines were in the hands of Charles, as well as the castles and portswhich he had hoped to obtain for Milan as the price of his alliance. Guicciardini relates how he met Piero de' Medici that day in the camp, and how his old friend's son, anxious to ingratiate himself with thepowerful duke, made excuses for not having given him an official welcomeinto Florentine territory, saying that he had ridden out to meet him, but had missed his way. "One of us certainly missed the way, " repliedthe duke, with a bitter meaning under his courteous phrases; "perhaps itis you who have taken the wrong road. "

But he hid his vexation as best he could, when he entered the Frenchking's presence, and boldly asked Charles to give him the castles ofSarzana and Pietra Santa, which had formerly belonged to Genoa. When theking replied that he preferred to keep these forts in his own handsuntil his return from Naples, Lodovico once more disguised his feelings, and contented himself with asking for a renewal of the investiture ofGenoa, formerly granted to his nephew, which he obtained on payment of30, 000 ducats. After this he saw no reason for remaining in the Frenchcamp any longer, and, pleading urgent State affairs, he left again forMilan on the 3rd of November. 

"_Et merveilleusement malcontent_, " says Commines, "_se partit du Roypour le reffuz_. "

Only the Count of Caiazzo, with a troop of fifty horse, remained in theFrench camp, while Galeazzo di Sanseverino and Duchess Beatrice'sbrother, Ferrante d'Este, were the sole Italians to be seen riding inthe royal procession when Charles made his triumphal entry intoFlorence. "Many thought then, " adds the Sieur d'Argenton, "that hewished the king out of Italy. " A week later he recalled the Milanesetroops from Romagna, saying that their presence was no longer needed. For the present, however, the new Duke of Milan took a strictly neutralline, and while he outwardly maintained friendly relations with France, at the same time received congratulatory messages on his accession fromthe Pope, the Doge and Signory of Venice, and his old enemy, Alfonso ofNaples, who forgot all the grievances of the past in his dismay at theapproach of the French invaders. 

On the 6th of November Lodovico returned to Milan, and joined his wifeat Vigevano, where Beatrice had remained during her husband's absencewith her infant son. We have no letters to tell us what her feelingswere at this eventful period, and do not learn if she joined her husbandduring the few days of his hurried visit to Milan in October. But we areglad to find that she expressed sympathy with the unhappy widow ofGiangaleazzo, and showed real concern for her cousin's melancholycondition. After her husband's death, Isabella's courage and fortitudebroke down under the long strain, and for some days she shut herself upin a dark room, and refused to take food, or accept any comfort. FourMilanese councillors waited upon her at Pavia to offer theircondolences, and invited her to come to Milan in the name of the newduke and the people, assuring her that she and her children should betreated with due honour, and retain possession of the ducal residence inthe Castello. This attention gratified her, and Paolo Bilia, an old andfaithful servant, who had been long in her service, wrote by her desireto Lodovico on the 28th of October--

"My Lady is much pleased to hear that you have accepted the gift whichshe sent you, and is grateful for the kind messages which she hasreceived from Your Illustrious Consort, as well as the offers which youhave made her, and the addresses of the councillors. Under Niccolo daCusano's treatment her health has certainly improved; and the childrenare very well, only the boy objects to the black clothes and hangings ofthe rooms. "

A week later the Councillor Pusterla wrote that he visited the Duchessevery day, and found her much rested, and already considerably calmer, and was charged to convey her warmest thanks to the duke for hiskindness, and express her wish to show herself in all things hisobedient daughter. But she still refused to leave Pavia, and shrank fromseeing any one but her children and servants. 

"The duchess, " wrote Donato de Preti from Milan to his mistress Isabellad'Este, "has not yet arrived here, but is expected on Friday. All therooms and furniture in the Castello are hung with black. To-day a manwho came from Pavia is said to have brought word that Count Borella hadbeen sent to ask the duchess for her son Francesco, but that she hadrefused to send him. This, however, may not be true, for the person whotold me is not to be trusted. "

On the 29th of November, the same informant wrote again--

"The widowed duchess has not yet come to Milan. It appears that she hasasked leave to remain at Pavia until after her confinement, and this shewill certainly do. I hear that she still mourns her dead lord. "

Her mother-in-law, Duchess Bona, remained with her at Pavia, and here, on the first of December, she received a visit from Chiara Gonzaga, asister of the Marquis of Mantua, and wife of Gilbert, Duke ofMontpensier, who was captain-general of the French army. This princess, who was now on her way to Mantua, was sincerely attached to bothIsabella and Beatrice d'Este, and proved a loyal friend to Lodovico atthe French court, while after her husband's death he, in his turn, gaveher the benefit of his powerful help in her efforts to obtain therecovery of her fortune from the French king. There seems, however, tohave been no truth in the report that the widowed duchess was again withchild, and on the 6th of December she finally summoned up courage toreturn to Milan. On her arrival she was received by Beatrice, andBarone, the jester, who was on the same familiar terms with theMarchioness of Mantua as he was with her sister, sent her the followingpathetic account of their meeting--

"Last night the Duchess Isabella arrived in Milan, and our duchess wentto meet her, two miles outside the town, and directly they met, ourduchess got out of her chariot and entered that of Duchess Isabella, both of them weeping bitterly, and so they rode together towards theCastello, where the Duke of Milan met them on horseback at the gate ofthe garden. He took off his cap, and accompanied them to the Castello, where they all three alighted, and placing Duchess Isabella betweenthem, our duke and duchess accompanied her to her old rooms. When theyreached these rooms they sat down together, and the Duchess Isabellacould do nothing but weep, until at last the duke spoke to her, andbegged her to calm herself, and be comforted, with many other similarwords. Dear friend, the hardest heart would have been melted withcompassion at the sight of her, with her three children, looking so thinand altered by her grief, wearing a long black robe like a friar'shabit, made of rough cloth, worth fourpence the yard, and her eyeshidden by a thick black veil. Certainly I, for one, could not helpcrying, and if I had not restrained myself, I should have wept stillmore. "[55]

Until the death of Beatrice, Isabella of Aragon and her childrenoccupied the rooms in the Castello where she and her husband hadformerly resided, and spent the spring and summer in the Castello ofPavia, but the widowed duchess lived in complete retirement during thenext two years, and her name seldom appears in contemporary records. Hermother-in-law Bona, retained her rooms until the following January, whenthe duke desired her to move to the old palace near the Duomo, known asthe Corte Vecchia, partly because the use of her apartments was requiredby the court officials, and partly owing to the intrigues which shesecretly practised. Only lately Lodovico's envoys at Antwerp hadinformed him of the bitter words which Bona wrote against him to herdaughter Bianca, words which the empress's secretary thought it wiser topass over when he read her mother's letters aloud, taking care, he adds, to see that they were burnt before they could do further mischief. Ayear afterwards, Bona left Milan for good and returned to France, whereshe lived at Amboise until the end of 1499, when she came back to hernative land of Savoy, and died at Fossano on the 8th of January, 1504. 

Meanwhile Maffeo Pirovano, after being delayed on his journey by violentstorms and floods, and narrowly escaping with his life from the brigandsand highwaymen who infested the streets of Cologne, had at lengthreached Antwerp and discharged his errand. In his letters to the duke, he gives an interesting account of his interview with the emperor, whoseimposing presence and gracious kindness made a deep impression upon him. 

"The Most Serene King has the noblest bodily presence as well as thegreatest qualities of mind and soul, and as far as you can judge fromoutward signs, I should say that his Majesty's wisdom and loyalty arebeyond dispute, and that there is no prince in the world whom heesteems more highly than your Excellency. And if I asked why all theking's dealings appear slow and tardy, I should say that this was causedby two obstacles, which neither of them proceed from his Majesty's ownfault. The first is want of money, and the second the little confidencethat he can place in his ministers. "

Maffeo was able to give Lodovico satisfactory assurances as toMaximilian's readiness to confirm him in the investiture of Milan. Hepromised to send the letters forthwith, but desired the duke to allow noone but his brother Cardinal Ascanio to see a copy, and not to publishthem before March. "He fears, " wrote the Milanese envoy, "in the firstplace the electors of the Diet, and in the second the wrath of KingAlfonso of Naples. But his Majesty promises to speak to the electors assoon as possible, and after that will have the privileges drawn up bythe chancellor, and will send a solemn embassy to put the duke inpossession of his dignities and the realm. 

The young empress, who, Maffeo remarked, "is not very wise, " wasoverjoyed to see an old friend, and had much to hear about her belovedMilanese home. She wrote an affectionate little note to her uncle, lamenting her poor brother's death and congratulating him on hisaccession, which she called "a due reward of all the benefits which wehave received from your Excellency. "[56]

And when Maffeo left Antwerp early in December to return to Milan, hereceived a whole string of commissions from her Majesty. He was, in thefirst place, to visit and condole with her mother, her widowedsister-in-law, and her brother Ermes, and to commend the DuchessIsabella and her children especially to the duke. Then he was to beg theduke and duchess to send her their latest portraits, as well as those ofher mother, brother, sister-in-law, and her sister Madonna Anna, wife ofAlfonso d'Este. There was a special message to Beatrice, begging her forsome perfumes and powders, a ball of musk, and a bunch of heron'splumes. And there was another for Lodovico, asking him to try andprocure a certain set of pearls from Bianca's half-sister, CaterinaSforza, the famous Madonna of Forli. Last of all, there was an earnestrequest that the duke would entreat her lord the Most Serene King tocome to Italy, and write urgently to him on the subject, without, however, letting it appear that the suggestion had proceeded from Biancaherself. 

In these communications between the empress and her family there is notrace whatever of any ill-will to Lodovico and Beatrice, far less anysuspicion that her uncle had hastened her brother's death, although somechroniclers allude to a report that Maximilian's wife held Lodovico tobe guilty of this crime. The fact that some rumour of this kind hadreached the imperial court seems probable from the Latin letter whichLodovico himself addressed in December, 1494, to the Bishop of Brixen, one of the delegates who were afterwards sent to Milan with the imperialprivilege. In this letter the Moro refutes the calumny which he hearshad been brought against him in certain quarters, and points out thathis nephew's death had been due to natural causes, that the late dukehad been ill for many months, and that he had been assiduously attendedby his devoted wife and the most skilful doctors, three of whom hadknown him from his cradle. He alludes to the visit paid to Giangaleazzoa few days before his death by His Most Christian Majesty, and explainsthat he himself was only prevented from being present at his nephew'sdeath-bed by the necessity of attending on the French king. "Nothing, "he adds, "could be more contrary to our nature than so great a crime. "In conclusion, he dwells on the fatherly love which he had always shownhis nephew, and renews his protestations of devotion to His Most SereneMajesty the King of the Romans. In point of fact, as both Maffeo andBrasca informed their master the subject which disquieted Maximilian atthis moment far more than poor Giangaleazzo's death, was the rapidadvance of the French king. A rumour had reached the German court thatCharles aspired to the imperial title, and intended to make the Popecrown him in Rome. This report filled the emperor-elect with dismay, andhe turned to the Milanese envoys with the words, "I know that the Dukeof Milan has great power in Italy, and has proved his faith and goodintentions towards myself, but I hope, since he is so wise ineverything, that he will make some difference between me and the King ofFrance. "

Lodovico, however, needed no warning on this subject, and was as muchalarmed as any of his neighbours at the extraordinary success which hadattended Charles VIII. 's expedition. Florence and Siena both receivedhim within their gates, and helped him with loans of money and suppliesof corn. On the 4th of December he left Siena; by the 10th he was atViterbo, within sixty miles of Rome, and sent the Pope word that hewould spend Christmas in the Vatican and treat with him there. For amoment Alexander VI. , encouraged by the arrival of the Duke ofCalabria's army under the walls of the eternal city, put on a bold faceand defied Charles to do his worst. The same day he arrested thecardinals Ascanio Sforza and Sanseverino at a consistory in the Vatican, upon which Galeazzo di Sanseverino, who was at Viterbo with the Frenchking, rode all the way to Vigevano in three days, to take Lodovico thenews of this insult to his family. The duke was furious, and vowedvengeance upon the Pope. But Alexander's courage soon failed him. In afew days his defiant mood gave place to one of abject terror, the twocardinals were released and sent to plead the Pope's cause with CharlesVIII. , and on the 30th of December Ferrante retired with his troopstowards Naples. That same day the French king entered Rome by theFlaminian Gate, and rode in triumphal procession along the Corso withCardinals Giuliano delle Rovere and Ascanio Sforza at his side, both ofthem, remarks Commines, great enemies of the Pope, and still greaterenemies of one another. Alexander fled for shelter to the CastelloSant'Angelo, and Charles took up his abode in the palace of San Marco, from which he dictated terms of peace to the terrified pontiff. Alreadya rumour had reached Milan that the Pope was to be deposed, and that theFrench king intended to attempt a general reformation of the scandalsthat disgraced the Church. 

"His Most Christian Majesty, " remarked Lodovico, drily, "had betterbegin by reforming himself. " And when the Venetian ambassador SebastianBadoer and Benedetto Trevisano arrived at Vigevano to take counsel withthe duke in this perilous state of affairs, he spoke very contemptuouslyof the king's person and character. 

"The Most Christian King, " he said, "is young and foolish, with littlepresence and still less mental power. When I was with him at Asti, treating of important matters, his councillors spent their time eatingand playing cards in his presence. Sometimes he would dictate a letterby one man's advice, and then withdraw it at the suggestion of another. He is haughty and ill-mannered, and when we were together, he has morethan once left me alone in the room like a beast, to go and dine withhis friends. "

And he proceeded to remind the Venetian envoys how he had sent his wife, Duchess Beatrice, to warn the Signoria of the critical state of affairs, and how his advice had been neglected, and nothing had been done. 

"It is true, " the duke added, "that I lent the king money, but at thesame time I gave him good advice. 'Sire, ' I said to him, 'drive out thetyrant Piero de' Medici, and give Florence her old liberties;' and whenI refused to accompany him further, I desired Messer Galeaz to defendthe freedom and rights of both Florence and Siena. You see how littlethe king has followed my advice and how cruel and insolent he has shownhimself. These French are bad people, and we must not allow them tobecome our neighbours. "

In reality, what disturbed the Duke of Milan far more than the successof Charles in the south, was the presence of Louis of Orleans with abody of troops at Asti. When Charles left Asti in October, his cousinwas ill with an attack of fever, and had been compelled to remainbehind. The close vicinity of this dangerous neighbour, and the boldnesswith which Orleans asserted his claim on Milan, led the Moro to use allhis influence with Maximilian to induce him to join his old enemies, theVenetians, in a common league against the French. While thesenegotiations were being secretly carried on, the victorious French kinghad, on the 15th of January, signed a treaty with the Pope, by which thecrown of Naples was bestowed upon him, and the chief fortresses of thePapal States were surrendered into his hands until his return. The nextday Charles attended mass at St. Peter's, and met the Pope in theVatican--"a very fine house, " he wrote to his brother-in-law, the Dukeof Bourbon, "as well furnished and adorned as any palace or castle Ihave ever seen. "

On the 19th of January, he did homage to His Holiness before the Collegeof Cardinals, as Vicar of Christ and successor of the Apostles, and wasembraced and welcomed by the Pope in return as the eldest son of theChurch. A week later he left Rome and set out at the head of his army onthe march to Naples. And the same day he received the news that Alfonsoof Aragon, seized with a fatal panic, had abdicated his crown in favourof his son Ferrante, and was on his way to Sicily. 

FOOTNOTES:

[55] A Luzio-Renier, _op. Cit. _, p. 399. 

[56] F. Calvi, _op. Cit. _

CHAPTER XXII

Visit of Isabella d'Este to Milan--Birth of Beatrice's son, FrancescoSforza--_Fêtes_ and comedies at the Milanese court--Works of Leonardoand of Lorenzo di Pavia--Mission of Caradosso to Florence and Rome insearch of antiques--Fall of Naples--Entry of King Charles VIII. Andflight of Ferrante II. --Consternation in Milan--Departure of Isabellad'Este. 

1495

While Charles VIII. Was leading his victorious army against Naples, andstriking terror into all hearts throughout the length and breadth ofItaly, Duchess Beatrice Sforza, as the wife of Lodovico now styledherself, was joyfully expecting the birth of a second child. Once moregreat preparations were made in the Rocchetta for the happy event. Onthe 10th of December her sister Isabella sent her the size and patternof a cradle which her father had given her before the birth of herlittle daughter, Leonora, the year before, excusing herself for notwriting a longer letter because she was engaged with her sister-in-law, the Duchess of Montpensier. Duke Lodovico himself, immediately on hisreturn to Vigevano in November, had written begging the Marchesa to cometo Milan in January, and on the 15th she left Mantua. On the day afterher arrival she paid a visit of condolence to the widowed duchess, whosesorrowful condition filled her with compassion. 

"I found her in the large room, " writes Isabella to her husband, on the20th of January, "all hung with black, with only just light and airenough to save one from suffocation. Her Highness wore a cloth cloak, and a black veil on her head, and her deep mourning filled me with somuch compassion that I could not keep back my tears. I condoled with herin your name and my own, and she gratefully accepted my sympathy, andsent for her children, the sight of whom increased my emotion. "

On the 4th of February, Beatrice gave birth to a second son, a fine boy, who received no less than fifteen names, including those of FrancescoSforza, after his illustrious grandfather. As a child he was calledSforza, but became afterwards known as Francesco, under which name hereigned during the last years of his short life over the duchy of Milan. Isabella d'Este held the infant prince at the baptismal font, andremained at Milan till the end of the Carnival, at the urgent entreatyof her brother-in-law, who himself wrote to beg the marquis forpermission to keep his wife a few weeks longer. 

Alfonso d'Este and his wife, Anna Sforza, always a favourite at thecourt of Milan, now joined the ducal party, and took part in thebrilliant series of festivities which celebrated Beatrice's recovery andthe christening of the infant prince. 

"Every third day, " wrote Isabella to an absent Milanese friend of hers, Anton Maria de' Collis, "we have triumphal and magnificent festivities, one of which lasted till two in the morning, another was not over tillfour o'clock. We spend the intervening days in riding and driving in thepark or else through the streets of Milan, which has been made sobeautiful that if you were to come back here to-day, you would no longerknow the place. "

In another letter Isabella describes a splendid _festa_ at the house ofMesser Niccolo da Correggio, at which a representation of the fable ofHippolyte and Theseus, as told in the "_Innamoramento di Orlando_" wasbeautifully given. And in answer to a letter from her brother-in-law, Giovanni Gonzaga, telling her of an allegorical representation in whichthe famous Serafino of Aquila had taken part, she writes--

"Here too we are enjoying feasts and pleasures of every description, which afford us the greatest possible delight, and I hope to tell youmany things that will excite your Highness's envy. For this is theschool of the master of those who know. "[57]

Such phrases as these were no small praise on the lips of soaccomplished and critical a woman as Isabella d'Este. Anothercontemporary, the Florentine Guicciardini, who visited the capital ofLombardy, was filled with amazement at the sight, and describes Milanduring Lodovico's reign as famous for the wealth of its citizens; theinfinite number of its shops; the abundance and delicacy of all thingspertaining to human life; the superb pomp and sumptuous ornaments of itsinhabitants, both men and women; the skill and talent of its artists, mechanics, embroiderers, goldsmiths, and armourers; and the innumerablequantity of new and stately buildings which adorn its streets. "Notonly, " he adds, "is the city full of joy and pleasure, of feasting anddelight, but so wonderfully is it increased in riches, magnificence, andglory, that it may certainly be called the most flourishing and happiestof all the cities in Italy. "

The stranger from Florence and Venice might well admire the duke'sknowledge and taste, and wonder at the splendid results which hisenlightened patronage of art and learning had produced. For they saw hisgreat city of Milan as it has never been seen again, before the savageinvader had spoiled its charm and defaced its loveliness; whenBramante's churches and porticoes rose in perfect symmetry against thesky, and the glowing tints of Leonardo's frescoes were yet fresh uponthe walls. They saw the _Ruga bella_, or Beautiful Way, with its longline of palaces on either side, its painted walls and richly carvedportals. They saw the lovely cupola of S. Maria delle Grazie, and themarble cloisters of S. Ambrogio, and the graceful Baptistery of S. Satiro, which Caradosso had lately adorned with his elegant frieze ofcherubs and medallions. They saw the stately arcades of the SpedaleGrande, and the deep-red brick and terra-cotta pile of the vastLazzaretto, and the wide streets and piazzas which the duke had laid out"to give the people more light and air. " Above all, they saw the greatCastello which was the pride of Lodovico's court. These vaulted ceilingsand painted halls, these beautiful gardens with their temples andlabyrinths, their fountains and statues, these splendid stables withcolumned aisles and walls adorned with frescoes of horses, which theFrench invaders admired more than anything else in Milan, were well-nighcomplete. But still Lodovico was always planning some new improvementsto add to the charm and pleasantness of the ducal residence. Isabella'sfriend Leonardo, we know from one of the duke's letters, was engaged atthis moment in painting the vaults of the newly built Camerini, whilehe was still putting the last touches to the famous equestrian statuewhich the Marchesa now saw for the first time, and which the dukepromised should be soon cast in bronze. But the great master's thoughtswere taking a new direction, and he was already preparing designs forthe mural painting of the Cenacolo, with which Lodovico had ordered himto decorate the refectory of the Dominicans in his favourite convent ofS. Maria della Grazie. It was a work after Leonardo's own heart, and hedetermined to frame an altogether new and original composition, a LastSupper which should be unlike all others in Italy. This time at leastthe duke's fastidious taste should be satisfied, and the Lombards shouldbe made to own that Leonardo the Florentine was an artist who had noequal. 

Another of Isabella's favourite artists, Maestro Lorenzo, the giftedorgan-maker, was absent from court, and had left his old home at Paviato take up his abode at Venice near his friend Aldo Manuzio, theprinter. But during this visit the Marchesa saw "the beautiful andperfect clavichord" which he had made for Beatrice, and vowed to leaveno stone unturned until she had obtained a similar one. Unfortunately, when she wrote to inform Messer Lorenzo of her wishes, he was engaged inmaking a viol for the Duchess of Milan, and had also promised MesserAntonio Visconti a clavichord, so that he was unable to satisfy theimpatient Marchesa as quickly as she would have liked. Nothing daunted, however, Isabella returned to the charge, and addressed a letter in hersweetest and most persuasive strain to Count Antonio Visconti, begginghim, since her desires were so ardent and she had already waited solong, of his courtesy to allow Messer Lorenzo to begin her clavichord assoon as Duchess Beatrice's viol should be finished. The count naturallyenough was unable to refuse the request of so charming a princess, andas usual Isabella got her own way. On Christmas Day, 1496, she wrotejoyously to tell her Venetian agent, Brognolo, that Messer Lorenzo hadjust arrived at Mantua, bringing the precious clavichord, which was asbeautiful and perfect as it could possibly be. But the saddest part ofthe story has yet to be told. After the death of Beatrice, andLodovico's final ruin, Isabella d'Este remembered the matchless organwhich Lorenzo de Pavia had made for her sister, and wrote immediatelyto the Pallavicini brothers who had joined in the betrayal of theCastello, begging them, if possible, to let her have the instrument. Aconsiderable time elapsed before her wish was gratified, but in the endher perseverance triumphed over all difficulties, and on the last day ofJuly, 1501, she wrote to tell Messer Lorenzo that the beautifulclavichord which he had made for the Duchess of Milan had been given herby Galeazzo Pallavicino, the husband of Niccolo da Correggio'shalf-sister, Elizabeth Sforza, and would be doubly precious to her ashis work and because of its rare excellence. [58] By a strange fate, thefragments of this precious clavichord, which was so highly esteemed inits day, have of late years found their way to the ancient palace of thedukes of Ferrara in Venice. The instrument which the gifted Pavian madefor Beatrice, inscribed with the Greek and Latin mottoes chosen byLorenzo, may still be seen under the roof of her father's old house, inthose halls where the young duchess once spent that joyous May-time longago. 

Another incident which took place at Milan during Isabella's visit, andcould not fail to inspire her with the keenest interest, was the arrivalof a marble Leda and a number of other antiques that were sent to theduke from Rome, by the goldsmith Caradosso. After the flight of Pierode' Medici and the revolution which had taken place in Florence, Lodovico sent this well-known connoisseur to try and acquire some of thepriceless marbles or gems from the Magnificent Lorenzo's collection. Butthe Florentine magistrates wisely declined to part from these objects ofart, which were now the property of the nation, and after ChristmasCaradosso went on to Rome. He arrived there to find the French army inpossession of the city and everything in the greatest confusion, but inthe end succeeded in securing several valuable antiques. The cardinals, to whom Caradosso obtained introductions through Ascanio Sforza, wereglad to ingratiate themselves with the powerful Duke of Milan at thiscritical moment, and the artist was able to inform his master thatCardinal di Monreale had given him a marble Leda--a really good antique, though some limbs of it were missing--and that other prelates had madehim liberal offers. 

"The Cardinal of Parma asked me yesterday what brought me to Rome. Itold him I had come, by your Excellency's desire, to see if I could findany beautiful works in bronze or marble that were to be had for gold. Monsignore asked me if you really cared for these things. I replied, 'Yes, undoubtedly. ' Upon which the Most Reverend informed me that he hadan antique statue, and begged me to come and see if I thought that youwould like it, as if so, he should be glad to send it as a present toyour Excellency. I have seen it, and it is decidedly good. . . . Monsignoredi Sanseverino has promised to show me some fine things, and I hear thatMonsignore Colonna and the Cardinal of Siena have also some good things, but, unluckily, they are both of them away from Rome. Since I am here Imust do my best to play the rogue. I hope to have enough to load a barkshortly, and send statues to Genoa and to Milan. Meanwhile I should beglad if you would write and thank the Cardinal of Parma for his statue, because it may induce him to send you some more fine works of art, andyour gratitude may lead others, who are anxious to gain yourExcellency's favour, to follow his example and send you some morebeautiful objects, so that the world may become aware how far yousurpass all other princes both in magnanimity and in the delight whichyou take in this most laudable pursuit. On my return to Florence, I willmake another effort to obtain some of the precious objects which I sawthere, and perhaps this time affairs may be in better order, and I maybe more successful in obeying the orders of your Excellency, to whom Icommend myself. 

 "Your servant, CARADOSSO DE MUNDO. 

Roma, February, 1495. "

No one sympathized more truly with Lodovico's passion for collectingantiques, or appreciated the treasures of art which he had broughttogether in the Castello, more fully than Isabella d'Este. As before, this brilliant princess charmed all hearts at Milan. When she asked afavour, whether it was of Count Pallavicino or Madonna Cecilia, ofMesser Lorenzo or Gian Bellini, no one could refuse her prayer. When shereceived the Venetian ambassadors, the grace and gallantry of herbearing were irresistible. Whatever she did was done well. Her highspirits never failed, her strength never seemed to tire. She could rideall day and dance all night. She could answer Gaspare Visconti's versesin impromptu rhymes, and keep up animated literary controversies withNiccolo da Correggio and Messer Galeaz, or discuss grave politicalquestions with the duke in the wisest and most sagacious manner. "Asusual, " wrote her secretary Capilupi, "Madonna's gracious ways andlively conversation have charmed every one here, most of all the SignorDuca, who calls her his dear daughter, and always makes her dine withhim. "

If Lodovico took pleasure in Isabella's company, Beatrice's warm heartglowed with tender affection for the sister whose presence recalled herdead mother and the home of her youth, while Isabella's love forchildren could not resist the advances of her little nephew Ercole, whofollowed his aunt about the rooms of the Castello and made her laughtill the tears ran down her cheeks. But the happy peace of these dayswas destined to be rudely disturbed. Suddenly, on the last day of themonth, news reached Milan that the King of France had entered Naples andbeen crowned King of the Sicilies in the cathedral on the 22nd ofFebruary. The young king Ferrante had fled to Ischia with the rest ofthe royal family, and throughout his dominions the people flocked outalong the roads to hail the victor's coming, and welcomed him withshouts of joy. Great was the consternation at the Milanese court thatevening, and Isabella wrote to her husband--

"So complete and sudden a downfall appears almost impossible both tothis illustrious lord, the duke, and to us all. It would indeed havebeen impossible were it not a Divine judgment. This sad case must be anexample to all the kings and powers of the world, and will, I hope, teach them to value the love of their subjects more than all theirfortresses, treasures, and men-at-arms, for, as we see now, thediscontent of the people is more dangerous to a monarch than all themight of his enemies on the battle-field. "

The bad news threw a gloom over the gay party in the Castello. All thepleasure and feasting of the Carnival, all the mirth of the dancing andfeasting, died away. Isabella and Beatrice thought sadly of their cousinFerrante, the chivalrous young prince who was a favourite with all hiskinsfolk, and his sister, the widowed Duchess Isabella, shed bittertears over this fresh sorrow. Even comedies and pageants lost their oldgaiety and became dull and tedious. "To me this Carnival seems athousand years long, " sighed Isabella d'Este, in a letter to herhusband, deploring her prolonged absence and complaining that the dukewould not allow her to leave before a certain day, fixed by hisastrologer. By the middle of March, however, she returned to Mantua, followed by the most sincere regrets and liveliest expressions ofaffection on the part of both her sister and brother-in-law. 

"In all her actions, " wrote Lodovico to the Marquis of Mantua, "thisworthy Madonna has shown so much charm and excellence, that, although werejoice to think you will soon enjoy her presence, we cannot but feelgreat regret at the loss of her sweet company, and when she leaves usto-morrow, I must confess we shall seem to be deprived of a part ofourselves. "

And a week later Beatrice wrote to her sister, "I cannot tell you oftenenough how strange and sad the departure of your Highness has seemed tome this time. Wherever I turn, in the house or out-of-doors, I seem tosee your face before my eyes, and when I find myself deceived, andrealize that you are really gone, you will understand how sore mydistress has been--nay, how great it still is. And you, I think, willhave felt the same grief, because of the love between us. Even littleErcole misses you, and keeps on asking continually in his childishfashion for his aunt, and crying '_Cia, cia!_' and he seems quite lostwhen he cannot find you anywhere. "[59]

Beatrice's strange and sad forebodings were destined to prove all tootrue. That was Isabella's last visit to her brother-in-law's court, andthe sisters never met again. When, thirteen years afterwards, theMarchesa returned once more to Milan and danced in the halls of theCastello, she came as the guest of Louis XII. , the king who hadconquered Lodovico's fair duchy and brought about the ruin of the houseof Sforza. Beatrice had long been dead, her children were in exile, andthe Moro was wearing his heart out in lonely captivity within the gloomyprison walls of Loches. 

FOOTNOTES:

[57] Luzio-Renier, _op. Cit. _, p. 622. 

[58] C. Dell'Acqua, _Lorenzo Gusnasco_, pp. 19, 20. 

[59] Luzio-Renier, _op. Cit. _, pp. 622, 623. 

CHAPTER XXIII

Proclamation of the new league against France at Venice--Charles VIII. At Naples--Demoralization of the victors--Charles leaves Naples andreturns to Rome--The Duke of Orleans refuses to give up Asti--Arrival ofthe imperial ambassadors at Milan--Lodovico presented with the ducalinsignia--_Fêtes_ in the Castello--The Duke of Orleans seizesNovara--Terror of Lodovico--Battle of Fornovo--Victory claimed by bothparties--The French reach Asti--Isabella's trophies restored byBeatrice. 

1495

On the evening of the 27th of February, while the joy bells were ringingin the Milanese churches in honour of the French king's triumph, theduke sent for the Venetian ambassadors. 

"I have had bad news, " he said. "Naples is lost, and the French king hasbeen joyfully welcomed by the people. I am ready to do whatever theRepublic desires. But there is no time to waste; we must act at once. "

All eyes now turned to Lodovico as the only man who could save Italyfrom the French invaders. The emperor and the Venetians had been urginghim to declare war against France for the last eight weeks, and nowFerrante of Aragon, in his despair, appealed to him by the Sforza bloodthat flowed in both their veins to deliver him and his kingdom from thedominion of the foreigner. The duke himself could not feel safe as longas Louis of Orleans remained at Asti, and declared that he was ready toplace himself at the head of a league for the defence of Italy. He wroteto congratulate Commines, the French ambassador at Venice, on hismaster's success, but the same day he sent the Bishop of Como andFrancesco Bernardino Visconti to Venice, there to negotiate a new leaguebetween himself, the Signoria, the Pope, the King of the Romans, andthe King and Queen of Spain. The presence of the German and Spanishambassadors, as well as the arrival of the two new Milanese envoys, excited Commines' suspicions, while the long faces and terror-struck airof the Venetian senators, when the news from Naples arrived, remindedhim of the Romans after the defeat of Cannæ. But so well was the secretkept that he knew nothing of the league until after it had been signed, late on the night of the 31st of March, in the bedchamber of the oldDoge. Early the next morning he was summoned to the palace, and, in thepresence of a hundred senators, solemnly informed of the new treaty. 

"Magnificent ambassador, " said the prince, "our friendship for yourmaster makes it our duty to inform you of all that concerns the state. Know, then, that yesterday, in the name of the Holy Spirit, of theglorious Virgin Mary, and the blessed Evangelist Monsignore S. Marco, our patron, a league has been concluded for the protection of the Churchand the defence of the Holy Roman Empire and your own states, betweenhis Holiness the Pope, his Majesty the King of the Romans, the King andQueen of Spain, our Signoria, and the Duke of Milan. Tell this, we prayyou, to your Most Christian Majesty. " Before the prince had donespeaking, Commines heard the bells of St. Mark's ringing to celebratethe new league, and, still dazed by the unexpected news, he stammeredout, "What will happen to my king? Will he be able to return to France?"

"Certainly, " replied the prince, "if he comes as a friend to theleague. "

Without another word, Commines left the palace, but as he went down thegrand staircase, he asked the secretary who accompanied him to repeatthe Doge's words, since he could hardly take them in. Then he told hisgondoliers to row him back to his house, near S. Giorgio Maggiore, andon the way he met the ambassador of Naples, in a fine new robe, with asmiling face, as he well might have, "for this, " adds Commines, "wasgreat news for him. " Marino Sanuto, who narrates the incident, was muchstruck by Commines' rage and dismay, and, like a true Venetian, remarkscontemptuously, "He did not know how to dissimulate his feelings, as oneshould do in such a case. " And, in the same spirit, he goes on toadmire the presence of mind displayed by the Milanese ambassadors, whoto all Commines' remonstrances replied courteously, that of course theirduke had nothing to do with all this. "They acted, " he adds, "as thewise act in the government of states. They persuade their enemies thatthey mean to do one thing, and then they do another. "

At night all Venice was illuminated, and from his covered gondola theFrench ambassador saw the fireworks and the banquetings that were heldat the palaces of the other envoys. He understood what it all meant, andtrembled for his king's safety. But he lost no time, and sent warningsboth to Orleans at Asti and to Charles at Naples, of the coming storm. Aweek or two later he left Venice, and went to meet Charles at Florence. On Palm Sunday, the 10th of April, the League was solemnly proclaimed onthe Piazza of St. Mark, and all the ambassadors marched in processionround the square, while images of united Italy, and of all the kings andprinces of the League, were carried about in triumph, and the goldenrose was given by the Pope to the Venetian ambassador in Rome. "To-day, "said the Duke of Milan, "will see the dawn of the peace and prosperityof Italy. "

King Charles, meanwhile, unconscious of the dangers that threatened toimpede his return home, was revelling in the delights of Naples, andholding jousts and banquets in the sunny gardens and fair palaces ofthat enchanted bay. "My brother, " he wrote to the Duke of Bourbon, "thisis the divinest land and the fairest city that I have ever seen. Youwould never believe what beautiful gardens I have here. So delicious arethey, and so full of rare and lovely flowers and fruits, that nothing, by my faith, is wanting, except Adam and Eve, to make this place anotherEden. "

While the king and his nobles were eating off gold and silver plate anddrinking out of jewelled goblets in King Alfonso's tapestried halls, theFrench soldiers were to be seen lying about in the streets, intoxicatedwith the strong and luscious wines of Southern Italy. The whole army wasgiven over to luxury and vice, and the outrages which the troopscommitted soon made them hated by the fickle populace, who a few weeksbefore had welcomed them as deliverers from the tyrant's yoke. "From themoment of the king's arrival until his departure, " writes Commines, "hethought of nothing but pleasure, and those about him only cared to seektheir own profit. His youth may excuse him, but for his servants therecould be no excuse. " The news of the league between the powers came tostartle Charles out of this fool's paradise. On the 8th of April, theCount of Caiazzo was suddenly recalled to Milan, and when Charles askedLodovico to send him Messer Galeazzo instead, the duke replied curtlythat he had need of him at home. By degrees the king began to realizethe formidable combination which had arisen against him, and prepared tomarch northward with the bulk of his army, leaving the Duke ofMontpensier with a few hundred French troops and some thousand Swissmercenaries to defend his newly conquered kingdom. On the 20th of May, he finally left Naples, and on the 1st of June entered Rome by the Latingate, two days after the Pope had fled to Orvieto. Almost at the samemoment, King Ferrante returned to Calabria, and his subjects flocked tojoin the old banner of the house of Aragon. 

Lodovico's first step was to send Galeazzo di Sanseverino with a body ofnewly raised troops against Asti, on the 19th of April, and to summonthe Duke of Orleans to surrender the town and to drop the title of Dukeof Milan. In this he was supported by the Emperor Maximilian, who sentan imperious order to Louis forbidding him to assume the title, on painof forfeiting his fief of Asti. Orleans replied proudly that Asti formedpart of his heritage, and that he was ready to defend it to the lastdrop of his blood against Signor Lodovico or any other foe. At the sametime he sent an urgent appeal to the Duke of Bourbon for reinforcements, and prepared to act on the offensive. 

On the 14th of the same month, the Duke of Milan wrote a gay letter toIsabella d'Este, informing her of his intention to attack Asti, andregretting that she was not present to join the expedition on her fleetcharger. But Asti was too strongly fortified, and the forces underGaleazzo were too raw and ill paid, for him to attempt an assault; so heremained in his camp at Annona, and contented himself with cutting offthe supplies of the beleaguered city. 

Towards the end of April, the imperial envoys were at length despatchedwith the long-promised privileges, and in the middle of May they reachedMilan, where they were magnificently entertained by the duke and duchessin the Castello. On the 26th of May, the festival of S. Felicissimo, thegreat ceremony took place. An imposing tribunal, hung with crimson satinembroidered with gold mulberry leaves and berries, was erected for theoccasion on the piazza at the doors of the Duomo, and here, afterattending high mass, Lodovico Sforza was solemnly proclaimed Duke ofMilan, Count of Pavia and Angera, by the grace of God and the will ofhis Cesarean Majesty, Maximilian, Emperor-elect and chief of the HolyRoman Empire. The imperial delegates, Melchior, Bishop of Brixen, andConrad Stürzl, Chancellor of the King of the Romans, first read aloudthe privileges in their master's name, and then invested Lodovico withthe ducal cap and mantle, and placed the sceptre and sword of state inhis hands. Giasone del Maino, the celebrated Pavian jurist, recited aLatin oration, after which the duke, accompanied by the imperialambassadors, and followed by the duchess and a brilliant suite ofcourtiers and ladies, rode in procession to the ancient basilica of S. Ambrogio to return thanks for his accession. Then the whole companyreturned, "with immense rejoicing and triumph, " to the Castello, where aseries of splendid _fêtes_ were given in honour of the occasion, andrich presents were made to the imperial ambassadors and court officials. Two days afterwards another imposing ceremony was held in the Castello, when the heads of houses from the different quarters of the city wereassembled, and each citizen in turn swore fealty, first to Duke Lodovicoand afterwards to Duchess Beatrice, whom, in the event of his own death, he had appointed to be regent of the State and guardian of his sons. TheMarquis of Mantua was among the guests present, and Beatrice felt thekeenest regret that the marchioness was unable to accompany him andwitness the wonderful scene before the Duomo, which, she exclaims in heryouthful enthusiasm, " was the grandest spectacle and noblest solemnitythat our eyes have ever beheld. "

It was the proudest day of Lodovico's life, and his adored wife, whoshared the cares of State as well as the festivities of his court, mightwell join in his exultation. But his confidence in the favours ofFortune and in the security of his position was destined to receive arude shock. Before the week was ended, on the very day when Beatricewrote her triumphant letter to her sister, Louis of Orleans, strengthened by the arrival of fresh troops, made a successful sallyfrom Asti at nightfall and appeared before the walls of Novara. Thecitizens, who were already disaffected by reason of the oppressiveexactions of the Duke of Milan, opened their gates, and after a shortsiege the citadel surrendered. Suddenly the Duke of Milan, who wasresting after the fatigues of the recent festivities at Vigevano, heardthat his rival, at the head of a strongly armed force, was within twentymiles of his palace gates. An irresistible panic seized him, and heretired, first to Abbiategrasso, beyond the Ticino, and then to Milan, where he took refuge in the Castello with his wife and children. TheVenetian annalist Malipiero records how, on the 20th of June, twoLombard friars arrived at the convent of San Salvador in Venice, bringing word that the duke had fled in terror of his life to the Rocca, and would hardly see or speak to a single soul. "He is in bad health, with one hand paralyzed, they say, and is hated by all the people, andfears they will rise against him. " In this critical moment, Beatriceshowed a courage and presence of mind which contrasted curiously withher husband's weakness. She sent for the chief Milanese noblemen, spokebrave words to them, and took prompt measures for defending the Castelloand city. Fortunately, the Venetian general, Bernardo Contarini, arrivedon the 22nd of June at the head of several thousand Greek Stradiots tothe duke's assistance, while the French were held in check by Galeazzo'sforce and compelled to remain within the walls of Novara. This momentarypanic over, Lodovico recovered his health and nerve, but his treasurywas exhausted by the large subsidies granted to his allies and theextravagant expenditure of the last two years, and the forced loanswhich he exacted from his subjects created a general feeling ofdiscontent. Galeazzo's force was weakened by continual desertion, andthe duke had great difficulty in raising sufficient money to maintaintwo separate armies. Rumours of the disaffection of the Milanese and ofthe perils which threatened his ally had reached Maximilian's ears atWorms, and on the 18th of June he sent Lodovico a grave warning by hisenvoy, Angelo Talenti, begging the duke to place German troops in thefortress of Lombardy, and to provide guards for the castles of Milan andComo, "in order that he may be able to sleep in peace. " Two days laterhe spoke again to the envoy, and begged him to urge the duke to removehis womankind from the Castello to Cremona, where he heard that he had afine palace, saying that the presence of women had often caused the lossof citadels. Perhaps, if Maximilian had known Duchess Beatrice as wellas he did a year later, he would have thought this warning superfluous. Lodovico, however, thanked his Majesty for his thoughtfulness, andapplied himself, with the help of Leonardo, to fortify the Castello ofMilan and make it an impregnable citadel. That winter he had appointedBernardino del Corte, one of his favourite and most devoted servants, tobe governor of the Rocca, which held his treasure and jewels togetherwith all his most precious possessions, and on the 12th of January, afortnight before the birth of Beatrice's child, the new castellan hadtaken a solemn oath of fealty to the duke and duchess, swearing, withhis hand on the crucifix, that he would hold the Castello for his liegelord and lady till his latest breath. Messer Galeazzo and his brother, Antonio Maria di Sanseverino, Giasone del Maino, Ambrogio di Rosate, theastrologer, Galeotto Prince of Mirandola, and Giovanni Adorno, apowerful Genoese nobleman, who had married a sister of the Sanseverinibrothers, were all present in Beatrice's room in the Rocchetta on thisoccasion, and signed the document as witnesses of Bernardino's oath. 

Maximilian now sent his long-promised contingent of Swiss and Germantroops to join the Count of Caiazzo's horse, and the Venetian army, under the generalship of Gian Francesco Gonzaga, and the allied forces, amounting in all to some twenty-five thousand men, prepared to cut offthe retreat of the French king and prevent his return to Asti. "Here Iam, " wrote the Marquis of Mantua to his wife, "at the head of the finestarmy which Italy has ever seen, not only to resist, but to exterminatethe French. " And Isabella wrote back in high spirits at the "greatenterprise" that was before him, sending him a cross with an Agnus Deito wear round his neck in battle, and telling him that her prayers andthose of all the priests of Mantua were with him. 

On Sunday, the 5th of July, the French army, reduced by sickness anddesertion to less than ten thousand in number, and fatigued by longforced marches across the Apennines, descended into the valley of theTaro, and encamped at the village of Fornovo, on the right bank of themountain torrent. Further along the same bank, down in the plains, laythe army of the league, and, in order to reach Lombardy, the French hadto cross the river in full view of the enemy's camp. Early on Mondaymorning, the 6th of July, Charles, mounted on his favourite charger, "Savoy, " and wearing white and purple plumes in his cap, led the van ofhis army across the Taro, swollen as it was by the late heavy rains. Atthe same moment, the Marquis of Mantua and the Count of Caiazzo, at thehead of their light cavalry, attacked the French rear-guard, and thebattle began. Paolo Giovio describes the engagement that followed as thefiercest battle of the age, in which more blood was spilt than in anyother during the last two hundred years, although Commines, who waspresent with his monarch, says that the actual fighting only lasted aquarter of an hour. On both sides the leaders fought with heroiccourage. Charles VIII. Himself repeatedly led the charge against theMilanese horse, and, calling on the chivalry of France to live or diewith him, dashed into the thickest of the fray. Once mounted on hiswar-horse, and face to face with the foe, the ugly little deformed manbecame a true king, and risked his life and liberty at the head of hissubjects. Francesco Gonzaga, on his part, performed prodigies of valour, and had three horses killed under him, while his uncle, Rodolfo Gonzaga, and many other gallant knights were left dead on the field. But personalexploits could not atone for his want of generalship, and while themarquis and his immediate followers were engaged in a desperatehand-to-hand fight with the foe, a large body of his reserve remainedinactive on the banks of the Taro, and his Stradiots were engaged inplundering the French camp. The result was that, in spite of theirsuperior numbers, the Italian ranks were broken and many of theVenetians fled in confusion towards Parma, while the French succeeded incrossing the river, and, early on Tuesday morning, continued their marchacross the Lombard plain. But, as the camp and baggage remained in thehands of the allies, the Italians claimed the victory. The Venetianscelebrated their triumph with public rejoicings and illuminations on thePiazza of S. Marco, and lauded their brave captain to the skies. Both atMilan and Mantua there was great exultation when the news became known;poets and painters alike did honour to the victors: Sperandio designedhis noble medal, and Mantegna painted the Madonna della Vittoria toimmortalize Francesco Gonzaga's triumph. But the marquis himself, writing to his wife from the camp the day after the battle, remarks thatif only others had fought as he and his followers did, the victory wouldhave been complete, and laments the disobedience and cowardice of theStradiots, who first plundered the enemy's camp and then fled, althoughno one pursued them. "These things, " he adds, "have caused me thegreatest grief that I have ever known. "

Lodovico's congratulations on the victory were coldly worded, and evokeda reply from his brother-in-law, saying that if he had foiled incourage, he would have been a dead man. But the duke could not forgiveGonzaga for allowing the French to pursue their way unmolested. Only theCount of Caiazzo and his brothers had attempted to follow them withtheir light cavalry, who were too few in number to do the enemy seriousdamage, and by the 8th of July, Charles and his tired army reached Astiin safety. 

"God Himself was our guide, " devoutly ejaculates Commines, "and led ushome with honour, as that good man Fra Girolamo of Florence hadforetold. But, as he said truly, we were made to suffer for our sins, for we were in sore need of food, and so great was our want of waterthat men drank of the ditches along the road; but no one was heard tocomplain, although it was the hardest journey I ever took in my life, and I have had many bad ones. "

Among the booty which fell into the hands of the marquis after thebattle was the French king's tent with all its contents. These includeda sword and helmet, said to have belonged to Charlemagne, a silvercasket containing the royal seals, besides a set of rich hangings andaltar-plate, and a jewelled cross and reliquary on which Charles setgreat value, because it held a sacred thorn and piece of wood from theholy cross, a vest of our Lady, and a limb of St. Denis, which wereobjects of his especial devotion. Many of these relics were eventuallyrestored to the king, who, not to be outdone in courtesy, sent themarquis a favourite white horse of his, which had been captured by theFrench, gorgeously apparelled in gold trappings. Among the spoils sentto Mantua were a magnificent set of embroidered hangings from the royaltent, and a curious book of paintings, containing portraits of the chiefItalian beauties who had fascinated King Charles. These, together withthe hilt of the broken sword with which the marquis himself had foughtin the _mêlèe_, were joyfully received by Isabella, who counted thesetrophies among her proudest possessions. She was, accordingly, a gooddeal annoyed when, a week later, her husband desired her to send backthe French king's hangings, as he wished to give them to her sisterBeatrice. Her protest on this occasion is very characteristic. 

"MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD, "Your Excellency has desired me to send the four pieces of drapery thatbelonged to the French king, in order that you may present them to theDuchess of Milan. I of course obey you, but in this instance I must sayI do it with great reluctance, as I think these royal spoils ought toremain in our family, in perpetual memory of your glorious deeds, ofwhich we have no other record here. By giving them to others, you appearto surrender the honour of the enterprise with these trophies of thevictory. I do not send them to-day, because they require a mule, and Ialso hope that you will be able to make some excuse to the duchess andtell her, for instance, that you have already given me these hangings. If I had not seen them already, I should not have cared so much; butsince you gave them to me in the first place, and they were won at theperil of your own life, I shall only give them up with tears in my eyes. All the same, as I said before, I will obey your Excellency, but shallhope to receive some explanation in reply. If these draperies were athousand times more valuable than they are, and had been acquired in anyother way, I should gladly give them up to my sister the duchess, whom, as you know, I love and honour with all my heart. But, under thecircumstances, I must own it is very hard for me to part with them. 

"Mantua, July 24, 1495. "

In this case Beatrice showed herself, as she habitually was, the moregenerous of the two. The marquis had his way, and sent the four hangingsto Milan, followed by a fifth belonging to the suite, which he had inthe mean time recovered. 

On the 25th of August, Beatrice, having duly received and admired herbrother-in-law's gift, sent them all back to Mantua, with the followingnote, thanking him for his kindness, but declining to accept a presentthat she felt belonged of right to her sister:--

"I have to-day received, by your Highness's courier, one of the piecesof drapery belonging to the King of France. Andrea Cossa had alreadybrought me the other four, for which I thank you exceedingly; but I feelthat, under the circumstances, I ought not to keep them. As it is, Ihave great pleasure in seeing them all together, and now your Highnesscan give them back to the Marchesana. "[60]

FOOTNOTES:

[60] Luzio-Renier, _op. Cit. _, pp. 632, 633. 

CHAPTER XXIV

Ferrante II. Recovers Naples--Siege of Novara by the army of the league--Review of the army by the Duke and Duchess of Milan--Charles VIII. Visits Turin and comes to Vercelli--Negotiations for peace--Lodovic andBeatrice at the camp--Treaty of Vercelli concluded between France andMilan--Jealousy of the other Powers--Commines at Vigevano--Zenale'saltar-piece in the Brera. 

1495

If the failure of the league to cut off the French king's return toFornovo had disappointed Lodovico, he found compensation in the newsthat reached Milan from Naples. Hardly had Charles VIII. Started on hismarch northwards, than Ferrante once more set foot in his own realm andreceived a joyful welcome from his subjects. On the 7th of July, the dayafter the battle of the Taro, he entered Naples, where the people tookup arms in his favour, and the nobles who had been the first to join theFrench king hastened to assure him of their loyalty. One by one thecastles in the neighbourhood surrendered to their rightful king, andMontpensier with the remnant of his forces retired into the Calabrianfastnesses, to carry on a petty war of depredation and skirmishes duringthe winter months. Lodovico hastened to impart the good news to hissister-in-law Isabella, who replied in the following letter:--

"MOST ILLUSTRIOUS DUKE OF MILAN AND DEAR LORD, "The news of King Ferrante's entry into Naples, which your Highness wasso good as to send me, has given me the greatest pleasure, both for hisMajesty's own sake and for that of your Highness, since it seems to methat all this must help to deliver us the more speedily from the handsof the French. So I congratulate myself with your Excellency, and thankyou with all my heart for your kindness in allowing me to share the goodnews, which has indeed given me the greatest happiness. I only hope thatyou may soon receive tidings of the recovery of Novara, and begging youto keep me informed of your successes, and to commend me cordially to mysister the duchess, "I remain, your daughter and servant, ISABELLA DA ESTE. "[61]

Written with my own hand in Mantua on the 16th of July, 1495. "

The siege of Novara, where the Duke of Orleans had been beleagured sincethe middle of June, was now the centre of interest in Lombardy. Immediately after Fornovo, the Count of Caiazzo's cavalry had joined hisbrother Galeazzo's force before Novara, and on the 19th of July theMarquis of Mantua encamped under the walls with the Venetian army. Thegarrison of the besieged city was six or seven thousand strong, and wellprovided with arms and ammunition, but already supplies of food werescarce, and men and horses were dying of sickness and hunger. Somedissensions having arisen between Francesco Gonzaga and the otherleaders as to the conduct of the siege, the Duke of Milan himselfvisited the camp of the league on the 3rd of August, bringing with him, says Guicciardini, his beloved wife--"_la sua carissima consorte_"--whowas his companion "no less in matters of importance than in actionsfamiliar, and who on this occasion, it is said, chiefly by her adviceand counsel brought the captains to an agreement. " A council of war washeld, and Lodovico's recommendation to blockade the town instead ofcarrying it by assault was finally adopted. On the 5th of August theduke and duchess were present at a grand review of the whole army, which, with Galeazzo's troops and the German and Swiss reinforcements, now amounted to upwards of forty thousand men. Never in the memory ofman, say the chroniclers, had so great and splendid an army been seen inItaly as that which, with flying colours and beating drums, to the soundof trumpets and martial music, marched past the chariot of DuchessBeatrice. First came the hero of Fornovo, Francesco Gonzaga, at the headof his troop of horse, mounted on magnificent chargers, "a sightadmirable to behold;" then the infantry, all in excellent order, led bytheir different Condottieri, in glittering armour; afterwards theartillery, firing big guns, which seemed to rend the air; then theStradiots armed with lances, targets, and scimitars, and the Venetiancross-bowmen and light cavalry. These were followed by Galeazzo diSanseverino, who looked his best that day, clad in French attire as aknight of the Order of St. Michel--for which, we are told, he wassharply reprimanded by the duke--followed by the flower of Milanesechivalry, bearing in their midst the ducal banner with the figure of aMoor, holding an eagle in one hand and strangling a dragon with theother. After Messer Galeaz came his brothers, Antonio Maria andFracassa, "_ce très-beau et très-gracieux gendarme_, " as Commines callshim, each leading his own squadron; and finally the German infantry, consisting of some five or six thousand men. 

"It was indeed, " writes the Neapolitan scholar, Jacopo d'Atri, who wasin attendance on his master, the Marquis of Mantua, "a stupendous sight, and all who were present say that since the days of the Romans, so vastand well-disciplined an army has never been seen. " And the Marquis ofMantua, in his letters, never ceased to regret his wife's absence, telling her that she had missed the grandest sight in the world, a thingthe like of which she would never see again. 

The only drawback to the day's success was an accident which befell theduke's horse, who stumbled and fell as Lodovico passed along the lines, throwing his rider to the ground, and soiling his rich clothes in themud. "This, " remarks the chronicler who tells the story, "was held to bean evil omen, and was remembered afterwards by many who were presentthat day. " After this review, the duke and duchess returned to Vigevano, and the siege of Novara was prosecuted with fresh vigour. In vain Louisof Orleans and his famished soldiers looked out for the French army thatwas to bring them relief. King Charles had gone to visit his ally theDuchess of Savoy at Turin, and was consoling himself for the toil anddisappointments of the campaign by making love to fair Anna Solieri inthe neighbouring town of Chieri. Since his reduced forces were unequalto the task of facing the army of the league and relieving Novara, hesent the bailiff of Dijon to raise a body of twelve thousand Swiss inthe Cantons friendly to France, and decided to await their arrivalbefore he took active measures. 

Meanwhile he and most of his followers were thoroughly tired of warfare, and the queen never ceased imploring him to return home. The Frenchsupplies of men and money were exhausted, and when Charles sent home forreinforcements, Anne of Brittany replied that there were no Frenchmenleft to send, only widows weeping for their husbands, whose bones werewhitening on the Italian plains. The Venetian ambassador, Commines, whowas strongly in favour of peace, had already opened negotiations withsome of his friends in Venice, and Charles lent a willing ear both tohis proposals and to those of the Duchess of Savoy, who on her partoffered to mediate between him and the Duke of Milan. But Briconnet, theCardinal of S. Malo, Lodovico's old enemy and a staunch partisan ofOrleans, defeated these plans by his intrigues, and the French army, leaving Asti, advanced to Vercelli, in the duchy of Savoy, and preparedto take the field. Both parties, however, were growing weary of thisprolonged warfare, and Commines declares that in the French camp no onewanted to fight, unless the king led them to battle, and that Charleshimself had not the slightest wish to take the field. 

At length, early in September, the first detachment of Swiss leviesreached Vercelli, and on the 12th the king himself arrived in the camp. His first act was to hold a council of war, which decided in favour ofpeace, and Commines was sent to treat with the Marquis of Mantua. Theallies insisted on the unconditional surrender of Novara, while CharlesVIII. Asked for the restitution of Genoa as an ancient fief of theFrench crown. Nothing was concluded, but a truce of eight days wasagreed upon, and prolonged conferences were held at a castle betweenVercelli and Cameriano. 

On the 21st of September, Lodovico returned to the camp of the league, bringing Beatrice with him, and rode out to meet the Frenchcommissioners. Commines gives a minute account of the conferences, whichtook place in the duke's lodgings at Cameriano during the nextfortnight. 

"Every day the duke and duchess came to meet us at the end of a longgallery and conducted us to their rooms, where we found two long rows ofchairs prepared, and we sat down on one side, and the representatives ofthe league on the other. First came the ambassadors of the King of theRomans and the King of Spain; then the Marquis of Mantua and theVenetian Provveditori and envoy; then the Duke of Milan and his wife theduchess, seated between him and the ambassador of Ferrara. On theirside, the duke was the only spokesman, and on our side one only. But ourhabit is not to speak as quietly as they do; two or three of us oftenbegan to speak at the same time, which made the duke say, 'Ho! ho! ifyou please, one at a time. ' And two secretaries, one of ours and one oftheirs, wrote down the articles agreed upon, and before we took leave, read them aloud, the one in Italian, the other in French, to see ifthere was anything that could be altered or shortened. "

Beatrice was present at all the deliberations, and surprised the othercommissioners by her cleverness and quickness, and the ready tact sheinvariably showed. The duke was now sincerely anxious for peace, andonly cared to recover Novara, and to see the French safely out of hisdominions, where the presence of Louis of Orleans could not fail toprove a disturbing element. Both he and Commines directed all theirefforts to bring matters to a favourable conclusion, but the othercommissioners made difficulties, and the Venetian, Spanish, and Germanambassadors would decide nothing without consulting their separategovernments. The evacuation of Novara, however, was unanimously agreedupon, and on the 26th of September, Orleans and his garrison marched outwith the honours of war, and were escorted by Messer Galeaz and theMarquis of Mantua to the French outposts. More than two thousand men hadalready died of sickness and starvation. Almost all their horses hadbeen eaten, and the survivors were in a miserable plight. Many perishedby the roadside, and Commines found fifty troopers in a faintingcondition in a garden at Cameriano, and saved their lives by feedingthem with soup. Even then one man died on the spot, and four othersnever reached the camp. Three hundred more died at Vercelli, some ofsickness, others from over-eating themselves after the prolongedstarvation which they had endured, and the dung-hills of the town werestrewn with dead corpses. Yet still Orleans, who, as Commines remarks, had caused all this mischief, was eager for war, and entreated the kingto make no terms with Signor Lodovico. He had a strong supporter in theMilanese captain, Jean Jacques Trivulzio, who had entered the Frenchking's service after Alfonso's flight from Naples, and had neverforgotten his old griefs against Lodovico and his son-in-law. And on theselfsame day that Novara was evacuated, the bailiff of Dijon arrived atVercelli with ten or twelve thousand more Swiss mercenaries, bringing upthe whole number to upwards of twenty thousand. So large a body hadnever been assembled before, and the presence of these rudemountaineers, greedy for spoil and ready to quarrel with friends orfoes, created general alarm. The Duke of Milan was now more eager thanever to conclude peace, and when Louis of Orleans and Trivulzio urgedthe king to break off negotiations and march at the head of the Swiss onMilan, Charles replied curtly that it was too late, for thepreliminaries of peace were already signed. He himself had no wish butto return home and send help to his distressed troops in Naples. 

Accordingly, on the 9th of October a separate convention was concludedbetween the King of France and the Duke of Milan, leaving the otherPowers to settle their differences among themselves. Novara was restoredto Lodovico, and his title to Genoa and Savona recognized, while Charlesrenounced the support of his cousin Louis of Orleans' claims upon Milan. In return the duke promised not to assist Ferrante with troops or ships, to give free passage to French armies, and assist the king with Milanesetroops if he returned to Naples in person. He further renounced hisclaim on Asti, and agreed to pay the Duke of Orleans 50, 000 ducats as awar indemnity, and lend the king two ships as transports for hissoldiers from Genoa to Naples. A debt of 80, 000 ducats, that was stillowing to Lodovico, was cancelled, and the Castelletto of the port ofGenoa was placed in the Duke of Ferrara's hands, as a security thatthese engagements would be kept on both sides. The king, we learn fromCommines, still retained a friendly feeling for the Duke of Milan, andinvited him to a meeting before he left Italy; but Lodovico had takenumbrage at certain offensive remarks made by the Count of Ligny andCardinal Briconnet, and excused himself on plea of illness, while hedeclared in private that he would not trust himself in the French king'scompany unless a river ran between them. "It is true, " says Commines, "that foolish words had been spoken, but the king meant well, and wishedto remain his friend. "

The Marquis of Mantua was better disposed towards his Most ChristianMajesty, and gladly accepted an invitation to visit the king at Vercellibefore his departure. He wrote to his wife in great haste, begging herto send him his finest linen shirts and best gold brocade vest andmantle, together with different sorts of choice perfumes, and the nextday duly made his obeisance to the king. He was highly gratified at thecourtesy with which he was received, and at the familiar way in whichhis Majesty conversed, not only with himself, but with his servants, "treating them exactly as if they were his equals" and condescending tolift his hand to his cap each time they saluted him. " What impressedthis rough soldier most of all was the sight of three cardinals standingamong the crowd at the door, "just as the chaplains may be seen in anyother house, " and among them the cardinal of S. Pietro in Vincula(afterwards Julius II. ), "who dares contend with the Pope, and who yetstood here in the humblest and most respectful fashion. " Before themarquis left, the king made him a present of two valuable bay horses, remarkable for their fine shape and speed. One of the two was anexcellent jumper, and delighted Francesco by the way in which he couldclear wide trenches and lofty fences at a single bound, "jumping withall four feet in the air at once. "

At the same time Gonzaga's secretary, Jacopo d'Atri, informed theMarchesa that the priest Bernardino d'Urbino and a troop of Mantuansingers had been sent that evening to amuse the king. Charles questionedthe chaplain closely about his master's wife, asking for an exactdescription of her person, height, and features, and being especiallyanxious to learn if Isabella at all resembled the Duchess Beatrice, andif, like that illustrious lady, she was as charming and gracious as shewas beautiful. Don Bernardino replied discreetly that the Marchesa was, to say the truth, even more beautiful than her sister, and surpassed allother ladies by her charm and brilliancy. This roused the king'scuriosity to the highest pitch, and he insisted on having a full andparticular account of Isabella's talents and accomplishments, as well asof the gowns she usually wore and the fashion of her clothes, andrejoiced to hear she was not very tall, since he himself was short ofstature and admired small women. "In short, " adds the secretary, "hisMajesty appeared quite in love with my description of your Excellency, and if he meets you, will, I am sure, seek to kiss your cheek, not once, but many times. And this being the case, I am glad to be able to tellyou that the King of France is less deformed than people say. "[62]

The desired meeting, however, was never effected. Immediately peace wassigned, Charles VIII. Left Vercelli, crossed the Alps with the remnantsof his army, and reached Lyons on the 7th of November. Commines, meanwhile, was sent on a further errand to Venice, where he vainlyendeavoured to negotiate a treaty, but found the Signoria determined tomaintain the cause of Ferrante of Naples. The Venetians were not sorryto disband their army and see the French cross the Alps; but none theless their indignation was great at the Duke of Milan's breach of faithin concluding a separate peace, and sharp words passed between theambassadors of Spain and Naples and the Milanese envoy at Venice. 

"The best thing, in my opinion, " remarks the annalist Malipiero, "wouldhave been for Contarini to give the Stradiots orders to cut to piecesboth Duke Lodovico and Ercole of Ferrara, who are the Signory's worstenemies. And the truth is, you should never take part in another'squarrel, or enter the country of a foreign ally, for in these matters noone is to be trusted. "

[Illustration: Altar piece ascribed to Zenale with portraits of LodovicoSforza and Beatrice d'Este (Brera)

D. Anderson. ]

Maximilian, on his part, was satisfied with Lodovico's excuses, andowned that the duke was right to make peace without delay. As forLodovico, it was with a deep sense of relief that he saw the departureof the last French troops. He invited the Duke of Ferrara, theMarquis of Mantua, and the Venetian Provveditori to Vigevano, andentertained them all magnificently. When, on his return from Venice, Commines in his turn visited Vigevano, the duke rode out to meet himwith charming courtesy, and bade the French ambassador welcome to hisbeautiful country home. But when they came to business, it was anothermatter. Commines heard from Genoa that the two ships, which the Duke ofMilan was to send to Naples with the French fleet, had received ordersnot to sail, and when he asked for an explanation, Lodovico told himthat he could put no trust or confidence in his master the king. At theend of three days the ambassador took his leave, and just as he wasstarting on his journey, to his surprise the duke came up to him verycivilly, and said that, after all, he wished to keep on friendly termswith his Most Christian Majesty, and had determined to send MesserGaleaz with the ships to Naples, and that before Commines reached Lyonshe should receive a letter to this effect. So Commines crossed the Alpswith a light heart, and all the way to Lyons he kept looking back, hetells us, in constant expectation of hearing the sound of horse's hoofsbehind him. But the duke's messenger did not overtake him, and the shipsnever sailed from Genoa. 

That year the festival of Christmas was celebrated with great joy andsplendour at the court of Milan. After the troubled times of the lasttwelve months, after the dangers which had threatened the very existenceof the State, and brought the noise of war to the gates of Vigevano, peace and tranquillity were once more restored, and another era ofunclouded prosperity seemed about to dawn. Now that poor Giangaleazzowas dead, and Louis of Orleans had once more crossed the Alps, there wasno one to dispute Lodovico's title or to prevent his son from eventuallysucceeding him on the throne. Once more he and Beatrice were free todevote themselves to the encouragement of learning and poetry, ofpainting and architecture; to watch Bramante and Leonardo at work, orread Dante and Petrarch together. 

That winter the altar-piece of the Brera, containing the portraits ofthe duke and his family, was painted by Zenale or some other Lombardmaster, for the church of S. Ambrogio in Nemo. Here the Madonna andChild are enthroned in the centre of the picture; the four Fathers ofthe Church, Ambrose, Augustine, Jerome, and Gregory, stand on eitherside; and in the foreground, kneeling at the foot of the throne, are theDuke and Duchess of Milan, with their two children. The Christ-childturns towards Lodovico, and St. Ambrose, the protector and patron saintof Milan, lays his hand on the shoulder of the duke, as, clad in richbrocades and wearing a massive gold chain round his neck, he clasps hishands in prayer. And the gentle Madonna stretches out her hand lovinglytowards Beatrice, who kneels at her feet, with the long coil of twistedhair, and the pearls on her head and neck, and her favourite knots ofribbons fluttering from her shoulders or falling over the velvet stripesof her yellow satin robe. Close at her side is the infant prince, Francesco Sforza, with his baby face and swaddled clothes; whileopposite, kneeling at his father's side, is the handsome little Count ofPavia. Here, at least, there is no doubt that we have authenticportraits of both Lodovico Sforza and Beatrice d'Este, the reigning Dukeand Duchess of Milan, towards the close of the year 1495. There is nomistaking the long black hair, the refined features, and long nose ofthe Moro, while in Beatrice's features we recognize the same youthfuland child-like charm that mark her countenance in Cristoforo Romano'sbust or Solari's effigy in the Certosa of Pavia. 

FOOTNOTES:

[61] Luzio-Renier, _op. Cit_. , p. 627. 

[62] Luzio-Renier, _op. Cit. _, p. 630. 

CHAPTER XXV

The war of Pisa--Venice defends the liberties of Pisa against Florence--Lodovico invites Maximilian to enter Italy and succour the Pisans--TheDuke and Duchess of Milan go to meet the emperor at Mals--Maximiliancrosses the Alps and comes to Vigevano--His interview with the Venetianenvoys--His expedition to Pisa. 

1496

"After Fornovo, " wrote the Venetian Malipiero, "Lodovico Duke of Milangoverned all things in Italy. " The departure of the French had left himpractically the arbiter between the other Powers, and afforded him freshopportunities of satisfying his ambitious schemes. He had long cherishedhopes of recovering the city of Pisa, upon which the Dukes of Milan hadancient claims, and in September, 1495, while Orleans still held Novara, he sent Fracassa, at the head of a band of Genoese archers, to help thePisans defend their newly recovered liberties against the Florentines. Three months later Fracassa was recalled, in tardy compliance with thecondition of the Treaty of Vercelli; but early in the following year, the Pisans, finding themselves deserted by the French, turned once moreto Lodovico and implored his help. At the same time they soughtassistance from the Signory of Venice, who, in March, 1496, publiclytook the city of Pisa under the protection of St. Mark, and helped theirnew allies with liberal supplies of men and money. The Duke of Milansent a small brigade to join these forces, and strongly encouraged theVenetians to bear the burden of a war from which in the end he hoped toreap solid advantage. But his secret jealousy of Venice, as well asrumours that Charles VIII. Was meditating a second French expedition torelieve the distressed garrison of Naples, induced him to seek the helpof a new ally In the person of the Emperor Maximilian. 

Early in the spring he sent the Marchesino Stanga across the Alps toinvite Maximilian to come to the help of Pisa, which as an imperial cityhad already appealed to him for protection, assuring him that hispresence in Italy would maintain the balance of power between Venice andFlorence, and curb the French king's ambition. The prospect ofdescending upon Italy and assuming the imperial crown flatteredMaximilian's vanity, but, as usual, his movements were hampered by lackof money. At length he agreed to meet the Duke of Milan on the frontierof Tyrol and the Valtellina, and discuss their future plan of operationstogether. 

On the 5th of July the emperor left Innsbrück for Nauders, and on thesame day the duke and duchess, accompanied by Galeazzo di Sanseverinoand the Count of Melzi, set out on their journey up the lake of Como toBormio, in the Valtellina, On the 17th they reached the Abbey of Mals, "an ancient monastery, " says Cagnola, "at the foot of those terriblemountains on the way to Germany;" and two days afterwards, received amessage from Maximilian, informing the duke and duchess that he wasabout to pay them a visit, but begging them not to leave their lodgings, as he wished the meeting to be informal and without ceremony. Early onthe morning of the 20th, the gay music of hunting-horns woke themountain echoes, and a hunting-party suddenly appeared at the gates ofthe old Benedictine abbey. First came a hundred soldiers on foot, bearing long lances, then fifty German lords in hunting-garb, withfalcons on their wrists. These were followed by his Imperial Majesty, aprincely figure in his simple grey cloth tunic and black velvet cap, with a lion's skin hanging over his thighs, and the badge of the GoldenFleece on his breast. A troop of servants and pages, in the imperialliveries of red, white, and yellow, brought up the rear of theprocession, that wound along the steep mountain-side and halted beforethe convent, where the Duke of Milan had his lodgings. 

The Venetian ambassador, Francesco Foscari, hearing of Maximilian'sproposed visit, had, on Lodovico's invitation, followed him across theAlps, accompanied by the Cardinal of Santa Croce, the papal nuncio. Both these envoys waited on the emperor at Mals, and that eveningFoscari's secretary, Conrade Vimerca, wrote the following account of themeeting between Maximilian and the duke and duchess in his despatches toVenice:--

"His Majesty alighted with an eagerness which seemed to me only toogreat, and went upstairs, where he found the duke alone with theduchess, and spent half an hour in close and affectionate intercoursewith them both. Afterwards they all three attended mass in theneighbouring church, and his Majesty appeared, leading the duchess withhis right hand and the duke with his left, with such demonstrations oflove and familiarity as can hardly be described. All three then rode onhorseback to the emperor's lodgings at Colorno (Glurns), some eightmiles distant, where his Majesty entertained the duke and duchess andall their suite at dinner under a pavilion, which had been erected underthe trees. His Majesty insisted on both the duke and duchess washingtheir hands with him in the same bowl, and, sitting down between them attable, himself helped first one, then the other, from the endlessvariety of dishes spread out before them. All this he did with an easeand kindness beyond anything that I have ever seen in royal personages. Each time the duke spoke he took off his cap, and his Majesty did thesame. After dinner they remained for some while in pleasantconversation, and then rode all three together to another place calledMals, one mile further off, his Majesty bearing all the expenses of theentertainment. To-morrow night they will remain together here, and therewill be some time for discussion. I am quite sure, " adds the Venetiansecretary, "after this that we shall see his Majesty in Italy nextAugust, and this you may hold to be absolutely certain. As for the Kingof France, they do not even mention his name or think of him any morethan if he did not exist. "

Although the Signoria of Venice had joined the Duke of Milan in invitingMaximilian to come to Italy, and had promised him their assistance, theywere secretly not a little alarmed at the prospect of another foreigninvasion, fearing, as one of their chroniclers observes, that theGermans might prove to be even greater barbarians than the French. Inthe interview which Foscari had with the emperor at Mals, he endeavouredpolitely to dissuade him from entering Italy with a German army; but, as his secretary remarked, it was too late, for the Duke of Milan willedthat he should come. Nor were the jealous Venetians altogether pleasedto see the marks of friendship and confidence with which the Germanemperor honoured Lodovico and his wife. The familiarity with whichMaximilian treated both the duke and duchess, and the evident pleasurewhich he took in their company, seemed little short of marvellous in theeyes of both Foscari and his secretary. 

The singular charm and intelligence of Beatrice made a deep impressionupon Maximilian, who could not but contrast her brightness andcleverness with the dulness and ignorance of his own Milanese wife. Andthe duke's polished manners and cultured tastes could not fail to exerta powerful fascination upon a monarch whose genuine love of art andromance made him in his way as remarkable a type of the Renaissance asthe Moro himself. Even apart from political considerations, this meetingbetween the two princes, that summer-time in the mountains of Tyrol, wasan event of deep interest, and we can only regret that no record ofBeatrice's impressions on this occasion has been left us. 

A conference between the emperor, the Duke of Milan, and the ambassadorswas held on the evening of that eventful day, and the details of theconvention between the allied powers was finally agreed upon. A newleague, which Henry the Seventh of England was afterwards invited tojoin, was formed between the Emperor Maximilian, the Duke of Milan, thePope, the King of Spain, and the Venetian Republic; and Venice and Milanpromised Maximilian a subsidy of 16, 000 ducats if he would cross theAlps with an army, and compel the Florentines to give up Pisa andLeghorn. 

On the following day, the Venetian ambassador and the papal legate tooktheir leave, and Maximilian accompanied the duke and duchess over theAlps to Bormio, where he joined in a chamois-hunt, and then rode backwith his retinue across the mountains to meet the empress at Tirano. Lodovico and Beatrice travelled back to Milan, where they kept the feastof the "glorious martyr St, Lawrence, " on the 10th of August, withunwonted splendour, and then retired to Vigevano to prepare for theemperor's speedy return. 

Before the end of the month, Maximilian had once more crossed that"_crudelissima montagna_" of Braulio (Piz Umbrail), and was at Bellagioon the Lake of Como, where Fracassa received him, and with five otherMilanese knights held a _baldacchino_ over his head as he rode up to theMarchesino Stanga's Castle on the hills. 

"But he only brought six secretaries and two hundred horsemen with him, and as before was simply clad in a suit of grey cloth, " remarks aVenetian writer: "the pettiest German baron would have come with morepomp!" A few days afterwards, the emperor went on to the ducal villa atMeda, near Como, where Lodovico met him with the Cardinal di Santa Croceand Foscari, and conducted him, on the 2nd of September, to see DuchessBeatrice at Vigevano. Here he remained for the next three weeks, enjoying the beauties of the Moro's favourite summer palace, andadmiring the perfection of Lodovico's latest improvements--the clockrecently constructed by Bramante, the marble capitals of the great hall, and the model farm and stables of the Sforzesca. Maximilian hadoriginally intended to visit Milan, and the erection of a triumphal archin the Roman style had been ordered by the duke, together with otherdecorations on a vast scale; but at the last moment this idea wasabandoned. The Venetian, Marino Sanuto, unkindly suggests that the Morowould not allow the emperor to come to Milan, lest he should see DuchessIsabella's son, who was the rightful heir to the crown. In allprobability the true reason lay in Maximilian's dislike ofstate-pageants, and his preference for the freedom and country pleasuresof Vigevano. As he told the Venetian ambassador, he preferred to travelabout in different places and enjoy himself in his own way. And HisMajesty added, with a frankness by no means agreeable to Foscari and hisgovernment, that he had no need of his company, and he preferred to bealone, since Duke Lodovico, with whom he was very intimate, could tellhim all that he wished to know. With which distinctly unpalatable pieceof information the ambassador had to be content. Maximilian, he wascompelled to acknowledge, had come to Italy as the sworn friend and allyof the Duke of Milan, and the Republic must stoop to take the secondplace in the councils of the League. 

If Beatrice's charms had captivated the wise emperor at their firstmeeting in the mountains of the Valtellina, he found her a thousandtimes more fascinating at her beautiful country home, with her childrenin her arms. He took great interest in both her little boys, and beggedthat the elder of the two, Ercole, should bear the name of Maximilian, by which he became known in future days. In memory of this visit theemperor's portrait was introduced in the beautiful miniatures whichillustrate Maximilian Sforza's Book of Prayers, or Libro di Gesù, stillpreserved in the Trivulzian Library. Here the young count is representedon horseback, receiving his illustrious cousin, while the words of theLatin oration, which he is in the act of reciting, are illuminated onthe front page. 

The Venetian Signory had decided to send two special ambassadors tocongratulate the emperor on his arrival in Italy, and on the 14th theseenvoys, Antonio Grimani and Marco Morosini, reached Milan, where theywere received by Galeazzo Sforza, Count of Melzi, and lodged in thePalazzo del Verme, then inhabited by Madonna Cecilia Gallerani and herhusband Count Lodovico Bergamini, and lately decorated with frescoes andmarbles at the duke's expense. Early the next day they travelled by boatto Abbiategrasso, past the fair villas and smiling gardens that charmedthe eyes of Jean d'Auton when he travelled along the banks of theTicino. Here Foscari, who was already in attendance on the emperor, cameto meet them, and they rode into Vigevano, where they were received bythe Count of Caiazzo and Galeotto della Mirandola, and listened intorrents of rain to a Latin oration that was delivered in Maximilian'sname. It was already dark when the ambassadors reached the Castello, butthe duke himself rode out to welcome them, and conducted them to theirlodgings in the palace of his son-in-law, Galeazzo di Sanseverino. Herethe duke's own daughter, Madonna Bianca, the youthful bride whom MesserGaleaz had brought home a few weeks before, entertained her father'sguests, and bade them welcome in the name of her gallant husband, whowas laid up with an attack of fever, and was unable to leave his roomor attend to business. The next day the ambassadors were granted anaudience, at which Marino Sanuto, as a member of Foscari's suite, washimself present. His Majesty, whom the Venetian described as amagnificent-looking man of thirty-seven, with long hair already turningwhite, and perfect manners, received them at the top of the grandstaircase, on the first floor of the Castello. As usual, he was clad inblack and wore a long velvet mantle, and a black woollen cap trimmedwith cords in the French style, having taken a vow to wear no coloursuntil he had defeated the Turks, while his sole ornament was a goldchain, with the badge of the Golden Fleece, which hung round his neck. He was seated on a daïs, draped with cloth of gold, with the Duke ofMilan on his right hand, and the Cardinal di Santa Croce on his left. The ambassadors of Naples and Spain were also present, as well as theCount of Caiazzo, the Marchesino Stanga, Don Angelo de' Talenti, theBishops of Como and Piacenza, the secretary de' Negri, and otherwell-known Milanese courtiers. Marco Morosini then pronounced an elegantharangue, which was praised by all present, and graciously accepted bythe emperor, who conversed affably with the envoys on general subjects. Afterwards Marino Sanuto was presented to the Duchess Beatrice, who, heremarks, "never leaves her lord's side, although she is once more withchild, "--and her two fine little boys, "Ercole, whose name has beenchanged by His Majesty's desire to Maximilian, and who is called Countof Pavia, and a second named Sforza. " A succession of _fêtes_ andhunting-parties was given by the duke for the entertainment of hisimperial guest during the next week, and ending with a "_Cacciabellissima_" to which the cardinal-legate, all the princes, ambassadors, and courtiers were invited. Two hundred riders took part in the huntthat day, and "I myself, " adds the grave historian, "was there and saw ahare caught by a leopard. "

On the 23rd of September the emperor took leave of the Duchess Beatrice, who presented him, as a parting gift, with a superb litter, made ofwoven gold, richly adorned with fine needlework--"the most beautifulthing which I have ever seen, " writes Sanuto, "and valued at a thousandducats. " The duke accompanied his guest as far as Tortona, where heleft Maximilian to go on to Genoa, and thence by sea to Pisa. 

"There are, people say, three reasons, " remarked Marino Sanuto, "why HisImperial Majesty is such fast friends with the Duke of Milan. In thefirst place, he sees that Lodovico has great power and authoritythroughout Italy. In the second, he hopes to get some money out of him. And in the third place, he looks on him as a useful ally against theKing of France. "

Happily for both the emperor and the Duke of Milan's peace of mind, theFrench king's military ardour had soon died away, and although Trivulziowas sent to Asti, and Orleans would gladly have followed him, Charlesthe Eighth spent his time in jousts and hunting-parties, and forgot hisunhappy subjects in Southern Italy. Ferrante, assisted by a Venetianforce under Francesco Gonzaga, recovered one fortress after another. Onthe 29th of July, Montpensier, after holding the fortified city ofAtella during many months, was forced to capitulate with his fivethousand men, and himself died of fever a few weeks later at Pozzuoli. Most of his troops shared the same fate, and few of that gallant armylived to return to France. Suddenly, in the midst of his victoriouscareer, the young king Ferrante, who had a few months before obtained apapal dispensation to marry his father's youthful half-sister, PrincessJoan, died of fever, brought on by the fatigues and hardships to whichhe had exposed himself in the previous campaign. His death was deeplylamented alike by his subjects and his relatives at Milan and Mantua, who retained a sincere affection for this brave and popular prince. Fortunately, his uncle and successor Frederic, the fifth king who hadreigned over Naples during the last three years, proved a wise andcapable monarch. By degrees he succeeded in capturing the few remainingcastles still held by the French, and once more restored peace to hisdistracted kingdom. Such was the state of affairs that autumn, when theGerman emperor landed at Pisa on the 21st of October. The citizensreceived him with acclamations, and, pulling down the French king'sstatue, as they had broken the lion of Florence in pieces two yearsbefore, placed the imperial eagle on the top of the column in the publicsquare. But they were once more doomed to disappointment. Maximilian, finding himself, as usual, ill supplied with both men and money, andbeing inadequately supported by his allies of Venice and Milan, wasunable to prosecute the war against Florence with any vigour. Heattempted to besiege Leghorn; but his fleet was scattered and many ofhis ships were wrecked by a violent storm, after which he gave up theundertaking, saying that he could not fight against both God and man. One day towards the end of November, he suddenly took his departure, and, leaving Pisa, returned by Sarzana to Pavia. The Venetians saw thefailure of this expedition and the fruitless result of their largeexpenditure of men and money, with great dissatisfaction, and attributedmost of the blame to Duke Lodovico. 

"Things go badly for the Signory at Pisa, " wrote Malipiero, who washimself on board the Venetian fleet that sailed with Maximilian againstLeghorn, "and the cause of this is Lodovico Duke of Milan. . . . His prideand arrogance are beyond description. He boasts that Pope Alexander ishis chaplain, the Emperor Maximilian his condottiere, the Signory ofVenice his chamberlain, since they spend their money largely to attainhis ends, and the King of France his courier, who comes and goes at hispleasure. Truly a fearful state of things!"

And Marino Sanuto remarked, "The Duke of Milan is one of the wisest menin the world, but his success has rendered him very ungrateful toVenice, whose secret enemy he will always remain. He made a greatmistake in allowing the Duke of Orleans to escape from Novara, and someday he will be punished for his bad faith. For he never keeps hispromises, and when he says one thing, always does another. All men fearhim, because fortune is propitious to him in everything. But none theless, I believe that he will not continue long in prosperity, for God isjust, and will punish him because he is a traitor and never keeps faithwith any one. "

The Florentine Guicciardini moralized in much the same strain, sayingthat Lodovico publicly vaunted himself to be the son of Fortune, "littleremembering the inconstancy of human fame, " and flattered himself thathe would always be able to govern the affairs of Italy, "with hisindustrie to turn and winde the minds of every one. This fondpersuasion he could not dissemble, neither in himself, nor in hispeoples, in so much that Milan day and night was replenished with voicesvaine and glorious, celebrating with verses Latine and vulgar and withpublicke orations full of flatterie, the wonderfull wisedom of LodowikeSforce, on the which they made to depend the peace and warre of Italy, exalting his name even to the third heaven. "

In those days the bard of Pistoja proclaimed that there was one God inheaven and one Moro upon earth, and sang the praises of this great anddivine Duca, who alone could open and close the doors of the Temple ofJanus and make peace or war in Italy, while Gaspare Visconti extolledthe talents and virtues of Duchess Beatrice as surpassing those of allthe most illustrious women of antiquity. Then Leonardo designed thatfamous series of allegories in his sketch-book, in which Duke Lodovicois represented alternately as Fortune, driving the squalid figure ofPoverty away with a golden wand, and throwing his ducal mantle over ahelpless youth who flies before the ugly hag; or as supreme Wisdom, wearing the spectacles which can pierce through all disguises, andpronouncing sentence between Envy on the one hand and Justice on theother. Then Bramante painted those frescoes on the walls of the Castelloof Milan, in which the Moro was seen crowned and seated on his throne, under a stately portico, administering justice, with four councillorsand two pages at his side, while the criminal trembled before him, andofficers of state held the scales and prepared to carry out thesentence. And then, too, somewhere else in the palace, an unknownLombard master painted that fresco of Italy as a fair queen, with thenames of the chief cities embroidered on her robes, and the Morostanding at her side, brushing the dust off her skirts with the_scopetta_ or little broom, that favourite emblem which appears in somany illuminated books of the day. On the wall below the painting, thefollowing motto was inscribed:--

"_Per Italia nettar d'ogni bruttura_. "

"Take care, my lord duke, " the Florentine ambassador is reported to havesaid, when Lodovico graciously explained the meaning of theallegory--"take care the negro who is so busy brushing Italy's skirtsdoes not cover himself with dust in his turn!" The courteous duke onlysmiled at the jest, and shrugged his shoulders; but others overheard theremark and repeated it, much to the satisfaction of his foes in Florenceand Venice. 

The fame of the great and powerful Duke of Milan had reached the distantcliffs of Albion and the palace of Westminster, and that NovemberLodovico received a letter from Henry VII. Of England, rejoicing withhis new ally on the conclusion of the League against France, and thevisit of the emperor to Italy. The king further informed him that "thetreaty had been solemnly proclaimed by the Cardinal-Archbishop ofConturberi, on the Feast of All Saints, in the cathedral church of theBlessed Apostle St. Paul, in our city of London. " And our friend, MarinoSanuto, proceeds to improve the occasion by informing us that "this KingEnrico has for wife Madonna Ysabeta, daughter of the late King Edward, because he defended the cause of Richard, brother of the said Edward. And he has two sons, Artur, prince of Squales, which is a neighbouringisland, and the Duke of Yorche. "

CHAPTER XXVI

Isabella d'Este joins her husband in Naples--Works of Bramante andLeonardo in the Castello of Milan--The Cenacolo--Lodovico sends forPerugino--His passion for Lucrezia Crivelli--Grief of Beatrice--Death ofBianca Sforza--The Emperor Maximilian at Pavia--The Duke and Duchessreturn to Milan--Last days and sudden death of Beatrice d'Este. 

1496

The records we have of Beatrice's private life during this busy year arevery meagre and disappointing. Scarcely one of her letters, belonging tothis period, has been preserved, while those which her sister Isabellaaddressed to Milan are almost as rare. The _marchesa's_ time andthoughts had been much engaged in public affairs during the absence ofher husband with the Venetian forces at Naples, and she had littleleisure for correspondence. On the 13th of July she gave birth to asecond child, which, to her great disappointment, proved to be anothergirl, who received the name of Margherita, but only lived a few weeks. Of this event the duchess was duly informed, and, in sending hercongratulations, was able to tell her sister that she was hoping tobecome the mother of a third child early in the following year. InSeptember the marquis fell dangerously ill of fever, and his wifehurried to join him in Calabria, and, as soon as he was able to move, brought him back by slow stages to Mantua. During that summer, the onlyletter of interest which Isabella wrote to the Milanese court was a noteto her friend, the jester Barone, begging him to find out for her howMesser Galeazzo and others who like him are the glass of fashion, manageto dye their hair black on certain occasions, and afterwards resume thenatural colour of their locks, adding that she remembers distinctly tohave seen Count Francesco Sforza with black locks one day, and the nextwith brown. 

On the 9th of November, Lodovico wrote an imperative note from Vigevanoto the Castellan of the Rocchetta, Bernardino del Corte, desiring him tosee that the walls of the new rooms are dry and ready for habitation bythe end of the month, since the duchess must have the use of theapartments adjoining the ball-room during her approaching confinement, and telling him to ask Bergonzio, the treasurer, for money, if moreshould be required. Bernardino replied that the rooms were finished, andthat good fires had been lighted to dry the walls, and that the wholesuite would be furnished by the following week and ready to receive theduchess. He also informed the duke that the new rooms on the side of thegarden would be completed by Christmas, and told him that Bramante, after finishing the arcades of the new gallery between the ball-room andRocchetta, had begun the design of the new tower. Both Leonardo andBramante were employed on extensive works in the Castello during theduke's absence that summer, although the Florentine master, we know, waschiefly engaged in finishing his great fresco in the refectory of theDominican convent outside the Porta Vercellina. Often during the summerheats, Matteo Bandello, then a young novice of the Order, saw theFlorentine master at noonday, "when the sun was in the sign of theLion, " leave the Corte Vecchia, where he was finishing his great horse, and, hurrying through the streets to the Grazie, mount the scaffold, brush in hand, and put a few touches to some of the figures in theCenacolo, after which he would hurry away as quickly as he came. Oftentoo the young friar watched him at his work; "for this excellentpainter, " Matteo tells us, "always liked to hear other people give theiropinions freely on his pictures. " Many a time the young Dominican sawMesser Leonardo ascend the scaffold in the early morning, and remainthere from sunrise till the hour of twilight, forgetting to eat anddrink, and painting all the while without a moment's pause. Sometimesagain he would not paint a single stroke for several days, but juststand before the picture during one or two hours, contemplating hiswork, and considering and examining the different figures. And thefriars were very much annoyed because of the master's delays, andcomplained to the duke, who paid him so large a sum for the work, thathe had not yet begun the head of the traitor Judas. When the duke askedLeonardo why he left this head undone, he replied that during the lastyear he had been vainly seeking in all the worst streets of Milan tofind a type of criminal who would suit the character of Judas, but thatif desired he would introduce the prior's own likeness, which he thoughtwould answer the purpose excellently! This answer is said to have amusedthe duke highly, and Lodovico and his painter had a good laugh togetherat the expense of the prior. 

But since Leonardo was otherwise engaged, and another painter who hadbeen employed in the Castello suddenly disappeared, owing, we are told, to some scandal in which he was concerned, the duke determined to sendto Florence for another artist to complete the decorations of his newrooms. There was evidently no Lombard master whom he considered equal tothe task, and since Lorenzo de' Medici had sent him Leonardo, theremight be some other artists of rare excellence among hisfellow-citizens. So Lodovico wrote to his envoy at Florence, and desiredhim to let him have a full description of the best painters then livingthere. In reply, he received the following list, which is stillpreserved in the archives of Milan, and which is of great interest, bothas a monument of the Moro's untiring perseverance in seeking out thebest masters, and as a record of the different degrees of estimation inwhich living artists were held by their contemporaries:--

"Sandro de Botticelli--a most excellent master, both in panel andwall-painting. His figures have a manly air, and are admirable inconception and proportion. 

"Filippino di Frati Filippo--an excellent disciple of the above-named, and a son of the rarest master of our times. His heads have a gentlerand more suave air; but, we are inclined to think, less art. 

"Il Perugino--a rare and singular artist, most excellent inwall-painting. His faces have an air of the most angelic sweetness. 

"Domenico de Grillandaio--a good master in panels and a better one inwall-painting. His figures are good, and he is an industrious and activemaster, who produces much work. 

"All of these masters have given proof of their excellence in the Chapelof Pope Sixtus, excepting Filippino, and also in the Spedaletto of theMagnifico Laurentio, and their merit is almost equal. "[63]

This intimation seems to have decided Lodovico to apply to Perugino, whom Leonardo had known as his fellow-pupil in Verrocchio's atelier atFlorence, and who was supposed to be in Venice at the time. So hissecretary wrote to desire Guido Arcimboldo, the Archbishop of Milan, whowas then in Venice, to inquire for the Umbrian master, and see if hecould be induced to visit Milan. The archbishop, writing on the 14th ofJune, replied that Maestro Pietro of Perugia had left Venice six monthsago and was back at Florence. Lodovico, however, did not lose sight ofthe master, and in the following October, by his desire, the monks ofthe Certosa of Pavia engaged this popular artist to paint an altar-piecefor one of their chapels. In the following year the duke returned to thecharge, and hearing that Perugino had returned to his native city, wrotetwo pressing letters to one of the Baglioni, who was the chiefmagistrate of Perugia, begging him, as a personal favour, to induceMesser Pietro to come to Milan, and offering to pay the artist whateverprice he may ask, and to retain him permanently in his service or keephim only for a fixed time, as he may think best. Perugino, however, wasthen engaged in decorating the Sala del Cambio in his native town, andhad already more commissions than he could execute. He declined the Dukeof Milan's repeated invitations, and the Moro was obliged to fall backupon Bramante and Leonardo to finish the works in the Castello. 

But although the duke's passion for building new churches and palaces orbeautifying those which he had already built, was as ardent as ever, itbecame more and more difficult to find the money to meet the vastexpenditure which his splendid schemes involved. The _fêtes_ in honourof Maximilian and the subsidies which had been granted for hisexpedition had already entailed heavy expenses, and on every side thesame complaint was heard. There was no money to pay the salaries of thenumerous professors at Pavia and Milan, whose chairs had been foundedby Lodovico himself; none to pay the bills for building and furnishingthe new rooms in the Castello, or to cast Leonardo's great horse inbronze. Everywhere people were groaning at the heavy burdens imposedupon them, and at Lodi, Cremona, and other places there had been notonly murmuring against the duke, but actual rioting and tumults, whilein some parts of the duchy the inhabitants were leaving their homes toescape these harsh exactions. Lodovico's most faithful servants began tolook grave, and the duke himself could not but be aware of his growingunpopularity among his subjects. 

Whether these rumours reached the ears of Beatrice and disturbed herhappiness, we cannot tell; but we know that her life was saddened andthe gladness of her heart clouded by a new sorrow that autumn. The duke, who for many years past had proved himself a devoted and affectionatehusband, and realized better than any one what an admirable companionand partner he had in his young wife, suddenly found a new object forhis affections in Lucrezia Crivelli, a beautiful and accomplished maidenof a noble Milanese family, who was one of the duchess'sladies-in-waiting. Soon Lodovico's passion for this new mistress becamepublicly known, Leonardo was employed to paint her picture; and, underthe date of November, 1496, the annalist of Ferrara writes, "The latestnews from Milan is that the duke spends his whole time and finds all hispleasure in the company of a girl who is one of his wife's maidens. Andhis conduct is ill regarded here. " The chronicler Muralti, in his briefand touching account of the young duchess, after recalling Beatrice'scharms and joyous nature, tells us that, although Lodovico loved hiswife intensely, he took Lucrezia Crivelli for his mistress, a thingwhich caused Beatrice the most bitter anguish of mind, but could notalter her love for him. And remorse for the pain which he had causedBeatrice gave the sharpest sting to Lodovico's own despair, on that sadday when he wept for his young wife's early death. 

That autumn a fresh and unexpected blow fell upon the ducal family, inthe death of Lodovico's beloved daughter Bianca, the young wife ofGaleazzo di Sanseverino, who died very suddenly at Vigevano, on the22nd of November. Both the duke and duchess had been fondly attached tothis fair young girl who only four or five months before had become thewife of Galeazzo, and was one of Beatrice's favourite companions. Hersudden and premature death threw a gloom over the whole court, and inelegant verse Niccolo da Correggio deplored the loss of the gentlemaiden who had gone in the flower of her youth to join the blessedspirits, and grieved for the gallant husband whom a cruel fate had soearly robbed of his bride. There can be little doubt that we have aportrait of this lamented princess in the beautiful picture of theAmbrosiana, which, long supposed to be the work of Leonardo, is nowrecognized by the best critics as that of Ambrogio de Predis. At onetime this portrait was said to represent Beatrice herself, but neitherthe long slender throat nor the delicate features bear the leastresemblance to those of the duchess, while the style of head-dress isequally unlike that which Beatrice wears in authentic representations. Again, some critics have supposed the Ambrosian picture to representKaiser Maximilian's wife, Bianca Maria Sforza; but the discovery ofAmbrogio de Predis's actual portrait of the empress, and of his sketchof her head in the Venetian Academy, have shown this theory to beimpossible. The Venetian Marc Antonio Michieli, who saw this picture inTaddeo Contarini's house at Venice in 1525, describes it as "a profileportrait of the head and bust of Madonna, daughter of Signor Lodovico ofMilan, " after which he adds, "married to the Emperor Maximilian . . . Bythe hand of . . . _Milanese_. " The connoisseur had evidently confused thetwo Bianca Sforzas, but now that this mistake has been explained by acomparison of the Ambrosian portrait with genuine pictures and medals ofthe empress, there is no difficulty in accepting the remainder of hisstatement. For we have here, there can be little doubt, the portrait ofLodovico's daughter, by the hand of a Milanese painter, in allprobability, as Morelli divined, the court-painter of the ducal house, Ambrogio de Predis. And the German critic, Dr. Müller-Walde, is probablyright in his conjecture that the companion picture in the Ambrosiana isthe portrait of Bianca's husband, Galeazzo di Sanseverino. This picturehas been called by many names, and ascribed to many different hands. Ithas been described in turn as a portrait of Maximilian, of theshort-lived Duke Giangaleazzo, and of Lodovico Moro himself. ButAmbrogio's portrait certainly represents none of the three, and it isfar more likely that we have here a likeness of the duke's son-in-law, painted about the time of his marriage to Bianca Sforza. This handsomeman of thirty, in the fur-trimmed vest and red cap, with the dark eyes, long locks, and refined thoughtful face, touched with an air ofmelancholy, may well be the brilliant cavalier who played so great apart at the Moro's court, the patron of Leonardo and Luca Pacioli, andthe loyal servant of Duchess Beatrice. 

Both the duke and his wife were overwhelmed with grief at MadonnaBianca's death. Lodovico himself wrote to Isabella d'Este that the woundhad pierced his inmost heart, and the duchess and Messer Galeaz bothexpressed their grief in touching words. On the 23rd of November, Beatrice wrote these few sad lines to her sister--

"Although you will have already heard from my husband the duke of thepremature death of Madonna Bianca, his daughter and the wife of MesserGaleaz, none the less I must write these few lines with my own hand, totell you how great is the trouble and distress which her death hascaused me. The loss indeed is greater than I can express, because of ourclose relationship and of the place which she held in my heart. May Godhave her soul in His keeping!"[64]

[Illustration: Galeazzo Di Sanseverino. 

From a painting by Ambrogio de Predis. 

(Ambrosiana)

D. Anderson. ]

All the _fêtes_ which had been prepared in honour of the emperor'sreturn to Lombardy were stopped, and the duke and duchess, with theirlittle son, attended by a small suite of courtiers and ladies, in deepmourning, travelled by water to Pavia, to receive their illustriouskinsman when he arrived from Sarzana on the 2nd of December. On thisoccasion Maximilian behaved with great consideration, and showed deepsympathy with his distressed relatives. Instead of making a public entrythrough the city, he rode up through the park to the private gate of theCastello, where the duke and duchess met him and conducted him to hisrooms. Here he spent the evening alone in their company, and refused tosee any one but the little Count of Pavia, for whom he is said to havecherished great affection. The Venetian envoy, Francesco Foscari, hearing of the emperor's arrival, hastened to Pavia, and with difficultyobtained an audience from His Majesty, who told him that it wasimpossible for him to visit Milan or remain any longer in Italy, sincethe German Diet was about to meet, and he had promised to join his son, the Archduke Philip, at Augsburg. A council was held in the Castello todiscuss political affairs, but it was plain that the Pisans had nothingmore to expect from their imperial ally, and Maximilian was only anxiousto be back in Germany. On the 4th he attended a solemn requiem mass forthe lamented princess Bianca in the Duomo, and in the afternoon rode outto the Certosa with Lodovico, who showed him all the wonders of thatfamous church and abbey. On the 6th, the duke took his wife, whosedelicate state of health needed rest, back to Milan, and a few dayslater returned with Foscari to meet the emperor at the ducal villa ofCussago. On the 11th, Maximilian went to Groppello, where he knightedthe Venetian ambassador and dismissed him, after which he took leave ofthe duke, says the chronicler, with many expressions of affection onboth sides, and once more set out on his journey across the terriblemountains. His expedition, remarked the Venetian writer, "has effectednothing, and he leaves Italy in still greater confusion than he foundher. "

Lodovico now joined his wife at Milan in time to receive another guestin the person of Chiara Gonzaga, the widowed Duchess of Montpensier, whowas on her way back from France. Since her husband's death at Pozzuoli, this unfortunate lady had been vainly trying to recover her fortune fromthe French king, and was full of gratitude to the duke for his friendlyexertions on her behalf. Both her sons, Louis de Bourbon and Charles thefamous Connétable, were fighting with the remnants of the French armyagainst her brother in Naples, and both were to lose their lives in thewars of Italy, while she herself spent the rest of her existence inpoverty and seclusion at Mantua. But to the last she remained a loyalfriend to Lodovico, with whom she corresponded frequently. On the 22nd, Chiara left Milan, and the celebration of the Christmas festival began. But the courtiers and ladies-in-waiting noticed the strange and mournfulforebodings which seemed to oppress their young duchess. They often sawtears in her eyes, and wondered whether they were caused by herhusband's neglect or grief for the loss of Bianca. Day after day shepaid long visits to the Church of S. Maria delle Grazie, where theduke's daughter had been laid to rest in this his favourite shrine. There in those last days of the year Beatrice might constantly be seen, spending hours in prayer at the tomb of the young princess, and musingsadly on the vanity of human joys. But no one dreamt how soon her ownend was at hand. 

On Monday, the 2nd of January, the Duchess Beatrice drove in her chariotthrough the park of the Castello and along the streets of the city tothe Porta Vercellina and the Church of S. Maria delle Grazie, where eventhen Leonardo was at work upon his great fresco. In the eyes of thepeople who saw her pass, she seemed in excellent health, and returnedtheir loyal greetings with the same gracious charm. But when she reachedthe Dominican church, and had paid her devotions at Our Lady's altar, and prayed for the repose of her daughter's soul, she lingered by thenew-made tomb, rapt in sorrowful thought, and it was long before herladies could persuade her to come away. After her return to the Castellothat afternoon, there was dancing in her rooms in the Rocchetta untileight o'clock in the evening, when she was suddenly taken ill. Threehours later she gave birth to a still-born son, and half an hour aftermidnight her spirit passed away. 

That night, contemporary writers tell us, "the sky above the Castello ofMilan was all a-blaze with fiery flames, and the walls of the duchess'sown garden fell with a sudden crash to the ground, although there wasneither wind nor earthquake. And these things were held to be evilomens. " "And from that time, " adds Marino Sanuto, "the duke began to besore troubled, and to suffer great woes, having up to that time livedvery happily. "

Beatrice was gone, and with her all the joy and delight of the duke'slife had passed away. The court was turned from an earthly paradise intothe blackest hell, and ruin overtook the Moro and the whole realm ofMilan, as the poet of the house of Este sang in his _Orlando Furioso_--

"Come ella poi lascerà il mondo, Così degli infelici andrà nel fondo. "

FOOTNOTES:

[63] Dr. Müller-Walde in _Jahrbuch d. Pr. Kunst_, 1897. 

[64] Luzio-Renier, _op. Cit. _, p. 639. 

CHAPTER XXVII

Grief of the Duke of Milan--His letters to Mantua and Pavia--Interviewwith Costabili--Funeral of Duchess Beatrice--Mourning of herhusband--Letters of the Emperor Maximilian and Chiara Gonzaga--Tomb ofBeatrice in Santa Maria delle Grazie--Leonardo's Cenacolo, and portraitsof the duke and duchess--Lucrezia Crivelli. 

1497

The horror and confusion that reigned in the Castello of Milan thatnight was long remembered. There was sorrow and consternation amongBeatrice's servants, and dismay upon the faces of secretaries andcourtiers who stood waiting for news in the halls and porticoes ofBramante's building. The duke's grief was said to be terrible. For sometime he refused to see any one, and many days passed before even hischildren were admitted into their father's presence. But, withcharacteristic strength of mind, he sent for his secretaries thatmorning, and himself dictated the letters which bore the sad news toBeatrice's family at Mantua and Ferrara. In that dark hour the passionof his love and sorrow breaks through conventional formalities, andgives a touch of pathos to the brief message which he sent to FrancescoGonzaga--

"MOST ILLUSTRIOUS RELATIVE AND DEAREST BROTHER, --

"My wife was taken with sudden pains at eight o'clock last night. Ateleven she gave birth to a dead son, and at half-past twelve she gaveback her spirit to God. This cruel and premature end has filled me withbitter and indescribable anguish, so much so that I would rather havedied myself than lose the dearest and most precious thing that I had inthis world. But great and excessive as is my grief, beyond all measure, and grievous as your own will be, I know, I feel that I must tell youthis myself, because of the brotherly love between us. And I beg you notto send any one to condole with me, as that would only renew my sorrow. I would not write to the Madonna Marchesana, and leave you to break thenews to her as you think best, knowing well how inexpressible her sorrowwill be. 

 "LODOVICUS M. SFORTIA, _Anglus Dux Mediolani_. [65]

Milan, January 3, 1497, 6 o'clock. "

The same day the duke sent the following intimation to the loyalcitizens of Pavia: "Last night at half-past twelve our beloved wife, after giving birth to a son who died at eleven, changed this life fordeath, which most cruel event snatches from us one who, by reason of herrare and singular virtues, was dearer to us than our own life. You willunderstand what our grief is and how difficult it is to bear thisirreparable loss with patience and reason. We beg of you to pray God forthe soul of our dearest consort, and to hold solemn funeral services inthe Duomo and in all other churches of the city. "[66]

About four o'clock that afternoon, the Ferrarese ambassador, AntonioCostabili, received an unexpected summons to the Castello, and he wasadmitted into the duke's presence. We give the details of his interviewwith the grief-stricken prince, in his own words from a letter which headdressed the same evening to Beatrice's father, Duke Ercole--

"MOST ILLUSTRIOUS AND EXCELLENT LORD, "Although I had received a message to the effect that I need not leavethe house before night, as none of your august family could be presentat the funeral of our most illustrious Madonna, the late duchess, nevertheless at four o'clock the duke sent two councillors to fetch me, and accompanied by these gentlemen, I went to the Camera della Torre inthe Castello, where I found all the ambassadors, ducal councillors, anda very large company of gentlemen assembled. Directly I arrived, hisExcellency sent for me, and I found him in his room, lying on the bed, quite prostrate, and more overwhelmed with grief than any one whom Ihave ever seen. After the customary salutations, I endeavoured, inobedience to the request of some of his councillors, to exhort hisHighness to take a little comfort and have patience, trying to make useof whatever words came into my mind at the moment, and entreating him tobear this cruel blow with constancy and fortitude, because in thismanner he would give comfort and courage to your Excellency in helpingyou to bear your grief, and at the same time relieve the anxieties ofhis own servants, and restore hope and peace to their hearts. 

"His Highness thanked me for my kindness, and said that he could notbear this most cruel and grievous sorrow without speaking out thethoughts of his heart freely, and had sent for me, in order to tell methat if, as he was conscious, he had not always behaved as well as heshould have done to your daughter, who deserved all good things, and whohad never done him any wrong whatsoever, he begged both yourExcellency's pardon, and hers for whose sake his heart was now sorelytroubled. He went on to tell me that in every one of his prayers he hadasked our Lord God to allow her to survive him, since he placed all histrust and peace of mind in her. And, since this had not been the will ofGod, he prayed, and would never cease praying, that if it were everpossible for a living man to see the dead, God would give him grace tosee her and speak to her once more, since he had loved her better thanhimself. After many sobs and lamentations, he ended by begging me toassure your Highness that the love and affection which he bore you wouldnever be diminished in the smallest degree, and that he would retain thesame warm sentiments for you and for all your sons, as long as he lived, and would prove by his actions the depth and sincerity of his feelings. Then I took my leave, and he told me to go and follow the corpse, with afresh outburst of sorrow, lamenting her in language so true and naturalthat it would have moved the very stones to tears. Thus, still weeping, I returned to join the other ambassadors, who all approached andexpressed their grief and sympathy with your Excellency in very lovingand compassionate words. 

"The obsequies which followed were celebrated with all possiblemagnificence and pomp. All the ambassadors at present in Milan, amongwhom were one from the King of the Romans, two from the King of Spain, and others from all the powers of Italy, lifted the corpse and bore itto the first gate of the Castello. Here the privy councillors took thebody in their turn, and at the corners of the streets groups ofmagistrates stood waiting to receive it. All the relatives of the ducalfamily wore long mourning cloaks that trailed on the ground, and hoodsover their heads. I walked first with the Marchese Ermes, and the othersfollowed, each in his right order. We bore her to Santa Maria delleGrazie, attended by an innumerable company of monks and nuns andpriests, bearing crosses of gold, of silver and wood, infinite numbersof gentlemen and citizens, and crowds of people of every rank and class, all weeping and making the greatest lamentation that was ever seen, forthe great loss which this city has suffered in the death of its duchess. There were so many wax torches it was marvellous to see! At the gates ofSanta Maria delle Grazie, the ambassadors were waiting to receive thebody, and, taking it from the hands of the chief magistrates, they boreit to the steps of the high altar, where the most reverendcardinal-legate was seated, in his purple robes, between two bishops, and himself said the whole Office. And there the duchess was laid on abier draped with cloth of gold, bearing the arms of the house of Sforza, and clad in one of her richest _camoras_ of gold brocade. 

"My dear lord, besides the extraordinary demonstrations of grief whichhave been shown by the whole people of this city, and by the women quiteas much as by the men, which may well be a great consolation to yourExcellency, I must tell you how above all others, Signore MesserGaleazzo di Sanseverino has both by his words and deeds, as well as byhis demonstrations of sorrow, given admirable expression to theaffection which he had for the duchess, and has taken care to make knownto every one the virtues and goodness of that most illustrious Madonna. All of which I have felt it my duty to tell your Excellency, in thehope that it may help to alleviate your sorrow, praying you to maintainthe same fortitude that you have always shown hitherto. 

"To whose favour I ever commend myself, "Your Excellency's servant, ANTONIUS COSTABILIS. [67]

Milan, January 3, 1497. "

So, by the light of a thousand torches, at the close of the shortwinter's day, the long procession of mourners bore Duchess Beatrice toher last resting-place under Bramante's cupola, in the church of OurLady. It was the duke's pleasure that his dearly loved wife should restthere, before the altar where she had often worshipped, by the side ofthe young daughter whom they had both loved so well. Only a year or twobefore, the people of Milan had seen her enter those doors in the bloomof her youthful beauty and the joy of her proud young motherhood to givethanks for the birth of her first-born son. But yesterday they hadwatched her moving among them, full of life and charm; now they saw herlying there in her gorgeous brocades and jewelled necklace, with hereyes closed in death and the dark locks curling over her marble brow. 

It was a tragedy which might well melt the heart of the bravest man andmove the sternest to tears. No wonder that men like Galeazzo and theMarchesino, who had shared Beatrice's pleasures, and had seen her solately foremost in the chase and gayest in dance and song, wept whenthey saw her lying there cold and lifeless. As the chroniclers one andall tell us, "Such grief had never been known before in Milan. "

In Ferrara, the home of Beatrice's childhood, where she was loved bothfor her own and for her mother's sake, the sorrow was scarcely less. 

"On Wednesday, the 4th of January, " writes the diarist, "came the newsof the death of Beatrice, Duchess of Milan. And the duke was very sad, and so were all the people. And on the 12th, Duke Ercole attended anOffice said for the repose of the late duchess in the church of theDominicans, which was all hung with black, and all the clergy, magistrates, and courtiers were there, carrying lighted torches; all thepeople wore black, and the shops were closed as if it were Christmas, and more than 400 Masses were said for the repose of her soul, and 660candles were burnt that day. It was a fine day, but a great quantity ofwax tapers were used for this funeral service. As for the Duke of Milan, I will say nothing, because the things he does sound incredible to thosewho have not seen them. Certainly the extraordinary honours which hepays his dead wife show how dearly he loved her. She has left him twolittle sons. And all Ferrara sorrows for her death, and I saw manyweeping. And so goes this ribald world. "[68]

That year no races were held on St. George's Day, at Ferrara, and the_pallium_ usually given to the winner was presented by Duke Ercole tothe Franciscan Church. 

At Mantua there was the same general lamentation, and the same funeralMasses were offered up for the young duchess, who had not yet completedher twenty-second year. Isabella's own sorrow was great. 

"When I think, " she wrote to her father, on the 5th of January, "what aloving, honoured, and only sister I have lost, I am so much oppressedwith the burden of this sudden loss, that I know not how I can ever findcomfort. "

And the marquis, writing to Duke Lodovico, says that he had never seenhis wife so completely overwhelmed with grief; and that she who hasalways shown herself full of strong and manly courage in adversity, isnow utterly broken down. On hearing this, Lodovico roused himself fromthe torpor of his grief to try and comfort his sister-in-law, and senther an affectionate letter by one of his secretaries, begging her toseek the consolation which he himself could not find, and telling herhow much he thought of her, even though his own grief and bitterness ofsoul made it impossible for him to write with his own hand. From allsides letters of condolence flowed in. Elegies and Latin verses recalledthe charms and talents of Beatrice and lamented the hard fate which hadsnatched her away in the flower of life. Among these poetical tributes, Niccolo da Correggio's sonnet on seeing a portrait of the late duchessis perhaps the best. 

"Se a li occhi mostri quel che fosti viva Morti lor, come te, nulla vedranno Ma le parte invisibil tue staranno. Po che del secol questa eta sia priva. Laude al pictor, ma più laude in che scriva Quello a futuri che i presenti sanno, Origin e stato e che al triseptimo anno Morte spense ogni ben che in te fioriva. Ma come excedo tua forma il pennello Excederà le tue virtù le penne E resterà imperfetto, e questo e quello. "

The poet's complaint that the painter's art can never reproduce one-halfof the dead lady's charms is literally true in this instance, and thoseof Beatrice's portraits which we possess do but scant justice to thebrightness and beauty which fascinated young and old among hercontemporaries. Two of the letters addressed to Lodovico on thismelancholy occasion are especially worthy of mention. One was a Latinepistle from the Emperor Maximilian, in which the writer expresses hiscordial regard for the duke and his frank admiration for the lamentedduchess whose delightful company he had so lately enjoyed. 

The letter bears the date of January 11, 1497, and was written fromInnsbrück. 

"MOST ILLUSTRIOUS PRINCE AND DEAREST OF KINSMEN AND FRIENDS, "Having just heard of the sad calamity which has befallen you in thedeath of your illustrious wife, Beatrice, our most dear kinswoman, weare filled with grief both on account of our great affection for you andof all the gifts of person and mind which adorned that renownedprincess, and which now only adds to the heaviness of our mutual loss. Nothing could grieve us more at this present moment than to findourselves thus suddenly deprived of a relative who was dear to us aboveall other princesses, and whose surpassing charms and virtues we hadlately learnt to value as they deserved. But we are still moredistressed to think that you whom we love so well should lose in her, not only a sweet wife, but a companion who in so remarkable a degreeshared the burdens of your crown and lightened your cares and cheeredyour labours by her society. As for her, although she was one of the fewwomen worthy of perpetual regret and eternal remembrance, this prematuredeath is no true cause of sorrow, and we take comfort in the thoughtthat, since we must all die, they are most blessed who die young andwho, having lived happily in their youth, escape the innumerablecalamities of this miserable world and the evils of a weary old age. Your most fortunate wife enjoyed all that makes life good; no gift ofbody and mind, no advantage of beauty or birth, was denied her. She wasin every respect worthy to be your wife and to reign over the mostflourishing realm in Italy. She has left you the sweetest children torecall the face of their lost mother, and to be alike the consolation ofyour present sorrow and the staff of your declining years. And when thetime comes for you to go hence, you will be able to leave them apeaceful throne and the immortal memory of your name. May therecollection of all the good that you owe her help you to share in theseconsolations, so that, having already mourned your dear one's death morethan enough, your tears may at length be dried and she may rest moresafely, while we on our part are once more able to avail ourselves ofyour help in these difficult and perilous times. "[69]

The other letter was written to the duke on the 5th of January, fromMantua, by Chiara Gonzaga, the widowed Duchess of Montpensier, who hadso lately enjoyed the pleasure of Beatrice's company at Milan, and whonow poured out the fulness of her grief and sympathy with the bereavedhusband. 

"The piteous and lamentable news of your wife's sudden death, which, mydear lord, I have just received, has so bitterly revived my own sorrows, that I am unable to write to your Excellency as I ought, or speak asingle word of comfort, '_Chè medico morbeso mal sana li malatti_'--fora sick doctor cures sick folks badly. --All I can do is to join my tearswith your own in lamenting this cruel and grievous misfortune and ourmutual sorrow, which I only wish I could bear in your stead. Hadfortune only better understood your need and mine, she would have leftthat blessed soul to enjoy all the prosperity in store for her, andwould have allowed death to relieve me from the burden of my tearful andwretched existence. May that Divine Providence, Who orders all thingsfor some good end, give your Excellency comfort and lead this toilsomelife to a safe haven. "[70]

Maximilian's allusion to the duke's prolonged mourning for his wifeagrees with the remarks of the Ferrarese and Venetian chroniclers. Tothese men of the Renaissance, accustomed as they were to pass quicklyfrom one phase of life to another and to witness swift and suddenchanges of fortune, this inconsolable grief seemed beyond understanding. For a whole fortnight Lodovico remained in a darkened room, refusing tosee his children, and taking no pleasure even in their company. Noambassadors were admitted into his presence; even Borso da Correggio, who came from Ferrara, was referred to the Marchesino Stanga and theConte di Caiazzo, as deputies appointed by the duke to receivecondolences. And when Lodovico saw his ministers, they were strictlycharged only to speak of business matters, and never to mention the nameof the duchess or allude to the duke's recent bereavement. So completewas his seclusion and so profound his melancholy, that those about himbegan to tremble for his reason. "The duke, " wrote Sanuto, "has ceasedto care for his children or his state or anything on earth, and canhardly bear to live. " But fears of his old enemy Louis of Orleans beforelong roused him from the apathy and despair, and showed his foes thatthey had still to reckon with him. Rumours of a French invasion wereonce more heard; Trivulzio was at Asti with a strong force, and the Dukeof Orleans was shortly expected to lead an expedition into Lombardy andassert his claim to Milan. 

On the 17th of January, Lodovico shaved his head, came out of his room, and publicly gave the standard and bâton of command to Galeazzo diSanseverino, who was sent to defend Alessandria at the head of aconsiderable Milanese and German army. But the French king's health wasfailing, and the Duke of Orleans, who, since the death of the littledauphin twelve months before, had become the next heir to the crown, suddenly refused to leave France. Trivulzio was repulsed in an attackon Novi; while an attempt to seize Genoa, which was set on foot by theCardinal della Rovere and Battista Fregoso, was frustrated by the promptmeasures of defence taken by the Duke of Milan and the Venetians. 

Meanwhile every possible honour was paid to the memory of DuchessBeatrice. All through the duchy, during the month of January, solemnfuneral services were held, and one hundred requiem masses were saiddaily in S. Maria delle Grazie for the repose of her soul, while ahundred tapers were kept burning day and night round the stonesarcophagus supported by lions in which her remains were interred. Theduke himself, clad in a suit of black fustian and wrapt in a long blackcloak, which all his courtiers wore as a badge of mourning, attended twoor three masses daily, as well as many offices to Our Lady, and sent ahundred gold ducats to the Santa Casa at Loreto, in discharge of a vowwhich poor Beatrice had made to take a pilgrimage to that famous shrineafter the birth of her child. 

Marino Sanuto, writing in August, seven months after Beatrice's death, remarks that since his wife's death the duke has become an altered man. "He is very religious, recites offices daily, observes fasts, and liveschastely and devoutly. His rooms are still hung with black, and he takesall his meals standing, and wears a long black cloak. He goes every dayto visit the church where his wife is buried, and never leaves thisundone, and much of his time is spent with the friars of the convent. "And a Dominican historian, Padre Rovegnatino, then living, records howduring the whole of the next year Lodovico visited the convent regularlytwice a week--on Tuesday, which, being the day of the week on whichBeatrice died, he always kept as a fast, and on Saturday, and on theseoccasions dined with the prior Giovanni da Tortona and his successorVincenzo Baldelli. 

The decoration and improvement of this church and convent now became thechief object of Lodovico's thoughts. The beautiful shrine which he hadalready adorned with Bramante's cupola and portico, was now doubly dearto him for the sake of Beatrice and his dead children. The annals of theconvent record the multitude of his benefactions to both church andconvent, and the cordial relations which he maintained with theDominican friars to the end of his reign. First of all, he appliedhimself to raise a monument to the memory of Beatrice immediately infront of the high altar, where her remains were buried. The sculptorwhom he chose for this work was Cristoforo Solari, called _Il Gobbo_, orthe hunchback, a surname which he had inherited from his father, whoseems to have been deformed. The Solari were a race of sculptors, manyof whom had been employed at the Certosa, while Cristoforo, who hadsettled in Venice about 1490, was recalled to Milan about this time andappointed ducal sculptor, on the recommendation of the MarchesinoStanga. It was the duke's pleasure that a recumbent effigy of Beatrice, wearing the rich brocades and jewels in which she had been borne to herrest, should be placed on her tomb, so that future ages should have aperpetual memorial of the young duchess as she had last appeared in theeyes of the servants and people who had loved her so well. And as it wasLodovico's own wish to be buried in the same tomb, the sculptor was tocarve an effigy of himself in ducal crown and mantle, lying at hiswife's side in the last slumber. So, at the duke's bidding, the Milaneseambassador, Battista Sfondrati, bought the finest blocks of Carraramarble that he could find in Venice, and the brothers of the Certosasent seven loads more from their vast stores to Solari's house in Milan. Out of these marbles the sculptor carved a noble bas-relief of the DeadChrist and the two admirable effigies of the duke and duchess, which nowadorn the Certosa of Pavia. His task was probably finished before theclose of the following year, and the tomb was set up in the _Cappellamaggiore_ of S. Maria delle Grazie, at a cost of upwards of 15, 000ducats. At the same time Lodovico placed a slab of black marble on thewalls of the same chapel, in memory of the dead child whose birth hadcost his mother her life, with the following proud inscription:--

"Infelix partus: amisi ante vitam quam inLucem ederer; infelicior quod matriMoriens vitam ademi et parentem con-sorte sua orbavi in tam adverso fato. Hoc solum mihi potest jocundium esseQuod divi parentes me, Ludovicus etBeatrix Mediolanenses duces genuere, M. C. C. C. C. LXXXXVII. Tertio Nonas Januarii. "

The ill-fated child had died before he had ever seen the light of day, and, still more unfortunate in this, he had deprived his mother of life, and left his father widowed and alone; but this at least he couldproudly say, "Lodovico and Beatrice, Duke and Duchess of Milan, were myparents. "

The walls of the chapel were decorated with rich marbles and gilding, and new altars were set up in honour of Saint Louis and Santa Beatrice, the patron saints of the duke and duchess. Cristoforo was employed tocarve reliefs for the high altar, and the duke gave the friars ajewelled crucifix and marvellously wrought set of chalices, patens, candelabra, paci of _niello_, engraved with Beatrice's name and arms. Among other costly gifts, he also presented them with a magnificent_pallium_ and richly embroidered hangings for the altar, and a set ofilluminated choir-books with enamelled and jewelled bindings, while theMarchesino Stanga gave an organ to the church. Bramante was ordered tocomplete the cupola as soon as possible, and was employed later to add anew sacristy to the church. 

But there was one thing more which lay still nearer to Lodovico's heart. Leonardo's great wall-painting for the convent refectory was well-nighcompleted. Cardinal Perault de Gurk, when he visited his friend theDominican prior towards the end of January, 1497, saw and admired thework of Leonardo, and conversed with the painter, who laughed, Bandellotells us, at his Eminence's ignorance for thinking his salary of 2000ducats a large one and expressing surprise at the duke's liberality. Lodovico was now anxious to see the life-sized portraits of himself andBeatrice with their children painted by the great master's hand on theopposite wall. The Dominican historian, Padre Pino, writing in the lastcentury, says that the convent retained a life-sized portrait of thatmost excellent and famous lady, Duchess Beatrice, in which the sweetgentleness of her nature and majesty of her bearing were faithfullyreproduced; and Padre Gattico, a very accurate and careful writer of thesixteenth century who wrote the history of the convent from itsfoundation, describes how Leonardo da Vinci was employed by Lodovico topaint portraits of himself and Beatrice, with their children kneeling attheir feet, on the wall opposite the Cenacolo, but adds that theseportraits, being painted in oil, were already in a ruinous condition. The Dominican father's words were all too true, and only the merestfragments of these portraits, which Vasari described as works of sublimebeauty, now remain on the wall, where the Lombard artist Montorfano hadalready painted his fresco of the Crucifixion. That of Beatrice is amere ghost, but enough remains of Lodovico's figure to show how noblyLeonardo treated his subject, and is of the deepest interest as anexample of the great Florentine's art and a faithful likeness of hisillustrious patron. A distinct reference to Lodovico's wishes on thesubject may be found in the paper of directions which he drew up on the30th of June, 1497, for his minister the Marchesino Stanga. 

"_Memorandum of the things which Messer Marchesino is to do. _

"In the first place, he is to place the ducal arms in gold letters on amarble slab on Porta Ludovica, together with ten bronze medals bearingthe duke's head. 

"_Item_: to see that similar tablets are placed on all the publicbuildings, excepting those in the Castello, which are in charge ofMesser Bernardino di Corte, and that medals are placed between them. 

"_Item_: to see that _El Gobbo_ carves the reliefs for the altar thisyear, and that he has sufficient marble, and if more is needed, send toVenice or Carrara. 

"_Item_: to see that the sepulchre is finished without delay, and todesire _Gobbo_ to work at the covering and all the other portionsbelonging to the tomb, so that it may be ready as soon as the rest ofthe sepulchre. 

"_Item_: to ask Leonardo the Florentine to finish his work on the wallof the Refectory, and to begin the painting on the other wall of theRefectory. If he will do this, some arrangement may be made with himregarding the agreements signed by his own hand, by which he stipulatedto finish the work within a certain time. 

"_Item_: to see that the portico of S. Ambrogio is finished, for whichtwo thousand ducats have been assigned. 

"_Item_: to call together all the most skilled architects to hold aconsultation, and design a model for the façade of Santa Maria delleGrazie, which shall be of the same height and proportions as the_Capella Grande_. 

"_Item_: to finish the _Strada da Corte_, which the duke wishes to seecompleted. 

"_Item_: to make a head of our Madonna the late duchess, and place it ona medallion with that of the duke on the doors of the chapel in SantaMaria delle Grazie. 

"_Item_: to open a new gate in the walls corresponding to the Porta S. Marco, and call it the Porta Beatrice, and place the ducal arms andletters of the said duchess upon the said gate, as has been done atPorta Ludovica. 

"_Item_: to desire that the decorations of the Broletto Nuovo should befinished by August. 

"_Item_: to place an inscription in gold letters on black marble abovethe portraits of the chapel. "

This _Memoriale_ was signed by the ducal secretary, Bartolommeo Calco, and the following lines were added by Lodovico himself:--

"MARCHESINO, --We have charged you with the execution of the works herementioned, and, although you have already received our orders by word ofmouth, we have for our further satisfaction set them down in writing, toshow you how extraordinary is the interest that we take in theircompletion. 

"LUDOVICO MARIA SFORTIA. "[71]

The bronze medals here mentioned, which by Lodovico's orders were to beplaced on all the chief public buildings, were probably those designedby Caradosso after Beatrice's death, in which the head of the duke andduchess appear side by side. 

The name and arms of Beatrice were to be seen everywhere; her portraitwas to be placed in the church of the Grazie, and her medallion abovethe gate. And to-day, in spite of the common ruin which has overwhelmedthe palaces and churches of Lodovico's fair duchy, the armorial bearingsof his consort may still be seen painted in the lunette above theCenacolo, as if the duke wished Leonardo's great painting to beespecially associated with her beloved memory; while not only in theCastello of Milan, but on the site of ducal castles and villasthroughout the Milanese, blocks of stone and marble carved with theinitials of Lodovico and Beatrice are constantly brought to light. 

In the midst of these tokens of grief and love for his lost wife, wecome upon a strange incident. That May, Lucrezia Crivelli, the mistresswhose _liaison_ with the duke had caused Beatrice the sorrow which henow remembered with so much remorse, bore Lodovico a son, who was namedGianpaolo, and who became a valiant soldier and loyal subject of hishalf-brother Duke Francesco Sforza in after days. The Moro, as far as weknow, never renewed his connection with Lucrezia after his wife's death. The universal testimony of his contemporaries--"he lived chastely anddevoutly, and was a changed man"--seems to bear witness to the contrary;but in the following August he settled Cussago and Saronno, the landswhich three years before he had given to Beatrice, upon his mistress asa provision for the son she had borne him, and in the act of donationspeaks expressly of the delight which he had found in her gentle andexcellent company. 

Even more strange it sounds in our ears to find Isabella d'Este, only ayear after Beatrice's death, writing to the duke's former mistress, Cecilia Gallerani, to ask for the loan of her portrait by Leonardo'shand, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. The fact that aprincess of the proud house of Este, and one who, in the eyes of hergeneration, was the model of all virtues, should seek a favour from onewho had wronged her sister so deeply, affords fresh proof how lightlysuch _liaisons_ were regarded in those days, and may incline us to bemore lenient in our judgments of the men and women of the Renaissance. 

FOOTNOTES:

[65] Luzio-Renier, _op. Cit. _, p. 639. 

[66] C. Magenta, _op. Cit. _

[67] This valuable and interesting letter is preserved in the Statearchives of the House of Este at Modena, and was first published bySignor Gustavo Uzielli, in his _Leonardo da Vinci e Tre donne Milanesi_, p. 43. 

[68] Muratori, xxiv. 342. 

[69] M. Sanuto, _Diarii_, i. 489. 

[70] L. Pélissier, _Les Amies de L. Sforza_. 

[71] Cantù in A. S. L. , 1874, p. 183. 

CHAPTER XXVIII

The Marquis of Mantua dismissed by the Venetians--He incurs DukeLodovico's displeasure by his intrigues--Isabella d'Este'scorrespondence with the Duke of Milan--Leonardo in the Castello--Deathof Charles VIII. --Visit of Lodovico to Mantua--Francesco Gonzagaappointed captain of the imperial forces--Isabella of Aragon andIsabella d'Este--Chiara Gonzaga and Caterina Sforza--Lodovico's will. 

1497-1498

While Lodovico was building sanctuaries and raising memorials to hisdead wife, his brother-in-law of Mantua had excited the suspicions ofthe Venetians by his French sympathies, and in April, 1497, was suddenlydismissed from his post of captain-general of the Signoria's armies. Isabella d'Este was deeply distressed, and Francesco Gonzaga declaredloudly that this disgrace was the result of Galeazzo di Sanseverino'sjealousy and of the Moro's intrigues. In September the marquis andMesser Galeazzo met at a tournament held at Brescia in honour of theQueen of Cyprus. Fracassa was also present with his wife, MargheritaPia, in a chariot driven by twelve fine horses, and both he and themarquis entered the lists with their followers, but the hero of the daywas Galeazzo, who appeared suddenly at the head of forty horsemen, allin deep mourning, with hair dyed black, and black and gold armour, and aherald bearing a black pennon with gold griffins. When the joust wasover, the queen entertained Fracassa's wife, and all the cavaliers, atsupper, and the next day Galeazzo escorted her home over the hills toAsolo. But this meeting did not improve the strained relations betweenthe princes of Milan and Mantua, and the secret intrigues whichFrancesco Gonzaga carried on both with France and Florence soon came toLodovico's ears. In November the duke wrote a strong remonstrance toIsabella, complaining bitterly of her husband's ingratitude, anddeclaring that he would have exposed his fraudulent conduct in the eyesof the Venetians, and of all Italy, had it not been for the love andregard which he had for her. Isabella was seriously alarmed at the toneof her brother-in-law's letter, and did her best to effect areconciliation between him and her husband. Her efforts were seconded byher father, Duke Ercole, and his sons, who were often at Milan, and keptup friendly relations with Lodovico after their sister's death. Alfonsoand his wife, Anna Sforza, were at the Castello in June, and Galeazzo diSanseverino himself accompanied the heir of Ferrara to the shop of thefamous Missaglia to order a suit of armour which should be "of agallantry and perfection worthy of Don Alfonso. " We hear of a splendidsuit of gilded armour, also the work of the Missaglias, being presentedto Ferrante d'Este by the Duke of Milan, while Beatrice's youngestbrother, the boy-cardinal, Ippolito, succeeded Guido Arcimboldo asArchbishop of Milan, and took up his abode in that city. But a newcalamity befell the house of Este that November in the death of AnnaSforza, who, like her sister-in-law, gave birth to a still-born child onthe 30th of November, and herself expired a few hours later, to thegrief of her whole family, and more especially of Duke Ercole, who, inhis advancing years, saw himself bereaved of all of those he loved best. The sweetness and goodness of this princess, the Ferrarese diarist tellsus, had endeared her to all the people of Ferrara, and in the shock ofher sudden death Lodovico felt a renewal of his own sorrow. In the sameweek, another Este princess, who had been closely associated with theMilanese court, also passed away. This was the widowed mother of Niccoloda Correggio, that once beautiful and charming Beatrice, who had beenknown in her youth as the Queen of Festivals, and who for many years hadbeen a staunch friend of the Moro, and had long occupied rooms in theCastello. After her death, Niccolo, feeling that the last link whichbound him to Lodovico's court was severed, left Milan, and returned tohis old home at Ferrara. That autumn, Cristoforo Romano also left thecourt, which Duchess Beatrice's death had shorn of its old brightnessand splendour, and entered the service of her sister Isabella d'Este atMantua, while the court-poet, Gaspare Visconti, died early in thefollowing year. One by one artists and singers were dropping out ofsight, and the brilliant company which Lodovico's wife had gatheredround her was fast melting away. The gay days of Vigevano and Cussagowere over, the deer and wild boars grazed unharmed in these woodlandvalleys, and when Kaiser Maximilian asked the duke for one of his famousbreed of falcons, Lodovico sent him one belonging to Messer Galeazzo'sbreed, saying that he no longer kept any of his own, and had quite givenup hunting since the death of the duchess of blessed memory. 

But his love of art and learning was as great as ever, and Fra LucaPacioli, the able mathematician, who came to Milan in 1496, anddedicated his treatise of _La Divina Proporzione_ to Lodovico, describesthe laudable and scientific duel of famous and learned men, that washeld on the 9th of February, 1498, in the Castello of Milan--"thatinvincible fortress of the glorious city which is a residence worthy ofHis Excellency. " The duke himself presided at this meeting, which somewriters have supposed to be a sitting of an academy of arts and sciencesfounded by Lodovico, with Leonardo for its president, and left Milan thenext day, on a pilgrimage to the Holy Mount of the Madonna at Varese. Among the many illustrious personages, religious and secular, who werepresent on this occasion, Fra Luca mentions "Messer Galeazzo Sforza diSan Severino, my own special patron, " to whom he presented the beautifulilluminated copy of his treatise, now in the Ambrosiana, the Prior ofthe convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, the doctors and astrologers, Ambrogio da Rosate, Pirovano, Cusani and Marliani, and many well-knownjurists, councillors, architects, and engineers, including Leonardo daVinci, "our fellow-citizen of Florence, who, in sculpture and paintingalike, justifies his name and surpasses"--i. E. _vince_ = conquers--"allother masters. "[72]

Leonardo's Cenacolo, we learn from his friend Pacioli, was at lengthfinished, and preparations were being made for casting his great horsein bronze, but the master himself was chiefly engaged in the study ofhydraulics, and was writing a treatise on motion and water-power. InApril, however, he was again painting in the Castello, and MesserGualtero, one of Lodovico's most trusted servants, informed the duke, who was absent for a few days, that both his sons were very well, andthat Magistro Leonardo was at work in the Saletta Negra. He wouldshortly proceed to the Camera Grande in the tower, and promised tocomplete the decorations by September, in order that the duke might beable to enjoy them next autumn. A note in one of Leonardo's manuscriptsspeaks of twenty-four Roman subjects, probably small decorative groupsin _camaieu_, painted on the vaulting of these rooms, and gives theexact cost of the blue, gold, and enamel employed, but all trace ofthese decorations has vanished. At the same time Lodovico appointed hisfavourite master to the post of ducal engineer, and employed him tosurvey those vast and elaborate fortifications in the Castello, whichexcited the wonder of the French invaders. 

Two of Amadeo's great architectural works, the cupola of the Duomo ofMilan, and the façade of the Certosa, were brought to a successfulconclusion in these last years of Lodovico's rule, while the foundationstone of the noble Cistercian monastery attached to S. Ambrogio, now amilitary hospital, was laid by the duke, and built at his expense fromBramante's designs. The charitable society known as the Confraternity ofthe Santa Corona, or Holy Crown of Thorns, a name familiar to all whohave visited its ancient halls, and seen Luini's fresco, was anotherexcellent institution intended for the relief of the sick poor in theirown homes, which was founded under the duke's auspices, and largelysupported by his liberality. But once more wars and rumours of war cameto disturb the Milanese, and to call Lodovico away from these publicworks and improvements in which he took delight. 

The renewed intrigues of Charles VIII. With the Florentines, and revivedfears of a French invasion, induced Lodovico to send Baldassare Pusterlato Venice in February, 1498, to solicit the help of the Signoria, butwhile these negotiations were going on, a courier arrived from Ferrarawith the news of the French king's sudden death. Charles, who was nottwenty-eight, had died of apoplexy as he was watching a game of bowls atAmboise, and his cousin, the Duke of Orleans, had been proclaimed kingunder the title of Louis XII. Sanuto reports that the courier whobrought the news from Amboise to Florence had ridden the whole way inseven days, and had killed no less than thirteen horses!

"Magnificent ambassador!" said the Doge to the Milanese envoy, "you toldus that His Most Christian Majesty was on his way to Italy. We hear thathe is dead!"

The news was a great relief to most of the Italian powers, to none moreso than Lodovico, who saw his immediate fears removed, and did notrealize how much reason he had to dread the ambitious designs of his oldrival king Louis. But in his eagerness to secure the alliance ofFlorence, he committed the fatal mistake of affronting the Venetians. Herefused to allow a fresh detachment of troops, which they were sendingto Pisa, to pass through his dominions, and the Signory in revenge sentan embassy to the King of France with secret orders to take counsel withTrivulzio and negotiate a league with Louis XII. Against the Duke ofMilan. All Lodovico's hopes were now fixed on the formation of a newleague between Maximilian, the Pope, Naples, and Milan. When this wasconcluded, he offered the generalship of the allied forces, with thetitle of Captain of the King of the Romans, to the Marquis of Mantua. Still Francesco Gonzaga was not satisfied, and complained that he oughtalso to be entitled Captain-general to the Duke of Milan, a title whichLodovico refused to take from his son-in-law Galeazzo. However, Isabella, who had already paved the way for this reconciliation, implored her husband to be content for the present with the duke'soffer, remarking that the salary was the important thing, and in May themarquis went to Milan, where he received a cordial welcome, and theterms of the agreement were satisfactorily arranged. 

Lodovico now announced his intention of coming to Mantua in person, andon the 27th of June arrived there on a visit to the marquis andmarchioness, accompanied by the young Cardinal Ippolito and the German, Spanish, Florentine, and Neapolitan ambassadors, with a suite of athousand persons. Great was Isabella's anxiety that nothing should belacking on this occasion, and endless were the pains which she took todo honour to her splendid brother-in-law. She borrowed plate andtapestries from Niccolo da Correggio, and desired her own envoy atMilan, Benedetto Capilupi, to ask Galeazzo Visconti and AntonioCostabili what wines the duke preferred and what clothes he would expecther to wear. Lodovico himself had not yet laid aside his mourning, andIsabella wondered if the rooms of his apartments at Mantua must be hungwith black velvet, or if she might venture to relieve them with violettints, as would, she felt, be more fitting to this festive occasion. Theduke, Capilupi replied, would be satisfied with any arrangements themarchesa liked to make, and as for the wines, he found that thoseusually preferred by his Excellency at supper were clear white wines, rather sweet and new, while at dinner he generally drank light red wine, such as Cesolo, all very clear and new. 

The visit passed off successfully, and after three days of _fêtes_ andentertainments Lodovico returned to Milan. Francesco Gonzaga, however, still wavered between the duke and the Venetians, and it was not tillLodovico sent Marchesino Stanga and Fracassa to Mantua in November, thatthe agreement was finally concluded, and Erasmo Brasca delivered thebâton to the marquis in the emperor's name. Isabella herself interviewedthe ceremony from a tribunal erected on the piazza in front of theCastello di Corte at Mantua, and the duke wrote a graceful note to hissister-in-law, thanking her for her good offices in the matter. He stillconstantly sent her presents of choice fruits or wines and venison, while Isabella, in return, sent him salmon-trout from Garda, andEvangelista, the marquis's famous trainer, tamed the duke's horses. InJuly Lodovico sent her a basket of peaches, wishing they had been evenfiner than they were, to be more worthy of her acceptance, and Isabellawrote in reply: "The peaches sent by your Excellency are most welcome, not only because they are the first ripe ones I have tasted this summer, but far more because they are a proof of your gracious remembrance, forwhich I can never thank your Excellency enough. " On New Year's Day, 1499, Lodovico sent the marchioness two barrels of wine--"_vinoamabile_"--and two chests of lemons, and in February wrote to thank herfor the fish, which were very fine and good and had reached himopportunely, as it was Friday in Lent. 

Gifts of artichokes, which were then esteemed a great delicacy, wereoften sent to the duke by Genoese nobles, and in March, 1499, we findGiovanni Adorno, the brother-in-law of the San Severini, who evidentlyknew Lodovico's taste for flowers, sending a basket of forty artichokestogether with a bouquet of the finest roses. Another characteristic notewas the following, written by the Moro to Francesco Gonzaga, inJanuary:--

"I always take great delight in seeing the swans which you sent us someyears ago, sailing on the castle moat under these windows. So if youhave any others to spare, I beg you to send me some, for which I shallbe very grateful. "[73]

Two of the last letters, which Isabella addressed to her brother-in-law, are of especial interest, as relating to Giangaleazzo's widow, theDuchess Isabella of Aragon. A few weeks after Beatrice's death, thisunfortunate lady had been desired by the duke to leave her rooms in theCastello, and take up her abode in the old palace near the Duomo. Somecontention arose respecting the boy Francesco Sforza, whom Lodovicowished to keep with his own sons in the Rocchetta, and who remainedthere for a time, only visiting his mother once a week. "You have takenmy son's crown away, " said the duchess, indignantly, "and now you wouldtake his mother too!" Lodovico is said to have replied, "Madam, you area woman, so I will not quarrel with you. " But in spite of her hatred forLodovico, Isabella of Aragon still kept up friendly relations with herEste cousins. In 1498, she asked the marchioness for an antique bust, which Andrea Mantegna had brought back from Rome, and which she heardbore a striking likeness to herself. The painter, however, valued themarble so highly that for long he refused to part with it, and offeredto send the duchess a cast of the bust in bronze. Isabella d'Este, however, finally prevailed upon him to let her buy the head, and send itas a present to her cousin, whom she declared it resembled in amarvellous manner. At the same time she promised the duchess a replicaof a portrait of her brother, King Ferrante of Naples, which she valuedtoo much to part with, but would have copied as soon as possible byFrancesco Mantegna. Before satisfying her cousin's wishes, however, theprudent Isabella applied to the duke and ascertained that he had noobjection to her action. Again, when in March, 1499, the duchess beggedIsabella to let her have her own portrait, the marchioness sent thepicture to Lodovico, and asked him for leave to send the picture toGiangaleazzo's widow. 

"MOST ILLUSTRIOUS PRINCE AND EXCELLENT DUKE AND DEAR FATHER, "I am afraid I shall weary not only your Highness, but all Italy withthe sight of my portraits; but reluctantly as I do this, I could notrefuse the Duchess Isabella's urgent entreaties to let her have myportrait in colours. I send this one, which is not very like me, andmakes me look fatter than I really am, and have desired Negro, my masterof the horse, to show it to your Highness, and, if you approve, give itto the duchess from me. "[74]

Lodovico replied pleasantly that he admired the portrait, and thought itvery like Isabella, although it made her look stouter than when he hadlast seen her, but suggested that perhaps she had grown fatter duringthe interval. And the picture was duly presented to Duchess Isabellathat same day. 

The marquis's widowed sister Chiara Gonzaga, Duchess of Montpensier, also kept up an active correspondence with the Moro at this time, andwarned him repeatedly of the intrigues against him that were going on atthe French court, and of the dangers he had to fear from Trivulzio andthe Venetians. 

So warm was the friendship between this lady and Lodovico, that aMantuan doctor wrote from Milan to Francesco Gonzaga, on pretence ofhaving received a commission from the duke to ask for his widowedsister's hand in marriage, and as well as for that of his youthfuldaughter Leonora on behalf of the young Count of Pavia. The duke wroteback that he had never seen the doctor, and that the whole was afabrication. As he informed Chiara, he had not the smallest intention ofmarrying a second time, although he had already received proposals tothis effect, both from Naples and Germany. And, by way ofpeace-offering, he sent her a beautiful little _niello_ pax, as aspecimen of the work of his Milanese goldsmiths, and as a proof that heplaced himself altogether at her service. In return, Chiara sent him hercordial thanks, and informed him that her brother had given orders forthe instant arrest of the mischievous doctor, and would see that he wasdelivered into the duke's hands. 

Another princess, who was in constant correspondence with the Moroduring these last years, was his niece Caterina Sforza, the famousMadonna of Forli. Long ago, he had helped her against the conspiratorswho had killed her first husband and besieged her in the Rocca, and tenyears before, Galeazzo di Sanseverino had won his first laurels atForli. Since those days, Lodovico had been a good friend to this warlikelady in all her perpetual quarrels with her subjects and neighbours. "Ishould be ready to drown myself, were it not for the trust that I placein your Excellency, " Caterina wrote to her uncle in 1496. Now that shehad aroused the wrath of Venice by her alliance with Florence, and thatRomagna was actually invaded by a Venetian force, the duke sent firstFracassa and then the Count of Caiazzo to her help. In her gratitude shecalled the infant son born of her third marriage with Giovanni de'Medici, Lodovico, a name which he afterwards changed, to become famousin history as Giovanni _delle bande nere_. But this _virago_, asMachiavelli named the gallant lady of Forli, was by no means easy todeal with, and she was constantly appealing to Lodovico to settle herdisputes. One day she welcomed Fracassa as a delivering angel, the nextshe quarrelled with him violently, and turned a deaf ear to the Moro'sadvice to overcome the Condottiere's rudeness by fair words and gentlecourtesy. After summarily rejecting his suggestion of a Gonzaga bridefor her son, and informing him that she was about to accept the Count ofCaiazzo's proposals for her daughter Bianca, she changed her mind, declaring the count to be too old, and suddenly bethought herself ofGaleazzo di Sanseverino, as a suitable husband. This proposal, however, the Moro promptly declined in a curt note, telling the countess thatMesser Galeazzo had no intention of marrying again. [75]

But the days of the once powerful Moro's reign were already numbered, and the time was coming when he would be in sore need of help himself. His subjects were already grievously discontented. At Milan, Cremona, and Lodi, even in faithful Pavia, there had been tumults and riotings. It became increasingly difficult to exact the loans required to meet theheavy expenses for the national defence, while the ill-paid troopsmurmured, and in many cases deserted the standard. 

"In the whole Milanese there is trouble and discontent. No one loves theduke. And yet he still reigns. . . . But he is a traitor to Venice, andwill be punished for his bad faith. " So wrote Marino Sanuto that autumn;while another Venetian chronicler, Malipiero, gave vent to his bitterhatred in these words:

"Lodovico hoped to give the Signory trouble by his alliance with CharlesVIII. , but God our protector has taken away that monarch's life, and hasmade King Alvise his successor, who is Lodovico's enemy. "

So the year closed gloomily. The political horizon was black andlowering, and Lodovico had lost the wife upon whose courage and presenceof mind he had learnt to lean. He was suffering from gout himself, andwas often unable to mount a horse. But he still found pleasure in hisartistic dreams and in the vast schemes that filled his brain. Alreadyhe had seen many of his plans carried out. Bramante's cupola andsacristy were finished and Beatrice's tomb, with the sleeping form andface, had been exquisitely wrought in marble by the sculptor's hand. Leonardo had completed the Cenacolo to be the wonder of the world incoming ages, and the great equestrian statue was only waiting for bettertimes to be cast in bronze and become a permanent memorial of the proudSforza race. Now a new and grander vision filled his thoughts. He wouldrebuild the convent of the Dominican Friars on a vast and splendidscale, and make it the most glorious sanctuary in the world, surpassingeven his beloved Certosa, for the sake of Beatrice, and as a livingmemorial of the love which he had borne to his dead wife. 

He began by rebuilding the friars' dormitories, enlarging their gardens, and giving them a good water-supply. Then, on the 3rd of December ofthis year, 1498, he drew up a deed by which he granted his beautifulvilla of the Sforzesca, with the spacious farms and fertile lands whichhad been his pride and pleasure in past days, to the prior and conventof Santa Maria delle Grazie, in perpetuity. In the preamble to the deedof gift, the duke expresses his great love for this church, "where ourdead children repose, and our most dear wife Beatrice d'Este sleeps, where, God willing, we ourselves hope to rest until the day ofresurrection, " and ends with a devout prayer "that God and the BlessedVirgin, the Dominican saints, Peter Martyr, Thomas Aquinas, and Dominic, St. Vincent, St. Katharine of Siena, and all the saints, will hear theprayers offered at these altars by the brothers of the order, andforgive our failings, increase our merit, preserve our sons, give peaceand tranquillity to our subjects, receive the soul of our dearly lovedBeatrice into rest eternal, and finally place us, when this life isover, among the holy monarchs and princes of His kingdom. " This deed, signed and sealed by Lodovico's own hand, and beautifully illuminated byAntonio da Monza, or some miniaturist of his school, is preserved, together with the former privileges granted to the community during thelifetime of Duke Giangaleazzo, in the collection of the Marchese d'Adda. Each leaf is elaborately decorated with Lodovico's favourite mottoes anddevices and other ornaments, while on the first page is a miniature ofthe duke in black cap and mantle, in the act of presenting the act ofdonation to the Dominican prior. After the French conquest of Milan, Louis XII. Annulled this deed of gift, although the friars escapedfurther spoliation owing to the protection of the powerful Borromeofamily, and, after a long dispute, their possession of the Sforzesca waseventually confirmed by Emperor Charles V. An inscription was placedover the gates of the Sforzesca in honour of Lodovico Sforza and hiswife, and the domain remained the property of the convent until thegeneral confiscation of Church lands by Napoleon in 1798. Now Lodovico'sfoundation has become national property, the remnants of his spaciousbuildings are used as government schools. 

On the same day, December 3, 1498, Lodovico made his will, a curious andinteresting document, which is still preserved in the Milanese archives, and opens with these sentences:

"The holy Fathers teach us that according to the laws of the Eternalkingdom, ordered by God Almighty, the elect may attain to this immortalheritage by purifying their souls from every earthly stain. By mourningfor our sins, by giving alms and making reparation for wrong done toothers, by fasting, prayers, and good works, we can win everlastinglife, as has been decreed by God in all eternity. Believing this truthwith our whole heart, in full agreement with the Catholic faith, anddesiring to provide for the salvation of our soul as precious above allearthly treasures, so that by the help of God we may rise purified fromthe stains of this life to enjoy life and peace in the company of theblessed, we order these things. "[76] After recommending his soul oncemore to all the saints, mentioned in the former deed, he desires thathis body, the ducal robes and insignia, may be buried on the right ofhis wife, in the tomb erected by him, in the _Cappella Maggiore_ ofSanta Maria delle Grazie, and further endows the convent with a rent of1500 ducats, in order that they may never cease to pray for his own souland that of his lady, Beatrice. Seven masses, he decrees, are to be saiddaily for the duke, seven for the duchess, five requiems are to bechanted every Wednesday, and the whole office for the dead is to be usedon the 3rd of every month, being the day on which Beatrice died; whilein the church of the Sforzesca, masses are to be said in January andJune--these being the months of Beatrice's birth and death--for both theduke and his wife. For a whole year after his death, the alms which hehas given since the duchess's death are to be continued, a certainnumber of poor families are to be relieved, and poor maidens and nunsdowered, who are to pray for the souls of Beatrice and of his childrenLeone and Bianca. He leaves 4000 ducats to be distributed yearly inalms, and 3000 more to pension his old servants, while 5000 ducats areto be paid to each of his illegitimate sons, Cesare and Gianpaolo. Allhis debts and those of his mother are to be discharged, and a sum ofmoney equal to that which he, his father, and brother Galeazzo hadexacted from the Jews is to be spent in good works. All his gifts to theDuomo of Milan are confirmed, including the rich plate and vestmentspresented by Azzo Visconti to the chapel of S. Gottardo in the oldpalace, and removed by Duke Galeazzo to the Castello, but restored byLodovico. 

To this same date, another even more interesting document must beassigned: the political will of Lodovico, which was among themanuscripts brought from Milan by Louis XII. , in 1499, and is stillpreserved in the Bibliothèque Nationale. [77] This document consists ofthirty-four parchment leaves, enriched with delicately painted initialsand the monogram of Lodovico and Beatrice, bound in black velvet andfastened with gold clasps. By the duke's orders, it was placed in aniron casket, richly ornamented with silver work, bearing his arms andthose of his wife, as well as the Sforza devices of the lion with thebuckets and his own favourite emblem of the caduceus. This casket wassealed with the cornelian engraved with Beatrice's portrait, whichLodovico always used after her death, and deposited in the treasury ofthe Rocchetta, in the charge of the governor of the Castello, to beopened by him and the chief secretary and chamberlain, immediately afterthe duke's death. The writer begins by explaining that since thepremature death of his wife, in whose wisdom and knowledge he placedabsolute trust, has deprived his sons of their natural guardian, he hasdrawn up the following instructions for their education and guidance andfor the proper administration of the State, until the elder of the two, Maximilian Count of Pavia, shall attain the age of twenty. 

First of all, he desires the governors and regents set over his son, toimpress upon the new duke the love and duty which he owes to his Fatherin heaven, who is the Disposer of all, and the King of earthly kings, and under Him to his vicar, the holy pontiff, and his Imperial Majesty, Maximilian King of the Romans. And immediately on the present duke'sdeath, his son is to apply to the Cesarean Majesty for a confirmation ofthe privileges granted to Duke Lodovico as a singular mark of favour, after they had been refused to his father, brother, and nephew. Lodovicothen proceeds to give minute directions for the constitution of aCouncil of Regency, the administration of the finances, the punishmentof criminals, appointment of magistrates, and organization of thenational defences. A standing army of 1200 men-at-arms and 600 lightcavalry is to be kept up, as well as garrisons in the fortresses, andgreat stress is laid on the selection of tried and trusted castellans. Aspecial paragraph is devoted to Genoa, and Lodovico begs his successorto pay especial attention to the noble families of Adorno, Fieschi, andSpinola, warning him that the Genoese are easily led but will never bedriven, and must be treated courteously, and with due regard. Allimportant questions of peace and war and of making new laws are to bereferred to representatives of the people, and the voice of the nationis as far as possible to be consulted in these matters. The young dukeis to make the Castello his residence, and be as seldom absent fromMilan as possible, never going further than his country houses ofAbbiategrasso, Cussago, Monza, Dece, and Melegnano, until he has reachedthe age of fourteen. After that, he may, if he pleases, cross theTicino, and visit Vigevano and Pavia, but is recommended to be seldomabsent from Milan, if he wishes to keep the affection of his subjects. His education is to be entrusted to none but the best governors andteachers, who are to train him carefully in all branches of religiousand secular learning, in good conduct and habits, and in the knowledgeof letters, which last is not merely an ornament but an absolutenecessity for a prince. From his earliest years he is to take his placein the council, and is to be gradually initiated into the management ofaffairs, taught to deliver speeches and receive ambassadors, andinstructed in all that is necessary to make him a wise and good prince, who cares for the welfare of his subjects and is capable of ruling themin days of peace, and defending them in time of war. One particular onwhich Lodovico insists is the restraint which he places on his son'sexpenditure. The young prince is to observe great caution in his giftsto his favourites. Up to the age of fourteen, he is never to give awaymore than 500 ducats at a time, without the leave of his councillors, and may never give presents exceeding that value to strangers on his ownauthority, before he is twenty. Similar directions are given for theeducation of Lodovico's younger son, Sforza, Duke of Bari, and therevenues of his principality are to be carefully invested in Genoesebanks until he is of age. The wise management of the ducal stables andof the chapel choir is especially recommended to the regents, and goodhorses and good singers are always to be kept, for the duke's pleasureand the honour of his name. Minute instructions for the safe custody ofthe treasure in the Rocchetta are given, and the very forms to beobserved in the payment of public money and in the use of the differentseals affixed to public documents are all carefully determined. Greatdiscrimination is to be observed in the appointment of certainministers, in the choice of the Podesta of Milan, in the selection ofCommissioners of Corn and Salt, as well as of the officer of PublicHealth, since all three of these departments are of the foremostimportance in a well-regulated State. 

In conclusion, directions are given as to the ceremonial to be observedat Lodovico's own funeral, which is to take place before theproclamation of his successor, who is warned, on pain of incurring thepaternal malediction, not to assume the ducal crown until his father hasbeen laid in the grave. 

This political testament, which is so characteristic a monument ofLodovico's forethought and attention to detail, and of his enlightenedtheories of government, bears no seal or signature, but ends with thefollowing lines in the Moro's own handwriting--

"We Lodovico Maria, lord of Milan, affirm these orders to be those whichwe desire to be followed after our death, in the government of theState, under our son and successor in the Duchy. And in token of this, we have subscribed them with our own hand, and have appended our ducalseal. "

FOOTNOTES:

[72] G. Uzielli, _Ricerche sopra L. Da Vinci_, i. 

[73] L. Pélissier, _op. Cit. _

[74] Luzio-Renier, _op. Cit. _, p. 650. 

[75] P. Pasolini, _Caterina Sforza_, iii. 

[76] Cantù in A. S. L. , vi. 235. 

[77] Italian State papers, M. 821. 

CHAPTER XXIX

Treaty of Blois--Alliance between France, Venice, and theBorgias--Lodovico appeals to Maximilian--His gift to Leonardo and letterto the Certosini--The French and the Venetians invade theMilanese--Desertion of Gonzaga and treachery of Milanese captains--Lossof Alessandria--Panic and flight of Duke Lodovico--Surrender of Paviaand Milan to the French--Treachery of Bernardino da Corte and surrenderof the Castello--Triumphal entry of Louis XII. 

1499

From the moment of Louis XII. 's accession, he announced his intention ofmaking good his claim to the duchy of Milan. He refused to give Lodovicothe title of duke, addressing him as Messer Lodovico, while he styledhimself King of France and Duke of Milan, and told the Bishop of Arlesthat he would rather reign over the Milanese for one year than be Kingof France during his whole lifetime. At the same time he spoke freely ofhis plans for the conquest of Italy, and told his courtiers that hemeant one of his sons to be King of Naples, and the other Duke of Milan. 

These sayings were duly reported to Lodovico by his own friends at theFrench court, and chief among them M. De Trano, a Provençal gentlemanwho was in constant correspondence with Milan, as well as by the Duke ofFerrara's envoy. Ercole himself is described by French agents as "_trèsattaché à son gendre_" and Marino Sanuto speaks of him as "exceedinglypartial to his son-in-law and devoted to him in his secret heart, " buthe was far too wise and prudent a ruler to oppose Louis XII. Openly. 

The Pope, long the Moro's firm ally, had turned against him since thedissolution of his daughter Lucrezia's marriage to Giovanni Sforza in1497, and the presence of Cardinal della Rovere, who returned to Rometowards the end of 1498, increased his hatred of the Sforzas. He wasstill more drawn to France by the offers of Louis XII. To forward theambitious designs of his son Cæsar Borgia, who had renounced hiscardinal's hat and was seeking the hand of the King of Navarre'sdaughter. The discovery of these intrigues led to a sharppassage-at-arms between the Pope and Ascanio Sforza in a consistory heldon the 3rd of December. The cardinal openly accused his Holiness ofbringing ruin upon Italy, upon which Alexander retorted that he was onlyfollowing the Duke of Milan's example. In vain Lodovico endeavoured toavert the gathering storm by entering into negotiations with the Frenchking, and even approached Trivulzio with that purpose, but all attemptsat a peaceable arrangement were frustrated by Galeazzo di Sanseverinoand Antonio Landriano's hatred of their old rival and the fixeddetermination of Louis XII. To reign in the Moro's stead. 

Meanwhile the Venetian envoys were secretly plotting the Duke of Milan'sruin, and on the 15th of April the Treaty of Blois was signed and thepartition of the Milanese between France and Venice finally determined. The Signory agreed to invade the duke's territory with an army of 6000men, and were to receive the district of Cremona in return for theirassistance. This was followed by Cæsar Borgia's marriage to Charlotted'Albret, which took place at Blois on the 10th of May. The Pope's sonwas created Duke of Valentinois by the French king, and Alexander VI. Joined France and Venice and publicly declared that the house of Sforzamust be swept off the face of the earth. At the same time, FrancescoGonzaga made secret advances to Louis XII. , who accepted his offers ofservice and advised the Venetians to make peace with him. 

In his extremity Lodovico turned to his sole remaining ally, the EmperorMaximilian, and sent Erasmo Brasca and Marchesino Stanga to Fribourg, tobeg that a German force might be speedily sent to his assistance, whilehe earnestly entreated his niece the empress to plead his cause with herhusband. Unfortunately, Bianca had little or no influence at theimperial court, and Maximilian, who would gladly have helped the duke, was hampered by want of money and already engaged in war with histurbulent Swiss neighbours. But Bianca did her best for her uncle, andin these last days her letters were his chief consolation. She sent himthe latest and most confidential news, and wrote repeatedly fromFribourg and Innsbrück, encouraging him with hopes of speedy help, andreminding him how triumphantly he had overcome greater dangers in thepast. 

Even now, when his enemies were closing round him and the last strugglewas at hand, Lodovico still clung to his old ideals. The love of art wasstill the ruling passion of his life, and Leonardo still for him theprince of painters. On the 26th of April, he made the Florentine mastera present of a vineyard which he had bought from the monastery of S. Victor outside the Porta Vercellina, probably adjoining a house andpiece of land which the painter had already received from him, near S. Maria delle Grazie. During the last few years the duke, we know, hadfound it increasingly difficult to provide money for his vastenterprises, and from a rough draft of a letter that has been foundamong Leonardo's manuscripts, we gather that the painter's salary was inarrears, and that his equestrian statue had not yet been cast in bronze:

"Signore, " he writes in these fragmentary sentences, "knowing the mindof your Excellency to be fully occupied, I must ask pardon for remindingyou of my small affairs. . . . My life is at your service; I am alwaysready to obey your commands. I will say nothing of the horse, because Iknow the times; but, as your Highness is aware, two years' salary isowing to me, and I have two masters working at my expense, so that Ihave had to advance fifteen _lire_ out of my own purse to pay them. Gladly as I would undertake immortal works and show posterity that Ihave lived, I am obliged to earn my living. . . . May I remind yourHighness of the commission to paint the Camerini, only asking . . . "

The painter, we know, had never complained of Lodovico's want ofliberality, and before he left Milan that December, he was able to send600 gold florins to Florence, but he probably received the vineyardoutside the gate in answer to this appeal. In the deed of gift, theduke expressly states that Leonardo, in his judgment and in that of thebest judges, is the most famous of living painters, and that, havingbeen employed by him in manifold works, in all of which he has shownadmirable genius, the time has come to put the promises which have beenmade him into execution. Accordingly, the duke presents him with thisvineyard, small indeed compared with the painter's merits, but whichLeonardo may take as a sign that, as in the past, he will always findthe ducal house sensible of his services, and that Lodovico himself willin the future more fully reward the master's excellent acts and singulartalents. 

A week later Lodovico remembered the altar-piece which Perugino hadpromised to paint for the Certosa, and on the 1st of May wrote to theCarthusian friars, desiring them to urge the Umbrian painter to completeand deliver the work without delay. 

"You know, " he wrote, "how much labour and expense we have bestowed onthe decoration of the Certosa of Pavia, and how much we rejoice to seethat the building is nearly finished. And we have always exhortedyourselves, venerable Prior and brothers, to choose the most excellentartists to paint pictures that may be at once helps to devotion andornaments of the church. Since, with this intention, we proposed acertain Perugino and a Maestro Filippo, both of them admirable andhonoured masters, to paint two altar-pieces, and disbursed large sums inorder to obtain these pictures, we are seriously displeased to find thatthree years have passed without the work being done. This is unjust bothto ourselves and the friars, since it deprives the Certosa of theperfection that we desire to see there, and we must beg you to insist onthese excellent masters completing the said altar-pieces within areasonable term, or else returning the money which they have received. For, as you know, nothing is dearer to our hearts than the things thatconcern this church and monastery. "

Lodovico's exertions were not in vain, at least in the case of Perugino. Before the end of the year, the great altar-piece containing the lovelyMadonna and saints, which now adorns the National Gallery, was finished, and while the duke himself wandered in exile beyond the Alps, theUmbrian painter's masterpiece was safely placed in the glorious churchwhich he had loved so well. 

This letter relating to the Certosa altar-piece and the gift to Leonardowere the last public acts in which the great Moro showed his love of artand generosity to artists. His fate was sealed, and already his foeswere at the door. Before the end of May, King Louis and Cæsar Borgiacame to Lyons, and Trivulzio descended upon Asti with fifteen thousandmen. A few weeks later the Milanese envoy to Venice was dismissed, andthe Venetian army prepared to enter the district of Cremona. CaterinaSforza, almost the only Italian ally who was still faithful to Milan, sent a troop of men from Forli to her uncle's help, but the invasion ofRomagna by papal troops hindered her from attacking the Venetians as shehad intended. In vain Lodovico sent despairing letters to Maximilian, begging for the promised reinforcements. Week after week went by, andstill the German troops did not arrive. On the 13th of August, Trivulzioinvaded the Milanese with a powerful force of well-trained soldiers, andtook the castle of Annona. The same day the Venetians crossed theeastern frontier and advanced towards the river Adda. On the 14thLodovico wrote the following letter to his niece, the Empress Bianca:--

"In our present great anxieties, while the French are attacking us onthe one side, and on the other a large Venetian army is advancing, yourMajesty's loving letter has been a great comfort, expressing not onlythe sympathy which you feel in our troubles, but the efforts you havemade to induce your husband, the king, to help us in these bad times. What you say of his good-will is not more than we expected, but yourkind words have given us unspeakable joy, and we are exceedinglygrateful, and beg you with all our heart to continue your offices on ourbehalf with the king, entreating him to send us help immediately(_presto, presto_). Indeed, his troops ought to be here now, for we arealready reduced to extremity, as you will learn from Messer GaleazzoVisconti and others, whom we have sent to your Majesty, praying thathelp may be speedy and effectual. "[78]

Three days after, Bianca herself wrote to say that she had spoken to theemperor, and begged her _maître d'hôtel_ to support her request, andthat he had solemnly promised to send her uncle help. Maximilian kepthis word, and before the month was over despatched a strong German forceto the duke's relief. But the sorely needed succour came too late. Whenthe Germans reached the Italian frontier, Milan had already surrendered, and they met Lodovico flying for his life. There were traitors in theMoro's camp and court. Not only had the Marquis of Mantua broken faithand refused to defend the Milanese against the Venetians, but two of theSanseverino brothers, Fracassa and Antonio Maria, had for some time pastthreatened to enter the Venetian service; while Francesco BernardinoVisconti, the Borromeos, and Pallavicini were secretly correspondingwith Trivulzio, and the Count of Caiazzo was out of temper and jealousof his younger brother Galeazzo, if he was not, as Corio and othercontemporaries affirm, already in league with the French. Galeazzohimself, who had the supreme command of the Milanese forces and heldAlessandria with 5000 men, was a brilliant carpet-knight and gallantsoldier, but had little experience as a general, and had no confidencein his ill-paid and half-starved troops. When the duke, in a moment ofirritation, reproached his son-in-law with thinking too much of fineclothes and fair ladies, Galeazzo boldly told him that his subjects weredisaffected and tired of his rule, and that if he did not take vigorousmeasures, he would lose his state. His words proved all too true. One byone the fortresses of the Lomellina opened their gates to Trivulzio'svictorious army, Antonio Maria Pallavicini surrendered Tortona without ablow, and when Galeazzo prepared to relieve Pavia, his troops refused tofollow him. At the head of a handful of cavalry, he made a gallantattempt to reach Pavia, but the citizens, alarmed at the approach of theFrench, closed their gates and refused to admit any armed men. 

Alessandria was now the only fortified town in the district which couldarrest Trivulzio's onward march, and Lodovico, trusting to Galeazzo'svalour, was confident he would be able to hold the town until thearrival of Maximilian's reinforcements. But, to the amazement of friendand foe alike, on the night of the 28th of August, Galeazzo, attended byonly three horsemen, left Alessandria at nightfall, crossed the Po, and, after cutting the bridge behind him, rode as fast as he could go toMilan. There had been dissensions in the garrison, and the soldiersclamoured for pay and refused to fight, but whispers of darker treacherywere abroad. The Count of Caiazzo, it was said, had forged a letterpurporting to be from the duke, recalling his son-in-law to Milan on thespot, and Galeazzo himself afterwards showed the false orders which haddeceived him to the French and Milanese chroniclers who repeat thestory. There seems little doubt that Caiazzo's defection was one of theprincipal causes of Lodovico's ruin, but, whatever the circumstances ofthe case may have been, it is certain that on the next day the Frenchentered Alessandria without meeting with any resistance, and Trivulziosent word to his kinsman Erasmo that before the week was over he woulddine with him in Milan. 

When Lodovico heard that Alessandria was lost, his courage failed him. He determined to seek safety in flight, and prepared to send his sons toGermany under the charge of his brother Cardinal Ascanio Sforza andCardinal Sanseverino, both of whom had left Rome secretly on the 14th ofJuly, and travelled by Genoa to Milan. Once more the duke called thechief citizens together, and appealed to them, by the love which theybore to the house of Sforza and the memory of the peace and prosperitywhich they had enjoyed under his rule, to defend Milan against theforeign invaders. But already sedition was spreading among the people. That evening the ducal treasurer, Antonio Landriano, one of Lodovico'sablest and most loyal servants, was attacked by the mob on the Piazza ofthe Duomo and mortally wounded. 

On the same day--Saturday, the 31st of August--the duke took leave ofhis sons, and sent them to Como in the charge of the two cardinals andtheir kinswoman, Camilla Sforza. "A truly piteous and heart-breakingsight it was, " writes Corio, "to see these poor children embrace theirbeloved father, whose face was wet with their tears. "

Twenty mules laden with baggage, and a large chariot bearing Lodovico'smost precious jewels and 240, 000 gold ducats, covered with black canvasand drawn by eight strong horses, followed in the young princes' train. All the rest of the Moro's treasures, including a sum of 30, 000 ducats, his vast stores of gold and silver plate, and all Duchess Beatrice'srich clothes and possessions, were left in the Castello, which wasprovided with ample supplies of food and ammunition, and defended by1800 guns and a garrison of 2800 men, who had received six months' payin advance. These the duke entrusted solemnly to the charge of thegovernor, Bernardino da Corte, leaving him full instructions as to hisfuture course of action, and a system of signals by which he couldcommunicate with friends in the town, and telling him that he wouldreturn with 30, 000 Germans before a month was over. Both Ascanio Sforzaand Galeazzo di Sanseverino, it is said, entertained doubts ofBernardino da Corte's fidelity, and warned the duke not to leave himwithout a colleague in this responsible office; but Lodovico did notshare their fears, and trusted implicitly in the loyalty of thisservant, whom he had advanced from a humble position to fill thisresponsible post and loaded with favours. 

After his children were gone, Lodovico drew up a last deed, by which heleft certain of his lands and houses to his friends in Milan, and madereparation to others whom he had wronged. Chief among these was thewidowed Duchess Isabella, to whom he gave his own duchy of Bari, in thekingdom of Naples, with a yearly revenue of 6000 ducats in place of herdowry. He restored the lands of Angleria and the fortress of Arona tothe Borromeos, gave poor Beatrice's favourite country house of VillaNuova to Battista Visconti, and divided his different domains among thechief representatives of noble Milanese families, in the hope ofsecuring their allegiance. While he was engaged in this final disposalof his property, a deputation arrived to inform him that a meeting hadbeen held that day in the Dominican hall of La Rosa, at which the Bishopof Como, Landriano, general of the Umiliati, Castiglione, Archbishop ofBari, and Francesco Bernardino Visconti were chosen to form aprovisional committee of public safety, and that these councillors haddecided to make terms with Trivulzio and admit the French. The duke saidthat he still put his trust in the people; upon which Visconti asked himwhy, if this were the case, he had sent his sons and his treasure away?"If you surrender the city to the French, " replied the duke, "I willhold the Castello for the emperor. " It was his last word. In vainGaleazzo urged him to put himself at the head of his loyal servants, andcall upon the citizens of Milan to man the walls against the French andfight or die with their duke. It was already too late. While they werestill speaking, news reached the Castello that the people had risen intumultuous uproar, and that Galeazzo di Sanseverino's stables and theseneschal Ambrogio Ferrari's house had been sacked by the mob. The shopswere closed, and the houses in the principal streets were barricaded. Terror and confusion prevailed everywhere, and Milan seemed in a stateof siege. Lodovico now took leave of his faithful servants, and solemnlycharged Bernardino da Corte to hold the Castello as a sacred trust. "Aslong as the Rocca holds out, I know that I shall return; but when thatsurrenders, the house of Sforza is doomed. " With these words he kissedthe castellan on the cheek, and, mounted on a black horse, in the longblack mantle which he always wore since his wife's death, he rode out, accompanied by his chief senators to the Porta Vercellina. There heturned to his companions, and, with a noble and dignified air, thankedthem once more for their faithful services, and bade them all farewell. "_State con Dio_--may God be with you, " he said, and, with a last waveof his hand, put spurs to his black charger and rode off. 

The sun was setting in the western sky, and the sorrowing courtiersthought that their master had gone to Como. But he alighted before thegates of S. Maria delle Grazie, and, throwing the reins to a page, entered the church where Beatrice was buried. There he knelt in prayerby the tomb of the wife whom he had loved so well and mourned solong--_la sua amantissima duchessa_--while the moments slipped away andhis servants waited anxiously outside. At length he rose from his knees, took a last look at the fair face and form lying there in the deeprepose of death, and left the church, accompanied by the weeping friars, who followed him with their tears and blessings to the door. Three timeshe turned round, while the tears streamed down his pale face, and lookedat the stately pile, which held all that had been dearest to him in theworld--where Leonardo had painted his Last Supper, and where Bianca andBeatrice slept together. Then, in the dusk of the summer evening, herode slowly back through the park and gardens of the Castello. 

At break of day on the following morning, Monday, the 2nd of September, Duke Lodovico, accompanied by his son-in-law, Galeazzo di Sanseverino, his nephews, Ermes and the Count of Melzi, and his brother-in-law, Ippolito d'Este, and attended by a few armed horsemen, left Milan androde to Como. Here the fugitives spent the night, and the duke issued alast decree, by which he confirmed the privileges and grants of landwhich he had granted to the friars of S. Maria delle Grazie. Then hetold the loyal citizens of Como that he would soon return at the head ofa German army, and rode along the banks of the lake to the mountains ofthe Valtellina. Often on the road he looked back at the blue waters andlovely shores of that native land which he had been so proud to call hisown, and, at last, addressing his companions in the words of the Romanpoet, said sorrowfully, "_Nos patriam fugimus et dulcia linquimusarva_. "

"Only think, reader, " moralizes Marino Sanuto, "what grief and shame sogreat and glorious a lord, who had been held to be the wisest ofmonarchs and ablest of rulers, must have felt at losing so splendid astate in these few days, without a single stroke of the sword. . . . Letthose who are in high places take warning, considering the miserablefall of this lord, who was held by many to be the greatest prince in theworld, and let them remember that when Fortune sets you on the top ofher wheel, she may at any moment bring you to the ground, and then thecloser you have been to heaven, the greater and the more sudden will beyour fall. "

Already Ligny's horsemen were scouring the country round Como in pursuitof the fugitive, and reports reached Venice that the duke had beencaptured and Galeazzo slain. By this time, however, Lodovico had crossedthe frontier and was safe on Tyrolese soil. At Bormio he met 2000 Germantroops, who were marching to his relief; and when he reached Innsbrück, he found that the Empress Bianca had prepared rooms for his reception, and received kindly messages from Maximilian, promising him moreefficient support as soon as he had settled his quarrel with the Swiss. 

Meanwhile Pavia had opened her gates to the French, upon hearing newsof the duke's flight, Trivulzio had taken possession of the Castello, and Ligny was occupying the Certosa, while Jean d'Auton knew not whetherto wonder most at the rich marbles and sumptuous chapels of the greatchurch, or the vast herds of red deer which roamed in the park. 

"Truly, " the good Benedictine exclaimed, as he wandered through theseflowery meadows with their banks of roses and myrtles, and clear springsof running water--"truly, this is Paradise upon earth!"

On the 6th of September, after a feeble effort on the part of theMilanese nobles to preserve the rights and liberties of the city, thekeys were given up to Trivulzio, who entered by the Porta Ticinese withLigny and two hundred horse, and, after visiting the Duomo, breakfastedin the house of his kinsman, the Bishop of Como. 

The Count of Caiazzo had gone out to meet Trivulzio the day before, andhad been received with great honour, while his brothers Fracassa andAntonio Maria took refuge with Giovanni Adorno at Genoa, and waited tosee how the tide would turn. 

Still the Castello held out, and Trivulzio was debating how best toreduce this almost impregnable citadel, when Bernardino da Corte sent aherald to parley with Francesco Bernardino Visconti. At the end of a fewdays the faithless governor agreed to surrender the Castello, inexchange for a large sum of money and the concession of variousprivileges for his family and friends. On the 22nd, letters from theduke arrived, telling the castellan to be of good cheer, for the Germantroops were on their way. But when they reached Milan, the Castello wasalready in the hands of the French. The treasures of gold and silverplate which the Rocca contained, the money and the precious stuffs, thepictures and statues and furniture which adorned its _Camerini_, weredivided between the treacherous governor, Francesco Visconti, andAntonio Pallavicini, while Trivulzio reserved Lodovico's magnificenttapestries, that alone were valued at 150, 000 ducats, for his share ofthe spoil. Then the wonders of antique and modern art which the Moro hadcollected from all parts of Italy, the paintings of Leonardo and thegems of Caradosso, the Greek marbles and Roman cameos, Lorenzo daPavia's rare instruments and Antonio da Monza's miniatures, werescattered to the winds. Certain things--the gorgeous altar-plate andvestments of the chapel, with the priceless manuscripts of the Castelloof Pavia, and most of the Sforza portraits--were taken to Blois, othersfound their way to Venice or Mantua, and many fell into unworthy handsand vanished altogether. 

Lodovico was lying ill of asthma in the castle at Innsbrück, discussingthe best means of relieving the Castello with Galeazzo, when the news ofBernardino da Corte's treachery reached him. For some minutes heremained silent, as if unable to realize the full meaning of the words. Then he said to the friends at his bedside, "Since the day of Judasthere has never been so black a traitor as Bernardino da Corte. " And allthe rest of that day he never spoke again. 

Even the French were filled with horror at Bernardino's treachery, andshunned him like a criminal when he appeared among them. As for his oldfriends and comrades, the poets and scholars of Lodovico's court, theirindignation knew no bounds, Lancinus Curtius hurled bitter epigrams athis head, and Pistoia held him up to the scorn of the whole world insome of his finest sonnets. He did not live long to enjoy the reward ofhis treachery and it was popularly believed in Italy that he hadpoisoned himself in his despair, or put an end to his wretched life byfalling upon his own sword. Even Charon, sang the poet, shuddered whenhe heard the traitor's name, and refused to let him enter the gates ofHades. 

When the news of the conquest of Milan reached Lyons, Louis XII. Crossedthe Alps without delay. On the 21st of September he was at Vercelli; onthe 26th, at Lodovico's favourite Vigevano; on the 2nd of October hereached Pavia, where the Marquis of Mantua and the Duke of Ferrara, whofeared the Pope's vengeance and Cæsar Borgia's army even more than theFrench, came to meet him. 

"Duke Ercole and his two sons, " wrote the Ferrarese annalist, "are goneto meet the King of France. As for the Duke of Milan, his name is nevermentioned, and you might think that he had never lived. "

On Sunday, the 6th of October, he made his triumphal entry into Milan, with the Dukes of Ferrara and Savoy riding at his side; the Cardinalsdella Rovere and d'Amboise were in front of him; and ambassadors fromall the chief cities of Italy, and a goodly array of princes and nobles, in his train. Francesco Gonzaga, who had so lately been Duke Lodovico'sguest, was there. And there, too, were men like Caiazzo and Fracassa, who had eaten and drunk at the Moro's table, and were fighting under hisbanner only a few weeks before, and with them one, who was still moreclosely associated with Lodovico and his wife by the ties of blood andfriendship--Niccolo da Correggio, the favourite courtier and poet of theMoro, and the cousin of Beatrice. 

Conspicuous among them all by his height and majestic bearing was thePope's son, Cæsar Borgia, while the king himself made a gallant show inhis long white mantle embroidered with golden lilies over a suit ofroyal purple, bearing the ducal cap and sword. Eight Milanese noblescarried an ermine-lined canopy over his head, and the doctors of theUniversity of Pavia were there in their scarlet robes, as they appeareda few short years before at Lodovico's coronation. Fair ladies in gayattire welcomed the victor with their smiles. Everywhere tall whitelilies were seen blossoming in the streets that led to the Duomo--NotreDame du Dôme, as the monkish chronicler calls the glorious pile ofdazzling marbles that rose into the summer air. Here the processionpaused, and the king walked up the vaulted aisles to pay his devotionsat the Madonna's shrine. Then he rode on again, to the sound of trumpetsand horns, and the royal guard of Gascon archers led the way up thewell-known street, with the frescoed palaces and goldsmiths andarmourers' shops, to the gates of the famous Castello, where the victorentered and took up his abode in this proud citadel of the Sforzas, thecore and centre of the Milanese. 

In the eyes of the French strangers it was all very marvellous--thebeautiful city with its stately palaces and hospitals, and the fairchurches with their Gothic spires and pinnacles, their slender creamyshafts and deep red terra-cotta mouldings; the Milanese ladies withtheir jewelled robes and mantles embroidered with cunningly wroughtdevices, the flowering lilies and the garlands of laurel and myrtle--allseen under the radiant sunshine and the deep blue of the Italian skies. But what excited their admiration and wonder more than all was theCastello. 

"A thing, " writes one of them, "truly marvellous and inestimable, withso many large and beautiful rooms that I lost all reckoning. Without arebroad lakes, fair running streams, and bridges. There is a fine largesquare on the side of the town, and on the other are beautiful meadowsand woods and the château, where the Moro had his stables, painted withfrescoes of different-coloured horses. "

King Louis wondered most of all at the strength and completeness of thebastions and excellence of the artillery, exclaiming that never beforehad he seen so strong and splendid a citadel! And he and all theFrenchmen greatly blamed that second Judas, who had betrayed his masterand delivered it up without a blow. 

The next morning, his Majesty attended mass at S. Ambrogio, accompaniedby the Dukes of Ferrara and Savoy, the Marquis of Mantua, Cæsar Borgia, and all the cardinals and ambassadors, and afterwards visited the churchand convent of S. Maria delle Grazie. Here he gazed with admiration onthe Cenacolo of Leonardo, that master of whose genius he had heard somuch, and expressed his ardent wish to transfer the famous wall-paintingto France, a sentiment which can hardly have gratified the Dominicanfriars or the Italian princes in his train. The painter was not presenton this occasion. His master had fled, the works upon which he wasengaged were all interrupted, and on the approach of the French he hadleft Milan for one of his favourite country retreats in the hills ofBergamo or the mountains of Como, where he could study Nature and pursuehis scientific researches in peace. And the French king and CæsarBorgia, whose genuine appreciation of fine art was well known, did notfail to admire Bramante's fair chapel and that latest masterpiece ofLombard sculpture, the noble tomb which the Moro had raised to be aneternal memorial of his love and sorrow. There were others in his trainthat day who could hardly look unmoved on the sleeping form of the youngduchess with the child-like face and the brocade robes which _Il Gobbo_had fashioned with such exquisite skill. There was her brother-in-law, Francesco Gonzaga, and Niccolo da Correggio, in whose heart that fairface and bright eyes, he tells us, were for ever enshrined; there wereher brothers, Alfonso and Ferrante; above all, there was her father, theaged Duke Ercole. The sight of that marble figure, with the soft curlinghair and the long fringe of eyelashes and quietly folded hands, musthave vividly recalled the memory of his dead child, and of all the joyand brightness that had vanished in the grave with Beatrice. For him atleast that must have been a bitter moment. 

And there was yet another, young Baldassare Castiglione, that courtlyand handsome boy who had been sent to Milan a few years before to finishhis education, and had now followed his master, the Marquis of Mantua, to wait upon the French king. He had been present many a time at thosebrilliant _fêtes_ in the Castello, and had seen Duchess Beatrice in hermost radiant and triumphant hour, had talked with Leonardo and Bramante, and looked on Messer Galeaz as the mirror of chivalry. Now he came backto find the scene changed and that gay company all dead or gone. And thenext day he sat down to write home to Mantua and tell his mother of allthe pomp and splendour of the scenes which he had witnessed. Hedescribed the king's triumphal entry, and the great procession in whichhe had taken part, with all a boy's enthusiasm; but he could not refrainfrom a sigh over the melancholy change in the Castello, when he told herhow these halls and courts, that had once been the home andmeeting-place of rare intellects and accomplished artists, "the fineflower of the human race, " were now full of drinking-booths anddung-hills--of rude soldiery, who defiled the place with their foulhabits and polluted the air with their savage oaths. So passes the gloryof the world. 

FOOTNOTES:

[78] L. Pélissier, _op. Cit. _

CHAPTER XXX

Louis XII. In Milan--Hatred of the French rule--Return of Duke Lodovico--His march to Como and triumphal entry into Milan--Trivulzio and theFrench retire to Mortara--Surrender of the Castello of Milan, of Paviaand Novara, to the Moro--His want of men and money--Arrival of LaTrémouille's army--Lodovico besieged in Novara and betrayed to theFrench king by the Swiss--Rejoicings at Rome and Venice--Triumph of theBorgias--Sufferings of the Milanese--Leonardo's letter. 

1499-1500

During the next month Louis XII. Remained in the Castello of Milan, joining in hunting-parties with his guests, the Duke of Ferrara and theMarquis of Mantua, and being royally entertained at banquets by theViscontis and Borromeos and Giangiacomo Trivulzio. Isabella d'Este, eager to ingratiate herself with the French, invited Ligny to visit her, and sent dogs and falcons, as well as trout from Garda, to the king, whotold La Trémouille that he had never tasted better fish. And whenCardinal d'Amboise expressed his admiration for Andrea Mantegna's artand told the marquis that in his opinion he was the first master in theworld, Isabella hastened to promise him a picture by the great Paduan'shand. 

It was a sad time for the followers of Lodovico. The faithful servantswho had followed him into exile, saw their lands and houses confiscatedand divided among the victors. The Count of Ligny's mother occupied theMarchesino Stanga's house, and Trivulzio's triumph over his rivals wascomplete when he received the Moro's palace of Vigevano and MesserGaleazzo's fair domain of Castel Novo as his share of the spoils. Butno one suffered more keenly or shed more bitter tears thanGiangaleazzo's widow, Duchess Isabella. She had unwisely declinedLodovico's advice to leave Milan when the war broke out, and take refugeon her uncle Frederic's galleys at Genoa. Instead of this, she remainedin Milan and sent her son, a child of eight, whom contemporariesdescribe as beautiful as a cherub, but weak in mind, like his father, tomeet Louis XII. On his arrival at the Castello. But, to her dismay, theking refused to allow the young prince to return to his mother, and whenhe left Milan on the 7th of November, he took the boy with him toFrance, and made him Abbot of Noirmoutiers, where he lived in retirementuntil, twelve years later, he broke his neck out hunting. After herson's departure, the unhappy mother, who signed herself "_Ysabella deAragonia Sforcia unica in disgrazia_" in letters of this period, finallyleft Milan. Early in 1500 she paid a visit to Isabella d'Este at Mantua, and then travelled by sea from Genoa to Naples, and spent the rest ofher life in her principality of Bari. One of her daughters died as achild; the other, Bona, was betrothed to her cousin, Maximilian Sforza, when, in 1512, he was restored to his father's throne. It was Isabella'scherished dream that her last remaining child should reign over theduchy of Milan, where, after all, her own brightest days had been spent;but before the marriage could take place, the young duke had beencompelled to abdicate his throne and taken captive to France. Hisbetrothed bride, Princess Bona, married Sigismund, King of Poland, in1518, and six years later her mother died at Naples. 

After Louis XII. Left Milan, the severity of Trivulzio's rule, and theviolence and rapacity of the French soldiery, led to increasingdiscontent among the people, who sighed for the good old days of DukeLodovico, when at least their life and property, and the honour of theirwives and daughters, were safe. Even on the day of the French king'sentry, Marino Sanuto remarks that Louis was displeased to find how fewof the people cried "France!" while the Venetians were greeted withshouts of "Dogs!" and hardly dared show themselves in the streets. "Wehave given the king his dinner, " said a Milanese citizen; "you will beserved up for his supper!" Already, on the 21st of September, theannalist of Ferrara wrote: "The French are hated in Milan for theirrudeness and arrogance. " And a private letter, written by a Venetianfrom Milan, in October, confirms Castiglione's account of the confusionand disorder that reigned in the Castello. 

"The French are dirty people. The king goes to hear mass without asingle candle, and eats alone, in the eyes of all the people. In theCastello there is nothing but foulness and dirt, such as Signor Lodovicowould not have allowed for the whole world! The French captains spitupon the floor of the rooms, and the soldiers outrage women in thestreets. The Ducheto has been taken from his mother, who weeps all daylong. Galeazzo is with Lodovico, Caiazzo with King Louis, Fracassa andAntonio Maria are at Ferrara, and keep up an active correspondence withLodovico and Galeazzo. "[79]

Meanwhile, at Innsbrück, the exiled duke was anxiously watching thecourse of events, and awaiting a favourable moment to return and claimhis own. "I will beat the drum in winter and dance all the summer, " wasthe motto which he adopted, together with the device of a tambourine, inreference to his future hopes. A letter which the well-known preacher, Celso Maffei of Verona, addressed to him, moralizing over the causes ofhis fall, and exhorting him to observe the laws of public and privatejustice, gave Lodovico an opportunity of issuing a manifesto to hisadherents. In this curious document he defends his conduct, and declaresthat he has no reason to reproach himself for anything in his past life. He has always led a Christian life, given abundant alms, listened tofrequent masses, and said many prayers, especially since the death ofhis dear wife Beatrice. He has ever had a strict regard for justice, nocomplaint of his subjects has ever been left unheard, and since hisfall, no one has ever reproached him with injustice excepting theBorromeos, whose alleged wrongs he explains, in a manner to justify hisown action. His whole desire has been to love his subjects as his ownchildren, and seek peace and prosperity for his realm. If he raisedheavy taxes, it was only in order to defend his people from theirenemies, and he never waged war excepting to resist the invasion ofhostile armies. Whatever mistakes he may have made, the Milanese havenever had reason to complain of him, and have proved this by theirfidelity, only a few captains having sold the fortresses in their chargeand joined the French. And in conclusion he appeals to his old subjectsto restore him once more to the throne of his ancestors. 

His appeal was not in vain. Niccolo della Bussola and the architectJacopo da Ferrara, Leonardo's friend, arrived at Innsbrück in December, bringing the duke word of the disaffection that reigned in Milan, and ofthe prayers that were daily offered up for his return. Cheered by thesetidings, Lodovico determined to leave nothing undone on his part. Hepawned his jewels and began to raise forces both in the Tyrol andSwitzerland. In his eagerness to find allies, he applied to Henry VII. Of England, and even invited the Turks to attack the Venetians inFriuli. Maximilian helped him with men and money, as far as his slenderresources would allow, and summoned the German Diet to meet at Augsburgin February, in the hope of obtaining support from the electors. But theMoro's impatience could brook no delay. At Christmas he came to Brixen, and there succeeded in collecting a force of eight or ten thousand Swissand German _Landsknechten_, supported by a body of Stradiots and his ownMilanese horse. At the head of this little army, Lodovico left Brixen onthe 24th of January, and set out on his gallant but ill-fated attempt torecover his dominions. 

Meanwhile Girolamo Landriano, the General of the Umiliati, who had beenthe first to yield Milan to the French, was actively engaged in plottingthe restoration of Lodovico, with the help of the leading ecclesiasticsin the city. "To say the truth, " writes Jean d'Auton, "the whole duchyof Milan was secretly in favour of Lodovico, and all the Lombards wereswollen with poison, and ready like vipers to shoot out the deadly venomof their treason. " A general rising was fixed for Candlemas Day, but sowell was the secret kept, that not a whisper reached the vigilant earsof Trivulzio, and all remained quiet until the last few days of January. On the 24th, a band of children at play, engaged in a mimic fightbetween the supposed French and Milanese armies, ending with the rout ofthe French and a procession in which the effigy of King Louis wasdragged through the streets tied to a donkey's tail. Some Frenchsoldiers, who witnessed the scene, fired on the children, killing oneand wounding others, upon which the citizens rose in arms, and drove theforeigners back into the Castello. This was followed by a more seriousriot on the 31st of January, and Trivulzio gave orders for a generaldisarming of the people, which, however, he was unable to enforce. Already news had reached Como that the Moro had crossed the Alps, andwas on his way to Milan. 

The course of Lodovico's victorious march is best described in a letterwhich he addressed to his sister-in-law, Isabella d'Este, on the dayafter his triumphal entry into his old capital. 

"ILLUSTRIOUS LADY AND DEAREST SISTER, "On the 24th of last month we left Brixen by the grace of God, andcrossed Monte Braulio into the Valtellina with a body of_Landsknechten_. Monsignore the Vice-chancellor, Messer Galeaz, andMesser Visconti, went on before with the Swiss and Grison infantry, byway of Coire and Chiavenna, and reached the lake of Como on the 30th. Here M. Galeaz fitted out eleven ships, with which he attacked and putto flight the enemy's fleet, and took a fortress occupied by the French. Both the Castle of Bellagio and the town of Torno surrendered to HisReverence, who pushed on with his troops to Como, where he metMonsignore Sanseverino arriving from the Valtellina, and the twocardinals together did the rest. Monsieur de Ligny and the Count ofMusocho"--Trivulzio's son--"who held the town with 1500 horse, fled atthe approach of the two Monsignori, knowing the feeling of the people, and his Eminence entered Como amidst the greatest rejoicing in theworld. M. Galeaz and his light horse pursued the enemy, and Monsignorepushed on towards Milan, hearing from our friends there that his arrivalwas impatiently desired. On Friday, the last of January, some of thepeople rose in arms, and M. Gian Giacomo fortified the Corte Vecchia andthe Duomo, and, with 2000 infantry, marched through the streets of thearmourers, the builders, and the hatters, to make a publicdemonstration. But our friends waited, knowing that the right momenthad not yet come. On Sunday, the 2nd, the French captains, hearing ofthe cardinals' approach, and knowing the strong feeling in the city, assembled their troops early on the Piazza of the Castello. Our friendswere well prepared, and at the same moment all the bells rang, and thewhole city rose in arms. More than 60, 000 people attacked the French, and drove them back into the Castello, where they spent the night, without forage for their horses, and on Monday morning, the day beforeyesterday, they fled from Milan in terror. The bridges had been brokendown to hinder their passage, but, luckily for them, the Ticino was low, and they crossed the bed of the river, and retired to Gaiata in safety. And on Monday the Vice-chancellor entered Milan, amidst universalrejoicing, and endeavoured to give chase to the French army, but had nota sufficient number of horse to effect his object. 

"On Monday morning we reached Como, after taking possession of thecastle on the rock of Musso, and were joyfully received all along thelake, by the chief citizens and gentlemen of the district, who came outin boats to meet us. At the gates of the city, the whole populationreceived us with incredible rejoicing and loud acclamations. Yesterdaywe slept at Mirabello, a house of the Landriani, about a mile out ofMilan. All the way from Como crowds of gentlemen and citizens streamedout to meet us on foot or on horseback, in continually increasingnumbers, and cries of _Moro! Moro!_ and shouts of joy greeted our steps, whichever way we turned. This morning at sunrise we left Mirabello, andentered the suburb of the Porta Nova, at the hour indicated by ourastrologer, but alighted at Gian Francesco da Vimercato's garden, andwaited there a little while, to give the gentlemen time to meet us, andenter the city. 

"The two cardinals rode out to meet us, and Messer Galeaz and manygentlemen, with a great number of men-at-arms on foot and horseback, andwe marched all through the city and up to the Duomo. All the streets andwindows and roofs were thronged with people shouting our name, with suchrapture that it would be a thing almost incredible if we had not seen itourselves. And so with universal rejoicing we have returned here, bythe grace of God, and already we hear that Lodi, Piacenza, Pavia, Tortona, and Alessandria have driven out the French, and returned oftheir own free will to our allegiance. The castle of Trezzo hassurrendered, and that of Cassano has been fortified in our name by theMarchesino, and all the towns on the Venetian frontier have declared forus, and before long we hope to have recovered the whole state. TheCastello here is still held by 300 French soldiers, but it is badlyprovided with victuals and fuel, and although they have saltpetre, thereis no charcoal to make gunpowder, so we are in good hope of recoveringthe place, but do not mean to let this delay us for a moment in pursuingour victorious course. The enemy is in full retreat, and we mean todrive them back to the mountain passes, and have already sent M. Galeazearly this morning with the infantry, and all the horse that we have, intheir pursuit. Monsignore Sanseverino is gone to-day, and we followto-morrow with all the horse we can collect and a good number ofinfantry, the better to carry out our plans. We hear that the soldiers, which were in Romagna, to the number of 250 lances, besides infantry, have been recalled, and have reached Parma, and feel sure that yourlord, the Marquis of Mantua, and our other allies will pursue them, andwith their help, and the general rising of the people, we trust toobtain complete victory. We tell your Highness these things the moregladly because we feel sure that you have been grieved for our trouble, and will rejoice with us at these fortunate successes. You will forgiveme for not writing in my own hand, because of pressing engagements. 

 "LODOVICUS MARIA SFORTIA, _Anglus Dux Mediolani, etc. , B. Chalcus_. 

Milan, February 5, 1500. "[80]

At the same time Lodovico wrote to Francesco Gonzaga--

"This morning we entered Milan, and it would be impossible to describethe immense jubilation of the whole city and all classes of people, orthe extraordinary demonstrations of affection and good-will that we havereceived on all sides. Our intention is to follow up our victory withthe utmost speed, to effect the complete destruction of our enemies, andsecure the passes neglecting no precaution. To-day we have sentMonsignore Sanseverino on with ten thousand Germans, and intend tofollow with the remaining forces ourselves to-morrow. I hope yourHighness will attack and destroy the troops on their way from Romagna, and if they are already gone, join with the forces of our allies and themen of the country in their pursuit, according to the orders that wehave already issued. "

This sudden revolution took all Italy by surprise. When couriers arrivedin Mantua and Ferrara, saying that Duke Lodovico had that day enteredMilan in triumph, people refused to believe the news. But it was true. "The Moro has returned, " wrote Jean d'Auton, "and has entered Milan, where he has been received as if he were a God from heaven, great andsmall shouting _Moro!_ with one accord. Verily these Lombards seem toadore him. One and all implore him to drive out the French and becometheir prince again. " When the people saw the well-known form of theirold duke riding through the streets, clad in rich crimson damask, theirenthusiasm knew no bounds. The two cardinals were at his side, andMesser Galeazzo rode behind him, in a suit of glittering brocade, withtall white plumes in his cap and white shoes, "better fitted, " remarksthe chronicler, "for the service of Venus than for that of Mars. " Theytook up their abode in the old palace of the Corte Vecchia, near theDuomo, since the Castello was in the hands of the enemy, and the dukeissued a proclamation, calling on all loyal subjects to restore thepictures, hangings, and other rare and precious objects, which had beentaken from the Castello. The wealthy citizens parted freely with theirgold and jewels, the Prior and friars of S. Maria delle Grazie melteddown their sumptuous altar-plate, and the canons of the Duomo broughtthe duke those costly gifts which he had made them in his days ofprosperity. Having thus succeeded in raising 100, 000 ducats, Lodovicoassembled the councillors, and harangued them in eloquent language, reminding them of all they had suffered from the French tyranny, andcalling on them to join him in delivering their land from thisintolerable yoke. "I, too, have been guilty of mistakes and faults inthe past, " he added, "but I will repair them. All I ask is to be yourcaptain, not your lord. Help me to drive out the stranger. "

Before the week was over, Jacopo Andrea and his friends had succeededin obtaining the capitulation of the French garrison, and the Castellowas occupied by Cardinal Ascanio, whom Lodovico left with a small forceat Milan, while he himself went on to Pavia. It was on one of the fewdays which he spent in Milan that his meeting with the Chevalier Bayardtook place, as recorded in the joyous chronicle of the loyal servant. After a skirmish with some of Messer Galeazzo's horse at Binasco, theyoung French knight who had been too eager in the pursuit of his foeswas taken prisoner, and brought before the duke at Milan. Lodovico, wondering at his youth, asked him what brought him in such hurried guiseto Milan, and ended by restoring his sword and horse, and sending himback to his friends under the escort of a herald, to tell Ligny of thecourteous treatment which he had received from the Moro, and to say whata gallant gentleman Duke Lodovico was--"_qui pour peu de chose n'est pasaisé à étonner_. "

At Pavia the Moro was received with the same enthusiastic joy, andduring the fortnight that he remained there the Castello was bombardedand taken by his artillery. The next week his native town of Vigevanowelcomed him with open arms, and the French garrison was forced to quitthe citadel. But the Venetians held Lodi and Piacenza, and the Duke ofFerrara and Marquis of Mantua, however much they wished their kinsmanwell, and secretly disliked the French, did not dare to incur theirvengeance by any rash action. In vain the Moro wrote passionate appealsto Francesco Gonzaga from Pavia and Vigevano, urging him to come to hishelp before it was too late, and pointing out how the safety andwell-being of Mantua depended upon that of Milan. All the marquisventured to do was to send his brother Giovanni, with a troop of horse, to help Lodovico in the siege of Novara, which he now attacked with theaid of fifty pieces of artillery sent from Innsbrück. 

Meanwhile his foes were every day gaining strength. King Louis hadhastily collected a large army of French lances and Swiss mercenariesunder La Trémouille at Asti, who entered Lombardy, and marched torelieve Trivulzio and Ligny at Mortara. On the other hand, the Frenchtroops who had gone with Yves d'Allégre to assist Cæsar Borgia in thesiege of Forli and conquest of Romagna, speedily retraced their steps torelieve the garrison of Novara. But they could not hold out against thefurious assaults of the Germans and Burgundians, and on the 21st ofMarch the castle surrendered, and the garrison marched out with thehonours of war. Two days afterwards La Trémouille reached Vercelli atthe head of his powerful army, and succeeded in effecting a junctionwith Trivulzio's forces. This put an end to the Moro's brilliantsuccesses, and it became evident to all that the unequal contest couldnot be maintained much longer. Seeing himself outnumbered and surroundedon all sides, Lodovico threw himself into Novara, and early in April wasbesieged there in his turn. But the Swiss, who formed the bulk of hisforce, murmured because they were not allowed to pillage the towns, andbegan to communicate secretly with their comrades in the hostile camp. The Moro had sent Galeazzo Visconti to Berne, and at his request theHelvetian Diet issued orders to the Swiss in both armies, forbiddingthem to fight against their comrades. But the French envoy, Antoine deBussy, bribed the herald who bore the message to Novara, and only theSwiss in the Moro's service received orders to lay down their arms. Theresult was that when Lodovico's captains led them out to meet the enemy, they refused to fight, and withdrew in confusion into the city. In vainthe duke offered them his silver plate and jewels, till he could obtainmoney from Milan, and begged them to return to the battle. In vainGaleazzo, at the head of his Lombards, charged the foe gallantly, killing many of them with his artillery and putting the others toflight. He and his brothers fought desperately, till the sword wasbroken in Galeazzo's hands and Fracassa was badly wounded. But all theirheroism was of no avail. Trivulzio was already in secret treaty with theSwiss, who sent a deputy to the French camp, asking for leave to laydown their arms and return to their own country. 

Antonio Grumello, who was in Novara at the time, describes how late oneevening, when the duke sat playing chess with Fracassa in the bishop'spalace, where he lodged, a spy was led in, who told him that Trivulziohad boasted that the Moro would be his captive in less than afortnight. "What do you say?" asked Lodovico of Almodoro, theastrologer, who had followed him into exile. But Almodoro shook hishead. It was impossible; no planet foretold such a disaster; on thecontrary, all the signs were propitious, and he spoke confidently ofcoming victory. "On Wednesday in Holy Week, " continued the chronicler, "the betrayal of Judas began. " That day, as Galeazzo was preparing foranother sally, the Swiss came to him in a body and laid down their arms, saying they would not fight against their comrades in the other camp. Already one of the gates had been treacherously opened, and the Frenchwere in the city. In this extremity an Albanian captain offered the dukea fleet Arab horse and begged him to escape. But Lodovico refused todesert his friends, and would only accept the proposal of the Swisscaptains that he and his companions should assume the garb of commonsoldiers and mingle in the ranks. He covered his crimson silk vest andscarlet hose, hid his long hair under a tight cap, and took a halberd inhis hand. In this disguise he was preparing to file out of the camp inthe ranks of the Grison troops, when a Swiss captain named Turman, andcalled Soprasasso by the Italians, betrayed him to the French. TheSwiss, it is said, received 30, 000 ducats as the price of blood fromTrivulzio, but were discontented with the sum, and quarrelled violentlyover the gold among themselves; while the traitor had his head cut offon his return home, and such were the execrations heaped upon him by hiscomrades, that his wife and children were forced to change their name. "_E lo quello_"--"There he is"--were the words in which Turman pointedLodovico out to a French captain, who immediately laid his hand on theduke's arm and arrested him in the name of King Louis. "_Son contento_, "replied Lodovico, calmly; and made no further resistance. "I surrender, "he said afterwards, "to my kinsman, Monsignore de Ligny. " Accordingly hewas delivered to Ligny, who treated him with all respect, and providedhim with a horse and apparel suited to his rank. 

It is said that at first he declined to meet Trivulzio, but thechronicler Prato describes an interview which took place between theduke and his former captain soon afterwards. Trivulzio, in whose heartthe old wrong still rankled, greeted his captive with the words, "It isyou, Lodovico Sforza, who drove me out for the sake of a stranger, and, not content with this, have stirred the Milanese to rebellion. " Lodovicomerely shrugged his shoulders, and replied quietly, "Who among us cantell the reason why we love one man and hate another?"

"And so, " adds Grumello, "poor Lodovico was taken captive, and with himGaleazzo and Fracassa; but Galeazzo became the prisoner of the Swiss, and was led away by these Helvetians on a black horse without a saddle, riding on a sack. And I saw this with my own eyes. "

All three of the Sanseverini brothers were claimed by the Bailiff ofDijon as his prisoners, but Antonio Maria managed to escape from theirhands, and both Fracassa and Galeazzo were ransomed by their relativesfor one thousand ducats a-piece at the end of a few weeks. Fracassasought his wife at Ferrara, and Galeazzo took refuge with the otherMilanese exiles at Innsbrück. The Marchesino Stanga, who was also takencaptive at Novara, was imprisoned in the Castello of Milan, and diedthere before the end of the year. 

On the evening of his capture, Wednesday, the 10th of April, Lodovicowas taken to the citadel of Novara, where he remained for a week. Hisfaithful friends, the good friars of S. Maria delle Grazie, suppliedtheir illustrious patron with a set of silk and gold and silver brocadevests, hats and shoes to match, scarlet hose, and fine Reims linenshirts. All Lodovico himself asked for was a copy of Dante's "DivinaCommedia, " that he might study it during his captivity. On the 17th hewas conducted by La Trémouille, accompanied by four servants and twopages, to Susa, where he became so ill that he was unable to continuethe journey. After a few days' rest he recovered, and was taken over themountains to Lyons, in charge of M. De Crussol and the king's band ofarchers. 

Great were the rejoicings among the Moro's enemies when the news of hiscapture was made known. King Louis ordered solemn _Te Deums_ to bechanted in Notre Dame of Paris, and himself went in state to give thanksin the church of Our Lady of Comfort at Lyons, while he extolled LaTrémouille as another Clovis or Charles Martel in his despatches. ThePope gave the messenger who brought the news a gift of a hundred ducats, for joy, he said, that the traitor-brood was annihilated. The Orsinilighted bonfires, and the jubilee rejoicings waxed louder and longerthrough the night. Cardinal Ascanio's palace, with all his treasures ofart, was seized by Alexander VI. , and his benefices were divided amongthe pontiff's creatures. In Venice the Piazza was illuminated and allthe bells rung, while the children and boatmen sang--

 "Ora il Moro fa la danza, Viva Marco e 'l re di Franza!"

and dancing and pageants celebrated the downfall of the Republic's mostdreaded foe. Even in Florence the citizens rejoiced over the fall ofanother tyrant, and raised a crucifix at the doors of the PalazzoPubblico to commemorate the victory of freedom. Had they known it, theywere in reality celebrating the loss of national independence, thebeginning of a long reign of slavery and foreign rule. Seldom has thecause of freedom and civilization suffered a worse blow than thisbetrayal of the Moro at Novara, which left the Milanese a prey to Frenchinvaders, and planted the yoke of the stranger firmly on the neck ofNorthern Italy. 

At the news of his brother's capture, Ascanio Sforza left Milan to seekrefuge across the Alps, but was himself taken prisoner, with his nephewErmes, at the Castle of Rivolta, near Piacenza, by the Venetians, whodelivered them up to the French king. Both were taken to France, and thecardinal was detained in honourable captivity in the citadel of Bourges, until, in January, 1502, he was released to take part in the conclavethat elected Pius III. With Trivulzio's return to Milan a reign ofterror began. The city was heavily fined, the partisans of the Sforzawere exiled or imprisoned, Niccolo da Bussola and Leonardo's belovedfriend, Jacopo Andrea, were hung, and their limbs drawn and quarteredand exposed to view on the battlements of the Castello, in spite of DukeErcole's intercession on behalf of the distinguished architect. Paviawas sacked by the French, and Lombardy paid with tears and blood forits loyalty to the race of Sforza. The period of anarchy and confusionwhich followed is described in mournful language by the Milanesechroniclers. During the next forty years, the city was continually takenand sacked by contending armies, her fair parks and gardens weretrampled underfoot by foreign soldiery, and her beautiful churches andpalaces destroyed by shells and cannon-balls. French and German ruffianstore the clothes off the backs of the poor, and snatched the bread fromthe lips of starving children. People were everywhere seen dying ofhunger and the grass growing in the squares. There were no voices in thestreets, often no services in the churches. Silence and desolationreigned throughout the unhappy city. "Blessed indeed, " sighs the writer, "were those who were able to seek shelter in flight. " Beyond the bordersof Lombardy, there were others who grieved over the Moro's fall. InMantua and Ferrara his friends shed secret tears over his fate. "DukeErcole is very sad, " writes our friend the annalist, "for hisson-in-law's sake, and so are all the people. " And Caterina Sforza, inher lonely captivity within the walls of the Castel' Sant' Angelo, weptover her uncle's ruin and the downfall of her race. Far away inFlorence, one artist, who had lived in close intimacy with the Moro formany a long year, who had discussed a hundred problems and planned allmanner of mighty works with him, heard the news with a pang of regret. Leonardo had been in Venice with Lorenzo da Pavia, the greatorgan-master, when the wonderful tidings of the duke's return had come. He and Lorenzo must have smiled when they saw the long faces andsinister air of the grave Venetian senators at this unexpected turn ofaffairs. Eagerly they watched and waited and wondered if these thingscould be really true, and if the Moro were to reign once more on hisfathers' throne, and carry out all the great dreams of his soul. And nowit was all over, and the French were supreme in Milan, and the greathorse on which the master had spent the best years of his life was usedas a target for the arrows of Gascon archers. The duke and Messer Galeazwere captives, Sforzas and Viscontis were in prison or exile, and JacopoAndrea had died a cruel death. On Leonardo the blow fell with crushingforce; but he held his peace, and only the few broken sentences in hisnotebook remain to tell of his shattered hopes and of his inconsolableregrets. 

"The Saletta above . . . (left unfinished). 

"Bramante's buildings . . . (left undone). 

"The Castellano a prisoner . . . 

"Visconti in prison--his son dead. 

"Gian della Rosa's revenues seized. 

"Bergonzio"--the duke's treasurer--"deprived of his fortune. 

"The duke has lost state, fortune, and liberty, and not one of his workshas been completed. "

In these last melancholy words we read Lodovico Sforza's epitaph, pronounced over him by Leonardo the Florentine. 

FOOTNOTES:

[79] M. Sanuto, _Diarii_, iii. 

[80] Luzio-Renier, _op. Cit. _, p. 672. 

CHAPTER XXXI

Lodovico Sforza enters Lyons as a captive--His imprisonment atPierre-Encise and Lys Saint-Georges--Laments over Il Moro in the popularpoetry of France and Italy--Efforts of the Emperor Maximilian to obtainhis release--Ascanio and Ermes Sforza released--Lodovico removed toLoches--Paolo Giovio's account of his captivity--His attempt toescape--Dungeon at Loches--Death of Lodovico Sforza--His burial in S. Maria delle Grazie. 

1500-1508

On the 2nd of May, 1500, barely a month after Lodovico Sforza'striumphant return to Milan, the ancient city of Lyons witnessed astrange and mournful procession, in which he was again the centralfigure. That day the King of France's captive was led along the banks ofthe swift Rhone and through the Grande Rue up to the fortress ofPierre-Encise, on the top of the steep hill that crowns the old Romancity. The scene has been described in a well-known letter by aneye-witness, the Venetian ambassador Benedetto Trevisano, one of theenvoys who had been sent, three years before, to meet the emperor on hisdescent into Italy, and whom the Duke of Milan had entertained royallyat Vigevano. The fierce and vindictive tone of the writer, the exultantspirit in which he triumphs over the fallen foe, is another proof of theterror and hatred which the Moro inspired in Venice. Trevisano's letterwas written on the evening of the 2nd of May, and addressed to the Doge. 

"To-day, before two o'clock, Signor Lodovico was brought into the city. The following was the order of the procession: first came twelveofficers of the city guard, to restrain the people who thronged thestreets from shouting. Then came the Governor of Lyons and Provost ofJustice on horseback, and then the said Signor Lodovico, clad in a blackcamlet vest with black hose and riding-boots, and a black cloth_berretta_, which he held most of the time in his hand. He looked abouthim as if determined to hide his feelings in this great change offortune, but his face was very pale and he looked very ill, although hehad been shaved this morning, and his arms trembled and he shook allover. Close beside him rode the captain of the king's archers, followedby a hundred of his men. In this order they led him all through thetown, up to the castle on the hill, where he will be well guarded forthe next week, until the iron cage is ready, which will be his room bothby night and day. The cage, I hear, is very strong, and made of ironframed in wood, in such a manner that the iron bars, instead of breakingunder a file or any other instrument, would throw out sparks of fire. One thing I must not forget to tell you. The ambassador of Spain and Iwere together at a window when Signor Lodovico passed, and when theSpaniard was pointed out to him, he took off his hat and bowed. Andbeing told that I was the ambassador of your Serene Highness, hestopped, and seemed about to speak. But I did not move, and the captainof the archers, who rode by him, said, 'Go on--go on!' Afterwards thecaptain mentioned this to the king, who said, 'Do you mean that herefused to pay you any reverence?' adding that such men as this who donot keep faith are bad, and so on. And I replied that I should have feltshame rather than honour if I had received any sign of courtesy from aperson of this kind. The king was in his palace, and had seen SignorLodovico pass, and with him were many other lords and gentlemen, whospoke much of the Moro. His Christian Majesty said that he had decidednot to send him to Loches as he had intended, because at certain seasonsof the year he himself goes there with his court for his amusement, andwould rather not be there with him, as he does not wish to see him. Sohe has decided to send him to Lys in Berry, two leagues from the city ofBourges, where the king has a very strong castle with trenches widerthan those of the Castello of Milan, full of water. This place is in thecentre of France, and is kept by a gentleman, who was captain of thearchers when his Majesty was Duke of Orleans, and had a body of triedguards who were trained by the king himself. When the Moro alighted fromthe mule which he rode, he was carried into the castle, and is, I amtold, so weak that he cannot walk a step without help. From this I judgethat his days will be few. I commend myself humbly to your SereneHighness. 

"BENEDICTUS TREVISANUS. [81] _Eques. Orator_. "

Fortunately, the iron cage seems to have been a fable invented by theVenetian ambassador, and from all accounts the prisoner was well andhonourably treated, although the king absolutely refused his request tosee him during the fortnight that he remained in the fortress at Lyons. He received visits, however, from several of the king's ministers, whoall remarked that if he had been guilty of some foolish actions hiswords were remarkably wise--"_toutefois moult sagement parloit_. " Angergave place to pity at the sight of this victim who had suffered soterrible a reverse of fortune, and the Benedictine chronicler, Jeand'Auton, deplores the sad fate of this unfortunate prince, who, aftermany golden days of wealth and prosperity, was doomed to end his life inweary and lonely captivity far from house and friends: "_Somme, si lepauvre Seigneur captif, de deuil inconsolable avoit le coeur serrè a nuldevoit sembler merveilles_. " The sorrowful destiny of the "_infeliceDuca_, " who had once boasted himself to be the favourite offortune--"_Il Figlio della Fortuna_"--became the burden of popularpoetry, alike in France and Italy. Jean d'Auton himself gives vent tohis feelings in an elegy on the vanity of earthly glories--

 "Si Ludovic, qui jadys pleine cacque Heut de ducatz et pouvoir magnifique, Est en exil, sans targe, escu ne placque, Captif, afflict, plus mausain que cung heticque, Et que, de main hostile et inimique, Malheur le fiere rudement et estocque-- Gloire mondaine est fragile et caducque. "

The grief of the Milanese bards for their duke's cruel fate foundutterance in the following lament:

 Son quel duca in Milano Che compianto sto in dolore . . . Io diceva che un sel Dio Era in cielo e un Moro in terra-- E secondo il mio disio Io faveva pace e guerra Son quel duca di Milano, " etc. 

Fausto Andrelino wrote a Latin poem beginning with the lines--

 "Ille ego sum Maurus, franco qui captus ab hoste Exemplum instabilis non leve sortis eo;"

and Jean Marot found inspiration in a Venetian song--"Ogni fumo viene albasso"--which he rendered in the following lines, alluding to the legendof the Moro's fresco in the Castello of Milan:--

 "Jadiz fist paindre une dame, embellie Par sur sa robe, des villes d'Ytalie Et luy au près tenant des epoussetes, Voullant dire, par superbe follie, Que l'Ytalie estoit toute sonillie Et qu'il voulloit faire les villes nettes. Le roi Loys, voulant ravoir ses mettes, Par bonne guerre luy a fait tel ennuy Que l'Ytalie est nettoyé de lui! Chose usurpée legier est consommée, Comme argent vif qui retourne en fumée. "

From Lyons the captive duke was removed to Lys Saint-Georges in Berry, where he remained during the next four years in the charge of GilbertBertrand, the king's old captain of the guard. He was allowed to takeexercise in the precincts of the castle and to fish in the moat. According to Sanuto, he was not wholly cut off from his friends. "Sincehe likes to know what is happening in the world outside, the king allowshim to receive letters and to hear the news. " But his health sufferedfrom the confinement, and in the summer of 1501, he became so ill thatLouis XII. , who was hunting in the neighbourhood, sent his doctor, Maitre Salomon, to see him. The physician was shocked at the prisoner'saltered appearance; his long hair, as we learn from a contemporaryminiature, had turned entirely white, and there were black circles roundhis eyes. He sighed constantly, complained of the faithless subjects whohad caused his ruin, and asked eagerly for the latest news of the treatywith the King of the Romans. Maitre Salomon told the king that hebelieved Signor Lodovico was losing his reason, and his account movedLouis so much that he sent to Milan for one of the duke's favouritedwarfs, in order to beguile the weary hours of captivity. Meanwhile, injustice to Maximilian, it must be said that he was untiring in hisefforts to obtain the release of his friend and kinsman. For many yearshe steadily refused to grant Louis XII. The investiture of Milan, unlessLodovico was set at liberty, and repeated his solicitations to thiseffect with the most unwearied pertinacity. On this point, however, theFrench king was inexorable. He knew the hold which the Moro had retainedon the hearts of his subjects, and would not run the risk of anotherrebellion by allowing Lodovico to join his children at Innsbrück. At theprayer of the Empress Bianca, he released her brother, Ermes Sforza, in1502, and a year later allowed Ascanio Sforza to return to Rome, at therequest of Cardinal d'Amboise, and give his vote in the papal conclave. After the accession of his old enemy, Giuliano della Rovere, to thepapal throne, Cardinal Sforza once more attained a high degree of honourand prosperity, and when he died, in 1505, Julius II. Raised themagnificent monument in the church of S. Maria del Popolo to his memory. In February, 1504, the German ambassador made another strong appeal tothe king on his master's behalf for Lodovico's release, but the onlyconcession that he could obtain was some relaxation in the rigour of histreatment. The duke was removed to the château of Loches in Touraine, ahealthy and beautiful spot, on the summit of a lofty hill, and wasallowed greater liberty and more society. 

All contemporary writers agree that he bore his long and tediouscaptivity with remarkable patience and fortitude. "I have heard, " writesthe Como historian, Paolo Giovio, "from Pier Francesco da Pontremoli, who was the duke's faithful companion and servant during his captivity, that he bore his miserable condition with pious resignation andsweetness, often saying that God had sent him these tribulations as apunishment for the sins of his youth, since nothing but the sudden mightof destiny could have subverted the counsels of human wisdom. "

Early in the spring of 1508, the Moro seems to have made a desperateattempt to escape. According to the Milanese chronicler Prato, he bribedone of his guardians, with gold supplied, as we learn, from PadreGattico, by the friars of S. Maria delle Grazie, and succeeded in makinghis way out of the castle gates hidden in a waggon load of straw. But helost his way in the woods that surround Loches, and after wandering allnight in search of the road to Germany, he was discovered on thefollowing day by blood-hounds, who were put upon his track. After this, his captivity became more severe. He was deprived of books and writingmaterials and cut off from intercourse with the outer world. It wasthen, too, in all likelihood, that he was confined in the subterraneandungeon, still shown as the Moro's prison. The cell, as visitors toLoches remember, is cut out of the solid rock, and light and air canonly penetrate by one narrow loophole. There, tradition says, Leonardo'spatron, the great duke who had once reigned over Milan, beguiled theweary hours of his captivity by painting red and blue devices andmottoes on his prison walls. Among these rude attempts at decoration wemay still discover traces of a portrait of himself in casque and armour, and a sun-dial roughly scratched on the stone opposite the slit in therock. And there, too, half effaced by the damp, are fragments ofinscriptions, which tell the same piteous tale of regret for vanisheddays and weary longings for the end that would not come. 

 "Quand Mort me assault et que je ne puis mourir Et se courir on ne me veult, mais me faire rudesse Et de liesse me voir bannir. Que dois je plus guèrir?"

Or this--

"Je porte en prison pour ma device que je m'arme de patience par forcede peine que l'on me fait pouster" (porter) . . 

Again, in large letters among the fragment of red and blue paint, weread--

 "Celui qui ne craint fortune n'est pas bien saige. "

Even more pathetic, when we recall the joyous days at Milan andVigevano, where Lodovico listened to readings from Dante in Beatrice'srooms, is the following version of Francesca da Rimini's famous lines:--

 "Il n'y au monde plus grande destresse, Du bon tempts soi souvenir en la tristesse. "

At length death brought the desired release. Marino Sanuto brieflyrecords the fact in the following words: "On the 17th day of May, 1508, at Loches, Signor Lodovico Sforza, formerly Duke of Milan, who was therein prison, died as a good Christian with the rites of the CatholicChurch. " All we know besides is that his faithful servant, PierFrancesco, was with him to the end, and closed his eyes in the lastsleep. To this day the place of his burial remains unknown. A localtradition says that he was interred in the church of Loches at theentrance of the choir, but a manuscript account of the Sieur Dubuisson'stravels in 1642, preserved in the Mazarin Library, states that LudovicSforza sleeps in the Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre on the eastern side ofthe church. On his death-bed, it is said, he desired to be buried in thechurch of the Dominican friars at Tarascon, but we never hear if hiswishes were carried out, and no trace of his burial is to be found inthis place. On the whole we are inclined to think the most trustworthyauthority on the subject is the Dominican historian of S. Maria delleGrazie, Padre Gattico. In the history of the convent which he wrote ahundred and fifty years after the Moro's death, he tells us that thefriars of his convent supplied the duke with means for his unfortunateattempt to escape, and that this having failed, after his death theyremoved his body to Milan, and buried him by the side of his wife, Duchess Beatrice. This may very well have been effected during the reignof Lodovico's son Maximilian, who was restored to his father's throne in1512, and would explain the uncertainty which has always existed atLoches as to the Moro's grave, and the absence of any inscription tomark his burial-place. 

For Lodovico's sake, let us hope, the good Dominican's story is true. Itis good to think that, after all the distress of those long years ofexile and captivity, the unfortunate prince should have been broughtback to rest in his own sunny Milanese, under Bramante's cupola, in thetomb where he had wished to lie, at Beatrice's side. There, during thenext three centuries, masses were duly said for the repose of DukeLodovico's soul and that of his wife, on the four anniversaries sacredto their memory, "in gratitude, " writes Padre Pino, "for all thebenefactions that we have received from this duke and duchess. " And tothis day, on the Feast of All Souls, the stone floor immediately infront of the high altar, where Beatrice's monument once stood, issolemnly censed, year by year, in memory of the illustrious dead whosleep there, in Lodovico's own words, "until the day of resurrection. "

FOOTNOTES:

[81] M. Sanuto. _Diarii_, iii. 320. 

CHAPTER XXXII

The Milanese exiles at Innsbrück--Galeazzo di Sanseverino becomes GrandEcuyer of France--Is slain at Pavia--Maximilian Sforza made Duke ofMilan in 1512--Forced to abdicate by Francis I. In 1515--Reign ofFrancesco Sforza--Wars of France and Germany--Siege of Milan by theImperialists--Duke Francesco restored by Charles V. --His marriage anddeath in 1535--Removal of Lodovico and Beatrice's effigies to theCertosa. 

1500-1564

After the catastrophe of Novara and the final ruin of the Moro's cause, his loyal kinsfolk and followers were reduced to melancholy straits. Adocument among the Italian papers in the Bibliothèque Nationale gives along list of the Milanese exiles who, in the year 1503, were living inexile, and whose lands and fortunes had been granted to French nobles orItalians who had embraced Louis XII. 's party. Among them we recognizemany familiar names, Crivellis, Bergaminis, Marlianis, and Viscontis, who had served Duke Lodovico loyally and now shared in his disgrace. Many of these took refuge at Ferrara and Mantua; others went to Rome orlived in retirement on Venetian territory, while as many as two hundredand fifty were living at one time at Innsbrück. A few of these werepardoned in course of years, and obtained leave to return to theirLombard homes, but by far the greater number died in exile. 

Chief among those courtiers and captains of the Moro who found refuge atMaximilian's court were the Sanseverino brothers. Two of these, Fracassaand Antonio Maria, were soon reconciled with King Louis by the powerfulinfluence of their brothers, the Count of Caiazzo and CardinalSanseverino. For Galeazzo, the son-in-law and prime favourite of theMoro, a strange future was in store. After his brilliant years at thecourt of Milan, he, too, tasted how salt the bread of exile is, and howbitter it is to depend on the charity of others. In 1503, he was stillliving at Innsbrück, where Sanuto describes him as always dressed inblack and looking very sorrowful, and held of little account by theGerman courtiers, although Maximilian always treated him kindly. Heaccompanied the Emperor to the Diet at Augsburg, and took an active partin his various efforts to obtain Lodovico's deliverance. But a yearlater, when all hope of obtaining Lodovico's release was at an end, afresh attempt seems to have been made by the Sanseverino family toreconcile Galeazzo with King Louis. He came to Milan and saw theCardinal d'Amboise, who embraced his cause warmly, and a petition forthe restoration of Galeazzo's houses and estates, as well as the fortuneof 240, 000 ducats which he had inherited from his wife Bianca, wasaddressed to the King. The result was that he soon received a summons tothe French court, where he quickly won the royal favour, and on thedeath of Pierre d'Urfé a year later, was appointed Grand Ecuyer deFrance. From that time Galeazzo became one of Louis XII. 's chieffavourites, and seldom left the king's side. In 1507 he attended LouisXII. When he entered Milan for the second time, and was a conspicuousfigure in the grand tournament that was held on the Piazza of theCastello. Once more he came back to the scene of his old triumphs, underthese changed circumstances, and played a leading part in the wars thatdistracted the Milanese. Under Francis I. , Galeazzo rose still higher inthe royal favour, and won a signal victory over his old rival Trivulzio. The Grand Ecuyer boldly asserted his right to Castel Novo, which LouisXII. Had granted to Trivulzio after the conquest of Milan, and, at theage of seventy, the old soldier came to Paris to plead his cause againstMesser Galeazzo. But the suit was given against him, and he was throwninto prison for contempt of the king's majesty, and died at Chartres in1518, bitterly rueing the day when he had entered the service of aforeign prince and led the French against Milan. Galeazzo triumphed oncemore, and kept up his reputation as a gallant soldier and brilliantcourtier, until, in 1525, he was slain in the battle of Pavia, underthe walls of the Castello, where, thirty-five years before, he had beenwedded to Bianca Sforza. 

Meanwhile Beatrice's sons grew up at Innsbrück, under the care of theircousin, the Empress Bianca. It was a melancholy life for these youngprinces, born in the purple and reared in all the luxury and culture ofMilan. And when their cousin Bianca died in 1510, they lost their bestfriend. But a sudden and unexpected turn of the tide brought them oncemore to the front. That warlike pontiff, Julius II. , who, as Cardinaldella Rovere, had been one of the chief instruments in bringing theFrench into Italy, entered into a league with Maximilian to expel themand reinstate the son of the hated Moro on the throne of Milan. Theysucceeded so well that, in 1512, four years after Lodovico's death atLoches, young Maximilian Sforza entered Milan in triumph, amidst theenthusiastic applause of the people. Once more he rode up to the gatesof the Castello where he was born, and took up his abode there asreigning duke. But his rule over Lombardy was short. A handsome, gentleyouth, without either his father's talents or his mother's high spirit, Maximilian was destined to become a passive tool in the hands ofstronger and more powerful men. His weakness and incapacity soon becameapparent, and when, three years later, the new French king, Francis I. , invaded the Milanese, and defeated the Italian army at Marignano, theyoung duke signed an act of abdication, and consented to spend the restof his life in France. There he lived in honourable captivity, contentwith a pension allowed him by King Francis and with the promise of acardinal's hat held out to him by the Pope, until he died, in May, 1530, and was buried in the Duomo of Milan. His brother Francesco was a farmore spirited and courageous prince, who might have proved an admirableruler in less troublous times, but was doomed to experience thestrangest vicissitudes of fortune. After the second conquest of Milan bythe French, he retired to Tyrol, until, in 1521, Pope Leo X. Combinedwith Charles V. To oppose Francis I. , and restore the Sforzas. Theiraims were crowned with success, and by the end of the year FrancescoSforza was proclaimed Duke of Milan, only to be driven from his throneagain three years later. After the defeat of Pavia, the young duke, whohad won the love of all his subjects, was again restored; but havingentered into a league with the Pope and Venice to expel theImperialists, incurred the displeasure of Charles V. , and was besiegedin the Castello by the Connétable de Bourbon, who at length forced himto surrender. A prolonged struggle followed, in which Francesco Sforzawas often worsted, and at one time forced to retire to Como. In the end, however, he was restored to the throne by Charles V. , whose favour hesucceeded in recovering, when, in 1530, that monarch visited Italy toreceive the imperial crown. At length this long-distracted realm enjoyedan interval of peace, and a brighter day seemed about to dawn for theunhappy Milanese. 

The young duke was very popular with the people, who rejoiced in havinga prince of their own once more, and who, in Guicciardini's words, looked to see a return of that felicity which they had enjoyed duringhis father's reign. When, in 1534, he married Charles V. 's niece, Christina of Denmark, the splendour of the wedding _fêtes_, the ballsand tournaments that took place in the Castello, recalled the glories ofLodovico's reign and the marriage of the Empress Bianca. The charms ofthe youthful bride revived the memory of the duke's mother, Beatriced'Este, and a richly illuminated book of prayers, prepared in honour ofthis occasion, and adorned with miniatures and Sforza devices, borewitness to Francesco's artistic tastes, and showed his desire to treadin his father's steps. But these bright prospects were soon clouded. Theyoung duke became seriously ill, owing to a dangerous wound which he hadreceived from an assassin, Bonifazio Visconti, twelve years before, and, after lingering through the summer months, he died on All Souls' Day, 1535, to the consternation of the whole Milanese, On the 19th ofNovember the last of the Sforzas was buried with royal pomp in the Duomoof Milan, and his childless widow, the youthful Duchess Christina, retired to the city of Tortona, which had been given her as her marriageportion. Her portrait, painted by the hand of Holbein, is familiar to usall as well as "the few words she wisely spoke, " when, in reply to HenryVIII. 's offer of marriage, she said "that unfortunately she had only onehead, but that if she had two, one should be at his Majesty's service. "

[Illustration: Tomb of Lodovico Sforza and Beatrice d'Este Contessa ofPavia. ]

A week or two later, Lodovico Sforza's only remaining son, Gianpaolo, the child of Lucrezia Crivelli, who had fought gallantly against Frenchand Imperialists in defence of his brother's rights, died on his way toNaples. With him the last claimant to the throne of the Sforzas passedaway. The duchy of Milan reverted to the Imperial crown, and this fairand prosperous realm sank into a mere province of Charles V. 's vastempire. 

 * * * * *

Thirty years after the last Sforza duke had been laid in his grave, thenoble monument which the Moro had raised to his wife's memory in S. Maria delle Grazie was broken up. The friars who had known Lodovico andrevered his memory were dead and gone, and the Prior then in office, seized with iconoclastic zeal, ordered the monument to be removed fromthe choir, in accordance with a canon of the Council of Trent. The tombwas taken to pieces, and Cristoforo Solari's beautiful effigies of theduke and duchess were offered for sale. Fortunately, the news of thisact of vandalism reached the ears of the Carthusians at Pavia, andremembering how much they owed to the Moro's generosity, they sent wordto a Milanese citizen, Oldrado Lampugnano, to purchase the two marblestatues for the Certosa. Oldrado, whose father had been exiled after theMoro's fall, and who was himself a loyal partisan of the house ofSforza, bought Solari's effigies for the small sum of thirty-eightducats, and removed them to the Certosa, "that shrine which had been sooften visited by the said duke and duchess in their lifetime, and forwhich they had ever shown the greatest love and honour. "

There we see them to-day--Lodovico with the hooked nose and bushyeyebrows, in all the pride of his ducal robes, and Beatrice at his side, in the charm and purity of her youthful slumber, surrounded by othermemorials of Sforzas and Viscontis, wrought with the same exquisite artand enriched with the same wealth of ornament. After all, these marbleforms could hardly find a better home than the great Lombard sanctuarywhich was so closely linked with the brightest days of Beatrice's weddedlife, and which to the last remained the object of Lodovico Sforza'scare and love. 

INDEX

A

Agnese di Maino, 16

Albergati, 151

Aldo Manuzio, 30, 126, 131, 153, 261

Alessandro Manuzio, 131

Alexander VI. (Pope), 156 f. , 165, 178, 221, 223, 249, 255 f. , 295, 337 f. , 364

Alfonso of Calabria, 17, 28, 43, 46, 112, 118 f. , 177 f. , 184, 221, 223, 225 f. , 232, 236, 249, 253, 255, 257

Alfonso d'Este, 5, 8, 48, 51, 58, 100, 149, 159, 165, 174, 180, 186, 190 f. , 198, 200, 206, 222, 253, 259, 323, 351

Alfonso Gonzaga, 71

Alvise Marliani, 127, 324

Almodoro, 362

d'Amboise (Cardinal), 349, 371

Ambrogio Borgognone, 104

Ambrogio da Corte, 167, 206

Ambrogio Ferrari, 66, 144, 345

Ambrogio de Predis, 209, 218, 303

Ambrogio da Rosate, 61, 120, 127, 145, 168, 224, 236, 272, 324

André de la Vigne, 234

Andrea Cagnola, 240

Andrea Cossa, 35, 276

Andrea Mantegna, 50 f. , 153, 328

Andrea Salai, 139

Angelo Poliziano, 129, 131, 147

Angelo Talenti, 179, 272, 293

Angelo Testagrossa, 152

Anna Sforza, 8, 43, 48, 70, 78, 169 f. , 180 f. , 186, 190 f. , 198, 200, 253, 259, 323

Anna Solieri, 279

Anne de Beaujeu, 113

Anne of Bourbon, 235

Anne of Brittany, 113 f. , 160, 290

Annibale Bentivoglio, 36, 71 ff. 

Antoine de Bussy, 361

Anton Maria de Collis, 259

Antonio Calco, 120

Antonio Cammelli (Pistoia), 140, 144 f. , 148, 150, 296

Antonio Costabili, 308, 327

Antonio da Landriano, 240, 338, 343

Antonio da Monza, 63, 332, 348

Antonio del Balzo, 156

Antonio di Campo Fregoso, 142, 150

Antonio Grifo, 142

Antonio Grimani, 292

Antonio Grumello, 361, 363

Antonio Loredano, 113

Antonio Maria Pallavicini, 342, 347

Antonio Maria Sanseverino, 151, 232, 272, 279, 342-347, 354, 375

Antonio of Salerno, 112

Antonio Stanga, 223, 226

Antonio Tassino, 22, 24 f. 

Antonio Tebaldeo, 35, 144

Antonio Trivulzio (Bishop of Como), 186, 202 f. , 293, 344, 347

Antonio Visconti, 261

Ariosto, 36, 87, 149, 159, 207

Art and learning at Ferrara, 31-39; at Milan, 128 ff. ; at Pavia, 126 ff. 

Ascanio Sforza, 16, 24, 41, 56, 73, 152, 156, 163, 165, 171, 222 f. , 228, 253, 255, 262, 338, 343 f. , 360, 364, 371

Atalante Migliorotti, 151 ff. 

Azzo Visconti, 333

B

Baldassare Castiglione, 351

Baldassare Pusterla, 240, 250

Baldassare Taccone, 150, 210

Barone, 76, 232, 251, 298

Bartolommeo Calco, 114, 125 f. , 131

Bartolommeo Scotti (Count), 58

Battista Fregoso, 316

Battista Guarino, 28 f. , 36

Battista Sfondrati, 317

Battista Visconti, 344

Beatrice of Aragon, 4

Beatrice de' Contrari, 58

Beatrice di Correggio, 169, 323

Beatrice d'Este (the elder), 4, 22

Beatrice d'Este: birth, 4; early life, at Naples, 6 f. ; betrothal to Lodovico Sforza, 8; portraits, 33; education, 36 ff. ; wedding journey, 57 ff. ; marriage, 65 f. ; at Pavia, 67 ff. ; early wedded life, 76 ff. ; friendship with Galeazzo Sanseverino, 81 ff. ; jealousy of Cecilia Gallerani, 89; at Vigevano, 92; at Villa Nova, 96; horsemanship, 97; relations with Isabella of Aragon, 99; escapades at Milan, 100 ff. ; illness, 110; at Genoa, 111; at Vigevano, 122; patron of learning and poetry, 141 ff. ; of drama and music, 151 ff. ; first son born, 166 ff. ; wardrobe, 170 f. ; visit to Ferrara, 180 ff. ; diplomatic visit to Venice, chap. Xvi. F. ; return to Milan, 205; birth of second son, 258 f. ; courage in danger, 271; meets Maximilian at Bormio, 288 ff. ; at Vigevano, 291 f. ; sadness of her last days, 302-306; death, 306; funeral, 310 f. ; Maximilian's eulogy, 313 f. ; tomb, 316; Cenacolo, 317 f. , 350

Belgiojoso, 180, 184, 196, 205, 222, 225

Bellincioni, 46 f. , 53, 76, 86 f. , 90, 100, 137, 139, 144 £. , 147 f. 

Bello of Ferrara, 87

Belriguardo, 183, 188, 205

Benedetto Capilupi, 231, 264, 327

Benedetto da Cingoli, 143

Benedetto Ispano, 128

Benedetto Trevisano, 255, 367

Bergonzio, 299, 366

Bernardino Caimo, 140

Bernardino Corio, 19, 22, 25, 94, 99, 125, 129 f. , 177 f. , 230, 241, 342 f. 

Bernardino da Feltre, 123

Bernardino da Rossi, 66

Bernardino del Corte, 272, 299, 319, 344 f. , 347 f. 

Bernardino d'Urbino, 283

Bernardo Contarini, 271

Bernardo Prosperi, 170

Bianca d'Este, 4, 65, 183

Bianca, d. Of Caterina Sforza, 330

Bianca, d. Of Lodovico, 45, 57, 169, 209, 233, 235, 292, 302 f. , 376

Bianca Maria Sforza, 43, 46, 70, 106, 115, 121, 136, 160 f. , 169 f. , 179, 184, 208-220, 222, 242, 252 f. , 303, 339, 346, 371, 377

Bianca of Milan, m. Of Lodovico, 14 ff. 

Bibbiena, 147

Blois (Treaty of), 338

Boccaccio, 143

Bona of Savoy, Duchess of Milan, 8, 18-25, 70, 160, 170, 208, 216, 232, 237, 251 f. 

Bona, d. Of Giangaleazzo Sforza, 167, 353

Bonifazio da Cremona, 63

Bonifazio Visconti, 378

Borella, 245, 250

Borromeo, 342, 344, 354

Borso di Correggio (the elder), 5

Borso di Correggio (the younger), 206, 315

Borso d'Este, 3, 29, 38

Bramante of Urbino, 42, 76, 83, 92, 104, 122, 124, 132 ff. , 139 f. , 145-148, 229, 260, 291, 296, 299, 300, 316, 331, 350 f. 

Brera Altar-piece, 285 f. 

Briconnet, 280, 283

Brognolo, 261

Buttinone di Treviglio, 66

C

Cagnola, 92, 132, 288

Caiazzo. _See_ Gianfrancesco Sanseverino

Calvi, 242

Camilla Sforza, 169, 343

Caradosso, 132, 134, 137, 139, 182, 262, 320, 348

Carpaccio, 103

Castello of Ferrara, 1

Caterina Cornaro, 204

Caterina Sforza, 20, 23, 41, 253, 330, 341, 365

Cecco Simonetta, 20-24

Cecilia Gallerani, 52 ff. , 89 ff. , 150, 263, 292, 321

Cecilia Simonetta, 145

Celso Maffei, 354

Certosa, 74, 102-106, 237

Cæsar Borgia, 222, 338, 341, 348 ff. , 361

Charles V. (Emperor), 332, 377 f. 

Charles VIII. Of France, 112 ff. , 160, 164 f. , 180, 184 f. , 196 f. , 209, 221, 223, 232-238, 248, 254 ff. , 258, 264, 268, 273 ff. , 277, 279 f. , 282 ff. , 287, 294, 325

Charlotte d'Albret, 338

Chevalier Bayard, 360

Chiara Gonzaga, 251, 305, 314, 329 f. 

Christina of Denmark, 378

Conrad Stürzl, 270

Conrade Vimerca, 289

Constantino Privolo, 200

Cordier, 76, 152, 186, 190, 196

Cosimo Tura, 2, 33

Cristoforo Rocchi, 61

Cristoforo Romano, 56, 76, 106 ff. , 111, 139, 152, 323

Cristoforo Solari (Il Gobbo), 317 ff. , 351, 379

Cusani, 324

D

Dante, 146

Delaborde, 196, 247

Della Torre (Count), 169

Demetrius Calcondila, 128

De Trano, 337

Dioda (or Diodato), 76, 81

Dionigi Confanerio, 239

Doge Agostino Barbarigo, 174, 186 ff. , 195 ff. , 267

Dolcebuono, 132 ff. , 140

Domenico de Grillandaio, 300

Donate de' Preti, 241, 244, 250

Dorotea Gonzaga, 18

E

Elizabeth Gonzaga (Duchess of Urbino), 50, 57, 144, 147, 151, 187, 227

Elizabeth Sforza, 262

Emilia Pia, 108, 147, 151

Erasmo Brasca, 64, 114, 179, 205, 217 ff. , 225, 229, 242, 254, 327, 338, 343

Ercole d'Este, 2 f. , 5 f. , 9 f. , 22, 28 ff. , 38, 89, 155, 158, 164, 182 f. , 206, 222, 232, 282, 284 f. , 308, 312, 323, 337, 348-351, 360, 364 f. 

Ercole (Maximilian) Sforza, 166, 171, 226, 264 f. , 292 f. , 335, 353, 373

Ermes Sforza, 43, 74, 182, 217 f. , 245, 253, 310, 346, 364, 371, 377

Ermolao Barbaro, 93, 124

Este (House of), 2

Eustachio, 25, 43

F

Fausto Andrelino, 370

Federico, Marquis of Mantua, 9

Federigo of Naples, 232

Federigo Sanseverino (Cardinal), 44, 151, 255, 343, 375

Federigo of Urbino, 4

Ferrante d'Este, 6, 51, 249, 323, 351

Ferrante of Naples, 3, 6, 9 f. , 21, 24, 27, 45, 112 ff. , 118, 121, 165, 176, 184, 221 f. 

Ferrante of Naples II. , 228, 255, 257, 264, 266, 269, 277, 282, 294, 328

Ferrante Sforza, 7

Ferrara, 31 f. 

Ferrari, 128

Ficino, 147

Fieschi, 335

Filelfo, 16, 129 ff. 

Filippino di Frati Filippo, 300, 340

Filippo Beroaldo, 129

Filippo Sforza, 21

Florentio, 152

Fracassa. See Sanseverino (Gaspare)

Francesco Bello, 35

Francesco Bernardo Visconti, 215, 266 f. , 342, 344, 347

Francesco Capello, 190

Francesco da Casate, 55

Francesco Foscari, 288, 291 f. , 305

Francesco Francia, 34

Francesco Mantegna, 329

Francesco Martini, 60, 134

Francesco Pallavicino, 215, 262, 342

Francesco Sforza, 5, 8, 14, 114, 156, 186, 217

Francesco Sforza (son of Giangaleazzo), 48, 237 f. , 240, 251, 299, 328, 353

Francesco Sforza (son of Lodovico), 259, 293, 321, 335, 377 f. 

Francesca da Rimini, 373

Franchino Gaffuri, 128, 131, 134, 152

Francis I. , 376 f. 

Frederic III. (Emperor), 179, 208

Frederic of Naples, 294, 353

G

Gaguin, 94

Galeazzo Pallavicino, 213, 262, 342

Galeazzo di Sanseverino, 44 f. , 51, 55, 58, 67, 71, 73, 76, 79 ff. , 85ff. , 92, 100, 110, 124, 136, 138, 145-148, 158 f. , 162, 164, 171, 180, 182, 206 f. , 210, 216, 222, 224 f. , 228, 237, 248 f. , 255 f. , 264, 269, 271 f. , 278 f. , 281, 285-288, 292, 298, 303 f. , 310, 315, 322 ff. , 326, 330, 338, 342, 344 ff. , 348, 351, 354, 356-363, 365, 370, 376

Galeotto del Carretto, 93, 150

Galeotto della Mirandola, 4, 65, 183, 272, 292, 327, 341

Gaspare Bugati, 132

Gaspare Melchior, Bishop of Brixen, 209, 211, 215, 254, 270

Gaspare di Pusterla, 170

Gaspare Sanseverino (Fracassa), 28, 44, 71, 85, 123, 182, 228, 232, 279, 287, 291, 296, 322, 327, 330, 342, 347, 349, 354, 361, 363, 375

Gaspare Visconti, 103, 138, 142 f. , 145-148, 151, 190, 217, 264, 324

Gattico, 318, 322 f. 

Gentile Bellini, 103, 198

Ghibellines, 21, 23

Giacomo Trotti, 52, 62, 64 f. , 76, 88 f. , 91, 110, 157, 166, 241

Gian Francesco da Vimercato, 357

Gian Francesco Gonza of Bozzolo, 156

Gianfrancesco Sanseverino (Count of Caiazzo), 74, 119, 148, 178, 182, 232, 238, 249, 269, 272 ff. , 278, 292 f. , 315, 330, 342 f. , 347, 349, 354, 375

Gian Galeazzo Sforza, Duke of Milan, 7, 20, 23, 41 ff. , 46 f. , 69, 71, 73, 80, 115, 118 f. , 124, 167, 176 f. , 209, 221, 230, 237 ff. , 246 f. , 285

Gian Giacomo Gillino, 202, 356

Gian Giacomo Trivulzio, 45, 352

Giannino, 137

Gianpaolo Sforza, 321, 379

Giasone del Maino, 127 f. , 217, 270, 272

Gilbert Bertrand, 370

Gilbert of Montpensier, 251, 264, 277, 294

Giorgio Merula, 64, 127-130, 137, 139

Giovanni Adorno, 162, 272, 328, 335, 347

Giovanni Antonio Amadeo, 104, 133 f. , 140, 325

Giovanni Bellini, 53, 153, 187, 263

Giovanni Bentivoglio, 67

Giovanni Dondi, 63

Giovanni Francesco Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua, 9, 33, 50, 56, 66 f. , 72, 109, 111, 152, 174, 182, 187 f. , 191, 195, 206, 226 f. , 265, 270, 272 ff. , 281, 283, 285, 298, 307, 322 f. , 326 f. , 329, 338, 342, 348-351, 358 ff. 

Giovanni Gonzaga, 69, 98, 259, 360

Giovanni de Medici, 330

Giovanni Pietro Suardo, 245

Giovanni Sforza of Pesaro, 165, 184, 338

Giovanni Simonetta, 24

Giovanni Stanga (Marquis), 106 f. , 145, 148, 162, 217, 288, 291, 293, 315, 317 ff. , 327, 338, 363

Giovanni da Tortona, 316

Girolamo da Figino, 200

Girolamo Landriano, 355

Girolamo Riario, 20, 23

Girolamo Savonarola, 29, 61, 157, 184, 274

Girolamo Stanga, 72

Girolamo Tuttavilla, 100, 120, 148, 162, 179, 186, 189 f. , 206, 228

Giuliano della Rovere (Cardinal), 157, 165, 225, 255, 316, 349, 371

Godefroy, 237

Godfrey Borgia, 221, 225

Gualtero, 325

Guicciardini, 12, 99, 176, 225 f. , 240, 249, 259 f. , 278, 295, 378

Guido Arcimboldo, 301, 323

Guidotto Prestinari, 144 f. 

Guiniforte Solari, 133

H

Henry VII. Of England, 114, 290, 297, 355

I

Il Perugino, 104, 300, 340

Innocent VII. (Pope), 30, 43, 62, 73, 113, 156

Ippolita Sforza, 7, 17

Ippolita Sforza (the younger), 230

Ippolito d'Este (Cardinal), 51, 222

Isabella of Aragon, 46, 69, 80, 99 ff. , 118 f. , 124, 160, 167, 169 f. , 176 f. , 230, 237 f. , 250 ff. , 265, 269, 328, 353

Isabella d'Este, 4, 30, 33, 36 ff. , 40, 50, 52, 53 f. , 64, 68 f. , 74 f. , 78 f. , 81, 84 ff. , 96 ff. , 101, 106 ff. , 109, 123, 131, 145, 149 ff. , 152, 155 ff. , 162, 167, 171 f. , 174 f. , 187 f. , 198, 205, 206 ff. , 211, 226, 232, 244, 250 f. , 258 ff. , 263 f. , 272 f. , 275 f. , 278, 283 f. , 298, 304, 308, 312, 321 ff. , 326 ff. , 344, 353, 356

Isabella Sforza, 7, 17

J

Jacopo Andrea, 360, 364

Jacopo Antiquario, 115, 125 f. 

Jacopo d'Atri, 7, 108, 279, 283

Jacopo Bellini, 2, 32

Jacopo da Ferrara 138 f. , 355

Jacopo di San Secondo, 152

James IV. (of Scotland), 121

Jean d'Auton, 355, 359, 369, 371, 377

Jean Bontemps, 209

Jean Jacques Trivulzio, 282, 294, 315 f. , 326, 329, 338, 341-349, 353, 355, 360-364, 367

Jean Marot, 370

Joan of Aragon, 6

Jorba, 173

Juan Borgia, 223, 225

Julius II. (Pope), 283

L

Lancinus Curtius, 128, 139, 149, 210, 230, 348

Lascaris, 7, 17, 19

La Trémouille, 232, 260 f. , 363 f. 

Leo X. (Pope), 377

Leonardo da Vinci, 42, 47, 53, 61, 66, 72, 76, 91, 107, 133-140, 144, 153 f. , 210, 229, 260 f. , 296, 299, 302, 306, 318 f. , 324 f. , 331, 339 f. , 347, 350 f. , 353, 365 f. 

Leonello d'Este, 3, 29, 32

Leonora of Aragon (Duchess d'Este), 3, 6, 28, 30, 34, 38, 50, 64, 73, 107, 166, 168 f. , 172, 177, 181, 186, 190 f. , 195, 198, 206 f. 

Leonora da Correggio, 217

Leonora Gonzaga, 226, 230, 329

Lodovico Bergamini, 52, 90, 292

Lodovico de Medici, 330

Lodovico Sforza (Il Moro), 4, 8; his character, 10 ff. ; birth, 14; explanation of surname, 15; early years, 15 f. ; leads crusade, 17; at Cremona, 17; in France, 20; exile at Pisa, 21; becomes Duke of Bari, 22; invasion of Lombardy, 22; returns to Milan as co-regent, 23; betrothal, 24; sole regent, 25; war with Genoese and Venetians, 27 f. ; delays his marriage, 41; development of Milan, 42; marriage contract, 49; again delays his marriage, 51; relations with Cecilia Gallerani, 52; marriage, 65 f. ; renounces Cecilia Gallerani, 89; public works in Vigevano and the Lomellina, 92 ff. ; interest in the Certosa, 102-106; friendship and correspondence with Isabella D'Este, 108 ff. , 163 f. ; entertains French ambassadors, 115 ff. ; concludes treaty with Charles VIII. , 116; embassy to France, 119; reforms and extends Universities of Pavia and Milan, 126 ff. ; endows research, 129 ff. ; his library, 130; encourages art, 131 ff. ; attitude towards Renaissance, 139 f. ; ambition, 176 f. ; alliance with Venice and Papacy, 178; visits Ferrara, 180 ff. ; vacillating policy, 221 f. ; joins Charles VII. Against Naples, 224 f. ; relations with the Gonzagas of Mantua, 227; proclaimed duke at Milan, 240 f. ; seeks investiture from Maximilian, 241 ff. ; refutes calumnies, 254; proclamation of New League against France, 267; invested Duke of Milan, 270; retires before Louis of Orleans, 271; war with France, 272 ff. ; peace, 281; assists Pisa, 287; league with Maximilian and others, 290; his arrogance, 295; grief at death of Beatrice, 307 ff. , 315; visit to Mantua, 326 f. ; his wills, 332-336; flight before the French, and loss of Milan, 343-351; return to Milan, 356 ff. ; besieged in Novara, 361; betrayed by Swiss, 362; captivity at Encise and Lys St. Georges, 367-370; at Loches, 371 ff. ; death, 373; place of burial, 373 f. 

Lorenzo Gusnasco, 37, 76, 152

Lorenzo de' Medici, 7, 17, 19, 21, 42, 118, 143, 147, 151, 164

Lorenzo da Pavia, 129, 153, 261 ff. , 348, 365

Louis XI. , 20

Louis XII. , 265, 326, 332, 337 f. , 341, 348, 360, 363, 371, 376. _See also_ Orleans, Duke of. 

Luca Fancelli, 133 f. 

Luca Pacioli, 128, 304, 324

Lucia Marliani, 18

Lucrezia Borgia, 149, 165, 184, 338

Lucrezia Crivelli, 302, 321, 379

Lucrezia d'Este, 33, 36

Luzio, 173

M

Machiavelli, 19, 330

Maffeo Pirovano, 241, 252 ff. , 324

Maffeo di Treviglio, 136

Magenta, 247

Malipiero, 271, 284, 287, 295, 331

Mantegna, 274

Marc Antonio Michieli, 303

Marco Morosini, 292

Margareta Solari, 233

Margherita Gonzaga, 298

Margherita Pia, 85, 151, 322

Marino Sanuto, 238, 248, 267, 291, 293 ff. , 297, 315 f. , 326, 331, 337, 346, 370, 376

Mariolo, 163, 170

Mary of Burgundy, 113

Mascagni, 147

Matteo Boiardo, 36, 38, 52, 68, 86 f. 

Matteo Brandello, 138, 299, 318

Matthias Corvinus, 43, 64, 115, 136, 154

Maximilian, 113, 137, 164 f. , 179 f. , 184 ff. , 197, 208, 218 f. , 222, 225, 241, 252 ff. , 256, 269, 272, 284, 288, 295, 301, 304 f. , 313 ff. , 334, 338 f. , 341 f. , 346, 355, 371, 377

Melzi (Count of), 346

Michele Savonarola, 29

Michelo Angelo, 108

Milan, 260

Milan, University of, 128

Molmenti, 188

Montferrat, Marquis of, 67, 116, 236

Montorfano, 319

Muralti, 65, 302

N

Narcisso, 152

Nexemperger, 133

Niccolo della Bussola, 355, 364

Niccolo da Correggio, 5 f. , 28, 35, 65, 73, 76, 80, 107, 116, 142 f. , 145 f. , 149-152, 182, 208 f. , 217, 259, 264, 303, 306, 313, 323, 327, 349, 351, 353

Niccolo d'Este II. , 30, 193

Niccolo d'Este III. , 3, 29

Niccolo d'Este (s. Of Leonello d'Este), 5 f. 

Niccolo de Negri, 188, 190, 293

O

Oldrado Lampugnano, 379

Orleans, Duke of, 112, 225, 231 f. , 256, 266, 268 f. , 271, 279, 281 f. , 286, 294 f. , 326. _See also_ Louis XII. 

Orsini, 223

Ortensio Lando, 52

Ottaviano Sforza, 42

P

Pamfilo Sasso, 150

Pandolfini, 25, 48, 118

Paolo Bilia, 250

Paolo Giovio, 11, 247, 273, 371

Pavia, 66 ff. 

Pavia, University of, 126 ff. 

Pedro Maria, 152

Perrault de Gurk, 318

Perron de Baschi, 221

Perugino. _See_ Il P. 

Petrarch, 143, 146

Philippe de Commines, 48, 187, 233, 236 f. , 245, 248 f. , 261 f. , 269, 274, 279, 285

Pier Francesco, 373

Piero de Medici, 164, 184, 223, 231, 236, 241, 248, 256, 262

Pierre d'Urfé, 376

Pietro Alamanni, 135, 231, 241

Pietro Bembo, 108, 113, 195, 197

Pietro Landriano, 179

Pietro Lazzarone, 150

Pietro of Perugia. _See_ Il Perugino

Pico della Mirandola, 30, 61

Pino, 318

Pistoia. _See_ Antonio Cam. P. 

Pius II. , 16

Poggio, 87

Polissena d'Este, 77, 79, 232

Pontano, 7

Prato, 362

Prosperi, 181 f. 

Pulci, 87

R

Raphael, 144, 152

Roberto di Sanseverino, 21 ff. , 27 f. , 43, 137

Roderigo Borgia. _See_ Alexander VI. 

Rodolfo Gonzaga, 65, 273

Romanini, 195

Rovegnatino, 316

S

Sabba da Castiglione, 35, 45, 108, 142 ff. , 147, 149, 152 f. , 354

Salomon (physician), 370 f. 

Salomone Ebreo, 130

Sancia of Naples, 221, 225

Sandro Botticelli, 300

Sannazzaro, 7

Sanseverino, House of, 43 f. _See also_ Antonio Maria S. , FederigoS. , Galeazzo S. , Gaspare S. , Gianfrancesco S. , Roberto S. 

Scaligero, 52

Schifanoia frescoes, 32, 38

Sebastian Badoer, 255

Senlis (Treaty of), 180, 196, 224

Serafino Aquilano, 142 ff. 

Sforza, Duke of Bari, 20 ff. 

Sigismund of Austria, 218

Sigismund d'Este (Cardinal), 58

Sigismund of Poland, 353

Sixtus IV. , 3, 20, 24, 27, 157

Sperandio, 3, 31, 274

Spinola family, 335

Stuart d'Aubigny, 114, 121, 232, 238

T

Taddeo Contarini, 155, 303

Taddeo Vimercati, 179, 187

Tanzio, 139, 144

Tasso, 87

Teodora, 168 ff. , 181

Teseo d'Albonesi, 128, 153

Theodore Guainiero, 247

Tiraboschi, 141

Tito Strozzi, 35

Tommaso Grassi, 131

Tommaso Piatti, 131

Treso di Monza, 66

Trissino, 37

Tristan Calco, 70, 129 f. , 210

Tristan Sforza, 5, 22

Turman, 362

U

Ursino, 190

V

Valentina Visconti, 231

Vasari, 135, 319

Venetian _fêtes_, 193 ff. 

Venetians attack Ferrara, 26 f. 

Vercelli (Peace of), 281

Verrocchio, 301

Vincenzo Baldelli, 316

Vincenzo Calmeta, 138, 142 f. , 145 f. , 151

Vincenzo Foppa, 63

Vittore Pisanello, 2, 32

Vittoria Colonna, 52, 263

Z

Zenale di Treviglio, 66, 285

THE END

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TURNBULL AND SPEARS

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