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About Google Book Search Google's mission is to organize the world's information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers discover the world's books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. You can search through the full text of this book on the web at |http: //books .google .com/I idb,Googlc sfc idb,Googlc idb,Googlc idb,Googlc idb,Goi)glc ISABELLA D'ESTE D,t„db,Googlc idb,Goi)glc idb,Googlc y^/,. — '^^ >,:,..■ /j:^.,.„j idb,Goi)glc i ISABELLA D'ESTE MARCHIONESS OF MANTUA 1474-1539 A STUDY OF THE RENAISSANCE BY JULIA CARTWRIGHT (Mrs. ADY) AXJTHOR OF "BEATRICE D'ESTE," "THE PAINTERS OF FLORENCE," "MADAME," ETC. '.""yL?^*!'^^;,. EUBOFBAB W0M, "La prima duma dtl monde." ABee«»ioil.,..9..Cr..'|b NiCCOLO DA COKKBGGIO. " D'apert illvsiri e di bei stmdi arnica, Ch' M MM IV btn stpi& Uggiadra e btlUt, Mi dibia dirt, e piit saggia i fudica IMtralt t magKamma Isaitlla." Ariosto. IN TWO VOLUMES VOL. I LONDON JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET 1903 i idb,Goi)glc idb,Goi)glc PREFACE The life of Isabella d'Este has never yet been written. After four hundred years, the greatest lady of the Renaissance still awaits her biographer. An unkind &te has pursued all the scholars, whether French, German, or Italian, who hare hitherto attempted the task. Their labours have been hindered and inter- rupted, or their lives prematurely cut short by death. More than fifty years ago an interesting study on the &mous Marchesa, from the pen of a Mantuan scholar, Carlo d'Arco, was .published in the ArcMvio Storico ItaUano (1845), based upon documents preserved in the Gronzaga Archives. In 1867, a distinguished Frenchman, M. Armand Baschet, wrote a remark- able essay on Isabella d'Este's relations with the great Venetian printer, Aldo Manuzio, but died before he could execute his intention of publishing a life of this princess. A mass of documents, which he had copied &om the Mantuan Archives, remained in the hands of the late M. Charles Yriarte, who wrote several interesting chapters on Isabella d'Este's relations with the great painters of her age, in the Gazette des Beaux Arts, and was preparing a fuller and more complete work on the subject when he died. M. Firmin Didot, Dr. Janitschek, Dr. Reumont, and Ferdinand Gregorovius have all in turn given us sketches of Isabella in their historic^ works, while deploring the absence of any biography which should do full justice to so attractive and important a figure. ..Cjoogic vi PREFACE Meanwhile, Italian students have not been idle. Twenty years ago a learned Mantuan ecdesiastic, Canonico Willelmo Braghirolli, made a careful study of Isabella's correspondence with Giovanni Bellini and Perugino, and published many of the letter relating to these artists. But he too died before his time, leaving her life still unwritten. Other well- known scholars, Ferrato, Bertolotti, Campori, Signor Vittore Cian, and Cavaliere Stefano Davari, the pre- sent Director of the Archivio Gronzaga, have tiumed their attention to different aspects of the theme, and have published studies on the Gonzaga princes, or on Hie scholars and artists attached to their court. Above all, Dr. Alessandro Luzio, the present Keeper of the State Archives of Mantua, and his former colleague, Signor Ridolfo Reni», have devoted years of patient and untiring labour to the examination of the vast mass of Isabella d'Este's correspondence, amounting to upwards of two thousand letters, which had been fortunately preserved. During the last fifteen years these indefatigable woricers have published a whole series of valuable articles and pamphlets containing the results of their researches, as well as one small volume, in which the intercourse between the courts of Mantua and Urbino, in the lifetime of Isabella and her sister-in-law, Elisabetta Gonzaga, is fiilly described. In an essay which Signor Renier contri- buted to the ItaSa, fifteen years ago, he informed his readers that he and Dr. Luzio would shortly publish a monograph on the great Marchesa, but these dis- tinguished scholars have as yet been unable to Ailfil their promise, and the appearance of this important and long-expected work is still delayed. Meanwhile, the following study, without pretend- ed byGoogIc PREFACE vii ixig to be an exhaustive biography, may interest those of our readers who are already familiar with Isabella through the Life of her sister, Beatrice d'Este.' The history of these two princesses was closely inter- woven during the early days of their wedded life, and Isabella's visits to Milan, and her correspondence with Lodovico Sforza and his young wife naturally filled a large share of her time and thoughts. But these six brilliant years which made up the whole of Beatrice's married life fcHnied only a brief episode in Isabella's long and eventful career. During the next forty years she played an important part in the history of her times, and made the little court of I Mantua famous in the eyes of the . whole civilised r world. Her close relationship with the reigning families of Milan and Naples, of Ferrara and Urbino, and constant intercourse with Popes and monarchs made her position one of peculiar importance, while the wisdom and sagacity which she showed in poli- tical affairs commanded universal respect. Both during the lifetime of her husband and son she was repeatedly called upon to administer the gov- ernment of the state, and showed a coolness and dexterity in the conduct of the most difficult negotiations that would have excited the admiration of Machiavelli himself. By her skilful diplomacy this able woman saved the little state of Mantua from fEdling a prey to the ambitious designs of Csesar Borgia, or the vengeance of two powerful French monarchs, Louis XII. and Francis I. At the same time she helped her brother, Duke Alfonso of Ferrara, to resist the furious assaults of Julius II. > Beatrice d'Este. Duchess of Milan, by Julia Cartwright. ■' (Dent & Co., 1899.) ■ \ ^dbyGoogle (S 1\ PREFACE and the tortuous policy of Leo X., and to preserve his duchy in the face of the most prolonged and determined opposition. Isabella lived to see the tiiMlment of her fondest wish, when, in 1581, the newly-crowned Emperor, Charles V., visited Mantua and raised her eldest son to the rank of Duke, while Pope Clement VII. bestowed a Cardinal's hat on her second son Ercole. But it is above all as a patron of art and letters that Isabella d'Este will be remembered. In this respect she deserves a place with the most enlight- ened princes of the Renaissance, with Lorenzo dei Medici and Lodovico Sforza. A true child of her age, Isabella combined a passionate love of beauty and the most profound reverence for antiquity with the finest critical taste. Her studios and villas were adorned with the best paintings and statues by the first masters of the day, and with the rarest antiques from the Eternal City and the Isles of Greece. Her book-shelves contained the daintiest editions of classical works printed at the Aldine Press, and the newest poems and romances by living writers. Viols and organs of exquisite shape and tone, lutes of inlaid ivory and ebony, the richest brocades and rarest gems, the finest gold and silver work, the choicest majolica and most deUcately tinted Murano glass found a place in her camerim. But everything that she possessed must be of the best, and she was satisfied with nothing short of perfection. Even Mantegna and Perugino some- times failed to please her, luid Aldo's books were returned to be more carefully revised and printed. To attain these objects Isabella spared neither time nor trouble. She wrote endless letters, and gave the ^dbyGooglc / PREFACE ix artists in her employment the most elaborate imd minute instructions. Bra^iirolli counted as many as forty letters on the subject of a single picture painted by Giovanni Bellini, and no less than fifty- tiiree on a painting entrusted to Perugino. Especial attention has been devoted to this portion of Isabella's correspondence in the present work. The vast num- ber of letters which passed between her and the chief artists of the day have hitherto lain buried in foreign archives or hidden in pamphlets and periodicab, many of them already out of print. All these have been carefully collected, and are for the first time brought together here. If Isabella was a fastidious and at times a severe critic, she was also a generous and kindly patron, prompt to recognise true merit and stimulate creative effort, and ever ready to be&iend struggling artists. And poets and punters alike gave her &eely of their best. Castiglione and Niccolo da Corre^^o, Bembo and Bibbiena, were among her constant correspondents, Aldo Manuzio pnnted Viigils and Fetrarchs for her use, Lorenzo da Pavia made her musical instruments of unrivalled beauty and sweet- ness. The works of Mantegna and Costa, of Giovanni Bellini and Michelangelo, of Perugino and Correggio, a lomed her rooms. Giovanni Santi, Andrea Man- tegna, Fraqcesco Francia, mid Lrf>renzo Costa all in turn painted portraits of her, v^ch have alas I perished. But her beautiful features stUl live in Leonardo's perfect drawing, in Cristoforo's medal, and in Titian's great picture at Vienna. Nor were poets and prose-writers remiss in paying her their homage. Paolo Giovio addressed her as the rarest of jwomen ; Bembo and Trissino celebrated her charms iuAaXI^Ic X PREFACE and virtues in their sonnets and cwnzoni. Castiglione gave her a high place in his courtly record, Ariosto paid her a magnificent tribute in his " Orlando," while endless were the songs and lays which minor bards offered at the shrine of this peerless Marchesa, whom they justly called the foremost lady in the world — " la prima donna del mondo." — " Isabella d'Este," writes Jacopo Caviceo, "at the sound of whose name all the Muses rise and do reverence." In her aims and aspirations Isabella was a typical child of the Renaissance, and her thoughts and actions faithfully reflected the best traditions of the age. Her own conduct was blameless. As a wife and mother, as a daughter and sister, she was beyond reproach. But her judgments conformed to the standard of her own times, and her diplomacy fol- lowed the principles of Machiavelli and of Marino Sanuto. She had a strong sense of family affections, and would have risked her life for the sake of ad- vancing the interests of her husband and children or brothers, but she did not hesitate to ask Ctesar Borgia for the statues of which he had robbed her brother-in-law, and danced merrily at the ball given by Louis XII. while her old friend and kinsman Duke Lodovico languished in the dxmgeons of Loches. Like others of her age, she knew no r^rets and felt no remorse, but lived wholly in the present, throwing herself with all the might of her strong vitality into the business or enjoyment of the hour, forgetful of the past and careless (k the futiu^ Fortunate in the time of her birth and in the cir- cumstances of her life, Isabella was above all fortunate in this, that she saw the finest works of the Renais? sance in the prime of their beauty. She ,db,Goi)glc / I PREFACE jd Venice and Milan in their most triumphant hour, when the glowing hues of Titian and Giorgione's frescoes, of Leonardo and Gian Bellini's paintings, were fresh upon the walls. She visited the famous palace of Urbino in the days of the good Duke Guidobaldo, when young Raphael was painting his first pictures, and Bembo and Castiglione sat at the . feet of the gentle Duchess Elisabetta. She came to Florence when Leonardo and Michelangelo were woridng side by side at their cartoons in the Council Hall, and she was the guest of Leo X., and saw the wonders of the Sistina and of Raphael's Stanza, before the fair halls of the Vatican had been defaced by barbarian invaders. Many and sad were the changes that she witnessed in the coiu-se of her long life. She saw the first " invasion of the stranger, and all Italy in flame and fire," as her own Ferrara poet sang in words of passionate lament She saw Naples torn from the house of Aragon, the &ir Milanese, where the Moro and Beatrice had reigned in their pride, lost in a single day. She saw Urbino conquered twice over and her own kith and kin driven into exile, first by the treacherous Borgia, then by a Medici Pope, who was bound to the reigning house by the closest ties of friendship and gratitude. And in 1527, she was herself an unwilling witness of the nameless horrors that attended the sie^e and sack of Rome. Three years later, she was present at the Emperor Charles V.'s coronation at Bologna, and took an active piui; in the splendid ceremonies that marked the loss of Italian independence and the close of this great period. But to the last Isabella retained the same delight in beauty, the same keen sense of I u, Google xii PREFACE enjojTnent. She advanced in years without ever growing old, and in the last months of her life, one of the foremost scholais of the age. Cardinal Bembo, pronounced her to be the wisest and most fortunate of women. The treasures of art and learning which she had collected were sold by her descendants to foreign princes or destroyed when the Germwis sacked Mantua ninety years after her death, and the ruin of her favoiu^te palaces and villas was completed by the French invaders of 1797, who did not even spare the tomb which held her ashes. But Isabella herself will be long remembered as the fairest and most perfect flower of womanhood which blossomed under the simny skies of Viigil's land, in the immortal days of the Italian Renaissance. JULIA CAKTWRIGHT. I add a list of the chief authorities on the life aiA times of Isabella d'Este : — ITALIAN. NoUzie di Isabella EBteuee. Carlo d'Arco (Arcbivio Storico Italiano, Appendice, Tom. ii.). 1845. Dell' Arte e degli Artefici di Mantova. Carlo d'Arco. S torn. 1857. DiBCorso intomo le Belle Lettere e le Arte Mantovanl. Abate BettineUL 1774. Cronaca di Mantova. A. SchivenogUa. 1445-I4S4. Miiller. Roccolta. 1857. Storia di Mantova. Mario Equlcola. I6l0. De Mulieribus. Mario Equicola. Storia eoclcaiastica di Mantora. DoDesmondL 16IS-I616. Diario Ferrarese. Italicaaam Renim Scriptores. xxiv. L. A. Muratori. 1750. Storia di Ferrara. A. Frizzi. Tom. iv., v. 1791. Compendio della Storia di Mantova. Volta. 1807-1858. Lettere inedite di Artisti eavate dall' Arcbivio Gonzaga. W. BiaghiroUi. 1678. ^dbyGoogle PREFACE xiii IsabelU d'Este e Giovanni Bellini. W. BraghiroUi (Archivio Veneto, ziiL). MantovK. 1877. Notizie inedite di P. Vannocchi. W. BraghiroUi. Perugia. 1874. Tinano alia Corte dei Gonzaghi. W. BraghiroUi. 1881. Notizie e Documenti intomo al ritnttto di Leon X. W. BraghiroUi e C. d'Arcxj (Archivio Storioo Italiano, vii). 1868, LettereineditedidonneMantovauedelsecoloXV. P.Ferrato. 1878. Alciine lettere di Prindpesse di Casa Gonsaga. P. Ferrato. Imola. 1879. Mantova e Urbino. Isabella d'Este ed Elieabetta Gonzaga. Nar- razione storica documentata di A. Luzio e R. Benier. 1693. I Precettori d'Isabclla d'Este. A. Luzio. 1887. Federico Gonzaga, Ostaggio alia Corte di Giulio IL 1887. Delle Relazioni d'lsabeUa d'Este. — Gonzaga con Lodovico e Beatrice Sforza. Luzio e Benier (Archivio Storico Lombardo, zvii.). Milano. 1890. Isabella e la Corte Sforzesca. Luzio (Archivio Storico Lombardo, xxviii). Milano. 1901. Francesco Gonzaga alia battaglia di Fomovo (Archivio Storico Italiano, Serie V., v. vi). Luzio e Benier. Firenze. 1890. Gara di via^o fra due celebri dame del Binasdmento. Luzio e Benier. Alessandria. 1890. Isabella d'Este. Rivista Italia, i. R. Benier. Boma. 1888. Niccolo da Correggio. Lnzio e Beuier (Giomale Storico della Letteratura Jtaliana, torn. zzi. e xxii.). Torino. 189S. Bnffoni, nani e schiavi dei Gonzaga ai tempi d'Isabella d'Este. • Luzio e Benier (Nuova Antologia). Boma. IBgi. II Lusso d'Isabella d'Este. Luzio (Nuova Antologia). Roma. 1896. Lettere inedite di Fra Sabba da Castiglione. Luzio (Archivio Storico Lombardo, xiii.). Milano. 1866. Vittoria Colonna. Luzio (Rivista Storica Mantovana, L). Man- tova. 1885. II Palazzo di Mantova. Ste&no Davari (Archivio Storico Lom- bardo, zzii.). 1895. La Musica in Mantova. Ste&no Davari (Rivista Stonca Manto- vana, i). 1885. Le Arte Minori alia Corte di Mantova. A. Bertolotti (Archivio Storico Lombardo, v.). • Artisti in relazione ctn Gonxaga. A. Bertolotti Modena. 1885. II Palazzo del T£. G. B. Intra (Archivio Storico L<»nbardo, xiv.). 1687. Notizie intomo aUo studio publico in Mantova. S. DavarL 1676. ^dbyGoogle xiv PREFACE II Matrimonio di Dorotea Goniaga. 5. Davari. II Matrimonio di Federico Gonzaga(Arcb. Storico Lombardo). 1 887. Lorenzo Gusnasco. Dr. Carlo dell' Acqua. Milano. 1886. G. C Romano. A. Ventim (Archivio Storico dell' Arte, i.). 1888. Lorenzo Costa. A. Venturi (Archivio Storico dell' Arte, i.). 1868. Notice da Rafiaelle e Giovanni Santi. G. CamporL Modena. 1870. La Coltura e le RelazionJ Letterarie di Isabella d'Este Gonzaga. Luzio e Renier (Giornale Storico della Letteratura Italiana, xxjuiL). Torino. I899-1901. Pietro Bembo. V. Cian (Giornale Storico di Letteratura Italianaj ix.). Torino. 1887. Un decennio nella vita di P. Bembo. V. Cian. 1885. Nuovi Dociunenti su Pietro Pomponaszi. V. Cian. Venezia. 1687. Ercole Goozaga a Bologna. Luzio (Giornale Storico della Let- teratura Italiana, viii.). Torino. 1886. La Madonna della Vittoria del Mantegna. Luzio (Emporium, x.). Bergamo. 1 899. La Chiesa e la Madonna della Vittoria. Portioli 1683. I Ritmttid'Isabella d'Este. Luzio (Emporium, xi.). Bergamo. I9OO. Viaggio d'Isabella d'Este sul Lago di Garda. A. Pedrazzdl (Archivio Storico Lombardo, zzii.). 1890. Carteggio inedito d'Artisti. Gaye, torn. ii. e iii. Firenze. 1837. La Vita dl Benvenuto Cellini Le Vite dei piii Eccellenti Pittori, Scultori ed Architettori, scritte da Giorgo Vasari con nuove annotazioni df Gaetano MilanesL Firenze. 1878. Leonardo da Vind. Edmondo Solmi. Firenze. 1900. Leonardo da Vinci. Ludo (Archivio Storico dell' Arte, i.). 1868. Lettere di Pietro Bembo. Verona. 17*8. Dell" Imprese, Paolo Giovio. 1555. Lettere di Baldassarre Castiglione. Edizione Serassi. 1769. Lettere diplomatiche di Castiglione. Ed. Contini. Padova. 1875. DelleesenzionidellafamigliadiCastiglione. Coddi. Montova. 1760. Notizie biografiche intomo al Conte Baldassarre Castiglione. Martinati, 1890. Un Giudizio di lesa romaniti. D. GnoU. Roma. I89I. Renata di Francia. B. Pontana. Roma, I889. Cian Giacomo Trissino. B. Morsolin. Vicenza. 1 894. Francesco Chi ericati. B. Morsolin. Vicenza. 187S. Opere del Trissino. Ed. Maffei. Verona. 1729. Origin! del Teatro Italiano. Alessandro d'Ancona. S tom. Torina ^dbyGoOglc / PREFACE XT Cesare Borgia. Ed. Alvisi. Imola. 1878. Vittoria ColoEma. A. Reumont. Toriao. 188S. Veronica Gambara. Rime e lettere raccolte. F, Rizzardi. Brescia. 1769. Lettere inedite di V. Gambara. R. Renier (Gionude Storico della Letteratura Italiana, xiv.). Torino. 1 889. Vita di I^gi Gonzaga Rodomonte. Affit. Parma. 1780. Storia di Gasolo. Bergamaski, Casalmaggiore. 1883. Famiglie celebri Italiane. P. litti. 8 torn. MUano. 1819-1858. Storia d'ltalia. Fr. Guicciardini. Firenze. 18S2. Opere Inedite. Fr. Guicciardini. 10 torn. Firenze. 1857-1867. Vita di Vittorino da Feltre. Rosmini. 1845. DispacciGiustiniani, 1508-1505. Ed.Villari. 3tom. Firenze. 1876. Font! italiane per lo scoperto del Nuovo Mondo. W. Bergbet. Roma. 1898. Lettere storiche, J509-1528. Luigi da Porto. Firenze. 1857. Storia dei Conti e Duchi da Urbino. J. Ugolini. Firenze. 1859. Sacco di Roma. Narrazioni di Contemporanei. Ed. Milaneri. Firenze. 1867. Delia renuta e dimora In Bologna del S. Pontefice Clemente VII., per la Coronazione di Carlo V. Imperatore. G. Giordano. 1842. I Diarii di Marino Sanuto, I496-I535. Stefano Berghet Venezia. 1885-1900. 58 torn. Le NoveUe del Bandello. Ed. Busdrago. Lncca. 1554. II Cortigiano di B. Castigtione, atuiotato da V. Ciati. Firenze. 1894. Caterina Sforza. P. D. Pasolini. S torn. Rome, 1893. FRENCH. Les Relations de Leonardo da Vinci avec Isabelle d'Eate. Charles Yriarte (Gazette des Beaux Arts). 1888. laabelle d'Este et les Artistes de son temps. Charles Yriarte (Gazette des Beaux Arts). 1895 et 1896. Andrea Man tegna. Charles Yriarte. Paris. 1901. Aide Manuce et rHellioisme A Veniae. Ambroise Firmin Oidot. Paris. 1875. Aide Manuce. Lettres et Documents. Armand Baschet. Venise. 1867. ^Rechercbesdes Documents dans les Archives de Mantoue. Armand Baschet (Gazette des Beaux Arts). 1866. Documents in^its tir^s des Archives de Mantoue. Annand Baschet (Arcbivio Storico Itatiano, iH.). 1886. ^dbyGoogle xvi PREFACE Les M^dAilleuTs Italiens des quinsiime et seiziime didea. Armand. Paris. 1883-1887. Leonardo da Vinci. Eugine Miintz. Paris. 1898. Histoire de I'Art pendant la Renaissance. Italie. Paris. Engtoe MttntB. Tom. if. 1891. L'Art ferrarais 4 I'^poque des Princes d'Este. Gnstave CniTer. Paris. 1877. S tomes. Louis XII. et L. Sforea. Louis Pdissier. 1498-1500. Les Amies de Ludovic Sfona (Revue historiqae). L. Prissier. 1891* Cisar Borgia, sa vie, sa captivity, sa mort. C Yriarte. Paris. 1867. Antour dea Boi^FiM. C. Yriarte. Paris. 1891. GERMAN. Geschichte der Stadt Rom im Mittelalter, Binde vii und viii F. GregoroviuB. Stuttgart 1880. Geschichte der Stadt Bom. A. Reumont Leipzig. 1872. Geschichte der Piipste. Or. Ludnig Pastor. English edition, 6 vols. 1888. Andrea Mantegna. Paul Kristeller. English edition b; S. A. Strong. 1901. Barbara von Brandenburg (" Hohenzollem Jabrbuch," 1897). Paul Kristeller. I9OI. Barbara von Hohenzollem, Markgiitfin voa Mantua. B. Hofinann. Anspacb. 1881. Lucrezia Borgia. F. Gregorovius. Stuttgart. 1875. Papst Julius II. 1878. Kunst und Kiinstler. Dohme. Leipzig. 1878, &c. Die Gesellschaft der Renaissance in Italien und die Kunst H. Janitachek. Stuttgart. 1879. Der Cultur der Renaissance in Italien. J. Burckhardt Basel. I860. ENGLISH. Memoirs of the Dukes of Urbino. Dennistoun. 3 vols. 1851. Life and Works of Raphael. Crowe and Cavalcaselle. 1888. Ufe and Works of TiUan. Crowe and Cavalcaselle. 1861. The Renaissance in Italy. J. A. Symonds. 1886. History of the Papacy. Dr. Creighton. 1897. II Prindpe, by N. Machiavelll Ed. by L. Burd, with an introduc- tion by Lord Acton. Oxford, 1691. The Cambridge Modem Htetoiy. Ed. by A. W. Ward, G. W. Prothero and Stanley Leatbes. Vol. L The Renaissance. 1902. The Emperor Charles V. By Edward Armstrong. 190S. ^dbyGoogle CONTENTS CHAPTER I 1474—1490 Birth of IgabelU d'Este— Her betrothal to Francesco GmuaigK — Visit of the Mantuan envoy to Fermra — Her letters to the Marquis — Mantegna's Madonna — Eliaabetta G<Hixaga visits Ferrara — Personal charms of Isabella — Her education and teachers — Classical studies and love of music — Cultured tastes of her parents — Music and art at their court — Cosimo Turn and Ercole Roberti — Marriage of Isabella — Her reception at Mantua ....... 1-18 CHAPTER n 1338— 1478 The court of Mantua and house of Gonzaga — Gianfrau- cesco II., the first Marquis — Vittorino da Feltre and the Casa Zoiosa — Cecilia Gonzaga — Reign of Lodovico Gonsaga and Barbara of Brandenburg — Their patronage of art and learning — Marriage of Federico to Margaret of Bavaria — Betrothal of Dorotea Gonzaga to Galeazso Sforza — Frescoes of the Camera degti Sposl . . 19-36 CHAPTER III 1478—1490 Beign of Federico Gonzaga — Death of his wife and mother — His love for his daughters — Visit of Lorenzo dei Medici — Accession of Francesco Gonzaga — His charac- ter and warlike tastes — Betrothal of Elisabetta Gonxaga to Guidobaldo, Duke of Urbino — His visit to Mantua — Marriage of Elisabetta — Her return to Mantoa for VOL. I "" J ^dbyGoOglc xvin CONTENTS Francesco's wedding — Her friendship with Isattella d'Este — Excursion to the Lago di Garda — Visits to Ferrara ....... 37-53 CHAPTER IV 1490—1493 Marriage of Beatrice d'Eate to Lodovico Sfbrsa — Isabella's preparations for the wedding — Journey to Pavia and Milan — Marriage of Alfonso d'Este to Anna Sforza — Ffites at Ferrara — Correspondence of Isabella with Lodovico and Beatrice Sforza — IsabelU. administers afiairs of State — Galeotto's dyke — Visits to Ferrara, Milan, and Genoa — The Duchess of Urbino comes to Mantu»— Isabella's affection for Elisabetta . 34-69 CHAPTER V 1491—1493 Correspondence of Isabella with her family and friends; with merchants and jewellers — Her intellectual in- terests — Love of French romances and classical authors — Greek and Hebrew translations and. de- votional works — Fra Mariano and Savonarola — Antonio Tebaldeo — Isabella's friendships — Niccolo da Correggio — Sonnets and eclogues composed for her — Her love of music — Songs and favourite instruments — Atalante Migliorotti's lyre — Isabella's camerino in the Castello — Liombeni decorates her tludioh — Mantegna returns from Rome — Paints Isabella's portrait — Giovanni Santi at Mantua .... 70-93 CHAPl'ER VI 1493—1494 Discoveiy of the New World — The news reaches Mantua — Birth of the Moro's son — Isabella's journey to Ferrara and Venice — Reception by the Doge and Signory — Her relations with Gentile Bellini — Return to Mantua Francesco Gonzaga at Venice — Death of Duchess ^dbyGoOglc CONTENTS xix Leonora — Birth of Leonora Goozaga — Departure of the Duke and Duchess of Urbino — Decorations of Manoirolo and Gonzaga . 9^107 CHAPTER VII 1494—1495 Journey of Isabella to Loreto and Urbino — Letters from Gubbio and Urbino — Charles VIII. enters Italy — The Marquis of Mantua refuses his offers — Visit of Isabella to Milan — Conquest of Naples by the French — League against France — Francesco Gonzaga, captain of the armies of the League — Isabella governs Mantua — Battle of the Taro — Heroism of Francesco Gonzaga — Rejoicings at Venice and Mantua — The Jew Daoiele Norsa and Mantegna's Madonna della Vittoria . 108-137 CHAPTER VIII 1496—1497 Campaign of Naples — Ferrante recovers his kingdom — Francesco Gonzaga commands the Venetian army — Isabella governs Mantua — Her correspondence and friendship with Lorenzo da Pavia — Birth of her second daughter — Illness of the Marquis — His return to Mantua, and visit to Venice — Death of Ferrante of Naples, of Gilbert de Montpensier, and Beatrice d'Este— Francesco Gonzaga deprived of the office of captain-general of the Venetian armies — Death of AnnaSforza 128-144 CHAPTER IX Intrigues of Francesco Gonzaga with Venice and Milan — Isabella seeks to reconcile him with Lodovico Sforza — The Marquis goes to Milan and b appointed captain- general of the League — Visit of the Duke of Milan to Mantua — Correspondence of Isabella with Lodovico — Conquest of Milan by the French and flight of the ^dbyGoogle XX CONTENTS Duke — Louis XII. enters Milan — Inbella pftys court to the French — Receives the Milanese exilea — The Moro's return and his final surrender at Novara 145-156 CHAPTER X 1497—1500 Isabella's litem; and artistic interests — Foundation of the Stndio of the Grotta in the Corte Vecchia — Mantegna's paintings for the Grotta — Cristoforo Romano comes to Mantua — Works for the studio — His medal of IsabelU — Correspondence with Niccolo da Corregglo — Leon- ardo da Vinci visits Mantua — Draws Isabella's portrait — Shows it to Lorenzo da Pcvia at Venice — Isabella Intends to raise a monument to Virgil — Her letter to Jacopod'Atri 167-176 CHAPTER XI 1500—1502 Birth of Isabella's son Federico— C«esar Borgia his god- fether — Relations of the Gonsagas with him — Elisabetta of Urbino goes to Rome — Lettors of Sigismondo Cantolmo — Comedies at Ferrara and Mantua — Treaty of Granada and partition of Naples — Csesar Borgia con- quers Romagna — Abdication and exile of Federico, King of Naples — Betrothal of Alfonso d'Este to Lucresia Borgia — Preparations for the marriage in Rome — // Pr^'t lettors to Isabella — Wedding of Lucreiia and her journey to Ferrara . . 177-197 CHAPTER XII 1502 Isabella presides at Lucrezia Borgia's marriage festivities — Reception of the bride at Ferrara — Isabella's letters to her husband — Comedies, balls, and f^tes — The ambassadors' gifts — Isabella entertains the French ambassador — Her interview with the Venetian envoys — Return to Mautua — Lucrezia Borgia's life at Ferrara — Her relations with IsabelU and the Marquis, 198-216 ^dbyGoOgle CONTENTS CHAPTEB Xni I50S Isabella's visit to Venice — Her letters to the Marquis — Courtesy of the Doge and Signory — Her income and expenditure-— Proposed marriage between Federico GoDzaga and Caesar Borgia's daughter — Elisabetta of Urbino goes with Isabella to Porto — Cxsar Borgia seizes Urbino — Flight of Duke Guidobaldo to Mantua — Isabella asks for the Venus and Cupid of Urbino — Csesar Borgia sends them to Mantua — Michel Angelo's Cupid sold to Charles I. and brought to England S17-2S4 CHAPTER XIV 1508— 1 508 Loois XII. at Milan — He receives the exiled princes and the Marquis of Mantua — Ciesar Borgia arrives at Milan and concludes an agreement with the king — Isabella's warnings to her husband — The Duke and Duchess of Urbino forced to leave Mantua and take shelter at Venice— Francesco Gonzaga goes to France — Isabella governs Mantua — Her negotiations with Borgia re- garding her son's marriage — Ctesar's campaign in Romagna — Treacherous murder of Vitellozza and his companions — Isabella sends Valentino a present of masks — Death of the Pope and sudden revolution in Rome — Return of Duke Guidobaldo to Urbino — Elec- tion of Pope Pias III. .... 2S5-357 CHAPTER XV 1 508— 1505 Death of I^us III.— Election of Julius II. — Return of Elisabetta to Urbino — C«sar Boi^a sent to Spain, and his capture — Birth of Isabella's daughter Ippolita — Francesco Gonzaga resigns his command of the French ^dbyGoOgle ii CONTENTS urates — Returns to Mantua — The French lose Naples — Comedies at Urbino, Mantua, and Ferrara — Death of Duke Ercole — Quarrels and plots of the Eate brothers — Marriage of Francesco Maria detla Bovere and Leonora Goiizaga — Sigismoado Goncaga raised to the Cardinalate — Letters of Emilia Pia — Castiglione and Bembo — Death of Suor Osanoa — A Dominican vicar- general — Birth of Isabella's son Ercole . 856-277 CHAFPER XVI 1505—1507 Isabella's visit to Florence — Mario Equicola's treatise, ffte tpe nee metu — Ravages of the plague at Mantua — Isa- bella retires to Sacchetta with her Uaailj — Francesco Gonzaga joins Pope Julius II. at Perugia — Conducts the papal array against Bologna — Flight of the Bentivogli— Entry of the Pope — Letters of Isabella — Frisio sends her antiques fixim Bologna — Birth of Isabella's son Ferrante — Visit of Ariosto to Mantua — Favour shovm him by Isabella — Ariosto pays her a splendid tribute in his Orlando Fiaioto . . 878-394 CHAPTER XVII 1507—1508 Louis XII. invites Francesco Gonzaga to help him in the siege of Genoa — Visit of Isabella to Milan — F^tea in the Castello — Isabella's correspondence irith EUsabetta Gonzaga — Her intended journey to France — Death and funeral of the Duke of Urbino — Visit of Duke Francesco Maria to Mantua — Birth of Isabella's youngest daughter — Murder of Ercole Strozzi, and death of Niccolo da Corre^o — Rivalry of Isabella and Lucrezia Borgia .... 295-316 ^dbyGooglc CONTENTS CHAPTER XVni 1500—1306 Isabella's rel&tions with poiaterB during the early years of the sixteenth century — Her letters to Leonardo da Vinci — Correspondence with Fra Pietro da Norellara, Angelo del Tovaf^Ua, Man&edi, and Aroadori — She asks Penigino for a painting for her studio — Descrip- tion of the Triumph of Chastity composed hy Paride da Ceresara — Perugino's delays — Correspondence with MalatesU, Tovaglia, &c . . . 317-340 CHAPTER XIX 1501—1507 Isabella asks Giovanni Bellini for a picture — Her corre- spondence with Loreneo da Pavia and Michele Vianello — The snhject changed to a Nativity — Delays of the painter — Isabella calls in Alvise Morcello — Asks for her money to he returned — The picture is completed and aent to Mantua in 1504 — Isabella's negotiations with Giovanni Bellini through Pietro Bembo for another pictore, which is never painted 341-361 CHAPTER XX 1504— 15 IS Mantegna's last works for Isabella d'Este — Illness and debts — He appeab to Isabella for help, and sella her his antique bust of Faustina — Calandra's description of his Comns — Death of Mantegna and tribute of Lorenso da Pavia — Pictures in Andrea's workshop — The Comus finished by Lorenzo Costa — Letters of Antonio GaleasEO Bentivoglio to Isabella — The Triumph of Poetry or Court of Isabella — Costa's portrait of the Marchesa — Francia paints the portrait of her son Federico and her own — Correspondence on the sub- ject with Casio and Lucrezia Bentivoglio — Death of Giorgione ..... 362-392 GcNEivLooiCAL Tables .... 393 ^dbyGoogle LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Isabella D'Estb FronH^riece From At Chartoal DraMnsr by IXOVAKDQ DA Trad, ifl tht Lottvrt [Photagravurt) LoDOTioo GoNZAOA AND HiB SoNS . . To/ocepogeSS By AHDBBA UaHTXGNA PoNTB San Giorgio, Castbu^ ■ Duoho, Man- TOVA „ 70 Tmi Drath of thk Virgin, with Mantua in THE Background ' „ 90 By AHDBBA HAKTBGRA Tub Madonna dsllaVittoria, vith thb Knbeung Figubb of the Marquis Francesco . . „ 126 By ANDBBA Hahtboha, 149C, in the Louvre {Phologravtire) Parnabiub „ 158 Prom lAe Piolun by A14DBBA MaHTBOHA, in the Loutre {Pltobigratmre} The Portrait Medal of Isabella D'Evtb . „ 170 Bf OBIBTOrOBO ROMAXO, >o« llie Inpre—ion ml in Jevdt, nou m tiie Imperii Mtuam, Fmma (Pkalogrmnire) La Beata Osanna „ 276 Bg F. BOKSIGKOBI Casitbllo di Mantova „ S62 ^dbyGooglc > ISABELLA D'ESTE CHAPTER I 1474—1490 Birth of Isabella d'Eete — Her betrothal to Francesco Gonzaga — Visit of the Mantoan envoy to Ferrara^Her letters to the Marquis — Mantegna's Madonna— Elisabetta Gonzaga visits Ferrara — Peraonal charms of Isabella — Her education and teachers — Classical studies and love of music — Cultured tastes c£ facT parents — Music and art at their court — Cosimo Tura and Ercole Boberti — Marriage of Isabella — Her reception at Mantua. " On the 18th of May 1474 a daughter was bom to Madonna Leonora and Duke Ercole, and she was given the name of Isabella, and baptized by the Bishop of Cyprus, the Venetian Ambassador in Ferrara."* So a contemporary Ferrara diarist, whose chronicle was published by Muratori, records the birth of Duke Ercole's elder daughter, Isabella d'Este. The event took place in the ancient palace on the Cathedral square which had been the home of the Este princes long before Bartolino da Novara reared the massive walls and crenellated towers of the Castello Rosso at the close of the fourteenth century. There Giotto and Petrarch had both been entertained as the guests of princes who, even in those early days, ^ Muratori, lUiHcantm Rervm Saiploret, vol. xxiv. p. 250. VOL. I. A I u, Google 2 ERCOLE D'ESTE showed the love of art and letters that distinguished this illustrious race. There Fisanello and Fiero della Francesca painted at the Court of Duke Ercole's elder brothers, Leonello and Borso, and the Venetian master, Jacopo Bellini, introduced the picturesque loggia of the old palace in the background of his drawing of the Queen of Sheba's visit to Solomon. Duke Ercole added the grand marble staircase of the inner court, and the great hall where Ariosto's comedies were performed, which was burnt down just before the poet's death. Three passions, says Frizzi, the historian of Ferrara,' ruled the Duke's heart, the love of building, of the theatre, and of travel. All three were inherited, in no small measure, by his daughter Isabella. But the execution of Ercole's favomite plans was hindered during the early part of his reign by frequent wars and political troubles. One night, when Isabella was only two years old, and her brother Alfonso was still an infant, the Duke's nephew, Niccolo d'Este, suddenly attacked the palace at the head of a band of armed conspirators, and Duchess Leonora and her three children had barely time to escape by the covered way into the Castello ; and before she was eight the Venetian armies invaded her Other's dominions, and planted the Lion of St. Mark in the park of his villa at Belfiore, while the Duke himself lay at the point of death in the Castello. All these dangers, how- ever, were safely overcome by the valour and skilful diplomacy of the Duke, loyally supported by his brave wife and faithful subjects, and the treaty concluded at Bagnolo in 1484 was followed by a long period of peace and prosperity. ' Storia di Ferrara, voL iv. .dbyCoO^IC k BETROTHAL OF ISABELLA 8 Meanwhile, Isabella grew up under her good mother's watchful eyes. When, in the summer of 1477, Leonora took her young famUy to visit her old father, King Ferrante, at Naples, her three-year- old daughter was already a &$cinating child, and her uncle Federico, ^:erwaTds King of Naples, was heard to say that if she were not his niece he would like to make her his bride I At the old king's urgent request, the Duchess consented to leave her younger daughter Beatrice at her grandfather's court for the next eight years, but brought Isabella back with her to Ferrara. Three years afterwards the child-princess was betrothed to young Giovanni Francesco Gonzaga, the eldest son of Federico, Marquis of Mantua. The two houses were already closely connected, both by friendship and marriage. Leonello, the accompUshed Duke, whose hooked nose and low forehead are familiar to us in Pisanello's medals and portraits, had c^arried Federico's aunt, Margherita Gonzaga, and his own sister Lucia had been the wife of Margherita's brother. Carlo Gionzaga. Margherita, whose charming portrait, with its background of columbines and butterflies, painted by Pisanello at the time of her wedding, is still preserved in the Louvre, died in July 1489, only four years after her marriage. But her brother, the Marquis Lodovico, had proved a loyal friend to Duke Ercole, and had refused to support his nephew Niccolo in his plot to seize the Duchess and her children. His son and successor, Federico, showed the same cordial feeling for his neighbour, and paid several visits to Ferrara. Early in April 1480, he sent his trusted servant, Beltramino Cusatro, to propose a marriage between his eldest son, a boy of fourteen, and the Duke's httle iu,CjOOgIC 4 CHILDHOOD OF ISABELLA daughter, Isabella, now a child of five years. Ereole, who had good reason to fear the enmity of Venice, and was the more anxious to strengthen his alliance with this near nei^bour, gladly accepted his pro- posals, and as soon as preliminary matters had been arranged with the envoy, the Duke sent for his little daughter. " Madonna Isabella," wrote Cusatro to his master, " was then led in to see me, and I questioned her on many subjects, to all of which she replied with rare good sense and quickness. Her answers seemed truly miraculous in a child of six, and although I had already heard much of her singular intelligence, I could never have imagined such a thing to be A few days afterwards the envoy sent a portrait of the youthful princess by Cosimo Tura, the Duke's court-painter, to Mantua, with the following note: " I send the portrait of Madonna Isabella, so that Your Highness and Don Francesco may see her &ce, but I can assure you that her marvellous knowledge and intelligence are far more worthy of admiration." The excellent impression which the little bride made upon Cusatro was confirmed by another Man- tuan envoy, who informed the Marquis that he had seen Madonna Isabella dance with her master Messer Ambrogio, a Jew in the Duke of Urbino's service, and that the grace and elegance of her movements were amazing in one of her tender age.' On the Feast of St. George, always a great day at the Court of Ferrara, another envoy arrived from Duchess Bona of Milan, and her brother- 1 A. Liuio, / Pncetiori (ChtAtOa d'Ette, p. IS. ^dbyGoOgle LETTERS TO FRANCESCO 5 in-law, the Regent Lodovico Sforza, asking for Madonna Isabella's hand on behalf of the said Signor Lodovico. Since, however, his elder daughter was already betrothed, the Duke offered to give Lodovico the hand of his younger daughter, Beatrice, with the consent of her grand&ther, the King of Naples, who warmly approved of the Milanese alliance. So on the 28th of May, the betrothal of the Duke's two daughters was publicly proclaimed on the Piazza in front of the Castello. In the following spring, the Marquis of Mantua brought his son Francesco to spend the Feast of St. G^rge at Femu^ and make acquaintance with his bride and her family. The Mantuan chronicler, Schivenoglia, relates how on this occasion the Mar- quis and his suite of six hundred followers sailed down the Po in four bucentaurs, how Duke Ercole, in his anxiety to do his guests honour, fed the whole party on lamb and veal and similar delicacies during the four days which they spent in Ferrara, and how his master's famous Barbary horses won the race, and carried back the polio of cloth of gold in triumph to Mantua. After this first meeting with her future husband, Isabella frequently exchanged letters with Francesco, who sent her presents and verses written in her honour by the poets at his court. Some of these formal little notes, in Isabella's own hand- writing, are still preserved, Dr. Luzio tells us, in the Gonzaga Archives. On the 22nd of May 1488, the little princess writes from Modena, where the Duke's children had been sent for safety during the war with Venice, thanking Francesco for his inquiries after her health. " Although when your letters and presents reached me I was ill, their arrival has made me ^dbyGoogle 6 LEONORA'S MADONNA suddenly welL But when I heard that if I were still suffering from iUness Your Highness thought of coming to Modena, to see me, I almost wished myself ill again, if only to have the pleasure of seeing you."^ A year later the Marquis Federico died, and Isabella wrote to condole with Francesco on his Other's death, begging him to dry his tears and take comfort for her sake. The new Marquis from the first showed him- self an ardent lover, and neglected no opportunity of paying attention to his bride's family. Hearing that the Duchess of Ferrara was anxious to possess a cer- tain Madonna by the hand of Andrea Mantegna, the loyal servant and court-painter of the Gonzagss, he wrote to that master on the 6th of November 1485, enclosing Leonora's letter, and begging him to comply with her request. " Carissime noster. Our most illustrious Madonna the Duchess of Ferrara, as you will see by the letters which we enclose in order that you may the better understand her wishes, is very anxious to have a certain picture by your hand. We trust that you will satisfy this lady, and use the utmost diligence to finish the said picture, and beg of you to put forth all your powers, as we feel sure you will do, and that as quickly as possible, since we are most desirous to gratiiy the said illustrious Madonna." Goito, Nov. 6, 1485. On the same day Francesco wrote to his future mother-in-law : — " Hearing that Your Excellency desires to have a picture of the Madonna with some other figures that is still unfinished by the hand of Andrea Mantegna, < A. LuBio, / PnceOori tTJtabeUa tCEttt, p. IS. ^dbyGooglc ANDREA MANTEGNA 7 I have told him to finish it with the utmost care, and hope to bring it with me, when I come, as I hope, before long, to visit Your Illustrious Highness. If not, I will send it you, as it is my greatest pleasure to be able to do anything for you. To whom I conunend myself, praying that you may fiire welL" A week later, the impatient young Prince wrote again to Mantegna on the subject : — " Carissime noster. We wrote before to beg you to finish a picture of the Madonna with other figures, at the prayer of that illustrious Madonna the Duchess of Ferrara, but do not know if you have yet put your hand to the work, so now we repeat that you must finish it as quickly as possible, seeing that we greatly desire this thing, in order to be able to satisfy the wish of the said lady as soon as possible." Goito, Nov. 14, 1485. Again on the 12th December he returned to the charge:— " We must remind you to lose no time in finishing the picture which you have bc^n, and which we wish to give the Duchess of Ferrara, and hope you will use such diligence that we may be able to pre- sent it to her this Christmas, and we will take care that you aie well rewarded, and that your labour is not thrown away." Mantegna did not fail to obey his young lord's command, and on the 15th Francesco wrote as follows : — " We are sure that in finishing this picture you will use such diligence as will do you honour, and that it wUl bring you no small ^ory. And as Lodovico of Bologna is going to Venice, you had .y Google 8 ELISABETTA GONZAGA better see him about that varnish, if you have not ab«ady spoken to him, that He may bring or send you some without delay.'" Leonora on her part wrote to express her joy not only at the prospect of receiving Messer Andrea's Madonna, but of seeing Francesco himself, and the young Marquis met with a cordial welcome when he reached Ferrara with his precious picture. Man- tegna's Madonna was given a place among Leonora's choicest treasures, and is mentioned in the inventory of her pictures, taken after her death, as " a painting on panel of Our Lady and her Son with seraphim, by the hand of Mantegna." The picture now hangs in the Brera, and its smiling cherub &ces and glowing tints are almost as fresh and fair as on the day on which they left Andrea's workshop. It is uncertain if Leonora herself brought her daughter to visit her affianced husband at Mantua, and there saw Mantegna at work on the great series of Triumphs which he was painting for the Marquis, but we know that, in Februa^ 1488, Francesco's sister Ehsabetta visited Ferrara on her way to cele- brate her marriage at Urbino, and received the rite of coniirmation from the Bishop of Ferrara in the chapel of the ducal palace in the presence of the Duke and Duchess and their fitmily. There Isabella met the sister-in-law who was to become her dearest and closest friend, and the warm welcome which the motherless young Princess received from the kind Duchess Leonora, and the sisterly affection of the Marchesana, were a great consolation to her in the grief which she felt at parting from her brothers ^ Archivio Gonzaga, CopiaUUera, 126, quoted in Andrea Man- tegna, bjr Paul Kmteller, App., p. 482. ^dbyGoOglc ( ISABELLA'S EDUCATION 9 and sister and leaving the happy home of her child- hood.* By this time Isabella herself had reached the age oi fourteen, and was growing up a beautiful and accomplished maiden. She inherited her mother's regular features, but, unlike her sister Beatrice, had the fair hair and v/hite skin which we see in Titian's portrait at Vienna. According to Mario Equicola, who spent many years in the Marchesa's service, her eyes were black and sparkling, her hair yellow, and her complexion one of dazzling brilliancy. Trissino, the great Vicenza humanist, in his Bitratti, describes the rippling golden hair that flowed in thick masses over her shoulders, recalling Petrarch's lines, " Una don-na piA beBa assai che'l sole ; " and tells us that, although only of middle height, she was remarkable for the dignity of her carriage and stately grace of her head and neck. But, as Uie Mantuan envoy told his master, her gifts of mind were still more striking than those of her person. Like other princesses of the day, Isabella received a classical education, and in after years acquired the reputation of speaking the Latin tongue better than any woman of her age. Battista Guarino, a son of the famous Verona scholar who taught her uncle Duke Leonello, and lectured in the University to the most distinguished students in Italy, was her first teacher, and during the famine of 1482 begged the Marquis of Mantua for a grant of wheat, in order that he might the better instruct Donna Isabella, "who is now," he adds, "thank God, in perfect health, and learns with a marvellous fecility far beyond her years." Guarino was suc- ceeded by another tutor, Jacopo Gallino, who became > A. Luzio e R. Renier, Manlova e Urbvw, p. l6. .y Google 10 HER LOVE OF MUSIC fondly attached to his clever pupil, and often re- minded the Marchesana in later years of the happy days when they studied the grammar of Chrysolaras together, and she repeated the Eclogues of Viigil and the Epistles of Cicero by heart, or construed the ^neid with such rare grace and fluency. At the same time the more womanly arts were not n^lected in Isabella's education. She learnt to dance, as we have already seen, from her baby- hood, and two bone needles and one gold needle, for Madonna Isabella's embroidery, are found among the entries in the household accounts of the ducal family/ At an early age she showed signs of the musical tastes for which she was afterwards dis- tinguished, and which she shared with the other members of her race. Duke Leonello played the guitar, and h^ own brother Alfonso was an excel- lent violinist and frequently took part in public performances. Duchess Leonora played the harp, and both her daughters learnt the lute and clari- chord. As a child, Isabella studied music under Don Giovanni Martino, a German priest who had been brou^t from Constance to train the singers of the ducal cHapeL After her marriage she had many masters, and often said laughingly that she was but a poor pupil, who did her teachers Uttle credit.* But she had a beautiful voice, and accom- panied herself on the lute with exquisite skill ; and the favoured guests who were privileged to hear her sing and play all went away charmed. Many were * Regutro de Mattdati, c. 48, quoted by Luzio and Renier in Giom. Si. d. Lett. It., vol xxxvii. p. S. ° S. Davftri, Mutica in Manlooa, liivuia Slor. Manit., i. 61 ; BertolotU, Mtuka alia Corie dei Goiuaga. ^dbyGoOglc SCHOLARS AT FERRARA 11 the lines &om Virgil and the sonnets of Petrarch which Niccolo da Correggio or Pietro Bembo set to music for her benefit, and Trissino declares that the sweetness of her voice lured the Sirens from their rocks, and charmed the wild beasts and stones with the magic of Orpheus. But the atmosphere of culture and refinement in which Isabella grew up helped to develop her powers more than the teaching of any masters. Under the rule of three accomplished Dukes, Ferr^ia had become a centre of art and learning. The foremost scholars and the best poets were attracted to a court where Matteo Boiardo wrote his OrlaTido Innamorato, and Francesco Bello, the blind improvisatore, charmed all men by his poetic recitations. Above all, Isabella had the example of her own parents before her eyes. Duke Ercole's youth had been spent at the court of Naples, where he was sent after his fother's death, and early acquired distinction as a valiant soldier. But one day, during a serious attack of illness, he happened to read a translation of Quintus Curtius, which interested him so deeply that from that time he devoted all his leisure hours to classical studies. When Lodovico Sfoiza asked him for the loan of his translation of Dionysius Cassius he replied that he could not part with the manuscript, which he read almost every day, but would have it copied for his son-in-law. Plutarch and Xenophon, Euripides and Seneca were among his &vourite authors, and the comedies of Plautus and Terence were translated into Italian verse and acted at Ferrara under his direction. He added largely to the ducal library founded by his brother Leonello and kept a careful roister of all the books which his friends borrowed. His wife Leonora had ^dbyGoogle 12 PAINTERS AT THE COURT a private collection of her own favourite authors, which included many Italian versions of French and Breton romances, of Spanish tales such as // Career d^Amore, which she brought with her from Naples, and of Pliny's "Letters" and Csesar's "Commentaries," as well as the FioretU of St. Francis and the De Con- solatione of Boethius. From her birth, Isabella was surrounded by the finest works of art. The walls of her mother's rooms were covered with paintings by the best Flemish and Italian masters; a crucifix by Jacopo Bellini hung over her fether's writing desk. The frescoes of Pisanello and Piero della Francesca, the medals of Sperandio, the richest tapestries and the finest majolica from Faenza and Urbino adorned the palaces and villas of Ferrara. Much of Isabella's childhood was spent in her father's favourite country house, the Schifanoia or Sans Souci of the Este princes, which the Ferrarese master Cosimo Tura and his followers had decorated with a femous series of hunting and pastoral subjects. And during these years architects and pdnters were continually at work both in the Castello and in the beautiful villa of Belriguardo on the banks of the Po, which was said to contain as many rooms as days in the year. The chapel was decorated with frescoes by Cosimo Tura, who also, in his capacity of court-painter, executed the portraits of Isabella and Beatrice for their affianced husbimds. When, in 1487, Cosimo became too old and infirm for his work, another excellent Frarara painter, Ercole Roberti, originally the son of a porter in the Castello, took his place and was employed to decorate the new halls which the Duke had lately built at Belrigufuxlo. A new chapel ^dbyGooglc MARRIAGE OF LUCREZIA 18 was also added to the Castello, and amongst the works of art which adorned its walls was a stucco group by a Ferrara sculptor representing the Duchess with her daughter Isabella kneeling on a brocade cushion at her feet.^ Thus, from early youth, Isabella not only learnt how to appreciate the finest art, but to see the en- lightened patronage which her parents bestowed alike on native and foreign masters. She heard her father discuss with keen interest the latest plans for the decoration of villas and churches, and watched Italian and Spanish embroiderers at work under her mother's superintendence. She saw Duke Ercole's Italian version of the Meneechmi, and her cousin Niccolo da Corre^o's pastoral romance of CefaJo acted on a stage fitted up in the old Palazzo della Bagione. She met the most brilliant men and women of the day at her father's table, and heard the best con- versation and the most refined criticism from their hps. And she grew up a charming and graceful maiden, adored by her parents and teachers and beloved by all around her. In 1487, the Duke's illegitimate daughter Lucrezia was married to Count Annibale, a son of Giovanni Bentivoglio, lord of Bologna, and Francia, the famous goldsmith of that city, who often worked for Leonora, was employed to design the gold and silver credenza or dinner-service used on this occasion, with lamps encrusted with flowers and foliage, and goblets studded with precious gems. The marriage of Isabella, who was three years younger than her half-sister, was delayed for a time. The Duke and ^ Gustave Grayer, VAri Ferrarma A Fipoque det Prmcet tTEtie, vol. iL p. 136. ^dbyGoogle 14 ISABELLA'S TROUSSEAU Duchess were reluctant to pwt from tJieir beloved child, and wished the wedding of their two daughters to take place at the same time. But Lodovico Sforza showed little inclination to fix the date of his marriage, while Francesco Gonzaga pressed his suit eagerly, and Leonora finally agreed that Isabella's wedding should take place in the spring of 1490, before she had completed her sixteenth year. Great preparations were made both at Mantua and Ferrara for the coming event All through the year painters, carvers, and goldsmiths were engaged in preparing the bride's trousseau, under her mother's watchful eye. Early in 1489* Ercole Roberti was sent to Venice, to buy gold-leaf and ultramarine for the decoration of the wedding chests. On his return he painted thirteen cassoni, for which he employed eleven thousand gold leaves, and designed the nuptial bed, as well as a magnificent chariot and gilded bucentaur which the Duke presented to his daughter. The tapestries and hanpngs for her rooms were made in Venice, seals and buttons and silver boxes for her use were engraved by Ferrarese artists, and a portable silver altar, richly chased and embossed, together with ornaments and office-books to match, were ordered from the skilled Milanese goldsmith Fra Rocco. The girdle or majestate, worn by royal brides and elaborately worked in gold and silver, was also ordered from Fra Rocco, who devoted many months to the task, and received 600 ducats from the Duke. No less than 2000 ducats were paid him for a similar belt which he made the next year for Beatrice, and which is described by contemporaries as a still greater marvel of workmanship. Isabella's • Grayer, op. at., U. 153. .dbyGoOgIc HER MARRIAGE 15 dowry had been fixed at 25,000 ducats, while her trousseau was valued at 2000 ducats, and the jewels and other costly objects given her by the Duke were held to be worth another 8000, so that the whole of her marriage portion and outfit did not exceed 80,000 ducats, a modest fortune compared to her mother's dowry of 80,000 ducats and the 150,000 ducats that were settled on her sister-in-law Anna Sforza. The wedding was celebrated at Ferrara on the 11th of February 1490, and after the ceremony in the ducal chapel, the bride rode through the streets of the city in her fine new chariot draped with cloth of gold, with the Duke of Urbino on horseback on her right and the Ambassador of Kaples on her left. The banquet which followed was one of the most sumptuous ever held in the Castello of Ferrara. The walls of tiie Sala Grande were hung with the Arras tapestries brought from Naples by Duchess Leonora, including the "Queen of Sheba's Visit to Solomon," and six pieces known as " La Pastourelle," worked by hand in gold and silver and coloured silks of exquisite dehcacy. These priceless hangings originally came to Kaples with Queen Joan, and it was said that Flemish workers had been employed upon them during more than a hundred years. The Este princes held the tapestries among their choicest possessions and only usal them on great occasions; and in aft^r years they excited the admiration of the Emperor Charles V. when he visited R^^gio as the guest of Alfonso d'Este, and insisted on examining each piece sepa- rately by torchlight The magnificent dinner-service used at Isabella's wedding had been made in Venice iu,C00^lc 16 ENTRY INTO MANTUA by a renowned goldsmith, Giorgio da Ragusa, from Cosimo Tura's designs. Crystal flagons and dishes of gold and enamel were supported by griffins and satyrs, dolphins and satyrs, the handles of golden bowls and cornucopias laden with fruit were adorned with genii or the eagles of the house of Este, while two hundred and fifty little banners, painted by Ferrara artists with the Este and Gonzaga arms, adorned the temples and pyramids of gilt and coloured sugar that were a triumph of the con- fectioner's art.^ On the following day the wedding party set out in the richly carved and gilded bucentaur, attended by four galleys and fifty boats, for Mantua, and sailed up the Po. The bride was accompanied by her parents, with their three young sons, Alfonso, Ferrante, and the future Cardinal Ippolito, as well as by her cousins, Alberto d'Kste, Niccolo and Borso da Correggio, and a hundred chosen courtiers, who escorted her to the gates of Mantua. On the ISth of February she made her triumphal entry into the city, riding between the Marquis and the Duke of Urbino, and followed by the Ambassadors of France, Naples, Milan, Venice, Florence, G^oa, Pisa, and other ItaUan States. The loyal citizens , of Mantua hailed their young Marchesana with enthusiasm, and it is said that as many as 17,000 spectators were assembled in the town that day. I The streets were hung with brocades and garlands I of flowers. At the Porta PradeUa a choir of white- robed children welcomed the bride with songs and recitations. At the Ponte S. Jacopo, on the Piama < in front of Alberti's church of S. Andrea, at the | • Gruyer, op, at., ii. 8S. ^dbyGoOglc WEDDING FESTIVITIES 17 gates of the park, and on the drawbridge of the Castello, pageants and musical entertainments were prepared in her honour. At one point the seven planets and nine ranks of angehc orders welcomed her coming, and a fair boy with angel wings recited an epithahunitun composed for the occasion at the foot of the grand staircase of the Castello di Corte. There fUisabetta Gronzaga received the bride, and the princely guests sat down to a banquet in the state rooms, while the immense crowds assembled on the Piazza outside were feasted at the public expense, and the fountains and cisterns ran with wine. The Marquis had borrowed large stores of gold and silver plate, of carpets and hangings from all his friends and kinsfolk. Giovanni Bentivoglio, Mwco Pio of Carpi, the Gonzagas of Bozzolo, and many of Isabella's relatives had placed their treasures at his disposal for the occasion, and his brother-in- law, Duke Guidobaldo, had lent him the famous tapestries of the Trojan wm-, which were the glory of the palace of Urbino. The festivities were pro- longed until the last day of the carnival Tourna- ments and dances and torchlight processions fol- lowed each other in rapid succession, and each day a fresh banquet was spread on tables in the Piazza, and coTifetti, representing cities, castles, churches, and ftnimalfi in endless variety, were distributed to the delighted populace.' Only one thing was wanting to complete the splendour of tiie festival This was the presence of Andrea Mant^na, the great master who had spent thirty years in the service of the Gonzagas, and whose genius was so highly esteemed by the young 1 D'Aico, Notiae d'ht^Ua EtUme, p. SI. VOL. I. B ^dbyGoogle 18 MANTEGNA'S ABSENCE Marquis. In June 1488, Francesco had given him leave to go to Rome, at the earnest request of Pope Innocent VIII., who employed him to paint his new chapel of the Belvedere. The artist, however, was not happy at the Vatican, and complained bitterly in his letters to the Marquis of the irregular payments and indifferent treatment which he received from the Pope, declaring that he was a child of the house of Gonzaga, and wished to live and die in their service. He was uneasy too about his unfinished Triumphs in the Castello of Mantua, and begged the Marquis to see that the rain did not come in through the windows and damage these canvases, which were his best and most perfect works. Francesco replied in a friendly letter, assuring him that his Triumphs were perfectly safe, and wrote again at Christmas 1489, begging the painter to return as soon as possible, since his help was indispensable in preparing the pageants and decorations for the wedding. But the messenger who brought the letter found Andrea ill in bed and the Pope's frescoes unfinished, and the Marquis was forced to celebrate his marriage without the presence of his favourite painter. ■J idb,Goi)glc CHAPTER II 1328—1478 The court of Mantua and house of Gonzaga — GianlraDcesco II., the firet Marquis — Vittorino da Feltre and the Casa Zoiosa — Cecilia Gonzaga — Reign of Lodovico Gonzaga and Barbara of Brandenburg — Their patronage of art and learning — Marri- age of Federico to Margaret of Bavaria — Betrothal of Dorotea Gonsaga to Galeazso Sforza — Frescoes of the Camera degli Sposi. Mantua, which now became the home of Isabella d'Este, was a comparatively small city. The popu- lation only numbered 28,000, and the domains of the Marquis Francesco were both poorer and smaller than the Duchy of Ferrara. But under the rule of the Gonzaga family this little state had already acquired an important position in North Italy. Since the hard- fought day in 1828, when Lodovico Gonzaga defeated the rival &nuly of the Buonacolsi, and was chosen cap- tain of the people, and afterwards appointed Vicar- General by the Emperor, Mantua had rapidly increased in power and prosperity. His successors not only won the love of their subjects by their wise and paternal government, but by their hereditary valour and skiliul diplomacy succeeded in maintaining their independence against their two powerful neighbours, Venice and Milan, There was less splendour and luxury at the court of Mantua than at Ferrara, but the Gonzagas showed as genuine a love of art and learning as the princes of the house of Este. Gian&ancesco I., the fourUi prince of his race to bear ^dbyGoogle 20 THE GONZAGA PRINCES sway in Mantua, employed Bartolino da Novara, the architect of the Castello Rosso of Ferrara, to build the strong Castello, with the four massive towers at each angle, overlooking the lakes formed by the waters of the Mincio, on the east side of the city. He aiso rebuilt the old bridge of San Gioi^o, which crosses the Lago di Mezzo opposite the Castello, and the fine Ijombard-GJothic Duomo on the neighbour- ing Piazza di San Pietro, which GiuHo Romano transformed into a late Renaissance building in the reign of Isabella d'Este's grandson. The same prince paid a visit to the south of France in 1889, and during his residence in that country added sixty- seven French books to his hbrary, which at his death numbered 400 volimies.* Gianfrancesco II., who succeeded his father in 1407, was raised to the dignity of Marquis when the Emperor Sigismund visited Mantua in 1488. This wise and enlightened prince strengthened the fortifi- cations of the city, drained the neighbouring marshes, and did his best to encourage agriculture, and the manufacture of cloth, which remained the staple industry of Mantua until the sack of 1630. Like most of the Gonzaga princes, he served the rival States of Venice and Milan alternately, but was a liberal patron of learning, and attracted the best foreign artists to his court Brunellesco came to Mantua twice, in 1432 and in 1436, to give him advice as to the construction of dykes. Alberti, the dis- tinguished architect, dedicated his "Treatise on Painting " to him, and even that greedy and querulous humanist, Filelfo, extoUed him as the most generous of patrons. His excellent wife, Paola Malatesta,^ > W. Bragbirolli in Etmama, 1880. ^dbyGooglc VITTORINO DA FELTRE 21 shared his cultured tastes, and trained her numerous sons and daughters in habits of virtue and piety. To her even more than to her husband was due the choice of Vittorino da Feltre as tutor to the Gon- zaga princes. This remarkable man became renowned among living scholars, not only for his knowledge of Greek, but for the high ideal of education which he held up before the age. In his eyes there was no loftier mission than that of the schoolmaster, and all his powers were devoted to this high calling. The Casa Zoiosa or Mcdson Joyeuse, where he settled in 1425, at Gianirancesco's invitation, close to the Castello, soon became famous throughout Italy. Here, in these fair halls, on the banks of the lake, adorned with firescoes and surrounded with avenues of plane trees uid acacias, the high-bom youths and maidens in Vittorino's charge received that complete training of body and mind which he held to be the best preparation for life. He began by making a .^^w necessary reforms. His pupils' superfluous ser- vants were dismissed, the use of gpld and silver plate and of highly spiced dishes at their table was pro- hibited, and simple but abundant &re was provided. All swearing and bad language was forbidden, lying was treated as the blackest of crimes, good manners were especially encouraged, and Church festivals and fasts were strictly observed, since in Vittorino's eyes true learning was inseparable firom virtue and re- ligion. His course of instruction included Latin and Greek, mathematics, grammar, logic, philwophy, music, singing and dancing, and the hours of ' study were pleasantly varied by games aXpaUa in the meadows along the Mincio, anA shooting, swimming, and fencing matches, as well as occasional fishing and ^dbyGoogle 22 THE CASA ZOIOSA hunting expeditions. He began by reading eareftUly chosen selections &om Virgil and Cicero, Homer and Demosthenes aloud to his scholars, explaining the meaning as he went along, and made them leam these passages by heart as the best way of forming their style. Afterwards he laid down a few simple rules for their guidance in composition, telling them to be sure, first of all, that they had something to say, and then to see that they said it frankly and simply, avoiding the subtleties of the schools. " I want to teach my pupils how to think," he said, " not to split hairs." Vittorino himself always paid special attention to backward pupils, and received many poor scholars who could not afford to pay the usual fees, teaching them, as he said, " for the love of God." On summer days he often took his scholars to a small country house on the height of Andes or Pietola, the birth- place of Virgil, which was the only property that he ever acquired, and told them stories of Perseus and Hercules, while they rested on the grass after their games ; and once or twice in the season more distant expeditions were made to the shores of the Lake of Garda or the Alps of Tyrol' Soon the fame of Vittorino's gymnasium brought him pupils from all parts of Italy. ' One of these was Federico di Montefeltro, the great and good Duke of Urbino, who placed his bdoved teacher's portrait in his palace, with the following inscrip- tion : " In honour of his saintly master Vittorino da Feltre, who by word and example instructed him in all human excellence, Federico has set this here." Lodovico Gonzaga, the eldest of Gianfr^ncesco's ' f^ittorino da FeUre, Prettdtlacqtta ; Benoit, Viilonn de Feltre; S. Poglia in Arckivio Slorico Lombardo, xi. 150. ^dbyGoOglc I CECILIA GONZAGA 23 SODS, retained the deepest respect for his master all throu^ his life, and after he succeeded his father as Marqiiis, would never sit down in his old teacher's presence. His brothers Gianlucido and Alessandro, who were cut off firom public life by a spinal disease which they inherited firom their motiier Paola, found their best consolation in literary pursuits, and Gian- lucido is said to have known the whole of ViigH by heart. Their sister Margherita charmed her cultured husband, Duke Leonello d'Este, by the elegance of her Latin letters, and he wrote to tell her how much he rejoiced to think that she enjoyed the advantage of Vittorino's instruction, being per- suaded that for " virtue, learning, and a rare and excellent way of teaching good manners," this master surpassed all others. But the most accomplished of Vittorino's pupils was the Marquis's youngest daughter, Cecilia Gonzaga. At eight years she read the works of Chrysostom, and amazM learned visitois to Casa Zoiosa by the ease with which she recited Latin verse. As she grew up her charms and sweet- ness of nature captivated young and old, but trouble arose when her hand was sought by Odd' Antonio di Montefeltro, the elder brother of Federico, who, un- like him, was a prince of notoriously bad character. In vain Cecilia pleaded her wish to take the veil and devote herself to a life of contemplation, and the papal protonotary Gregorio Correr, who, as Abbot of S. Zeno of Verona, employed Mantegna to punt his noble triptych in that church, dedicated to her his treatise J}e Fvgiendo Saculo. Hot father was bent on the marriage, and punished Cecilia with blows and ImprisonmenL At length Paola's tears and Vittorino's remonstrances brought the Marquis ^dbyGoogle 24 BARBARA VON BRANDENBURG to a better mind, and with his sanction Cecilia entered the convent of Corpus Domini, a community of Poor Clares founded by her mother, who came to end her own days there, after Gianfrancesco's death in 1444. When Fisanello visited Mantua three years afterwards, he designed tfae beautiiiil medal inscribed with the words Cedlia Virgo, showing on one side a profile portrait of her dehcate and refined features, and on the other her seated figure, with the crescent moon and unicorn as emblems of her maidenhood. Four years after this she died, before she was quite twenty-five.' Vittorino's good offices were exerted on beh^ of another of his pupils, Lodovico Gonzaga, who in a fit of anger at seeing his younger brother Carlo pre- ferred to him, fled to the camp of Fihppo Visconti, Duke of Milan, and took up arms against his &ther. Gianfrancesco vowed that he would disinherit this undutifiil son, and it was only at the end of three years, in deference to Paola and Vittorino's entreaties, that he consented to a reconciliation and publicly re- cognised Lodovico as his heir. Meanwhile the young prince's httle German bride, Barbara von Branden- burg, was growing up in his mother's charge, and profiting by Vittorino's instructions. The marriage had been arranged by the Kmperor Sigismund when he visited Mantua in 1438, and that autumn an escort of 200 Mantuan coiuliers was sent to Augs- burg to bring back the ten-year-old princess, with a golden chariot drawn by four horses, and a robe of gold brocade so stiff and splendid that the German ladies exclaimed " it stood up of itself 1 " Soon after Lodovico's return, in 1440, the marriage was solem- 1 Paglia, op. cit. s Pastor, " History of the Popes," I iff. ^dbyGoogle 1 LITERAKY TASTES OF LODOVICO 25 nised, and Barbara proved the best of wives and mothers and the most admirable helpmeet to her husband during the thirty-four years of his long reign,* Amidst the cares of state and perils of war, Lodovico did not forget the lessons which he had leamt in the Casa Zoiosa, and while, as captain of the Florentine and Milanese armies, he proved his valour on many a hard-fought field, he ruled his people wisely and well, and showed a zeal for learning and an enlightened love of art worthy of Vittorino's scholar. Mindful of the happy dajrs wh^i he and his comrades played together in the fields of Pietola, he collected all the manuscripts of Virgil that he could obtain, and Platina, whom he employed to revise the text, wrote a poem called "The Dream of the Marquis," in which Viigil returns from the Elysian fields and begs Lodovico to complete his great work and puige his text &om the errors of the copyists. Petrarch and Dante were as dear to him as the classical poets. He employed artists to illuminate the ^Eneid and IHvina Com- meeUoy and a richly illustrated MS. of the Fihcolo of Boccaccio £rom his collection, bearing the black ea^es and lions of the GJonzagas, is now preserved in the Bodleian Library at Oxford. One autumn, when he was taking the baths at Petriolo, he b^^^ed his wife to send him his St. Augustine, Quintus Curtius and Lucan. which had been left behind at Mantua. Another time he borrowed Borso d'Este's precious Codex of Pliny, while his wife be(^;ed the Duke to lend her S. Caterina of Siena's prayers. Lodovico 1 B.Ht^atmai, Barbara wmHokenxolUm Mar igriifin von Mmitua; P. Kristellei in HohausoUem Jahrtmck, 1899, p. 66, &c. ^dbyGooglc 26 ART AT HIS COURT was also much interested in natural history, and made a valuable collection of books with illustrations of birds uid animals. Under his patronage a printing- press was set up in Mantua, and Boccaccio's De- camerone was the first book published there in 1478. The decoration of his capital was another object to which this admirable prince devoted his best attention. At his invitation Alberti paid repeated /visits to Mantua, and designed the chapel of the Incoronata in the Duomo, and the churches of S. Sebastian and S. Andrea. This last church, which was founded in 14<72, to receive the sacred blood said to have been brought to Mantua by the centurion Longinus, was justly admired as one of the earUest and most successful examples of ecclesiastical archi- tecture in the classical style. Alberti's designs were mostly curied out by Luca Fancelli, another Tuscan architect, who entered Lodovico's service in 1450, and built or improved the beautiful ducal villas at Goito, Cavriana, Gronzaga, and Revere, which are so often mentioned in Isabella d'Este's letters. The best sculptors and painters were employed by Lodovico to decorate these sumptuous countiy houses. Pisanello adorned a hall in the Castello with frescoes, and remuned at Mantua imtil he received an imperious summons &om Leonello d'Este, threatening him with the forfeiture of all his property in Ferrara if he did not return imme- diately. Donatello spent nearly two years at Mantua, wh^% he executed the noble bronze bust of Lodovico, now at Berlin, and began the Area of St Anselm in the Duomo. The Marquis often employed the great Florentine sculptor to send him antiques, but com- plained bitterly how difficult it was to induce him to ^dbyGoogle ANDREA MANTEGNA 27 finish anything. He was more fortunate with Man- tegna, who, after repeated and urgent invitations, at length came to Mantua in the summer of 1439, and remained there imtil his death, half-a-century later. That love of antiquity with which Vittorino had inspired him in early youth, and which he admired in Alberti's architectural designs, first led him to appreciate the genius of this great Paduan master, who was animated with the true classical spirit. He treated Andrea with unalterable kindness, gave him a hberal salary of fifteen ducats a month, with supplies of com, wood, wine, and lodgings for his family, and bore patiently with the irritable master's frequent complaints against the tailor who had spoilt his new coat, or the neighbour who had robbed his orchard of five hundral quinces. And when in the last years of his reign the treasury was exhausted by a long war, and the plague was raging in Mantua, the good Marquis replied to Andrea's bitter re- proaches in the following noble and kindly letter: "Andrea," he wrote from Goito, "we have re- ceived a letter from you which it really seems to us that you need not have written, since we perfectly remember the promises we made when you entered our service, neither, as it seems to us, have we &iled to keep these promises or to do our utmost for you. But you cannot take from us what we have not got, and you yourself have seen that, when we have had the means, we have never failed to do all in our power for you and our other servants, and that gladly and with good wilL It is true that, since we have not received our usual revenues during the last few months, we have been obliged to defer ^dbyGoogle 28 VIRTUES OF BARBARA certain payments, such as this which is due to you, but we are seeking by every means in our power to raise money to meet our obligations, even if we are forced to mortgage our own property, since all our jewels are already pawned, and you need not fear but that before long, your debt will be paid gladly and readily."' In the government of his people and in the ad- ministration of his affairs Lodovico was ably assisted by his excellent wife Barbara, the Hohenzollem princess who, leaving her own land at so early an age, brought the solid and domestic virtues of the Teutonic race to blend with the refined tastes of the Gonzagas. A prudent housewife and devoted mother, she watched over the education of her chil- dren with unwearied care. When Platina, who be- came her son Federico's tutor, after the death of Vittorino in 1446, was sent on a journey to Greece, she looked out at Mice for another master, saying it was a pity the boy should waste his time ; and when his successor, Filelfo, complained that Federico was lazy and indifferent, and had no real love of books, she counselled patience, and remarked that he would probably develop later. Under her vigilant eye no foolish luxury or wasteful expenditure was allowed. A refined simpUcity marked the daily life of the court, and display was reserved for state occasions. At the same time Barbara took a lively interest in the welfare of her husband's subjects. She encouraged the cloth manufacture by her example and influence, and large quantities of this fabric were yearly ex- ported to Germany. When her sister. Queen Doro- 1 Arc/Uvia Gonzaga, lib. 86, quoted by A. Bascbct, Gaeelte des Beaux ArU, 1866. ^dbyGoogle COUNCIL OF MANTUA 29 thea of Denmark, visited Mantua in 1475, a great fair was held in her honour, and as many as 5000 pieces of cloth were offered for sale. Barbara's love for her adopted country did not weaken the ties which bound her to her old German home. She kept up an active correspondence with her kinsfolk beyond the Alps, and entertained her father the Elector John and her micle the Margrave Albert of Brandenburg repeatedly at Mantua. Her third and &vourite son, the tail and handsome Gian- franeesco, was sent to be educated under the Mar- grave's eye at Anspach, while Bodolfo, her fourth son, the gallant soldier who afterwards fell at Fomovo, completed his knightly training at the court of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. But the proudest day of Barbara's life was that of the opening of the Gene- ral Council which Pope Pius II. summoned to meet at Mantua in 1459. It was Albert of Brandenburg who, at Barbara's su^estion, had advised the Pope to choose Mantua for the meeting of this Council, which was to restore peace to Christendom ^d pro- claim a crusade against the Turk. Only England, distracted by the Wars of the Roses, and Scotland, " buried in the far northern seas," sent no answer to the Pope's appeaL Princes and ambassadors arrived from all parts of Italy and Germany. Pius II. and his eight Cardinals, Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, Albert of Brandenbui^, and Duke Sigismund of Atistria were among the guests who were enter- tained in the Castello. The Pope, who spent four months at Mantua, was greatly impressed by the noble character of the Marchioness, whom be de- scribed in one of his letters as " distinguished among all other matrons of the age by her shining graces of ^dbyGoogle 80 A BAVARIAN BRIDE body and mind." Two years afterwards, he gratified Barbara's fondest wish by bestowing a Cardinal's hat on her second son Francesco, a boy of seventeen, who was still studying at the University of Favia. Her maternal pride was equally pleased when, in 1462, the Emperor Frederick II. arranged a mar- riage for her eldest son Federico with Margaret, daughter of Duke Sigismund of Bavaria. But the bad manners and rude habits of the German envoys, who came to Mantua to draw up the marriage con- tract, shocked the Italians, who declared that they behaved like cooks and scuUions ; and Federico, who is said to have been in love with another maiden, fled to Naples rather than marry this foreign bride. For several months nothing was heard of him, but at last he was discovered by King Ferrante, living in a destitute condition under an assumed name in the poor quarters of the city, and some time passed before his mother could induce him to return home and crave his father's forgiveness. In March 1468, Gian&ancesco and Rodolfo Gonzaga were sent to bring home the bride, who entered Mantua in state on the 7th of June. The chronicler Schivenoglia, who was Federico's secretary, evidently shared his master's dislike for the Germans, and describes the bride as short of stature, blonde and plump, and unable to speak a word of Italian ; whUe her atten- dants were clad in coarse red clothes of ugly shape and colour. " As to their customs and manners," he adds significantly, " I will say nothing." ^ Margaret herself, however, soon learnt to appreciate the refine- ment of Italian manners, and when some years later she paid a visit to her old home took a troop of 1 A. Schivenoglia, CmuKa di Mantooa, 1445-1484. ^dbyGoOgle DEFORMITY OF THE GONZAGAS 81 richly attired singers and minstrels with her to Bavaria. We hear little else of Federico's bride, who had neither the vigorous character of the Marchesa Barbara nor the beauty and charm which made Isabella d'Este &mous. But she was a good wife and mother, and her placid, gentle face, framed in a quaintly peaked, pearl-trimmed cap, bearing the Greek motto Amomoa — spotless — may still be seen carved in low reUef on a block of Carrara marble which once adorned the portals of the Gonzaga villa at Revere, and is now in the Academy of Mantua. A worse trouble befell Lodovico and Barbara in the terrible affliction of their two elder daughters, Susanna and Dorotea, both of whom inherited the deformity which ^flicted Paola Malatesta in her latter years. When Susanna, who had been be- trothed as a child to Galeazzo Maria, the eldest son of Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, grew up hunch- backed, her younger sister's name was substituted in the marriage contract But soon it became rumoured abroad that Dorotea, although a £ur and attractive maiden, had one shoulder higher than the other, and before the wedding took place, the Duke demanded a medical certificate of her state of health. Rather than comply with this insulting condition, Lodovico broke off the negotiations and resigned his own appointment as captain of the Milanese forces. Both Galeazzo, who seems to have been really attached to his affianced bride, and his mother, Duchess Bianca, who was a personal friend of Barbara, endeavoured to reopen communications. But the Marquis declined all further correspondence on the subject, and in May 1465, refused the Duke's invita- ^dbyGoogle 82 DOROTEA MEETS GALEAZZO tion to attend the wedding of his daughter Ippolita with the King of Naples's son, Alfonso, Duke of Calabria. When, however, the newly wedded pair were on their way to Naples, the Marquis and his family met them at Reggio, and Dorotea saw her old lover again. The minute directions which Bar- bara gave her son Federico on this occasion prove that she had not yet abandoned all hopes of the marriage. "We do not yet know," she wrote on the 14th of June, " whether Signor Galeazzo will be present, but if he should come to Reggio, I think it well to warn you how to behave. First of all, as soon as you see the Milanese party approach, you and your wife must dismount and advance to meet them with out- stretched hands and courteous reverence. Be care- ful not to bend your knee before them, but salute the illustrious Duke and Duchess, and shake hands with Fihppo and Lodovico, and also with Galeazzo, if he is present and offers to shake hands. Dorotea must also give him her hand and curtsey to him, but if he does not come forward let her not move a step. Then we will take the Duchess up in our chariot, and you must all three of you pay her reverence. Dorotea must either wew her camora of black and silver brocade, or her crimson or gold-embroidered one, whichever of the three she chooses. Your wife may shake hands with the princes or not, as she pleases, for in her condition whatever she does will be excused. But I hope you will take a htUe trouble in the matter, and explain all this clearly to Dorotea, and see that she makes no mistake; If we could be present at the interview, I would not trouble you, but I fear oiu* chariot may be delayed ^dbyGooglc LODOVICO'S DAUGHTERS 88 and we may arrive too late to receive the Milanese princes." ^ The meeting passed off happily, and Barbara wrote to her absent son. Cardinal IVancesco, saying that Dorotea had played her part well, and that Galeazzo had treated her with marked attention. Early in the next year the Duke of Milan died, and Galeazzo's first act was to renew his suit. Already the preliminaries of the contract were drawn up, when Dorotea fell suddenly ill of fever, and died in a few days. Ill-natured persons said that the new Duke had poisoned his bride to be rid of the bargain, but Galeazzo himself expressed the deepest grief, and after his marriage to Bona of Savoy brought his wife to stay at Mantua, Two of Lodovico's remaining daughters muried German princes, one of whom, the Count von Giiirtz, treated his wife so badly that she came back to Mantua a yeax after her marriage, while the other, Barbara, became, in 1474, the spouse of Count Eber- hard von Wurtemberg, the founder of the University of Tubingen. Fortunately all Lodovico's sons grew up tall and strong. Three of them were valiant soldiers, who dis- tinguished themselves in the service of the Pope and the King of Naples, while the youngest, Lodovico, bom in 14d8, became Bishop of Mantua, and his brother, Cudinal Francesco, rose to still higher dis- tinction in the Church. This young ecclesiastic was a refined connoisseur, and early showed his passion for music and antiques. When, after his appoint- ' Stefano Davari, // MalTimotiio di Dorotea Gonzaga; Paul Kris- teller, Barbara von Brandenburg, HohensoUem Jatirbtich, vol iii. p. 66, &c VOL. I. C ^dbyGoogle 84 CARDINAL FRANCESCO ment as papal l^ate in 1172, he stayed at the baths of Porretta, in the Apennines, on his return from Rome, to recruit his health, he sent his father the following letter, begging that the painter Mantegna and the miosician Mal^sta mi^t be sent to keep him company : — "Most honoured and illustrious Father, — I hope to arrive at Bologna on the 5th or 6th of August, but shall not stay there more than two or three days, and intend to go on to the baths, where I beg Your Highness to be pleased to order Andrea Mantegna and Malagista to stay with me, in order that I may have some distraction and amusement to enable me to avoid sleep, as is necessary for my cure. It will be a great pleasure to show Andrea my cameos and bronzes, and other tine antiques, which we can ex- amine and discuss together, and Malagista's playing and singing will make it easier for me to keep awake. So I beg you to let me have these two for my com- panions. After taking the baths, I will return to Bologna for eight or ten days, and then come to spend all October with Your Excellency at Mantua. ... I am able, thank God, to ride again since I left the bad air of Rome, and am already much better. — Your most devoted son, Francesco Gonzaga, Car- dinal and l^ate." ' Foligno, 18th July 1472. Both artists were sent to join Francesco at Bologna, and on Sunday, the 24th of August, the young Cardinal-legate made his solemn entry into Mantua, bringing in his train the distinguished archi- tect Leo Battista Alberti, and the young Florentine poet Angelo Poliziano, whose famous drama of > Anhivio Gtmsaga, quoted hy A. Baschet, GaeelU da Beatix Arb. vol. XX., 1866. ^dbyGoOgle SALA DEGLI SPOSI 85 " Orfeo," composed by him in three days, was acted for the first time on this occasion. The event was commemorated by Mantegna in a still more splendid form in the frescoes of the Camera degU Sposi, which were completed in 1474, as recorded in the proud inscription placed by the painter on a tablet, held by winged boys, over the door : " To the illustrious Lodovico II., Marquis of Mantua, most excellent prince, in the faith invincible, and his illustrious wife, Barbara, the incomparable glory of women. Their Andrea Mantegna of Padua has completed this humble work to their honour. 1474." Here, in the Marquis's own nuptial chamber, in the comer tower of the Castello, the great master has left us a Uving record of the Gonzaga family. The painter's genius has transformed this small room in the heart of the grim old fortress into a fairy bower, decorated with garlands and tapestries, where sportive loves play on a marble parapet under tbe blue sky. On one wall the reception of a foreign ambassador, probably the envoy sent by the Duke of Wiirtem- berg to ask for the hand of Lodovico's daughter Barbara, is represented. A secretary is seen handing the letter to the good prince, who, with his wife at his side, is seated in true patriarchal fashion under an open loggia on the garden terrace, surrounded by his children and grandchildren, his courtiers and pet dwarfs. His eldest son, Federico, advances to re- ceive the German ambassador, while the bride-elect, standing behind her mother's chair, tarns her eyes with eager gaze in tlie same direction. On the op- posite wall of the nuptial chamber, a second fresco conunemorates the arrival of the young Cardinal and his suite of servants on his return from Borne. The ^dbyGoogle 86 MANTEGNA'S FRESCOES Marquis goes out to welcome him, with his sons, Federico and Gianfraneesco, and his two little grand- sons, Francesco, afterwards the husband of Isabella d'Este, and Sigismondo, the future Cardinal In both of these family groups the striking personality of the different personages has been cleariy brought out by the painter. We see the gallant bearing of the soldier-sons, the culture and wisdom of the man of the world mingled with the sober gravity of the ecclesiastic in the sleek face and portly figure of the young Cardinal, while all the strength and goodness of Barbara's character lives in the sensible German fece that looks out from under the quaint square head-dress, and in the grave, black eyes that are fixed on her lord's face, and seem to express her readiness to help him with her sympathy and advice. The sunny landscape, with the Pantheon and Coliseum among the seven hills, recalls the Eternal City from which Francesco had lately returned, and if the medallions of CeesMS and myths of Hercules and Orpheus are emblems of Lodovico's taste for classical history and love of music, the peacock on the balus- trade, the tame lion crouching at his feet, and the favourite greyhound asleep under his chair, remind us of his interest in birds and animals. Thus, in these noble frescoes which still light up the old walls of the Castello with colour and bright- ness, the great master has not only left us a faithful picture of Lodovico and his family, but has enabled us to realise the strong German sense of family affection and home life, combined with the splendour and culture of an Italian court, which Isabella found at Mantua when she became the wife of Francesco Gionzaga. ^dbyGooglc D,t„db,Google LODOVICO GONZAGA AND HIS SONS By Andrea Manteona {Sala degli Spisi. Mantua] idb,Googlc CHAPTER III 1478—1490 Reiga of Federico Goiuaga — Death of bis wife and mother — His love for his daughters — Visit of Lorenzo del Medici — AccessioQ of Francesco GoDzaga^His character and warlike tastes — Betrothal of Elisabetta Gonzaga to Guidobaldo, Duke of Urbino — His visit to Mantua — Marriage of Elisabetta — Her return to Mantua for Francesco's wedding~~Her friend- ship with Isabella d'Este — Excursion to the Lago dl Garda — Visits to Ferrara. LoDovico GoNZAGA died at the age of sixty-four oa the 12th of June 1478, at his villa of Goito, less than a month after writing his kind and dignified reply to Mantegna's remonstrances, while the plague was still raging at Manttia. On his deathbed he was induced by his wife, whose affection for her yoxmger children overcame her natural wisdom, to divide his State, and leave her favourite son, Gianfirancesco, the principality of Bozzolo and Sabbioneta, while CastigUone was bequeathed to Rodolfo Gonzaga and Gazzuolo to Bishop Lodovico. This division not only weakened the State, but led to serious family dissensions in the future. During Barbara's life- time, however, all went well. Her eldest son, the new Marquis, Federico, consoled his widowed mother's grief, and treated her with the greatest respect, tell- ing her, in true humanist fashion, that she had lost a lord whom she was bound to obey and kept a son whose duty it was to obey her. A year afterwards his wife, Margaret of Bavaria, died, leaving a young ^dbyGoogle 88 DEATH OF BARBARA family of five children, who were tenderly cared for by their grandmother. But on the 10th of Novem- ber 1481, Barbara herself died at the age of fifty- eight, deeply lamented by all her children. Fra Bernardino da Feltre, the eloquent Franciscan Mar, pronounced her funeral oration, and Matteo Bossi, the learned Abbot of Fiesole. addressed a Latin epistle of condolence to Cardinal Gonzaga on the death of this admirable lady. She was buried by her husband's side in fi^nt of the Area di S. Anselmo in the Duomo, and her sons desired Luca Fancelli to raise a splendid monument over her grave. But the Cardinal died in 1488, and although Bishop Lodovico intended to carry out his scheme, it seems doubtful if the tomb was ever erected. Before the good Marchesa died she had the joy of seeing her granddaughter, Chiara — bom in July 1464 — married to the King of France's cousin GQbert, Due de Montpensier, and her eldest grandson Fran- cesco, who was two years younger, betrothed to Isabella d'Este, with whose mother Leonora she had long been on firiendly terms. Federico himself was an affectionate father, and took great interest in his two younger daughters, EUsabetta, whose delicate health made her an object of especial anxiety, and Maddalena, who was only seven years old when her mother died. On the 14th of August 1481, Violante de' Preti, the faithful governess in whose charge the young princesses were spending the summer at the ducal viUa of Porto, wrote the following report to the Marquis, who was frequently absent from Mantua during the long war with Venice : — " Most illustrious Prince and excellent Lord, — You will be glad to hear that both your illustrious ^dbyGoogle 4 FEDERICO'S DAUGHTERS 89 daughters are well and happy and very obedient, so that it is a real pleasure to see them busy with their books and embroidery. They are very easy to manage, and they enjoy riding their new pony, one on the saddle, the other on pillion. They ride all about the park, but always attended by servants on horseback, and we follow in the chariot They are quite delighted with this pony, and Your Excellency could not have made them any present which gave them greater pleasure. I hope, my dear lord, by the grace of God, to be able to give you good news every day, in order that Your Highness may rest satisfied, to whose &vour I commend myself. — Your devoted servant, Violante de' Pketi."' On February 28, 1483, the little princesses received a visit from no less a personage than Lorenzo dei Medici, who spent a night at Mantua on his way to attend a conference at Cremona, where a new league was formed against Venice, and sent word to Violante's pupils by their dancing master that they might expect him after dinner. In her next letter to the Marquis, Violante describes how the little girls came to meet the Magnifico Lorenzo, and led him into their rooms, and how he sat down between them and talked for some time, and told them, when he took his leave, that their father was rich in fair children. The next day their brother, Francesco Gonzaga, who entertained this distinguished guest in his father's absence, wrote and informed the Marquis how he had accompanied the Magnifico Lorenzo on foot to mass at S. Francesco, and how he wait on &om the church to the house of Andrea Mantegna, "where he greatly admired some of ' A. Liuio e R. Benier, Maiitotta e Urbtno, p. 6. ^dbyGoogle 40 ANDREA MANTEGNA Messer Andrea's paintings, as well as certain heads in high relief and other antiques in which he seemed to take great delight." ' Federico himself treated Mantegna with great kindness, and wrote affectionately to him when he was iU in October 1478, telling him to try and get rid of the fever as soon as he could, but not to trouble his head about the work at present He employed Andrea to decorate his new villa of Marmirolo, and when in 1484 the Prefect of Rome, Giovanni della Rovere, a brother-in-law of Duke Guidobaldo of Urbino, begged Bishop Lodovico Gonzaga for a picture by Mantegna, that prelate replied that the painter was unable to comply with his request, since his time was entirely engaged in painting a hall in one of the Mantuan palaces. And when Andrea declined to copy a drawing sent him by Bona, Duchess of Milan, who begged that he would " reduce it to a more elegant form," the Marquis excused his some- what blunt refusal, saying that "these excellent masters are often somewhat fantastic in humour, and that we must be content to take what they choose to give us.'" Federico intended at one time to make considerable additions to the Castello, and wrote to ask his Other's old Mend Federico di Montefeltro for a plan of his famous palace of Urbino, but the execution of this project and many others was hindered by the constant wars which ex- hausted his treasury. His old tutor Filelfo often reproached him with his parsimony, saying that the Marquis had never forgiven him for complaining to 1 Arc/avio Gonxaga, quoted hj A. Baschet, Gaeette det Beaux ArU, 1866. ' Archivio Gonzaga, lib. xcix., quoted b; A. Baachet, &c. ^dbyGoOgle FRANCESCO GONZAGA 41 his parents of his indolence when he was a boy, but Federico appointed one of the querulous old scholar's twenty-four children to be his son's tutor, while Colombino of Verona, the commentator of Dante, instructed his two little daughters. After his visit to Ferrara in 1482, he begged Duke Ercole to send him L'Asino dOro, an Italian version of Apuleius's poem, and gave Isabella's tutor Battista Guarino a grant of wheat during the famine which prevailed in that city. But when, in 1488, the said Guarino applied for the post of tutor to his sons, the Marquis replied that this was impossible, since in the first place he could not afford to pay him a salary, and in the second place his sons did not require a teacher. Francesco, he explained, was already seventeen and his own master, while Sigismondo, a boy of fourteen, was studying at the University of Pavia, and Gio- vanni, being only nine, was too young to need a tutor. A year afterwards Federico died, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Francesco, the affianced husband of Isabella d'Este. Although Small of stature, the young Marquis was vigorous and athletic, and from early boyhood showed greater inclination for manly sports and exercises than for study. One of his first tutors complained that he would never sit still and that it was very difficult to induce him to fix his attention on his book. Throughout his life he retained these characteristics. He was passionately fond of hunting, kept hundreds of dogs, and was especially proud of his famous breed of Barbary horses, which carried off prizes at all the races for which they were entered, and were sent by their owner as presents to Kings and Emperors. A brave soldier and shrewd politician, ^dbyGoogle 42 THE TRIUMPHS with the help of his clever wife he ndsed Mantua to the foremost rank among the smaller Italian states, and although he inherited Uttle of his grandfather's and uncle's taste for letters, he was ftilly alive to the lustre and renown which his court and person derived fix>m great artistic achievements, and became a liberal patron of scholars and painters. He was naturally fond of luxurious and splendid surroundings, and employed Mantegna soon after his accession to paint his great series of Triumphs for a hall in the Castello. As a child he had learnt to revere the genius of the great master who had worked for three successive generations of his house, and when he sent him to Rome in 1488, told Innocent VIII. that Andrea was "a most excellent painter, who had no equal in the present age." His own letters to Mantegna during this prolonged absence show the most friendly regard, and are a proof of the famihar and intimate relations that existed between the painter and the members of the Gonzaga famUy. Another pleasant feature of Francesco's character was his affection for his little sisters. In August 1486, he arranged two excellent marriages for these young princesses. Elisabetta was betrothed to Guidobaldo, the son and successor of Duke Federico of Urbino, while Maddalena became the affianced bride of Giovanni Sforza, lord of Pesaro and cousin of the reigning Duke of Milan. The young Duke of Urbino visited Mantua on this occasion, and Silvestro Calandra, the court chamberlain, wrote on the 26th of August to the absent Marquis : " To-day this illustrious Duke went in a boat for his pleasure after dinner on the lake, but, being little used to the water, felt unwell and landed at the gate of the ^dbyGoogle ELISABETTA'S WEDDING 48 Corte to see the Triumphs of Ctesar, which Man- tegna is painting, which pleased him greatly, and then passed by the Via Coperta into the Castello." * That Christmas Chiara Gonzaga, the young Duchess of Montpensier, came to visit Mantua for the first time since her marriage five years before, and the three sisters prepared a " beautiful festd. " for their brother's entertaimnent, and were sorely disappointed when three days before the feast they heard that he had been obliged to put off his visit. " Illustrious Prince and dearest brother," they wrote in a joint epistle, "we three sisters, with some other gentle ladies, had prepared a most beautiful entertainment for Your Excellency, since we made sure that we should enjoy your presence at this solenm festival But now that we hear our hopes were vain we are grievously disappointed, and feel very unhappy, and can enjoy no mirth or pleasure without you, and indeed it seems to be a thousand years since we have seen you. So now we pray you earnestly, by that gentle and brotherly love you bear us, to come and console us in the New Year and taste the pleasures that we have prepared for you in ovi fegtci, which will certainly gratify you and give us the greatest possible delight. — Your sisters and servants, Chiara, Elisabetta and Maddalena Gonzaga."* In February 1488, Elisabetta set out on her journey to Urbino, and after experiencing terrible weather on the Po, enjoyed a brief rest at Ferrara, as the guest of the hospitable Duke and Duchess. But hardly had the wedding party left Ferrara than the tempest began again. At Ravenna, where the 1 Liuio e Renier, Maaiova e Urintio, p. 9- > Ibid., p. 8. ^dbyGoOgle 44 COURT OF URBTNO Podestk gave them lodgings, the rain came through the roof in such torrents that it was almost impossible for the princess to find a dry place in her bed, and as they rode on through the Apennines, the roads were so bad and the rivers so much swollen that the attendants often had to carry Elisabetta and her horse bodily in their arms. " If it had not been for their devotion," she wrote to her brother, " I should eertainlynot have reached Urbino alive."' After this perilous journey, in what Francesco's sec- retary Capilupo calls " the most detestable weather ever known for weddings," Elisabetta found a splen- did reception awaiting her at Urbino. The Duke's loyal subjects poured out of the city gates, troops of white-robed children waving laurel boughs came down the hillside to welcome her with shouts of joy, and the splendours of the wonderful palace on the heights, with its gorgeous tapestries and treasures of gold and silver, consoled the Mantuan courtiers for the perils and sufferings of the way. The young Duke Guidobaldo was a very handsome and courteous prince, exactly the same age as his wife and skilled in all knightly exercises, although even at this early age he suffered cruelly from gout. From the first he showed himself a devoted husband, while Elisabetta's charm and goodness soon won all hearts in her new home. But the happiness and splendour of her present surroundings could not make her forget the old home to which she was so fondly attached, and she wept bitterly when her brother Giovanni and the Mantuan escort took their departure. " I was very unhappy at parting from Messer Giovanni," she wrote to the Marquis, " and feel that I am abandoned 1 Luzio e Renier, Maalova e Urbino, p. 87. ^dbyGoOgle ELISABETTAS ILL-HEALTH 45 by all my own family." But in August she had the joy of seeing Francesco, who paid his sister a flying visit, and showed his affection for her by frequent presents of fish, fruit, and game, as well as antiques and horses for his brother-in-law's acceptance. In 1489, the young Marquis was appointed captain- general of the Venetian armies, a post which he held with distinction during the next nine years, and which occupied his time fully. A few months later, in October, Elisabetta and her husband were present at her sister Maddalena's marriage to Giovanni Sforza at Pesaro. But her health, which was never strong, gave way under the strain of these prolonged festivities, and she fell seriously ill in November. " We found Madonna, your sister," wrote Fran- cesco's secretary Capilupo, who accompanied the Mantuan doctor sent by the Marquis to Urbino, " looking very thin and pale, with none of the bri^t and healthy colour that she used to have in her cheeks. ... It is true there is a grace and gentleness about her which is that of a creature angelic rather than human, and although she will not allow us to say she is thin, and keeps up bravely, her limbs betray her weakness. She is up and dressed all day, but confesses that she is obliged to sit down when she has walked once or twice across the room." ^ The air of Urbino was pronounced to be too keen for the deUcate young Duchess in winter, and as soon as she was fit to travel she came to Mantua for change, and remained there for her brother's wedding. She it was, we have already seen, who greeted the youthful bride on the threshold of the Castello di Corte, and whose gentle face and winning smile was the first 1 Luzio e Renier, MaUova e Urbmo, p. 50. ^dbyGoOgle 46 THE MARQUIS FRANCESCO sight that met Isabella's eyes as she passed into her new home. A Mantuan chronicler, probably Amedei,' who was present at the Marquis Francesco's wedding, describes Isabella as the most fascinating child in the world, and the bridegroom as a youth of majestic bearing, with broad forehead, keen eyes, and thick locks. To judge from contemporary portraits, Francesco's appearance could hardly have been called prepossessing. The terra-cotta bust preserved in the Museum at Mimtua, and the two portraits by Man- t^;na, the one painted when he was a boy of eight in the Camera degli Sposi, the other representing him twenty years later kneeling before the Virgin of Victory, all show us the same swarthy complexion, irregular features, and dark bushy locks. He had neither the good looks of his undes nor the dignity of his father, and his short, stunted figure gives the impression that he had murowly escaped inheriting the deformity which aflHicted the former generation of Gonzagas. But he was young and vigorous, full of courage and activity, and as impetuous in love as he was in war. And he was naturally enough deeply enamoured of his fair young wife. Isabella on her part' was fondly attached to her husband, and proud of his valour and unrivalled skill as a bold rider and fearless jouster. Both in character Mid intellect he was greatly her mferior, but even when in later years estrangements arose between the husband and wife, Isabella resolutely shut her eyes to his open acts of unfaithfulness, while Francesco placed the most absolute confidence in his wife and to the last retained the deepest admiration for her great qualities. 1 D'Arco, Notuie d'ltabella cCEtle. ^dbyGoogle ANTONIA DEL BALZO 47 In these early days no shadow dimmed the bright prospects of the young Marchesana. Her joyous nature, her youth and beauty, brought sunshine into the old Castello on the Mantuan lakes, and she was soon as much adored in her new home as she had been in her fether's home. Her ready tact and good sense helped to allay the dissensions which had arisen be- tween the young Marquis and his uncles. Bishop Lodovico in particular had inctirred his nephew's dis- pleasure after his elder brother's death by his efforts to obtain the Cardinal's hat which Francesco wished to secure for his brother Sigismondo, and held a rival court ofhisownat Gazzuolo. But soon after Isabella's marriage the Bishop sent to Venice for a costly jewel which he offered her as a wedding present, and the young Marchesana always kept up a friendly inter- course with him and his brother Gianfrancesco, the lord of Bozzolo. This gallant soldier served King Ferrante of Naples for many years, and, during his residence in Southern Italy, married Antonia del Balzo, the beautiful and accomplished daughter of Pirro, Prince of Aitamura, the representative of the old Provencal family of Des Baux, who had fol- lowed Charles of Anjou to Naples, and bore the star in their coat-of-arms in proud token of their descent from Balthasar, one of the Three Kings.' The Gonza- gas of Bozzolo shared Isabella's love of romances and plays, and she constantly exchanged books with them or assisted at the dramatic performances in which they took delight. At her request Francesco BeUo, the blind improvisatore of Ferrara, who had settled at the court of Bozzolo, came to Mantua on a visit ; but Gianfrancesco, who suffered from increasing infirmities ^ V. Koad, Gion. St. d. Lot. It., vol xiii. ^dbyGoogle 48 FRIENDSHIP OF ISABELLA and became prematurely old dming the last years of his life, entreated her to send him back soon, since the poet's recitations were one of the few pleasures that he was still able to enjoy. Antonia remained one of Isabella's intimate fidends to the end of her long life, and in August 1492, when the Marchesana passed throu^ the town of Canneto in their dominions on her way to Milan, she wrote back to tell her hus- band how Madame Antonia had come out to meet her with her two beautiful daughters. " Messer Andrea Mantegna," she exclaimed, "could not paint fairer maidens I " ^ With the more immediate members of her hus- band's funily Isabella soon became a great favourite. Both her brother-in-law, Monsignore il protonotario, as Sigismondo was styled, and the young Giovanni, a merry lad of sixteen, were from the first her devoted slaves. Giovanni especially took part in all Isa- bella's amusements, and kept up a lively corre- spondence with her when she was absent from Mantua. But, of all her new relations, the one whom Isabella admired the most and loved the best was her sister-in-law, Elisabetta. From the day when the young Marchesana arrived at Mimtua, a fast friendship sprang up between these two princesses, which was destined to prove as enduring as it was deep and strong. " There is no one I love like you," she wrote to EUsabetta in the ardour of her affection, " excepting my only sister, the Duchess of Ban " — Beatrice d'Este. And through all the changes and turmoil of the coming years, through the political troubles and fears and plots which tore Italy in twain and divided households against each other, ' LdiIo e Renier in Archimo Storico Lombardo, vol. xvii. p. 341. ^dbyGoOglc AND ELISABETTA 49 Isabella's fidendship for her beloved sister-in-law never altered The two princesses had much in common. Both of them took especial delight in music and singing. Both were studious in their tastes, and showed the same kindly interest in painters and scholars. Isabella was more than three years younger than the Duchess, who had reached the age of nineteen at the time of her brother's wedding. She was more brilliant and witty, quicker at gay repartee and merry jokes. And she was also more talented and many-sided in her tastes. In future years she took an active part in poMtics, showed herself a skilful and able diplomatist, and was a match for Ciesar Borgia himself. Elisa- betta was graver and more thoughtful She had neither the physical strength nor the striking beauty and high spirits of Isabella. But her sweetness and goodness inspired those who knew her best with absolute devotion. She was adored, not only by her husband and brothers, but by the most brilliant cavaliers and distinguished men of letters of the age, by Baldassarre Castiglione and Pietro Bembo. On this occasion Elisabetta remained at Mantua, by her sister-in-law's especial wish, till June. Dur- ing the frequent journeys of the Marquis to Venice, the two princesses were inseparable companions. To- gether they sang French songs and read the latest romances, or played scartino, their favourite game at cards, in the pleasant rooms which Francesco had prepared for his bride on the first floor of the Castello, near the Sala degh^ Sposi. Together they rode and walked in the park and boated on the crystal waters of the lake, or took excursions to the neighbouring villas of Porto and Marmirolo. By the middle of VOL. I. D I u, Google 50 THE LAGO DI GARDA March, the Duchess's hedth was sufficiently improved to venture on a longer trip, and on the 15th, Isabella wrote to her absent lord : " To-day, after dinner, with Your Highness's kind permission, the Duchess of Urbino and I are going to supper at Goito, and to- morrow to Cavriana, where the wife of Signor Fra- cassa (Gasparo San Severino) will meet us, and on Thursday we are going on the lake of Garda, accord- ing to Your Highness's orders, and I have let the Rector of Verona know, so that we may find a barge at Sermione" A few days later she wrote from Cavriana to inform her husband of the success of their expedi- tion. " The Duchess of Urbino and I, together with Signor Fracassa's wife, went on Thursday to dine at Desenzano and to supper at TuscuUano, where we spent the night, and greatly enjoyed the sight of this Riviera. On Friday we returned by boat to Ser- mione, and rode here on horseback. Wherever we went we were warmly welcomed and treated with the greatest attention, most of all by the captain of the lake, who gave us fish and other things, and by the people of Saib, who sent us a fine present. To-morrow we go to Goito, and on Tuesday back to Mantua." ' So for the first time Isabella saw the lovely shores of Garda and the lemon groves of Sal6, and lingered in the classic gardens of Sermione, charmed with the delights of that fair paradise which she was often to visit in years to come. "These Madonnas," wrote one of the gentlemen-in-waiting, Stefano Siceo, from Cavriana on the 20th, " have been indefatigable in making excur^ons by boat and on horseback, and have seen all the ^rdens on the lake with the greatest deUght. The inhabitants have vied with 1 Luzfo e Benier, Matitoea e Vrbuio, p. 54. ^dbyGoOgle LETTERS FROM FERRARA 51 each other in doing them honour, and one Fermo of Caravazo caused his garden to he stripped for the Marchesana and her party and loaded them with lemons and pom^;Tanates." ' Meanwhile the blank which Isabella's departure had left at Ferrara made itself daily felt. Her old tutor Jacopo Gallino wrote that he could not keep back his tears when he thought of those happy days when she read Virgil at his side, and repeated the Eclogues in her clear voice. At Isabella's request he sent her old Latin books to Mantua that she mi^t pursue her studies and sometimes remember her poor old tutor. Another servant, Brandelisio Trotti, describes in his letters how he wanders, from room to room, through the desolate chambers where her angelic face once smiled upon him, recalling each word and act, and saying to himself: '* There my divine lady lived — here she spoke those sweet, thoughtful words." " In the whole palace," wrote Leonora's chamberlain, Bernardino dei Prosperi, " there is not a single courtier or serving woman who does not feel widowed without Yoiu" Highness. Even the tricks and jests of the dwarfs and clowns fail to make us laugh." Most of all to be pitied was the poor Duchess, who would not even allow the little window-shutters of Isabella's apartment to be opened, saying that she had not the heart to visit those empty rooms, knowing how great was the blank that she would find there. Isabella, to do her justice, did not forget her old friends. She wrote kind letters to her old tutors, Battista Guarino and Jacopo Gallino, and sent them presents of black damask and velvet in gratitude 1 Luzio e Benier, ManUna e Urhino, pp. 54—56. lb, Google 52 DEATH OF MADDALENA for their past services. She even remembered the clown Fritella, and sent a ducat and three yards of tan-coloured satin to this pet dwarf, who remained deeply attached to the young Marchesana, and whose blotted, ill-spelt letters are still preserved in the G^nzaga archives.' Early in April the Marquis took her back to Ferrara for a short visit, and in July, after the Duchess of Urbino had left Mantua, she returned to spend another fortnight with her parents. The sudden death of Maddalena Gonzaga, the young wife of Giovanni Sforza, on the 8th of August, within a year of her marriage, was a great shock to all her fEunily, and Isabella grieved most of all for the sake of EUsabetta, whose health was severely affected by this unexpected sorrow. Isa- bella herself was suffering from a slight attack of fever at the time, and Beatrice dei Contrari, the faithful Ferrara lady whom Leonora had solemnly charged to watch over her young mistress's welfere, would not allow the sad news to be told her for some days, " knowing her cordial affection for Ma- donna Maddalena, and feuring," as she wrote to the Marquis, " lest we should add ill to ill." ' A month later the Marchesana and her ladies took another excursion to the shores of Garda, and wrote to tell Elisabetta how much she missed her in these &ir regions and how ardently she wished for her to enjoy the good fish and the delights of the arch- priest's garden at Tuseullano. After her retiu-n to Mantua, she received a visit from her brothers Alfonso and Ferrante, and intended to accompany them to Ferrara, as her mother was suffering from 1 A. Luzio, / PrtceUori tTItabella tfEtle, pp. 13, 17. * Lusio e Renter, Manlooa e Urimo, p. 55. ^dbyGoogle ISABELLA AT FERRARA 58 fever, but in deference to Francesco's wish put oflF the visit till November. On arriving at Ferrara, Isabella found the Duchess engaged in active preparations for Beatrice's wedding, which was to take place at Pavia in January, but amid the stir and excitement around her she managed to write the following affectionate little note to her hus- band: — " My dearest lord, — If I have not written before, it is not that you have not been continually in my heart, but that I had simply not a moment to spare as long as the Milanese ambassador was here. Now I must do my duty and tell you that I can have no pleasure when I am away from Your Highness, whom I love more than my own life. — One who loves Your Highness more than herself, IsABEiXA DA EsTE DA GoNZAGA." Fcrrara, November 25, 1490. On the 28th Francesco replied to this loving little note in similar terms : — " Since you feel that you cannot be happy away from me any longer, which is only natural, con- sidering the immense love which we both feel for each other, it seems to me that, now you have satisfied your illustrious &therand mother's wishes, as well as your own affection for your femily, you might return home for our own happiness, and so I shall look forward to your arrival with impatience." And on the same day Beataice dei Contrari wrote to the Marquis: — " My illustrious lady is as beautiful, well and gay as possible, and wants nothing but the presence of Your Excellency to make her perfectly happy." ^ ^ Luzio e RenJer in Jrckivio Storico Lomhardo, vol xvii. p. 81. ^dbyGoOgle CHAPTER IV 1490—1498 Marriage of Beatrice d'Este to Lodovico Sforsa — Isabella's pre- parations for the wedding — Journey to Pavia and Milan — Marriage of Alfonso d'Este to Anna Sforsa — F£tes at Pemtra — Correspondence of Isabella with Lodovico and Beatrice Sforza — Isabella administers affairs of State — Galeotto's dyke — Visits to Ferrara, Milan, and Genoa — The Duchess of Urbino comes to Mantua — Isabella's affection for Elisabetta. The next few weeks after Isabella's return were spent in preparations for her journey to Milan. She had gladly accepted the courteous invitation sent her by Lodovico Sforza to accompany her mother and sister to the wedding, although her husband thought it best to decline for his part, fearing to offend the Signory of Venice, who looked with sus- picion on this alliance between the Sfoizas and Estes. The young Marchioness was determined to make a brave show on this occasion, and all the merchants in Venice and Ferrara were required to ransack their stores and supply her with furs, brocades, and jewels. Zorzo Brognolo, the Gonzagas' trusted agent in Venice, was desired to search all the shops in Venice for eighty of the very finest sables to make a sherrda or mantle. " Try to find one skin with the head of the animal," Isabella adds, " to make a muff, which I can carry in my hand. Never mind if it costs as much as ten ducats ; I will give the money gladly as long as it is really a fine fur. You must also buy eight yards of the best crimson satin which you can ^dbyGoOglC MARRIAGE OF BEATRICE 53 find in Venice to line the said sberma, and for Gk>d's sake use all your accustomed diligence, for nothing, I assure you, will give me greater pleasure." ' A few days later she entreats Giacomo Trotti, the Duke of Ferrara's ambassador at Milan, to send her two skins of Spanish cat, the best and finest that are to be found in that city, to trim this sumptuous mantle ; and in January 1491, when she had already started on her journey, she writes to G^noa and orders another sbenda of costly brocade to be sent by express courier to await her arrival at Pavia. The cruel hardships to which the Marchioness and her ladies were exposed during their journey in barges up the Po, the actual cold and hunger which they suffered, are vividly described in Beatrice dei Contrail's letters to the Marquis, while Isabella her- self has left a lively narrative of the brilliant festivities with which the Moro's wedding was celebrated in her letters to her young brother-in-law Giovanni Gon- zaga.* The young princess threw herself with ardent enthusiasm into the pleasures of the hour, and the friendship which she formed on this occasion with her new brother-in-law Lodovico Sforza was destined to prove an important factor in North Italian pohtics. The espous^ of her brother Alfonso with Anna Sforza, niece of Lodovico and sister of the reigning Duke of Milan, Giangaleazzo, were solemnised in the ducal chapel at Milan on the 28rd of January, but the final nuptial benediction was deferred for the present, and, on the 1st of February, the bridal pair 1 Liuio in fitiema Antoiopa, 1896, p. 455. ^ For detail! of the wedding and the later visits of Isabella to Milan, as well as the correspondence between the sisters, &c., see lay work on " Beatrice d'Este, Duchess of Milan," chaps, v. and vi. (Dent & Co., 1899). . ^dbyGoogle 56 ISABELLA VISITS THE CERTOSA set out on the return journey to Ferrara, accompanied by Duchess Leonora, Isabella, and their respective suites, and escorted by 200 Milanese knights and nobles. On their way to Pavia the distinguished travellers paid a visit to the famous Certosa, which the Dukes of Milan justly counted one of the finest jewels in their crown, and which both Isabella and her mother had expressed their wish to see. At first the Prior raised objections, and told the Regent that no women might be admitted into the convent precincts without a dispensation from the Pope. But Lodovico overruled his scruples, saying that he would take the responsibihty upon himself, and gave peremptory orders that church and convent should be thrown open on this occasion, and that the Duchess and her party should be feasted with "an abundance of lampreys" and other delicacies. After this no further objection was raised by the Prior, and the archives of the Certosa record how, on the 6th of February 1491, "there came to this monastery the wife of the Duke of Ferrara, with the Marchioness of Mantua and the brother and sister of the Duke of Milan, together with a suite of 400 horses and 800 persons, and the expense of supplying them with confectionery, fish and Malvasia wine amounted to 400 lire." ' That winter was exceptionally severe ; the streets of Milan and the pwk of Pavia lay deep in snow, and when the wedding party reached Ferrara the Po was still frozen over and himdreds of workmen were em- ployed to break the ice and make a passage for the bucentaur. On the 12th of February, the bride entered the city on horseback, escorted by the Duke ^ Carlo Magenta, / VitconU e Sforza nel CatUUo di Pavia. ^dbyGoogle ALFONSO D-ESTE'S WEDDING 57 and Alfonso, and followed by the Marquis and Marchioness of Mantua, Annibale Bentivoglio and his wife, Lucrezia d'Este, Ercole's leiumed sister Bianca d'Este, with her husband Galeotto della Mirandola, and the Ambassadors of Milan, Venice, and Naples. Four triiunphal arches, adorned with mythological groups, had been erected along the route by the ducal architect Biagio Rosetti, the builder of the Campanile of the Duomo and of the famous Palazzo Diamante. The Sun-god was seen driving his chariot on the arch opposite the Schifanoia palace, Cupid rode in his car drawn by doves in front of the Franciscan church, the Great Twin Brethren with their prancing steeds were repre- sented on the arch before the Duomo, while all the chief gods of Oljrmpus welcomed the bridal pair at the gates of the Castello. Here Leonora received the bride, and the nuptial blessing was pronounced by the Archbishop in the ducal chapel, while the German Kapellmeister, Don Giovanni Martini, played exquisite oi^n melodies, and the choir boys sang their sweetest strains. This was followed by a banquet and a representation of the Menaechmi with scenery painted for the occasion by a Ferrara master, Niccolo del Cogo, and a ball in which the Marquis of Mantua danced with t}ie bride and Alfonso with the Marchioness. Later in the evenftig Isabella and Anna Sforza danced country dances together amidst the applause of the assembled company, after which the bride was escorted to her chamber by her family and courtiers, with lighted torches and much noisy merriment." The concourse of guests assembled at Ferrara I Luzio e Renier in Arck. SL Lomb., vol. xvii. p. 96, ^dbyGoogle 58 ISABELLA GOVERNS MANTUA on this occasion was enormous. The Venetian Am- bassadors, Zaccaria Barbaro and Francesco Capello, brought as many as 150 persons in their suite, and the Duke's steward records that upwards of 45,000 pounds of meat were consumed at court during the week.' On the 17th of February, Isabella wrote a de- tailed account of these festivities to her sister Beatrice, whose absence from.Ferrara at this eventful time was the only thing she r^retted, and promised to keep her better supplied with letters now that the fites were over and she was quietly at home again. Lodovico, in his anxiety to gratify his sister-in-law, agreed to send a weekly courier to Mantua, and seldom failed to write himself, while Beatrice's Ferrarese ladies-in-waiting, Teodora degli Angeh and Polissena d'Este, kept Isabella well informed of all that happened at the court of Milan. Both the Duke and Duchess of Ban were exceedingly anxious that Isabella should join their hunting parties at Favia and Vigevano that summer, but the Marcbesa was unable to leave home, since her husband visited Bologna in June for his brother Giovanni's wedding to Laura BentivogUo and afterwards went on to see his sistCT at Urbino. Money was short at Mantua, and Isabella could ill ^ord the expense of another journey to her -sister's brilliant court. So she reluctantly declined hex pressing invitations, and like a good wife devoted herself to the management of her lord's pubhc and private affairs. The long letters which Isabella addressed to Francesco in his absence show how seriously she applied herself to public business and how anxiously 1 Muretori, R. I. S„ voL xziv. ^dbyGoogle GALEOTTO'S DYKE 59 she considered the good of his subjects. She often consulted her father and her brother-in-law Lodovico Sforza, on questions which concerned them as neigh- bouring Powers. That summer she was much troubled about a certain dyke which her uncle Galeotto della Mirandola had constructed in his dominions whereby the waters of the river Secchia were diverted from Mantuan territory, and many far- mers and peasants were threatened with ruin. In August, the Marchesa addressed an uigent entreaty to Lodovico, complaining that Galeotto had not only refused to attend to her request, but that, when she proposed to refer the question to the K^ent of Milan, he had actually boasted that the Moro was far more friendly to him than to the Gonzagas, " although," she added indignantly, " oiu- two houses are not only connected by ties of blood uid marriage, but united by the closest friendship, and all the world knows the great kindness and paternal affection which you have shown to my lord and in a still higher degree to myself, so that Messer Galeotto need not presume to think himself more highly favoiued than we are." Galeotto however remained obdurate, uid Duke Ercole at his daughter's request sent a shrewd lawyer, Pellegrino Prisciani, to examine the case and give her the benefit of his advice. In a letter dated the 18th of September, written from her favourite villa of Porto, she gives her father an amusing account of Messer Pellegrino's visit, and describes how the advo- cate listened attentively while she laid the case before him and took down notes of all that she said, after which he went on to Mirandola to hear Galeotto*s defence and report both sides of the question. " Messer Pellegrino," she writes in her lively style, ,y Google 60 A PEDANTIC LAWYER "began by making me a long eocordium which to my mind altogether surpassed the speech which he addressed to you. For in haranguing Your Excel- lency he only quoted Pliny, whereas in speaking to me he quoted Ptolemy, Vitruvius, Homer, Horace, as well as an innumerable quantity of other authors about whom I knew as little of the one as of the other I One thing however really pleases me. It is that after seeing and examining bM. these plans I have begun to learn something about architecture, so that in future when you tell me about your buildings I shall be able to understand your explanations better." And in a postscript she adds : " M. Pellegrino departed yesterday, so well primed with our argu- ments regarding the dyke of Secchia that I cannot ima^ne how Messer Galeotto will be able to answer him, unless, as is generally the case, he persists in denying the truth 1 " ^ Unfortunately we do not learn the result of the lawyer's mission, but as we hear no more on the subject can only conclude that the Prince of Mirandola was brought to reason and that the fair Marchesa won her case. In November, Isabella spent some weeks at Ferrara, and while she was there heard to her sur- prise that her husband had suddenly gone to Milan. '* My dearest lord," she wrote to him on the 4th of December, " I hear that you are gone to Milan and am vexed not to have known of this before your departure, as I would have left all the pleasures which I am enjoying here in the company of my father and mother, and would have come to Mantua at once to see Your Highness. But, as I did not know this in time, I send these few lines by a courier > Liudo e Renier in Giom. St. d. tdi. It., 1900. ^dbyGoogle ISABELLA GOES TO MILAN 61 on horseback to satisfy my anxiety as to your welfare, begging you to commend me to Signor Lodovico and the Duchess. — From her who longs to see Your Highness, Isabella d' Este, with her own hand." Francesco explained in a letter from Milan that he had informed his wife of his intended journey in a note which never reached her. Now he told her of the kindly reception which he had received from Lodovico and Beatrice, and of the honours and atten- tions with which he was loaded, " all of which," wrote Isabella in reply, "gave me incredible consolation, and were no less dehghtful to me than if I had been there in person." ' It was only in the following summer that Isabella herself was able to accept the Moro's repeated in- vitations and pay her long-deferred visit to Milan. A series of fites and dramatic representations were to be given at Pavia in honour of Duke Ercole, and Francesco Gonzaga wrote from Venice urging his wife to accompany her father. This, Isabella de- clared, was absolutely impossible. " I have received your letter," she wrote on the 25th of July, " and understand that you wish me to go to Milan. Certainly that is my own wish also, especially since I hear the idea gives you pleasure, which is my sole object in life, so that now I should go there with the greatest good-wilL But it is quite impossible that I should accompany my father, or even start soon ^ter him, as I have not the means. Half of my household are ill, and I must wait till they have recovered, and Your Highness can choose the gentle- men who are to accompany me. Meanwhile I will arrange my affairs so as to be ready to start as soon 1 Luzio e Renier in Arch. St. Lomb., voL xvii. p. Il6. lb, Google «2 HER JOURNEY as possible. But, of course, if Your Highness thinks differently, I will set out to-morrow, even if I have to travel alone and in my chemise. If, however, you are agreeable, I will write to Signor Lodovico and accept his invitation, and will let him know the date of my departure later on." The proud young princess had certainly no in- tention of appearing at the splendid court of Milan " in her chemise," as she described it. During the next few days letters were written and coxuiers were sent flying in all directions to order new clothes and jewels, not only for herself, but for the members of her suite. "Since we have to go to Milan in the middle of this month," the Marchioness wrote to her old servant, Brandelisio Trotti, at Ferrara, " I am anxious that the necklace of a hundred hnks should be finished by then, and I beg and implore you by the love you bear me to see it is ready in time. And since I am anxious that the few persons who accom- pany me should be honourably adorned with chains, I should be very glad if you would kindly lend your son Negro one of your own, as you did at my wed- ding." At length all the final preparations were made, and Isabella set out on her journey on the 10th of August. But half-way to Pavia she suddenly found that her best hat and jewelled plume had been for- gotten, and sent back the key of her black chest with orders to one of her servants to send it post haste.* The visit proved a great success, and Isabella's letters to her husband dwell with delight on the brilliant round of entertainments, hunting parties, and theatricals provided for her amusement, on the affectionate kindness of Lodovico and Beatrice, and 1 Luzio e Renier, op. ciL, pp. 348-350. ^dbyGoogle THE COURT OF MILAN 63 the enthusiastic welcome given her by the people of Milan and Pavia. Political events also occupy a prominent place in her correspondence at this time. Alexander Borgia had just been elected Pope in great measure owing to the powerful support of Lodovico's brother, Cardinal Ascanio Sforza, and Isabella faithfully reports the latest news firom Rome and the satisfaction of the More at the elevation of this Pontiff, who was to become ere long his most bitter enemy. But, in the midst of aH these pleasures and distractions, Isabella often si^ed for her hus- band's presence. " I will not deny," she wrote affectionately to him, "that I am enjoying the greatest pleasures ; but, when I think how far off I am from Your Excellency, I feel they are not half as delightful as they would be if you were here." The Marquis, however, was engaged in attending the public races at Brescia, Siena, Lucca, and other cities, and gladly gave his wife leave to visit Genoa before her return home. New and warmer clothes were necessary for this expedition now the summer was over, and Isabella wrote to her chamberlain, Alberto da Bologna, desiring him to have a new grey satin camora, with black velvet sleeves, made for her without delay.' Some misunderstanding, however, arose on the subject, for a week after- wards Isabella wrote again, this time in very im- perious fashion, telling Alberto that he must have lost, not only his memory, but his brain and eyesight by the fall of which he complained, and repeating her orders with greater minuteness than before. But no sooner had she sent this letter than she repented of her hasty temper, and with her usual ^ Luzio e Renier, Nuixa Jntologia, IS96, p. 451. ^dbyGoOgle 64 ISABELLA AT GENOA kindness she wrote another note, assuring her old servuit that she had only been joking 1 On the 1st of October, the Marchioness went to Genoa, attended by two of Lodovico's Avourite courtiers, Girolamo TuttaviUa and the Mu^hesino Stanga, and was received by the governor, Adomo, who rode out to meet her with an escort of Genoese nobles, mounted on richly draped mules, " which made a fine show," But, as Isabella herself tells us, the splendour of her reception was marred by a curious incident which is highly characteristic of the times. *' At six o'clock," she writes, " we entered Genoa, amid the noise of guns and trumpets, and I was conducted to the house of Messer Cristoforo Spinola, where the governor's wife and sister-in-law and other noble ladies were waiting to receive me. Before I had time to dis- mount, a crowd of workmen gathered round me, and seized my mule, according to their custom here. They snatched the bridle and tore the trappings to pieces, although the governor interfered, and I willingly gave it up to them. I was never so much frightened in my life, and was really afraid of some accident, but fortunately I did not lose my head. At length I was released from their hands, leaving my steed, a mule which Signer Lodovico had lent me, to be their prey. I must redeem it at a fair price, and shall have to buy a new set of trappings ! " ' . Isabella was summoned back to Milan by her sister's sudden illness, and as soon as she could leave Beatrice hastened home. Francesco was growing impatient at her prolonged absence, and wrote urgent letters desiring her to return, as his presence was re- quired in another part of bis dominions, and he had sent * Luzio e Renier, op. at., p. 359- ^dbyGoOgle ISABELLA'S CLASSICAL STUDIES 65 GioTanni to Rome to congratulate the new Pope on his accession. Unluckily, Beatrice dei Contrari fell dangerously ill on the return journey, and during some weeks Isabella was very anxious about this favourite companion. When she went to Ferrara in the end of November, she bej^;ed Beatrice to send her daily reports of her condition, " for, loving you as I do," she wrote, "I long to hear every hour how you are." Happily the lively maid-of-honour*s high spirits did not desert her, and she wrote amusing letters to Isabella, telling her how the Marquis had paid her a visit and spent two hours in her company, lamenting his wife's absence. " After discussing all manner of subje<!ts," adds the writer, "he ended by saying that he should have to take me for his wife in your absence, to which I repUed that I feared he would have a bad bargain, since Your Illustrious Highness is young and beautiful, and I am old and ugly and nothing but a bag of bones I " ^ The Marchesa however could not leave her mother, who had been in bad health all the summer, and remained at Ferrara until the end of the year, when Leonora set out for Milan and Isabella accompanied her to the borders of the Mantuan territory. Here the mother and daughter parted. The Duchess went on to Milan, where she was present at the birth of Beatrice's first-bom son, while Isabella returned home to devote herself to her studies, and make up for lost time, as she told her mother, by &esh zeal and assiduity. In spite of the manifold occupations and distrac- tions (^ the last two years, the young Marchesa had by no means given up her classical studies. I Liuio e Renier, op. cii., p. 360. VOL. I. E ., Google 66 HER TUTORS In a Latin letter which she addressed to her old teacher Guarino, in January 1492, she deplores the cares of state which interfere with her good inten- tions, and at the same time tells him that it is quite unnecessary to commend his daughter to her notice . since she already loves the girl both for her own sake and that of her father. A few months later she b^an to read Latin again with a new tutor, and in another letter Guarino exhorts her to persevere in the acqui- sition of that learning whidi cannot fall to bring her fame, since a truly cultured woman is as rare as a phoenix. For a time the Mantuan scholar Sigismondo Golfo helped the Marchesa in her studies, and sent her long letters retailing the court gossip, when she was at Milan or Ferrara. Since, however, she was no longer as familiar with Latin as she had been in her girlhood, she begged him to write to her in Italian for the present, in spite of the humanist's protests at this unworthy practice. By the end of the year, however, Golfo left Mantua, and in his stead Guarino sent Isabella one of his best scholars, Niccolo Panizzato, whom Leonora had chosen to accompany her son Ferrante on a journey to Hungary, and who was now a public lecturer in the University of Ferrara. The Marchioness agreed to give him the modest salary of three ducats a month and to provide for his family, and desired Niccolo to come to Mantua by the first boat that was available after the carnival f&tes were over, in order that she might lose no time in setting to work. But hardly had the new teacher set foot in Mantua, than Isabella sent him back to resume his worit at Ferrara, saying that her time was too fully occupied for her to resume her studies. Both the youth himself and Isabella's old master were bitterly ^dbyGoogle LETTERS TO ELISABETTA 67 disappointed. " It is really a thousuid pities," wrote Guarino, " both for the sake of the poor young man and for oin^elves, who hoped to have a Madonna of our own who would become honoured as a tenth muse." ' But the true reason for this sudden change of mind was the news whidi Isabella had just received that her beloved sister-in-law Elisabetta was on her way to Mantua. During the last year the Duchess of Urbino's presence had been anxiously expected at her brother's court But her coming had been r^)eatedly delayed by protracted illness, and Isabella's letters show how bitterly she had been disappointed in her hopes of once more welcoming this dear companion. When a year before Elisa- betta, instead of coming to Mantua, had been wdered to take the baths of Viterbo, the Marquis sent his sister's old friend, the Castellan Silvestro Calandra, to cheer her solitude, with the following letter, which does justice both to the warmth of Isabella's heart and the excellence of her sense : — " By the love I bear you, my dearest sister, 1 must say this one thing, that I hope the first bath you take will be a steadfast resolve to avoid all unwholesome things and live on those which give health and strength. Above all, I hope you will force yourself to take regular exercise on foot and horse- back, and to join in pleasant conversation, in order to drive away melancholy and grief, whether they arise from mental or bodily causes. And you will, I hope, also resolve to think of nothing but of your health in the first ^lace, and of your own honour and comfort in the second place, because in this fickle world we can do nothing else, and those who 1 Ltuio, / PrtcettoH ibabeUa tfEtte, p. S5. ^dbyGoOglc 68 THE DUCHESS OF URBINO do not know how to spend their time profitably, allow their lives to slip away with much sorrow aad little praise. I have said all this, not because Your Highness, being most wise yourself, does not know all this far better than I do, but only in the hope that, being aware of my practice, you may the more willingly consent to live and take recreation as I do, and as the Castellan will be able to inform you. And my husband is well content that he should remain with Your Highness until you leave the baths and as long afterwards as you choose, always on the understanding that you will soon come to Mantua, since otherwise he will not only recall the Castellan, but will, if possible, renounce all his love and connec- tion with you 1 " Calandra himself was given a letter couched in the same terms, giving him leave to remain with the Duchess as long as she persevered in her intention of coming to Mantua. " If, however, the Duchess changes her mind," wrote the imperious young Marchesa, " not only are you to return at once, but you are also to assure her that neither you, nor any one else, wilt be sent to her horn us, and that the tender love we bear her will undergo a complete change." But, although Elisabetta returned from Viterbo in somewhat better health, fresh causes arose to delay her visit to Mantua. First Guidobaldo fell ill, then he took his wife with him to Rome, after which she had a fresh attack of her old gastric complaint. When, in January 1493, Isabella heard that, instead of coming to Mantua, the Duchess had been sent to take the baths of Forretta, she began to despair of ever seeing her again, and wrote saying that nothing ^dbyGooglc COMES TO MANTUA 69 could give her pleasure this carnival, since all the fine plans which she had made for their mutual amuse- ment were blown to the winds ! " And the time which I hoped to spend in joyful intercourse to- gether 1 will now pass in dreary solitude, sitting alone in my studio lamenting your illness and praying God soon to restore you to health, so that if our desires may not be granted this carnival, they may at least be satisfied before the end of Lent." This last wish was happily fulfilled. On the 9th of March the Duchess started for Mantua, and Isabella sent the poet Picenardi with his lyre, in the bucentaur which went out to meet her, in order that he might beguile the journey with music uid song. The Marchesa herself and the chief citizens went to meet Elisabetta at Revere, and brought her back to Mantua amidst universal rejoicing. " And I really think," wrote Isabella to her mother a few days later, " that she is already beginning to feel the good effects of her native air and of the caresses with which I load her all day." ' ' LuBio e RenJer, Maniova e Urbino, pp. 58-62. ^dbyGoogle CHAPTER V 1481—1493 CorreBpondence of Isabella with her fkmjly and friends ; with merchants and jewellers — Her intellectual interests — Love of French romances and elassical authors — Greek ftnd Hebrew tnnslations and derotionaJ works — Fn Mariano and Savonarola — Antonio Tebaldeo — Isabella's friendships — Niccolo da Correggio — Sonnets and eclogues composed for her — Her love of music — Songs and favourite instruments — Atalante Migliorotti's lyre — Isabella's ctanerino in the Castello — Liombeni decorates her tbidiolo — Mantegna returns from Rome — Paints Isabella's portrait — Giovanni Santi at Mantua. Nothing is more remarkable in the history of Isabella than the vast correspondence which she carried on with the most different personages on the greatest variety of subjects. Her appetite for news was insatiable, her curiosity boundless. There was nothing which did not excite her interest, from the most important affairs of state down to the newest fashion in dress or jewellery, from the most recent discoveries in the New World or the last cantos of Ariosto's "Orlando" to the purchase of a carved turquoise or a Persian kitten. And she entered into the smallest details on these subjects with the same keen zest, and gave her orders with the same clearness and minuteness, whether the defence of the State or the painting of an illuminated missal were in question. The correspondence which she kept up with her relatives alone during these first years after her mar- riage must have occupied many hours. She wrote ^dbyGoogle jOOgIc idb,Goi)glc CORRESPONDENCE OF ISABELLA 71 weekly letters to her mother at Ferrara, to her sister Beatrice and Lodovico Sforza at Milan, to Elisabetta Gonzaga at Urbino, and corresponded frequently with her half-sister Lucrezia Bentivoglio and her husband, as well as with her own brothers. Alfonso d'Elste, her eldest brother, was deeply attached to this sister, who was only two years older than himself, and who shared his literary and artistic tastes. One day in the autumn of 1490, after paying Isabella a visit at Mantua, he sent her a long description of a tournament at Bologna, in which his brother-in-law Annibale Bentivoglio appeared in the guise of Fortune umI Count Niccolo Rangone figured as Wisdom. Both princes were attended by pages in French, German, Hungarian and Moorish costumes, and recited allegorical verses and broke lances after the approved fashion of the day. "I cannot tdl you," writes the enthusiastic boy, "how gallantly Messer Annibale bore himself, but I felt sorry for Count Niccolo when his horse stumbled and fell." A few months later he wrote to tell his sister that a new island had been discovered on the coast of Guinea, and sent her drawings of the strange race of men who dwelt there and of their horses and clothes, as well as of the trees and products of the country. The choice of new robes and jewels, of lurs and canioras naturally took up a laige part of Isabella's time and thoughts in these early days. She was in constant commtmication with merchants and gold- smiths, with embroiderers and engravers of gems. Countless were the orders for rings, seals, diamond rosettes and arrows, rubies, emeralds, and enamels which she sent to her agents at Ferrara and Venice. ^dbyGooglc 72 ORDERS FOR JEWELS One day she must have a cross of diamonds and pearls as a gift for her favomite maid-of-honour Brogna, the next she sends to Genoa for a choice selection of corals and turquoises. When she hears that her father has a rosary of black amber beads and gold and enamelled roses, she desires a Ferrara jeweller to make her one like it without delay, and when her sister Beatrice wears a jewelled belt brought from France, made in imitation of a cordone <U S. Francesco, she writes to ask for the pattern in order that she may copy it. The following letter to her father's agent, Ziliolo, who was starting on a journey to France in April 1491, is a characteristic specimen of the commissions which she gave her servants and of her eagerness to see her wishes gratified. " I send you a hundred ducats," she says, " and wish you to understand that you are not to return the money if any of it is left, after buying the things which I want, but are to spend it in buying some gold chain or anything else that is new and elegant. And if more is required, spend that too, for I had rather be in your debt so long as you bring me the latest novelties. But these are the kind of things that I wish to have — engraved amethysts, rosaries of black amber and gold, blue cloth for a camora, black cloth for a mantle, such as shall be without a rival in the world, even if it costs ten ducats a yard ; as long as it is of real excellence, never mind 1 If it is only as good as those which I see other people wear, I had rather be without it I " She goes on to ask Ziliolo not to forget to bring back some of the finest tela di Sensa — the linen made at Rheims, which was in great request at Italian courts, and ends by begging him to lose no chance ^dbyGoogle GOLD AND SILVER WORK 78 of hunting out some rare and elegant trifles for her use/ The commissions with which Zorzo Brognolo, the Mantuan envoy at Venice, was charged, were still more varied. Silks and velvets of Oriental manu- &cture, brocades patterned over with leopards and doves and eagles, perfumes, Murano glass, silver and mello work, very fine Rheims linen for the Marquis's shirts, even finer and more delicate than the pattern which she encloses — these are some of the things which he must procure without a moment's delay. Often, indeed, faithful Zorzo found it no easy task to satisfy the demands of his impatient young mistress. Skilled goldsmiths and engravers were slow to move and apt to put o£f commissions and linger over the work in a way that was very trying to Isabella's patience. " If the bracelets we ordered months ago are not here till the summer is over and we no longer wear our arms bare, they will be of no use," she writes on one occasion when the Jewish goldsmith, Ercole Fedeli of Ferrara, had foiled to execute her order punctually. Another time the same artist kept her waiting four years for a pair of silver bracelets, and would, she declared, never have finished them in her lifetime if Duke Alfonso had not thrown him into the Castello dungeon ! But the work when it came was so exquisitely finished that Isabella had to forgive him and own that no other goldsmith in the world was his equal. And certainly the scabbard which Ercole worked in nieUo for Ctesar Borgia, now in South Kensington Museum, and the sword of state which he made for the Marquis ^ // Luuo di Isabella d'Ette, A. Lnzio in Nuova Anlologia, 1696, p. 453. ^dbyGoogle 74 ENGRAVED GEMS Francesco, now in the Louvre, deserve the high praise which the Marchioness bestowed upon his work. It was the same with Anichino, another Ferrarese jeweller, who spent most of his time in Venice and engraved gems in the most perfect style. "Fortunate are those," sang a contemporary poet, " who are endowed with the genius of Anichino, for over them Time and Death have no power." " I will not fail," wrote Zorzo Brognolo to his mistress in 1492, " to urge Anichino to serve Your Highness quickly, but he is a very capricious and eccentric man, and it is necessary to hold him tight if you mean to get work out of him 1 " As usual Isabella had to bide the artist's pleasure and wait many weary months before her turquoise was returned engraved with a Victory. But when it came it was so beautifully worked that she forgot her displeasure and sent Anichino another gem to be engraved with a figure of Oipheus, telling him with many flattering words that he might be as slow as he liked, as long as the work came so near to antique art. This time, however, she owned to Brognolo that she was not altogether satisfied, but did not dare tell the artist her opinion for fear of exciting his wrath. " I know," she adds, "the man is the best master in Italy, but unfor- tunately he is not always in the right mood." * This fine taste and quickness to recognise true excellence naturally attracted the best artists into Isabella's service. She might be hasty and im- petuous in her orders; she often grumbled at the cost of pictiu^s and gems, tried to beat down the price, and was undoubtedly difficult to please, but ^ Gruyer, L'Art Ferrarmt & ttpoqve det Princet tCEste, vol. i. pp. 5TS, 714, &c ^dbyGoogle HER NEED OF MONEY 7« she was always ready to recognise good woric and to give the artist warm pruse. Naturally, how- ever, want of money often interfered with the gratification of her wishes, and she was compelled to return precious stones and finely carved gems because, as she told the goldsmiths sorrowfully, they were too dear. For the state of Mantua was small and its revenues could not compare with those of Milan or Ferrara. " Would to God ! " Isabella exclaimed when her brother-in-law Lodovico Sfoiza displayed his treasures before her dazzled eyes — " Would to God that we who spend money so gladly had half as much t " As it was, she often spent more than she could afford, and owed la^ sums to Taddeo and Piero Albano, the Venetian bankers, who generally advanced money both to the Mar- chesa and her husband. Often too she was forced to pledge her jewels and even her costly robes to raise money for political objects, to help Francesco in his wars or buy a cardinal's hat for his brother. The Mantuan agent Antonio Salimbeni wrote to her firom Venice in 1494, b^;ging that she would send him some money without delay, since he had all the merchants in the city on his shoulders, and could only give them good words, and hope that Her Excellency would soon come to the rescue. But Isabella was no spendthrift, and although she mi^t occasionally be led into extravagance, showed herself to be as practical in the management of her fortune as in everything else. When, in 1491, one of her husband's estates was seized by the Venetian merchant Fagano, Isabella hastened to redeem the land, paying down 2000 ducats and begging the Doge to be her security for the rest. Fagano began by rais- ed byGoogIc 76 FRENCH ROMANCES ing objections, and evidently looked with some distrust on the Marchesa's proposals, upon which Isabella lost no time in paying down the money, saying proudly to Brognolo : " He might have trusted us, for, as you know, we would rather die than break our word." But the raising of loans, and the purchase of rare gems and costly brocades, of elegant trifles and ornaments for her camerim were by no means the only commissions which Brognolo had to execute for his young mistress. From the first, intellectual interests played a large part in Isabella's life at Mantua. All through the summer of 1491, she was engaged in an active controversy with the Moro's son-in-law Galeazzo di San Severino, on the respective merits of the Paladins Rinaldo and Orlando, and entered into the lists with her wonted spirit and gaiety. On the one hand, she asked her old friend, Matteo Boiardo, to send her the latter part of his Orlajhdo Innamorato, as yet in manuscript ; on the other, she wrote to Brc^olo on the 17th of September: '.' We wish you to ask all the booksellers in Venice for a list of all the Italian books in prose or verse containing battle stories and fables of heroes in modem and ancient times, more especially those which relate to the Paladins of France, and send them to us as soon as possible."' Zorzo executed this commission with the utmost despatch, and on the 24th, sent her a list of works, containing, amongst others, a Life of Julius Caesar, the romances of Boccaccio, Piccinino, Fierabraccio, and several trans- lations from the French. Many other French and Breton romances, tales of the San Graal, of King 1 Luzio e Renter in Gtbm. St. d. Lett. It., 1899, p. 8. See also "Beatrice d'Eate," p. 68, &c. ^dbyGooglc CLASSICAL AUTHORS 77 Arthur and his Round Table, of Lancelot, Tristan, Amadys, Astolfo, Morgante Maggiore and Rinaldo di Montalbano, belonged to Isabella's library, and are mentioned in the inventory which was drawn up at Mantua in 1542, three years after her death. Her Gonzaga cousins at Gazzuolo shared this taste for French romances which Isabella had brought from the coviit of the Bstes, and many years afterwards, when Gian&ancesco's widow, Antonia del Salzo, was growing old, she begged the Marchesa to lend her the "History of King Arthur and the Round Table" and that of Gode- froi de Bouillon. " Now that I am often ill and unable to go out much, I like to have books read aloud to me,*' she writes, " and find that this passes the time pleasantly, especially when the story is quite new to me.'* Isabdla sent the books without delay, and Antonia gratefully acknowledged the parcel, saying that the French romances were read to her while she was at work every day, and that her brother-in-law Monsignore Lodovico was especially glad to see them, since a youth in his household was writing a book on Orlando, and hoped to find some new incident or idea in them.' But, dear as medieval romances were to Isabella's heart, classical authors were dearer still. The great Venetian Aldo Manuzio had not yet printed those choice editions which gave her so much delight in later years, but even in these early days her library contained a laige proportion of Latin authors, includ- ing the works of Virgil and Horace, of Livy and PUny, and the plays of Seneca, of Flautus and Terence. She never mastered the Greek language, 1 Lnsio t Senier, op. cit., pp. 8, 9i IS. ^dbyGoogle 78 LOVE OF^RSLBOQKS but read the works of Greek writers in Latin or Italian versions, and employed Demetrius Moschus to translate the Lives of Plutarch and the Icones of PhOostratus, which as a treatise on painting was of especial interest to herself and her contem- poraries. In 1498, she was seized with a wish to read Herodotus, and borrowed an Italian translation from her cousin Alberto d'Este, which she kept over a year, giving as an excuse £015 her delay in retin-ning the voliune, that it was such a big one and that she had not yet finished it. With the true spirit of the biblio- phile, Isabella loved to add rare works to her Ubrary, even when she could not read them, and was especially proud of a Greek Eustathius, which Pope Clement VII. was glad to borrow, and \^ich she once lent as a great favour to her cousin, Csesar of Aragon, b^ging him not to allow too many persons to see the precious volume, lest its reputation should be diminished! Even Hebrew literature occupied her attention, and she employed a learned Jew to translate the Psalms from the original, in order to satisfy her- self that the text was correct. An illustrated Bible was one of the first books which she desired Brognolo to procure for her whoi she came to Mantua, and some years later she paid Taddeo Albano fifty ducats for an illuminated copy of the Seven Penitential Psalms bound in a richly chased gold and silver cover. A copy of St. Jerome's Epistles, which she had borrowed from her old tutor Battista Guarino, interested her so much that she caused the work to be printed at Mantua in 1497.* Even at this eariy age the youthful Marchesa was fcMid of reading the Fathers and of hearing sermons. Some 6f the ' Liuio e Reoier, op. eii., pp. S1-S3. ^dbyGoogle SUOR OSANNA 79 most learned and eloquent friars of the day — the Goieral of the Carmelites, Fra Pietro da Novellara ; the Mantuan Cannelite Battista Spagnoli, Padre Francesco Silvestro of Ferrara, afterwards General of the Dominican Order — were numbered among her friends and correspondents. Her relations with the Dominican nun, Osanna dei Andreasi, ware still more intimate. This devout lady, a kinswoman of the Gonzagas, was r^^arded by Francesco and all his family as the protectress of Mantua, whose prayers they sought in time of war and plague. She was a wise and noble woman, whom the learned Francesco Silvestro held in high esteem, and as she was supposed to have received the st^;mata and to be oidowed with prophetic gifts, her fiune extoided &r and wide. Beatrice d'Fste induced her to visit Milan, where she was received as an angel of lig^t, and the Queoi of France, Anne of Brittany, asked her prayers that she might bear a schl Isabella was deeply attached to the Beata Osanna, to whom she turned in all her troubles, and after her death, in 1505, raised a splendid tomb over her ashes and o£Pered a silver head at her shrine. On one occasion the Marchesa believed the good nun's prayers had saved her from a dangerous illness, while on another they brought her instant relief from a violent headadie.^ And in an altar-piece of the Vision of the Beata Osanna, painted by Bon- signori, now in the Academy at Mantua, the portrait of Isabella is introduced kneeling with three of her ladies at the saint's feet' 1 Donesmondi, Sloria axUtiattica di Mantova, it 90. ^ Mr. Berenson first drew my attention to this portrait, vhich strongly resembles Leonardo's dr&wing ot IssbellA. CKiiiz^dbvCoogle 80 INTEREST IN SAVONAROLA In 1492, Fra Mariano da Genazzano, the cultured and popular Augustinlan, whose polished oratory at one time made him the rival of Savonarola in Florence, preached a coiu^se of Lent sermons at Man- tua, which pleased Isabella so much that she insisted on keeping him at her court for Easter. On his return to Ferrara, the friar told Duchess Leonora how deeply he had been impressed with her daughter's intelligence and devotion. " Indeed," wrote the gratified mother, "he praised you so much that he almost made me beUeve you are really all that he said, and this would give me the greatest pleasure in the world." ^ At the same time, like all the Este princes, Isabella never ceased to follow the career of Fra Mariano's rival with the deepest interest. A volume of Savonarola's sermons was in her library, and six months after his death, she sent to Ferrara for a copy of the Miserere, a commentary on the Fifty -first Psalm, which he had written in prison before his execution. " I send you the Miserere of Savonarola," wrote her brother Alfonso on the SOth of October, "which I have had copied by your wish, and which you will find a worthy and devout book."' For the great friar of San Marco was a citizen of Ferrara, and neither Ercole d'Este nor his children ever forgot that his grandfather, Michele Savonarola, had held the post of physician to the dueal &mily. But wide and varied as was Isabella's interest in all forms of literature, the study of poetiy remained her favourite pursuit. She was as indefatigable in her endeavours to obtain the productions of living bards as those of dead 1 Lurio e Reoier, op. at., p. 6S. * BibU>ifilo, i. 26. :dbv Google ISABELLA'S VERSES 81 authors, and her correspondence in these early years is as much concerned with sonnets and cauzom as with jewels and fine clothes. Antonio Tebaldeo, the young poet who had already acquired considerable reputation at the courts of Ferrara and Bologna, was constantly sending her his stramhotti and capitoli, and the insatiable Marchesa was always begging for more. *' Find out Messer Tebaldeo," she writes in December 1491, to Giacomo Trotti, her father's envoy at Milan, "and be^ him to send twenty or twenty-five of the finest sonnets as well as two or three capitoli which would give us the greatest possible pleasure." Sometimes she herself tried to express her thoughts in verse, and in one of his letters Tebaldeo speaks with high praise of a certain strambotto of her composition on the autumn trees which have lost their leaves, and thanks heaven that one of his disciples has attained an excellence to which he could never aspire, prophesying that she will go far in this direc- tion, and achieve miracles in poetry. Isabella, however, took these flattering words for what they were worth, and although she occasionally wrote verses in private, steadily refused to allow her productions to be handed round among her courtiers, saying that such attempts were more likely to bring her ridicule than fame.* But among all courtly poets of her circle the one whom she admired the most was her kinsman Niccolo da Correggio. From her earliest childhood she remembered him as the handsomest and most accomplished cavalier at the court of Ferrara, dis- tinguished alike by his prowess in war and touma- 1 S. Davftii, £11 Munca in Manlova, in Rtv. Sl Mont,, L S4 ; and A. Luzio, / PnceOori d'ltabella d'EsU, p. 53. VOL. i. F :d by Google 82 NICCOLO DA CORREGGIO ments, and by his polished courtesy and rare gift of poetic invention. His fame was celebrated by the most illustrious poets and writers of the age. Ariosto and Sabbjt da Castiglione sang his praises in the next century. Sperandio struck a noble medal in his honour, and Isabella herself spoke of him after his death as the most perfect courtier and finished poet in all Italy. The son of Duke Ercole's sister, that fair Beatrice who was known as the Queen of Feasts, and of a prince of the reigning house of Correggio, who died before his son's birth in 1450, Niceolo grew up at his uncle's coiut at Ferrara, and was held in high favour by the Duke and all his femily. He had been sent to escort Leonora of Aragon to Ferrara cm her wedding journey, and had accompanied her when she retinmed to Naples with her children in 1477. He served with distinction in the wars against Venice, and was taken prisoner and kept in captivity for nearly a year, to the great distress of the Duchess, who entered warmly into the grief of his mother and of his wife, Cassandra, a daughter of the famous captain, Bartolommeo Colleoni. In 1487, Niccolo's pastoral play of " Cefalo " was performed at Ferrara, and his eclogues and sonnets were in the hands of all lovers of poetry. Isabella frequently alludes to the choice copy of his poems, in white damask embroidered with diamonds, which he had presented to her father, and her own hbrary contained several volumes of his works. A copy of his romances was bound in red velvet, while his eclogues and another book called // Giardino were bound in black leather enriched with gold and silver clasps. Niceolo had been present at Isa- ^dbyGoogle HIS DEVOTION TO ISABELLA 88 bella's wedding, and again at that of Beatrice at Milan, where, although past forty years of age, he was pronounced by general consent to be the most splendid figure in all that brilliant company.' After this, the influence of his mother, who had married the Moro's half-brother Tristan Sforza, and the maiked favour shown him by Lodovico, induced him to settle at Milan, where he played a leading part in court and carnival festivities during Beatrice's Ufetime. But, although he rarely visited Mantua, he stiU remained deeply attached to Isabella, whose devoted slave he professed himself and with whom he kept up an animated correspondence. He addresses her habitually as Madonna umca mia, his beloved patrona and signoria, and speaks of her in his letters to others as la mia lUustrissima Isabella. And on one memor- able occasion, when a discussion arose at the Moro's palace of Vigevano on the illustrious women of the day, Niccolo da Correggio ventured to speak of the Marchesa as the first lady in the world — la prima donna del Toondo} In February 1491, Niccolo was present at the fites held at Ferrara in honour of Alfonso d'Este and Anna Sforza's marriage, and on this occasion showed Isabella a complete collection of his works in manu- script, with a dedicatoiy epistle to herself, destined to be published at some future date. At the same time he promised her a new poem of his own composition, as well as a translation of one of Virgil's eclogues. In the course of that spring he was sent by Lodo- vico on a mission to France, and before his departure, > T. Chftlcns, Raidua, p. 95. ■ Lutio, Niccolo da CorregffO, in Gtorn. St. d. Lett. It., vol. xxi. pp. SS9-341. ^dbyGoOgle 84 HER ADMIRATION FOR HIS POEMS wrote to the Marchesa assuriiig her of his devotion and offering to execute any commission for her in Paris^ On his return, Isabella lost no time in reminding him of his promise, and ended her letter with these characteristic words: "Since I am of an essentially greedy and impatient nature, I hold those things the most dear, which I can obtain the soonest." But the young princess had to restrain her impatience, and it was not until the close of the year that she received the fable of Psyche — a short poem in ottava rima, with an elaborate dedication which is still preserved in a few rare editions. Meanwhile rumours of Niccolo's new fable had reached Mantua, and a Milanese poet wrote to tell one of Isabella's favourite courtiers, Jacopo dAtri, Count of FianeUa, that he would soon see the Psyche composed for his illustrious Madonna. " It is finished," he goes on to say, " and will, I feel sure, please you, but on your honour I beg you not to say a word to any one, as the author does not wish the report to precede the presentation of his poem." ^ Isabella was anxious that her accomplished kinsman should spend the next carnival at Mantua, but he was detained at Milan, to organise the festi- vities at the Moro's court, and she did not see him until she went to Pavia and Milan that summer. Early in 1498, Niccolo sent her a copy of the Rime composed by his friend Gasparo Visconti, one of the sweetest singers of Beatrice's comt, but the Marchesa received the gift coldly, remark- ing that she should have much preferred to have the poems before they were printed, and begging Niccolo to send her anything new of his own, " for > Liuio, op. cU., p. 350. ^dbyGoogle A SILVER LYRE 85 without flattery I may say that your verses please me better than any other poems of the present day." ' But Isabella did not only turn to Niccolo da Correggio for verses and eclogues. She consulted him on many subjects and asked him to gratify many different fEmcies. When they met at Milan in the autumn of 1492, he invented a new design of cimningly interlaced links with which she pro- posed to adorn her next camora. This was the fejoous Jantasia dd vinci, which her sister Beatrice borrowoi with her permission, and wore, worked in massive gold, on a purple robe, at the wedding of Bianca Sforza and the Emperor Maximilian.^ And when the Duchess of Urbino was spend- ing the foUowing summer at Mantua, and the two young princesses constantly sang and played t<^- gether, Isabella, seized with a wish to learn some new instrument, wrote to beg Niccolo for the loan of a wonderful silver lyre which had been lately made for him by the renowned Florentine, Atalante Migliorotti. As usual, this courteous gentleman expressed his eagerness to comply with her request, and wrote, firam Corre^o, saying that his silver lyre should be sent to her as soon as he returned to Ferrara. " If you had not asked for Atalante's lyre," he remai^, " I would have sent you a smaller one, better fitted for a beginner, but since you wish for this one, I hope the name of Atalante and the memory of the giver will dispose you to learn the art with the greater readiness and afiection." He goes on to explain the meaning of 1 Davari, Riv. St. Maul., l p. 54. « " Beatrice d'Eate," p. «08, &c ^dbyGoogle 86 ATALANTE MIGLIOROTTI a new cantata entitled " Mopsa and Daphne," which had been performed at Milan last carnival, and which he is now sending her, but if she does not like it, promises to let her have another and a more attractive one, adding that she has only to ask, for he will be never weary of doing her service.' The lute, as we know, was Isabella's favourite instrument, on which she accompanied herself with rare skill and charm. A few months after her marriage her father allowed his favourite musician, the Constance organist Giovanni Martini, to pay a visit to Mantua and give her singing lessons. After his return to ' Ferrara the German priest sent his pupil a book of songs, begging her to remember his directions and practise them daily. At the same time Duke Ercole sent Isabella his own book of songs, in order that she might transcribe her favourite melodies, begging her not to keep it too long, but return it as soon as possible. In 1491, another Ferrarese musician, Girolamo da Sestola, came to Mantua to give her singing lessons, and after his return to Ferrara, remained one of her most constant correspondents. Now, however, a sudden fancy to learn other instruments seems to have seized her, and this same summer she wrote to the great musician Atalante himself, b^ging him to send her a silver citarra or lute, with as many strings as he chooses, but which shall be a "fair and gallant thing to see." Atalante, it appears, had visited Mantua in 1491, at the pressing en- treaty of the Marquis, to take the leading part in a performance of Polizianio's " Orfeo," which took * Lusio, c^. cU., p. 84^. ^dbyGoogle ISABELLA'S ROOMS 87 place at Marmirolo. In 1494, the Marchesa gave the Florentine musician a special token of favour by standing sponsor to his new-bom child, who was held at the font by the Ferrarese envoy Manfredi, and named after her.' The decoration of her rooms in the Castello was another subject which occupied much of the young Marchesa's thoughts at this time. Since the death of the Marchesa Barbara, ten years before, there had been no lady to reign over the court of Mantua, and Isabella may well have longed to bring some of the grace and beauty of her mother's camerim to brighten her new home in the grim old Castello di Corte. The apartments which she occupied during the greater part of her married life, were on the Piano Nobile of the Tower, close to the Camera Dipinta, as the nuptial chamber decorated with Andrea's frescoes was commonly called. These rooms looked over the waters of the lake and the long bridge of San Giorgio, and a staircase in the comer close to the Sala degli Sposi, led to her husband's apartments on the ground floor. Unfortunately these caTnerini, which Isabella occupied for more than thirty years, have undei^ne many alterations, and were mostly stripped of their decorations imder the Austrian rule, when the Castello was inhabited by soldiers for a himdred and fifty years. But one little room looking towards the lake, in the comer of the Castello, near the Palazzina or annexe added on by Isabella's son, Federico, at the time of his own marriage, still retains traces of the original ' D'Ancon&, Origim del Tealro Itaiitmo, voL it ; and Davari, op. oL ^dbyGoogle 88 DECORATION OF HER STUDIO decorations planned by the young Marchesa. Here we still find remains of gilding and ultramarine on the barrel-vaulted ceiling, and recognise the Gonzaga devices carved on the frieze of delicately inlaid wood- work. Here too, finely wrought in gold on an azure ground, are the musical notes and rests which were Isabella's favourite emblem, the impresa or device which she loved to wear on her embroidered robes, and the playing cards tied in packs together with the mystic numbers to which Paolo Giovio and other contemporaries allude. This charmingly decorated little room was, there can be little doubt, the studiolo which is so often mentioned in Isabella's letters, the peaceful retreat where she and Elisabetta Gonzaga spent their happiest days, surroimded by the books and pictiures, the cameos and musical instruments which they loved. At her first coming to Mantua, Isabella brought a whole train of artists, but most of these soon retiuned to Ferrara, and the court-painter, Ercole Roberti, suffered so much from sea-sickness on the journey up the Fo, and was so much exhausted with his labours before the wedding, that he left suddenly, without even bidding the Marchesa fare- welL' A Mantuan painter, Luca Liombeni, was the artist whom she entrusted with the decoration of her studiolo, as we learn from an imperious letter which she addressed to him from Ferrara, on the 6th November 1491. " Since we have leamt, by experience," wrote the impatient young princess, "that you are as slow in finishing your work as you are in everything else, we send this to remind you that for once you * Grujrer, op, at., il 154. ^dbyGoogle THE PAINTER LIOMBENI 89 must change your nature, and that if our t is not finished on otu* return, we intend to put you into the dungeon of the Caatello. And this, we assure you, is no jest on our part." Upon this the terrified painter ofibred the humblest apologies to his mistress, who replied on the 12th of November : — " In answer to your letter, we are glad to hear that you are doing your utmost to finish our stttdiolo, so as not to be sent to prison. We enclose a list of the devices which we wish to have painted on the frieze, and hope that you will arrange them as you think best, and make them appear as beautiful and elegant as possible. You can paint whatever you Uke inside the cupboards, as long as it is not an3rthiDg ugly, because if it is, you will have to paint it all over again at your own expense, and be sent to pass the winter in the dungeon, where you can, if you like, spend a night for your pleasure now, to see if the accom- modation there is to your taste ! Perhaps this may make you more anxious to please m in future. On our part, we will not let you want for money, and have told Cusatro to give you all the gold that you require." ' Meanwhile Mant^na had returned fi'om Rome in September 1491, after two years' absence from Mantua. He brought with him a letter from Isabella's old tutor, Battista Guarino, whom he . had formerly known at Verona, begging the Mar- chesa to look graciously on this master, whose excellent genius was indeed too well known to need any recommendation, and assuring her that he was as charming by nature as he was gifted in his art, I Limo, / PraxUori, Sec, pp. 18, I9. ^dbyGoOglc 90 MANTEGNA'S RETURN "EgU k tutto gentile."^ This description, it must be owned, hardly agrees with all that we hear of Andrea's irritable and suspicious temper. But from the first, Isabella appreciated his rare talent and proved a kind patron and faithful friend to the great master. The whole of the next year was devoted to his unfinished Triumphs, and by a decree of February 1492, the Maiquis bestowed a fresh gift of land upon the painter, " as a reward for the admirable works which he formerly punted in the Chapel and Camera of our Castello, and which in the Triumph of Oesar he is now painting for us, in pictures which seem almost to live and breathe."* The works in the Chapel here mentioned were in all probability the noble Triptych now in the Uflizi, containing the Adoration, Circum- cision, and Ascension, and the small altar-piece of the Death of the Virgin, with the view of the lake and bridge of S. Giorgio as seen from the Castello. This last-named picture came to England in 1627, with the chief treasures of the Gonzaga gallery, and is described in Van der Doort's catal(^e of Charles the First's pictures as "a little piece of Andrea Montania, being the dying of Our Lady, the Apostles standing about with white candles lighted in their hands ; and in the landskip where the town of Mantua is painted is the water-lake, where a bridge is over the said water towards the town. In a little ebony woodoi £rame." This precious little painting, on which Isabella's eyes must often have rested and which bore the words " Mantua piece *' in the King's own writing, was 1 W. BraghiroUi, fa Giom. di EnuL Art., i. p. SOS. * Archivio Gomaga, Ubro dei Decreti, S4, fol. 56, quoted by Kristeller, op. ctL, App. p. 486. ^dbyGoogle THE DEATH OF THE VIRGIN By Andrea Mantecna DiclzedbyGoOgle idb,Googlc HIS PORTRAIT OF ISABELLA 91 bought at the sale of his pictures after his execu- tion by the Spanish Ambassador Card^ias, and now hangs in the Prado at Madrid. By the end of 1492, the Triumphs were finally completed, and Andrea was at length able to execute a commission for Isabella. This was a portrait of herself which she wished to send to Isabella del Balzo, Countess of Acerra, the younger sister of Gian&ancesco Gonzaga's wife, Antonia del Balzo, who was apparently one of her intimate Mends. In January 1498, Isabella d'Este wrote the following letter to Jacopo d'Atri, her lord's envoy at Naples : — " In order to satisfy the most illustrious Madonna, the Countess of Acerra, whom we love t«iderly, we have arranged to have our portrait taken by Andrea Mantegna, and will ask him to send it to you in order that you may present it to her before you leave, and we hope that you will bring back the portrait of the said Countess, since she has asked for ours." Jacopo d'Atri returned to Mantua in April with a drawing of the Countess, which Isabella acknow- ledged gratefully in the following letter : — ** The sight of your picture gave us the liveliest joy, since you are as dear to us as our only sister Beatrice. If Our Lord God would only grant that we might see you once more and embrace you, it would make us happier than an}rthing in the world. This feeling prompted our urgent desire to possess your portrait and thus in some measure satisfy the longing oi our heart. Now that we have your image both on paper and in wax, we shall hold it very dear ^dbyGoogle 92 GIOVANNI SANTI and often look at it, although, team what Jacopo says and from our own recollection, neither portrait resembles you very much. But we know how difficult it is to find painters who take good like- nesses from life, and shall try to supply the artist's deficiencies with the help of the information given us by Maigherita, Jacopo, and others who have lately seen you, so that we mxy not be deceived in our idea of you. We thank you exceedingly for your kind- ness, and beg you to keep the promise made us through Jacopo, that you will send us wiother on panel, and we will do the same in compliance with your request. We do not say that you will see a beautiful picture, but at least you will have in your house a portrait of one who is your most loving sister." But when, a fortnight later, Andrea's portrait was finished, it failed to satisfy Isabella's critical taste. " We are much vexed," she writes on the 20th of April, " that we are unable to send you our portrait, because the painter has done it so badly that it does not resemble us in the very least. But we have sent for a foreign artist who has the reputation of taking excellent likenesses, and as soon as it is ready we will send it to Youjr Highness, who will not forget that we are altogether devoted to you." The foreign master was Giovanni Santi, the fiither of Raphael, who had been evidently recommended to Isabella by her sister-in-law, the Duchess of Urbino. Elisabetta sent him without delay, and he spent some time at Mantua that summer painting a series of &mily portraits — probably for the decoration of some hall in one of ,the Gonzaga villas — and began a picture of Isabella. Unluckily, before it was finished^he fell ill ^dbyGoogle AT MANTUA 98 of fever, and was compelled to return to the healthier climate of Urbino. Some months passed before Isa- bella was able to inform her friend that the portrait was ready, and would be sent to her straight from Urbino. " Most illustrious Madonna and dearest sister, in order to satisfy Your Highness — not because our countenance is so beautiful that it deserves to be painted — we send you, by Simone da Canossa, cham- berlain to the illustrious Duke of Calabria, a panel portrait by the hand of Zohan de Sancte, painter to the Duchess of Urbino, who is said to make good likenesses, althou^ from what we hear it seems that this one might resemble us more."^ This Contessa d'Acerra, to whom Isabella was so fondly attached, became the second wife of her uncle Federico, the last king of the house of Aragon who reigned over Naples. After that monarch died in France, his widow came back to Italy with her daughters and ended her days at the court of his nephew, Alfonso, Duke of Fenara. 1 A. Luzio, / Hilratti iChabella tfEtie in Emporium, 1900, p. 347. ^dbyGoOgle CHAPTER VI 149S— 1494 Discoveiy of the New World — The news reaches Mantua — Birth of the Moro's son — Isabella's journey to Ferrara and Venice — Reception by the Doge and Signory — Her relations with Gentile Bellini — Return to Mantua — Francesco Gonzaga at Venice — Death of Duchess Leonora — Birth of Leonora Gonsaga — Departure of the Duke and Duchess of Urbino — Decorations of Mannirolo and Gonzaga. While the young Gonzaga princesses were spending the spring days together, singing Petrarch and Virgil to the lute, or playing their favourite game of scar- tino, great events were happening in the outer world. On tJie 15th of March Columbus landed at Palos on his return firom his first voyage, and told the wondering Spaniards of the New World which had been discovered beyond the seas. Soon the news reached the little blue and gold stutUolo looking over the Mantuan lakes, and we can picture to our- selves the breathless excitement with which Isabella and her sister-in-law read the marvellous traveller's tales that came firom Spain. On the 22nd of April, Luca Fancelli, the old architect who had spent his last forty years in the service of the Gonzagas, wrote firom Florence to tell his lord and master, Marquis Francesco, these wonderful things. " Your Highness," he says, *' may have heard that we have had letters here telling us that the King of Spain sent some ships over the seas, which, after a ^dbyGoogle VOYAGE OF COLUMBUS 95 voyage of thirty-six days, discovered certain islands, amongst others a very big one lying east, with broad rivers and terrible mounttuns, and a very fertile land, inhabited by handsome men and women, who go naked or only wear a cotton leaf round the waist. This country abounds in gold, and the people are very courteous and liberal of their property, and there are quantities of palms of more than six dif- ferent kinds, and some wonderfully tall trees. There are other islands, five of which have been given names, and one which is nearly as large as Italy. And the rivers there run with gold, and there is plenty of copper but no iron, and many other won- ders, and you can neither see the Arctic nor the Antarctic poles." Further partictilars came from two of Francesco's servants, Giovanni dei Bardi and Giambattista Strozzi, who had been sent to buy horses in Spain, and who now wrote from Cadiz, saying: "A Savona sailor named Columbus has landed here, bringing 80,000 ducats in gold, as well as pepper and other spices, and parrots as big as falcons and as red as pheasants. They foimd trees bearing fine wool, and others which produce wax and linen fibres, and men like Tartars, tall and active, with long hair fJaiUing over their shoulders. They eat human flesh, and fatten men as we do capons, and are called cannibals. ... It is certain that these sailors have brought back a great quantity of gold, sandal-wood, and spices, and what I myself have seen — sixty parrots of variegated colours, eight of them as big as falcons — as well as twelve Indians, who have been sent to the King. And in that land they foimd great forests in which the trees grow so thickly you could hardly see the ^dbyGoogle 96 THE INDIANS IN SPAIN ' sky, and if some men had not climbed to the top of the trees they would never have got out again, and many other things of which I have not time to tell." A few months later, Isabella herself received the following letter from a Cremona scholar at Ferrara named Ponzone : " I hear that a man named Colum- bus lately discovered an island for the King of Spain, on which are men of our height but of copper-coloured skin, with noses like apes. The chiefs wear a plate of gold in their nostrils which covers the mouth, the women have faces as big as wheels, and all go naked, men and women alike. Twelve men and four women have been brought back to the King of Spain, but they are so weakly that two of them fell ill of some sickness which the doctors do not understand, and they had no pulse and are dead. The others have been clothed, and if they see any one who is richly clad they stroke him with their hands and kiss his hands to show how much they admire him. They seem intelligent, and are very tame and gentle. No one can understand their language. They eat of everything at table, but are not given wine. In their own country they eat the roots of trees and some big kind of nut which is like pepper but yields good food, and on this they live." ' Meanwhile affairs nearer home claimed Isabella's attention. Her mother's ladies wrote long letters from Milan giving fuU particulars of the birth of Beatrice's son, and of the splendid festivities and rejoicings with which this event had been hailed. Isabella's warm heart glowed with affection when she heard of the beUo puttino, and she told her sister how she longed to hold the babe in her arms and cover ' G. Bei^het, Fonfi Ilal. per la Storia della Scoperta del Nwvo Monda, pp. l65, 1 69. ^dbyGoogle ISABELLA'S JOURNEY TO VENICE 97 him with kisses, but she was, not unnaturally, inclined to wish for the same blessing herself, and to envy Beatrice's prosperity. When Francesco Gon- zaga, on his return from Venice in April, brought his wife an invitatioo from the Doge to attend the Ascension-tide festivities in that city and witness the yearly ceremony of the espousals of Venice with the sea, IsabeUa accepted the ofFer joyfully. But when, a few days later, she heard from her mother that Lodovico and his wife were coming to Ferrara in May, and that Beatrice was to accompany Duchess Leonora to Venice, she told her husband that nothing would induce her to visit Venice at the same time. And since it was impossible to vie with the splendour of her sister's train, she begged to be allowed to appear without ceremony before the Doge as his humble servant and daughter. Fortunately the Moro's journey was delayed, and IsabeUa left Mantua early in May and travelled by boat to Ferrara. On her arrival she sent an affectionate note to her sister-in-law Elisabetta, from whom she had parted with much regret. " When I found myself alone in the boat, without your sweet company, I felt so forlorn I hardly knew what I wanted or where I was. To add to my comfort, the wind and tide were against us all the way, and I often wished myself back in your room playing at scartino ! " ' On the same day Elisabetta wrote saying that the weather had been so bad since the Marchesa's departure that she had never left her room, and complaining that she only felt half-alive now that ' CofnaietUra Sltabella, lib. iiL, quoted by Liudo, Manlava t Urbino, p. 63. VOL. I. G ^dbyGoogle »8 HER RECEPTION she was deprived of her sister's channing conver- sation.^ After assisting at the wedding of Guide, the son of the accomplished poet Tito Strozzi, and at a dramatic representation in honour of the occasion, which afforded her great delight, Isabella continued her journey, accompanied by her brother-in-law, the papal protonotary, Sigismondo, and reached Cbiog^a on the 18th of May. Here she was lodged in the palace of the Fodestk, and sumptuously entertained at the Signory's expense. After supper three Venetian patriciuis who had been present at her wedding — Zorzo Pisano, Zaccaria Contarini, and Francesco Capello — waited on her to bid her welcome in the Doge's name, and escorted her to the palace near San Trovaso occupied by her husband as captwi of the Republic's armies. Early the next morning Isabella entered the port of Venice, passing between the forts of Malamocco so quietly that she hardly saw them, and was received at Santa Croce by the Doge and Signory, together with the ambassadors of Naples, Milan, and Ferrara.* The scene that followed is best described in her own words. " Here I landed and met the Prince and ambas- sadors coming out of the church, and kissed His Serene Highness's hMid and exchanged courteous greeting, after which he led me to his bucentaur, which was loaded with gentlemen and ladies. There were ninety-three of these last, all richly attired and glittering with jewels, and I am sure that not one among them had less than 6000 ducats worth of precious stones upon her person. I sat on the 1 P. Ferrato, Letiere inediU di Donne Mantovane del Secolo, xv. p. 56. s Luzio e Renier in Arch. Si. Lomb., xvii. 366-372. ^dbyGoOgle ISABELLA VISITS THE DOGE 99 Prince's right, and so, talking of many things, we rowed up the Canal Grande to the soimd of beUs, trumpets, and guns, accompanied by such a crowd of boats and people that it was impossible to cotmt them. I cannot tell you, my dear lord, what lov- ing attention and great honour are paid me here. The very stones of Venice seem to rejoice and be glad of my coming, and all for the love which they bear Your Excellency. Not only my own expenses, but those of my whole suite, are liberally defrayed, and two gentlemen have been deputed to provide for us. . . . To-morrow the Doge and Signory are to give me an audience, and I will reply as you desired to the best of my abiUty. I do not describe the beauties of this place as you have been here so often, and will only say that it seems to me, as it does to you, the finest city which I have ever seen." The next day forty gentlemen escorted the Mar- chesa to the Sala del Collegio, and the Doge, taking her by the hand, placed her on a seat on the tribunal on his right hand, while Sigismondo Gonzaga sat on his left. Then, rising and bowing with charming grace towards the Doge, Isabella expressed her joy at being allowed to assure His Serenity of her reverence and loyalty for him and this illustrious Signory imder whose shadow and protection her lord wished to live and die, and begged to commend the Marquis, his State, and herself to their protection. The Doge replied in gracious words, and invited her to attend vespers in San Marco, a function which Isabella, tired with the heat and length of these ceremonies, found very tedious. " I know," she wrote to Francesco, "that to-morrow's ceremony will be no less weari- some, but I will bear it cheerfully for the sake of lb, Google 100 THE BELLINI seeing so many fine things and doing honour to Your Excellency." The solemn espousals of Venice with the sea, and the state banquet which followed, proved even more fatiguing than Isabella expected. "Have pity on me," she wrote that evening, *' for I was never more tired and bored than I am with all these ceremonies. ... It seems to me a thousand years until I can get back to Mantua 1 For, although Venice is a glorious city and has no rival, to have seen it once is quite enough for me." ^ The concluding days of her visit, however, were spent more pleasantly. She visited Queen Caterina Comaro in her beautiful home at Murano, assisted at a sitting of the Great Coimcil, and went to the Church of S. Zacearia to hear the nuns sing. She spent one afternoon with her hus- band's uncle, the Duke of Bavaria, who was staying in Venice and showed her the most cordial affection ; and she visited the ducal palace and saw the noble frescoes which Gentile and Giovanni Bellini were painting in the Council-halL On this occasion she probably made the acquwntance of the painters themselves, whose sister Niccolosia was the wife of Andrea Mantegna, and saw the wonderful portrait of Sultan Mahomet II. which Gentile had lately brought back from Constantinople. At the same time she expressed a great wish to have a portrait of the Doge Agostino Barbarigo upon which Gentile was engaged, and, after her return to Mantua, she desired Antonio Salimbeni to remind the painter of her request, and to beg that he would send the Marquis plans of Cairo and Venice. On the 1st of October the Mantuan agent informed his lord that Gentile would gladly 1 Laxio e Renier, op. cU., p. S71, ^dbyGoogle ISABELLA RETURNS TO MANTUA 101 oblige him and his illtistrious lady, but three weeks later he excused himself on the plea of pressing engagements and begged the Marehesa to write to the Doge herself on the subject. Accordingly Isa- bella addressed a letter to the Doge, which was duly delivered by her envoy Battista Scalona, begging him to gratify her earnest desire to possess his portrait. "The Most Serene Prince," wrote Scalona, "called one of his secretaries and bade him give the Marehesa the most gracious answer, explaining that Gentile's portrait was already promised to his nephew, but that he would desire the painter to have it copied for her without delay." Since, however, we find no mention of a picture by Gentile Bellini in Isabella's collection, it is doubtful if the work was ever executed. But the phai of Cairo which Gentile had promised '* on the faith of a cavalier " to let the Marquis have was really brought to Mantua by Scalona on the 22nd of December, together with an old plan of the Piazza di San Marco and the ducal palace, by the hand of his father, Jacopo Bellini.* On the 20th of May, Isabella left Venice, and spent the night at Padua. After paying her vows at the fiunous Basilica of II Santo, she went on to Vicenza and Verona, where she was received with great honour, and entertained at the expense of the Signory. Meanwhile her return was impatiently awaited by Elisabetta, who wrote charming letters to her absent sister, saying how much she missed her sweet companionship, greatly as she rejoiced to hear of the honours which had been paid her in Venice, and begging her to return quickly, lest the ■ Yriarte, IsabeUe tfEtle et le* Artitles de toit Untp*; GwseOe da Beatue Art*, xv. p. Sl6. ^dbyGoogle 102 THE VILLA OF PORTO excessive heat should injute her health.' The Mar- quis was superintending the works at his favourite villa of Marmirolo, and only paid his sister flying visits, so that the Duchess gladly obeyed Isabella's invitation to meet her at Porto, outside Mantua, " where," she wrote, " we may together enjoy the pure country air and tell each other all that has happened since we parted." ' The two princesses spent the next six weeks in this villa, which Francesco had lately bestowed on his wife, and which she was to improve and beautiiy so much in future years. Here they read and sang together, in the terraced gardens on the Mincio, and Jacopo di San Secondo, the accomplished viol- player, who had been sent from Milan as a special act of courtesy on Lodovieo Moro's part, serenaded them with exquisite music through the long summer evenings. Isabella was blissful, and not even the accounts which the Marquis sent from Venice of the splendid f^tes In honour of her mother and sister could make her wish to be there. *' To say the truth," she wrote to Duchess Leonora, " all these fgtes and ceremonies are very much alike." She was better pleased to hear from her husband of the excellent impression which she herself had made on the Doge and Senators. Wherever he went, the praises of her charms rang in his ears. Everywhere he heard how honourably she had been entertained, and with what infinite tact and skill she had behaved. He himself could not commend her wisdom and discretion too highly, and all he now begged was that his wife would take great care of her health and ' Fcrrato, op. cit., p. 85. 1 Luxio e Renier, MaiUmia e Urbuio, p. 6?. ^dbyGoOgle DEATH OF LEONORA 108 be of good courage for his sake. The warmth of Francesco's affection for Isabella was evidently in- creased, not only by gratitude for her good offices with the Venetian Signory, but by the hopes of an heir which she had begun to entertain. In July, the Marchesa tore herself reluctantly away from her sister-in-law to visit her mother, whose health was ^ving her family anxiety, and spent a month at Ferrara. It was the last time that she ever saw the good Duchess, who died on the 11th of October of a gastric fever which carried her ofi^ in a few days. Francesco Gonzaga hastened to Ferrara, but gave orders that the sad news should be kept from the Marchesa until his return. But when no letters came from the Duchess for a whole week, Isabella's fears were aroused, and she heard frvm a Milanese correspondent, " who," as Capilupi wrote to the Marquis, " must have been either very imprudent or still more wicked," that her beloved mother had been dead three days. Happily no harm was done, and after the first outburst of grief Isabella showed her usual good sense and self-control. The highest honouis were paid to the dead Duchess both at Ferrara and at Mantua. The saintly friar, Bernar- dino da Feltre, preached the funeral sermon, young Ariosto wrote an elegy on her death, and Latin orations were pronounced by some of the most dis- tinguished humanists of the day. But more touch- ing than any of these pompous tributes was a letter in which Battista Guarino poured out the grief of his soul to his old pupil. " If I had a hundred tongues, dearest lady," he wrote, " I could not express the grief which I feel at the death of our Madonna. I long to fly to you and ^dbyGoogle 104 BIRTH OF ISABELLAS DAUGHTER comfort you, but am myself in sore need of consola- tion. The whole city is weeping for our dead lady, and I, who received so much kindness from her, am more unhappy than any one, and can only take comfort in feeling that this is the will of God. I am sure that none of those saints whom the Church has canonised, ever made a better or more devout end than she did, as you will learn firom a few words which I spoke over her grave, which I will send you, in memory of this virtuous and excellent lady. And I will see that Your Excel- lency is not the last to receive a copy, for I have always looked upon you as my mistress, but how much more now that I have lost her who was my sole hope and refuge I Forgive me if I cannot say more, but tears will not allow me to write. — Your faithful servant, Battista." ' Fortunately for the Marchesa's happiness, she was able to forget her grief in her new hopes, and on the last day of the year 1492, she gave birth to her first child — a daughter, in whom, as she wrote to her aunt Beatrice, the wife of Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary, "the name and blessed memory of my mother shall live again.*' Congratulations poured in from all sides. Fra Mmano and the holy nun Osanna sent the mother and child their blessing, and the poor fool Mattello wrote in his maddest and merriest mood, telling his dear Madonna not to have a thought or care in the world, now that she had given birth to a lovely daughter. He proceeded to address the new-bom princess as LeoTwra zentile — Leonora mia beUa — Leonora mia cava, informed her that he was coming from Marmirolo to her christening, and 1 Luzio e Renter in Gion. St. d. Lett., vol. xxxv. ^dbyGoOgle GIOVANNI DEI MEDICI 106 ended by begging her fether the Marquis for a dole on this happy occasion, Isabella herself however did not conceal her disappointment at the sex of the child, as we learn from the letter which she wrote to her sister on New Year's Day. " You will have heard that I have a daughter and that both she and I are doing well, although I am sorry not to have a son. But since this is the will of God, she will be dear to me.'" The child received the names of Leonora Violante Maria, and Lodovico Sforza, his wife Beatrice, the Doge of Venice, and Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco dei Medici were among the sponsors. None of tJiese illustrious personages, however, were able to be present at the christening, but Lorenzo dei Medici wrote a courteous letter to the Marquis, thanking him for the honour which he had paid him and congratulating him and the Marchesa on the happy event. *' I hope," he adds, " that this new- bom daughter may grow up to be a great joy to you, and that God will give you sons in future." Since he was tmfortunately too xmwell to attend the christening, he promised to send his brother, Giovanni dei Medici, to take his place. This prince, who soon afterwards became the third husband of Cate- rina Sforza, the famous Madonna of Forli, visited Mantua on the 2nd of March, and was entertained by Isabella, as we learn from the following note to her absent lord ; — " The Magnificent Giovanni dei Medici arrived this morning in time for dinner. I have given him rooms in the Corte and sent Giovanni Fietro Gonzaga and Lodovico Uberti to wait on him. Aft^ dinner he paid me a visit, and I entertained him and showed 1 Luzio e Renier, Maniova e Vrbino, p. 69. ^dbyGoogle 106 ELISABETTA LEAVES MANTUA him tJie Cunera and the Triumphs and afterwards took him to see cm- little girl." ' The Camera was the Sala degli Sposi, decorated with Mantegna's fiescoes, while his newly completed Triumphs hung in a hall in that portion of the Castello known as the Corte Vecchia, and were not removed to Francesco's new palace of San Sebastiano until the year 1506. Elisabetta Gonzaga had been induced to remmn with Isabella for her confinement, and only returned to Urbino on the 20th of January, with her husband Duke Guidobaldo, who came to spend Christmas at Mantua. Her departure was greatly lamented by the Marchesa, who sent her a tender little note on the same day, saying how sadly she missed her sweet and loving conversation. " It seems strange enough," she adds, " to be without you as long as I am in bed, but it will be much worse when I leave the house — for there is no one whom I love like you, excepting my only sister, the Duchess of Bari." Her recovery, however, proved rapid. A week later she rode out through the town, to the joy of all the people, and the next day went to pay her vows at S. Maria della Grazie, a favourite sanctuary of the Gonzaga princes, on the other side of the lakes, five niiles from Mantua. Early in February, we find her enjoying hunting parties and theatricals, at Marmirolo, that superb country-house which Francesco Gonzaga delighted to adorn. For the last three years architects and artists had been busy here. Mantegna's son Fran- cesco had painted a series of Triumphs on canvas, in • Archivio Gonsaga, quoted by P. Kristeller, Andrea Mantegna, App. ^dbyGoOgle DECORATIONS OF MARMIROLO 107 imitation of his father's great works, and both this artist and the Veronese master Bonsignori, who had entered the Marquis's service in 1488, were now engaged in decorating certain halls with views of Greek and Turkish cities. Constantinople, Adrianople, Gallipoli and Rhodes were all repre- sented in the Camera greca, and groups of Turkish women bathing and going to mosque, as well as a portrait of the Sultan's ambassador, were painted on one of the walls. The plans provided by Gentile Bellini were evidently destined to hang in three rooms, and one hall, we are told, contained a Mappa- mondo drawn in charcoal. In 1496, the Marquis applied to Giovanni Bellini for a map of Paris, and the painter promised to do his best to satisfy His Excellency, but said he could not vouch for its correctness, since he had never been in France. Francesco addressed the same request to Lorenzo dei Medici when he asked him to stand godfather to his infant daughter, but such a thing, it appeared, was not to be found in the whole of Florence. Isabella, as mi^t be expected, shiu^d her husband's taste for topographical plans and maps. Many years after- wards, she ordered copies to be made of a celestial and terrestrial globe in the Vatican Library, and sent to Venice for the latest plans of Constantinople and Cairo. ^dbyGoogle CHAPTER VII 1494—1495 Journey of Isabella to Loreto and Urbino — Letters from Gubbto and Urbino-Cbarles VIII. enters Italj—The Marquis of Mantua refuses his offers — Visit of Isabella to Milan — Con- quest of Naples by the French — League against France — Francesco Gonzaga, captain of the armies of the League — Isabella goTems Mantua — Battle of the Taro— Heroism of Francesco Gonzaga — Rejoicings at Venice and Mantua — The Jew Daniele Norsa and Mantegna's Madonna della Vittoria. As soon as the carnival i^tes at Mannirolo were ended and her infiuit daughter had been christened, Isabella set out on a pilgrimage to Loreto, to fulfil a vow which she had made to Our Lady before the birth of her child. She started on the 10th of March, taking with her an offering of chased gold ornaments, worked by the skilful Mantuan goldsmith, Barto- lommeo Meliolo, who had lately been appointed Master of the Mint, and whose medals of the Gonzaga princes are well known. Her original intention had been to spend Holy Week at Urbino with her sister-in-law, but the Duchess be^ed her to put off her visit till after Blaster, since it was diiHcult to obtain suificient supplies of fish at Urbino to feed a large number of guests. So after spending a few days at Ferrara and a night at Ravenna, where she visited the ancient churches and admired the mosaics, the Marchesa travelled by Pesaro and Ancona to Loreto. Here she ^dbyGoogle ISABELLA AT GUBBIO 109 arrived on Wednesday in Holy Week, and con- fessed and communicated at the altar of the Santa Casa on Maundy Thursday, In a letter to her husband from Ravenna she informed him that she intended to spend Easter at Gubbio, and then devote one day to Assisi, and another to Perugia, " both in order to see that noble city, and because, if I am to hear mass and dine at Assisi, there would not be time to return to Gubbio the same day. From Assisi to Perugia, I hear, it is only ten miles, through a most beautiiM valley, and twelve more from Perugia to Gubbio."^ But when the Marchesa reached Gubbio she found the Duke and Duchess of Urbino awaiting her, and was induced to spend ten days with them at Gubbio, and another fortnight at Urbino. From Gubbio she visited Assisi, where she saw Giotto's frescoes and paid her vows at the tomb of St. Francis, and Camerino, where her cousins, the Varani, gave her a warm welcome, and would gladly have de- tained her longer. But she was eager to return to Gubbio, and was as much sbuck with the beauty of the spot as the splendour of the ducal palace, which had been the favourite abode of the last Duchess, Battista Sforza, where her son Guidobaldo was bora, and where she herself died. " This palace," she wrote on the 30th of March to her husband, " is magnificently furni^ed, besides being a noble building, and is so finely situated that I do not think I have ever seen a place which pleased me better. It stands on a height overlooking the town and plain, and has a delightful garden, with a foimtain in the centre." To-day the fair gardens ' Lu2io e Renier, Montava e Urbino, pp. 7S, &c. ^dbyGoogle 110 PALACE OF URBINO are desolate, and the sumptuous fittings of the palace are gone, but a considerable portion of Duke Federico's building still remains. We can look down from the beautiful loggia on the view which Isabella admired, and breathe the health-giving breezes which Elisabetta praised in her letters. But the famous palace of Urbino inspired the young Marchesa with still greater enthusiasm. " This palace," she writes to her husband, " is far finer than I ever expected. Besides the natural beauty of the place, it is very richly fiimished with tapestries, hangings, and silver plate ; and I must tell you that in all the different rooms which I have occupied in this Duke's different homes, the hangings have never been moved from one place to another, and from the first moment when I arrived at Gubbio until now, I have been entertained more and more sumptuously every day: indeed I could not have been more highly honoured if I had been a bride I I have repeatedly begged my hosts to reduce these expenses and treat me in a more familiar way, but they will not listen to this. This is, no doubt, the doing of the Duke, who is the most generous of men. He holds a fine court now, uid lives in royal splendour, and governs the State with great wisdom and humanity, to the satisfaction of all his subjects." It was not till the 25th of April that Isabella finally took leave of the Duke and Duchess, who was inconsolable at parting from her dearly-loved friend, and wrote the following note within the next twenty-four hours: — " Your departure made me feel not only that I had lost a dear sister, but that life itself had ^dbyGoogle DEATH OF GIOVANNI SANTI 111 gone from me. 1 know not how else to soften my grief, except by writing every hour to you, and telling you on paper all that my lips desire to say. If I could express the sorrow 1 feel, I believe that you would come back out of compassion for me. And if I did not fear to vex you, I would follow you myself. But since both these things are im- possible, from the respect which I owe Your High- ness, all I can do is to beg you earnestly to remember me sometimes, and to know that I bear you always in my heart." The tender-hearted Duchess experienced a fr%sh sorrow that summer in the death of her favourite painter, Giovanni Santi. He had never recovered from the fever which he caught at Mantua in the previous autumn, and died on the 1st of August. " About twenty days ago," wrote Elisabetta to her sister-in-law on the 19th, "our painter, Giovanni dei Sancti, passed out of this Ufe, being in full possession of his senses, and in the most excellent disposition of mind. May God pardon his soul t " On hearing of Santi's death, the Marquis Francesco wrote at once to ask his sister to send him the portraits on tondi which he b^an at Mantua, and, on the 13th of October, Elisabetta replied : " In answer to your letter, I must tell you that Giovanni dei Sancti was unable, owing to his illness at Mantua, to finish the portrait of Monsignore (Sigismondo C^nzaga) ; and after his return here, his illness in- creased so rapidly that he could not go on with mine, but if Your Excellency will send me a round of the same size as the others, I will have my portrait painted by a good artist here, and send it you as soon as possible. I am well, and ^dbyGoogle 112 THE MARQUIS AND HIS DAUGHTER have good news of my illustrious consort, from whom I hear constantly." And in a postscript she adds: "I have made Giovanni's assistant search everywhere, but he says that he can find nothing." ' Meanwhile Isabella travelled northward through Romagna to Bologna, where she was hospitably entertained by Annibale BentivogUo and her sister Lucrezia; and after paying a short visit to her father and brother at Ferrara, reached Mantua towards the middle of May. During her absence from home she received daily accoimts of her little daughter's well-being from Violante de' Preti, and the Marquis himself gave her constant news of the child, to whom he was tenderly attached. " Yesterday we went into our little daughter's room," he writes in one letter to Urbino, "and were glad to see her so well and lively. We had her dressed before us, as you desired, in her white damask robe, which suits her charmingly, and of which she was very proud. This morning we ^ave been to see her again, but finding her asleep, would not wake her." ' Neither did Francesco fail to give his wife private information of the important political events which had been happening at Milan and Mantua in the last few weeks. In a long letter to Bologna, intended for her eyes alone, he told her that Monseigneur de Migni, as he called D'Aubigny, and three other French ambassadors had arrived at Mantua on the 22nd of April, with eighty-five horsemen, to ask a free passage through his dominion for the Most Christian King's troops on the way to Naples. More than this, they had 1 Campori, Wotizie di Giovanni Saati, Modena, 1870. 1 Luzio e Reoier, Maniooa e Urbino, pp. 75-77. ^dbyGoogle CHARLES VIII. IN ITALY 118 secretly invited him to enter Charles the Eighth's service, offering him the title of Captain-General and Grand Chamberlain. These proposals, how- ever, Francesco felt compelled to refiise, since he was already pledged to the Signoiy of Venice. In the same letter he informed Isabella that he had sent an envoy to visit the Grand Turk's ambassador at Venice, and had heard from him that the Sultan would gladly give him the relic of the Holy Shirt, worn by Our Lord Christ, as well as forty good horses, for which he was about to send to Con- stantinople.* In September, the French king entered Italy, and was met at Asti by Lodovico Sforza and Duke Ercole of Ferrara, and sumptuously entertained at Vigevano by Duchess Beatrice. Isabella herself, whose sympathies, like those of all her £unily, were strongly on the side of France, went to Parma at her brother-in-law's request to see the first French cavalry pass through the town, and afterwards wrote to her Invther Ferrante, congratulating him on his triumphal entry into Florence with the king, and expressing her regret that she had not witnessed this splendid sight. The presence of her sister-in- law, Chiara Gflnzaga, who came to Mantua in December, while her husbuid, Gilbert, Duke of Montpensier, was leading the French armies against Naples, helped to enlist Isabella's sympathies on the same side. But before long her feeUngs, in common with those of all true Italians, underwent a complete revulsion. The stirring events which succeeded each other that autumn at Milan and Pavia — the death of the I Luxio e Renier in Arch. iS3. Lomb., xviL p. S91. VOL. I. H ^dbyGoogle lU ISABELLA AT MILAN unhappy Duke Giangaleazzo, and the election and proclamation of Lodovico in his stead — were fuUy reported to Isabella by the Mantuan agent, Donato de' Preti. There had of late been some coohiess between Francesco Gonzaga and Lodovico, who, not altogether without reason, suspected his brother- in-law of being in secret correspondence with his enemy, King Alfonso of Naples. But cordial congratulations were addressed by the Marquis to the new Duke and Duchess, and in January 1495, he allowed his wife to accept her sister's pressing invitation to visit Milan. Here Isabella was present at the birth of Beatrice's second son, Francesco Sforza, on the 4th of February, and held the child at the baptismal font. A succession of splendid i^es were given in her honour by Niceolo da Correggio and other Milanese courtiers, and her letters to Francesco and Giovanni Gonzaga dwell with enthusiasm on the magnificent banquets and pageants, and the wonders of painting and archi- tecture that were displayed before her eyes in the Castello and city of Milan. On the other hand, her secretary, CapUupi, told his master how the Marchesa herself had won golden opinions on all sides. " I wish," he writes on the 28th of January, " that Your Excellency could have been in a comer of the room when my lady received the Venetian Ambassador, which she did with so much grace and gidlantry, and with such alacrity in responding to his salutation, that he confessed himself her willing slave. In the same way she charms all who come to visit her, but above all, the Lord Duke, who calls her his dear daughter, and always makes her dine at his table. In short, she does the greatest honour ^dbyGoogle CONQUEST OF NAPLES 115 both to Your Excellency and herself" And Isabella herself wrote to her sister-in-law, Chiara Gonzaga, that she was enjoying herself immensely, and was more honoured and f§ted by every one than she deserved. At Lodovico's urgent entreaty, her husband allowed her to spend the carnival at Milan, although, as he wrote, "all Mantua complains of your prolonged absence." ' But the news of the conquest of Naples by the French threw a gloom over these gay f^tes. Car- nival amusements lost their brilliancy for Isabella when she thought of the desolation at Naples, and heard how her cousin, the young King Ferrante, and her mother's kinsfolk were driven into exile; and she was heartily glad when the time came to set out on her journey home. Lodovico loaded her with parting gifts, and two fat oxen, together with several lengths of gold brocade, exquisitely em- broidered with doves, were among the presents which the Marehesa took back to Mantua. Beatrice was strangely moved at parting from her sister, but neither of the two dreamt they would never meet again, and Isabella little knew the altered circumstances under which she was to see the Moro's splendid home when she next came to Milan. On the 14th of March, she reached Mantua, and before a month was over the new League was pro- claimed between the Pope, the King of the Romans, the King and Queen of Spain, Henry VII. of England, the Signory of Venice, and the Duke of Milan. Francesco Gonzaga was appointed captain of the armies of the League, and, with twenty-five ' Luzio e Renier in Arck. St, Lomb., xvii. 6S0. ^dbyGoogle 116 SIGISMONDO'S CARDINALATE thousand men under his command, prepared to cut off the retreat of the French king, who, on hearing of the coalition against him, left Naples hastily and marched northwards. On the Feast of St. George, Isabella paid a visit to her father at Ferrara, and while she was there, received an urgent summons from her lord to lend him some of her finest jewels, with which to adorn his person at the f§tes about to be held at Milan, to celebrate the arrival of the Imperial Ambassador and the investiture of Lodo- vico Sforaa with the ducal crown. Already, a year before, when the Marchesa was at Urbino, she had, at Francesco's desire, pledged many of her jewels in order to raise a sum of money with which to obtain his brother Sigismondo's advancement to the dignity of Cardinal " One of the greatest wishes that I have in the world," she wrote, " is to see Monsignore a Cardinal, so I am much pleased to hear that this affair is about to be arranged. I send Alberto da Bologna with the keys of my jewel boxes, that he may give you whatever you wish, since I would not only give my treasure, but my blood, for your honour and that of your house." Now, like a good wife, she sent her most precious ornaments — her big diamonds and large rubies, and her collar of a hundred links — all but her golden girdle, which had been lately seen on her person at Milan, and which she had now lent one of her father's courtiers to wear at a masque. AH her other jewels, as she gently reminded the Marquis, were in pawn at Venice.* On her return to Mantua she took up the reins of government in her lord's absence, and ad- 1 Lutio, iMtm d'ltabella, in N. AnUtU^ia, 1896. ^dbyGoogle ISABELLA GOVERNS MANTUA 117 ministered aflFmrs with a prudence and sagacity which excited the wonder of grey-headed councillors. On the vigil of the Ascension, while a procession was passing the house of Saniele Norsa, a Jewish banker who had lately settled in the Via San Simone, the attention of the crowd was attracted by a group of images, inscribed with profane verses, which some evil-disposed person had placed on a wall formerly decorated with a fresco of the Madonna. The cry of blasphemy was raised, stones were thrown by the mob, and the house was only saved from destruction by the prompt interference of a city magistrate. The poor Jew, who had previously obtained the Bishop's leave to remove the painting of the Madonna and had paid all the fees required, now wrote to implore the protection of the Marquis, and Frwicesco sent peremptory orders that he was not to be molested. But this small disturbance was so grossly exaggerated that Isabella felt it necessary to write to her lord on the subject, and assure him that no serious tiunult had taken place in his absence. " The inventors of these malicious tales," she wrote on the 80th of June, "who have not scrupled to disturb your peace of mind when you are occupied with the defence of Italy, showed little regard for my honoiu-, or for those of my councillors. Let Your Highness, I beg of you, keep a tranquil mind, and attend wholly to military affairs, for I intend to govern the State, with the help of these magnificent gentlemen and officials, in such a manner that you will suffer no wrong, and all that is possible wUl be done for the good of your subjects. And if any one should write or tell you of disorders of which you have not heard &om me, you may be certain that it lb, Google 118 BATTLE OF FORNOVO is a lie, because, since I not only give audience to officials, but allow all your subjects to speak to me whenever they choose, no disturbance can arise without my knowledge." Three days afterwards the news of the first skirmish between the two armies reached Mantua, and Isabella hastened to congratulate her husband on his success : — " Most illustrious Lord, — I did not write before to-day, because I had nothing to say, but now that I hear of your success against the enemy, I will not delay one moment to congratulate Your Highness on this good news, which has given me the greatest pleasure, and I hope in G>od that you wiU gain iVirther victories. I thank you more than I can say for your letter, and I beg of you to take care of yourself, because I am always very anxious when I remember you are in the camp, even although this is where you have always wished to be. I com- mend myself to Your Highness a thousand, thousand times. — From her who loves and longs to see Your Highness, Isabella, with her own hand." ^ Mantua, July 2. With this letter Isabella sent her husband a Uttle gold cross and Agnus Dei contdning a fragment of the wood of the Cross, b^ging him to wear it round his neck in order that the virtue of this rehc and his own devotions to the Vii^n might keep him safe in the hour of danger. " All the clergy in Mantua," she adds, " are praying for Your Excellency, moved thereto by my anxious affection." On the 6th of July, the eve of the battle, the Marquis sent a short note thanking his dearest wife for her letter and the little cross, which he wiU cherish with singular devotion, 1 Luzio ia ArcMvio Storico ItalioMO, 1890. .XJoogIc FRANCESCO'S ACCOUNT 119 but saying that he is so busy he has time neither to eat nor sleep. On the 7th, he wrote again from the victorious camp of the League in the valley of the Taro, telling his wife of the battle which had been fought the day before, and of the heavy loss he had sustained in the death of his uncle Hodolfi), and his cousin Giovanni Maria, whom he loved as his own self.^ " Yesterday's battle, as you will have heard from the herald, was very fiercely contested, and we lost many of our men, amongst others, Signor Rodolfo and Messer Giovanni Maria; but certainly many more of the enemy were slain. And what we our- selves did is known to all, so that I need not speak of it here, and will only tell you that we found ourselves in a position of such peril that only God could deliver us. The chief cause of the disorder was the disobedience of the Stradiots, who gave themselves up to plunder, and in the hour of danger not one of them appeared. By the grace of God we and this army have been saved, but many fled with- out being pursued by any one, and most of the foot- soldiers, so that few of these remain. These things have caused me the greatest sorrow which I have ever known, and if by ill chance our enemies had turned upon us, we must have been utterly destroyed. Some French nobles were made prisoners by our company, amongst others the Comte de Figliano and Monsieur le B&tard de Bourbon. The enemies departed this morning, and are gone over the hill towards Borgo San Domino and Piacenza. We will watch their course and see what we have to do. If others had fought as we did, the victory would have ' Liuio, op. cU. ^dbyGoogle 120 GALLANTRY OF FRANCESCO been complete, and not a single Frenchman would have escaped. Farewell" A sense of bitter disappointment breathes in every line of this letter which the Marquis addressed to his wife. In spite of their heavy losses the French army had succeeded in crossing the Taro that night, and early the next morning continued their retreat across the Lombard plains. But, as the royal camp and baggage were abandoned, the advantage remained with the allies, and, before long, Francesco persuaded himself that he had won a glorious victory. Of his personal prowess on this occasion there could be no doubt After three horses had been killed under him, he fought on foot in the thick of the m^Ue till his sword broke in his hands. '* Since the days of Hector of Troy," wrote the Marchesa's faithful seneschal, Alessandro da Baesso, who himself risked his life to save his master, " no one ever fought as he did. I believe he killed ten men with his own hand. And I think you must have said some psalm for him, for indeed it is a miracle that he is alive and unhurt" The French king nar- rowly escaped being made prisoner, and was only rescued by his chamberlain, the Bastard of Bourbon, who rushed to his help. This prince, a son of Jean, Due de Bourbon, was himself taken prisoner, and sent to Mantua, where Isabella gave him lodgings in the Castello, and treated him with the greatest courtesy until he was exchanged two months later. " Madama lets the French Count want for nothing," wrote Capilupi to the Marquis, and when he was released, he told the Marchesa that he could not su£ficiently thank her for all the kindness which he had received. This very kindness, Marino Sanuto ^dbyGoogle REJOICINGS AT VENICE 121 tells us, was afterwards reckoned by the jealous Signoiy of Venice as a sign of Francesco's dangerous leanings towards France.^ Among the spoils found in the king's tent were his own sword and helmet, a silver casket containing the seals of state, and a precious reliquary with the wood of the true Cross and a limb of St. Denis, on which he set especial store. Many of these were courteously returned to Charles by the Marquis, but he sent one magnificent set of huigings to Mantua, together with a book containing the portraits of Italian beauties which had been specially executed for the king, and the shattered sword with which he himself had fought on the battle-field, Isabella re- ceived these trophies joyfully, and gave her husband's sword to Monsignore Sigismondo, who told his brother that it was as sacred in his eyes as the spear of Longinus, since the blood with irtiich it was stained had been shed for the deliverance of Italy.* Great were the rejoicings at Venice, where Fran- cesco was compared to Hannibal and Scipio, and the Signory not only gave him the high-sounding title of Captain-general of the armies of the Republic, but increased his yearly salary by 2000 ducats and be- stowed a pension of another 1000 ducats on his wife. The money was very acceptable to Isabella, whose iunds were at a low ebb, and on the 29th of July she wrote to Zorao Brognolo, begging him to pay her debts to the jeweller Pagano and spend the rest in buying foxu" pieces of the finest t(M which he could find in Venice. This precious Oriental fiibric, which the Italian ladies of the Renaissance valued so highly, > Spedisume di Carlo, viii. p. 463. > Luzio in Emporium, vol. x. 366. ^dbyGoOgle 122 TABl SILK was a species of watered silk, manufactured in a quarter of Damascus, which, Mr. Guy le Strange tells us, originally took its name from a Governor of Mecca called Attabiyeh. The word in its different forms of attafh and taf^ passed into the English, French, and Spanish languages. Taby silks are often mentioned in English records of the sixteenth and seven- teenth centuries. Queen Elizabeth appeared on state occasions in a dress of silver and white taby, Pepys wore a false taby waistcoat, and Fanny Bumey affected a gown of Klac taby. Probably few of us are aware that the word tabby cat is derived firom the name of a man who was a companion of Mahommed, and Governor of Mecca in the seventh century.' But while poets and sonnet-writers were extolling Francesco as the deliverer of Italy, Isabella herself could not conceal her anxiety for her husband's safety, and she wrote to him in the camp before Novara, where he was besieging the Duke of Orleans, begging him to be less reckless of his life. " It does not please me that you should always run such terrible risks, and I pray and entreat you to be very careful and not to expose yourself to these dangers, as I am sure you discharge your office best and most efficiently by giving orders to others rather than by fighting yourself." In the same letter she enclosed the following little note, supposed to be written by her two-year-old daughter Leonora to the Marquis, and signed with the words, FiUa obsequentiss : adhuc lactans: "To my dearest and victorious father. Most illustrious and excellent Prince, in my cradle where I am now lying, and when I am sucking in the arms of my most illustrious and sweetest mother, 1 "Baghdad during the Abassieh Caliphate," p. 138, ^dbyGoogle FRANCESCO AND CHARLES VIII. 128 or wherever I may be, I hear continually songs and praises of the great deeds and splendid victory of Your Highness, in defeating and driving out the French, and delivering all Italy from their barbarous hands. I also hear of the great glory and honours which are justly paid you by all the powers of Italy."' Francesco himself had little time to spare, and in a short letter of the 28th of August he tells his wife that he is continually on horseback day and night, and wonders that his strength holds out, but asks her to send him some playing-cards, that he may occasionally distract his thoughts with a game of scartino. Besides the task of directing militaiy operations, he had great difficulty in keeping peace between the Italians and Germans, who were con- tinually quarrelling, and in a sudden brawl which he describes to Isabella, as many as one hundred and twenty men were slain. When at length Novara surrendered and a treaty of peace was concluded between the Duke of Milan and the French king, Francesco Gonzaga pmd a visit to Charles VIII. at Vereelli, and came away much pleased with the courtesy shown him and the splendid horses with which the king presented him. The Mantuan singers who were sent to serenade His Majesty told the Marchesa how eagerly the king had questioned them about her appearance and the gems she wore, and how anxious he was to make the acquaintance of this brilliant and &scuiating lady of whom he had heard so much. This exchange of courtesies between the French monarch and the Marquis did not altogether please the Venetian 1 Luzio in Arch. St. It., 1890. ^dbyGoogle 124 MANTEGNA PAINTS Signory, who were indignant with the Dtike of Milan for concluding a separate peace with France, and who already looked with suspicion on his brother-in-law. But once the French army had crossed the Alps they were not sorry to disband their army, and on the 1st of November the Marquis made his triumphal entry into Mantua, where he was joyftiUy welcomed by his wife and both his sisters, Chiara of Mont- pensier and Ehsabetta of Urbino, who came to spend Christmas with her family. Great were the rejoicings in honour of the victor's return. Sperandio, that aged artist who, after a long residence at the court of the Estes, had lately returned to spend his last days in his native city, designed a fine medal representing Francesco on horseback at Fomovo, with the proud inscription : Ob. Restitutam. ItaUce LiberttUem.} But a grander and more imposing memorial of Francesco Gonzaga's victory had already been planned by his wife and brother. In the thick of the mM^ at Fomovo, the Marquis had implored the Blessed Virgin's help, and, after the battle, he resolved to com- memorate his deliverance by some noble monument. Then he remembered the poor Jew, Daniele Norsa, whose house in the Via San Simone had been nearly wrecked by the fanaticism of the mob at Ascension- tide, and in a letter addressed to his brother Sigis- mondo on the last day of July, he proposed that the Jew should be made to restore the figure of Our Lady which he had removed from the wall, in a finer and more splendid form, as an act of reparation to the glorious Mother. The idea was quickly taken up by the Protonotary, who suggested that an altar- piece of the Madonna should be painted by Andrea 1 Amumd, Let MidaiUeurt ilaUent. ^dbyGoogle THE MADONNA DELLA VITTORIA 125 Mant^na, and that the Marquis should be repre- sented kneeling in armour, with his brothers and his illustrious lady at the Virgin's feet. The Marquis highly approved of this proposal, and fixed the price of Mantegna's painting at 110 ducats, which the Jew was required to pay down, within three days. Isa- bella's own portrait, however, was not eventually in- troduced in the picture. Perhaps she had no wish to sit to Mantegna again, and preferred that her patron, St. Elizabeth, should appear in her stead. But if, as seems most probable, in the venerable saint who kneels opposite the figure of the Marquis, we see the Beata Osanna, that revered mm whose prayers were offered day and night for the success of Francesco's arms, the suggestion may well have come fi^m the Mar- chesa.^ In the same way, the figures of the heavenly warriors St. George and St. Michael, and of the patron saints of Mantua, Andrew and Longinus, were substituted for the Gionzaga brothers. A certain Fra Girolamo Redioi, a friar of the Eremitani order who was fond of meddling in pohtical affairs, now proposed that the Jew's house should be pulled down, and that a church, dedicated to the Madonna della Vittoria, should be erected in its place. This scheme was finally adopted. The sum of 110 ducats was paid by the Jew on the 2Sth of August, and part of the money was handed over by the Protonotary to Mantegna, who was promised the remainder when the work was partly executed.* The architect Bernardo Ghisolfo, whose name appears frequently in the Gonzaga archives, set to work at once, and by the following June the new 1 Cf. •' U£e of Mantegna," by Miss Cruttwel), p. 98. * Liuio in Empmium, voL x. 360. ^dbyGoogle 126 PROCESSION IN HONOUR chapel was ready to receive Messer Andrea's altar- piece. The painter on this part worked more rapidly than usual, taking pleasure in his subject and incited by the prospect of the large reward that was await- ing him, and on the anniversary of the battle of the Taro, the great Madonna was borne in triumph from Mantegna's house near San Sebastiano to the new shrine on the site of the Jew's house, at the other end of the town. Francesco himself was absent in the kingdom of Naples at the time, but the Marchesa and Sigismondo resolved to make the ceremony as imposing as possible, and their letters to the Marquis show that their efforts were attended with complete success. On the lOth of July, Isabella wrote: "The figure of Our Lady, which Andrea Mantegna has painted, was carried &om his house in procession last Wednesday, being the 6th of this month, to the new chapel of S. Maria della Vittoria, in commemoration of last year's battle and of your gallant deeds, and greats crowds assembled than I have ever seen at any procession in this town. My confessor, Fra Pietro, made a fine oration at high mass, and spoke in a manner appropriate to the occasion, begging the glorious Virgin Mary to keep Your Excellency safe and bring you home victorious. Owing to my present condition, I could not walk on foot in the procession, but I went to the Borgo to see it pass, and returned to the Castello by the new chapel, which is well adorned, uid the road was thronged with people." ' Sigismondo adds a few particulars of interest. ^ Archivio Gomaga, quoted by Poitioli, La ChUta e la Madonna della Vittoria in Maaiova, p. SI. ^dbyGoogle I .■/'/,r . ■//„,/,.„„„ ,/,«, 7,//,„,i D,t„db,G00glC idb,Googlc OF THE MADONNA 127 He describes the youths dressed up as angels and apostles who sang lauds on the tribunal erected for the altar-piece outside Mantegna's house, where the altar-piece was first placed, and dilates on the love and enthusiasm which the preacher's references to the Muxjuis evoked, as well as on the number of wax lights, torches and other votive offerings which had been already brought to the new shrine. Another correspondent, the chancellor Antimaco, describes the painting as a most excellent work, and says that it was truly amazing to see the eagerness of the crowds which pressed round to see this noble picture, and that, next to the Madonna's image, the portrait of their absent lord excited the greatest interest.^ The little shrine of Our Lady of Victory is standing still in a deserted byway of Mantua, but Messer Andrea's Madonna, as we all know, was carried off a hundred years ago, by the French conquerors, and hangs to-day in the Louvre among the {Hx>udest possessions of the nation whose supposed d^eat it was intended to commemorate. 1 BragbiroUi, Giont. <&' Enid. Art, i. S06. ^dbyGoogle CHAPTER VIII 1496—1497 Campaign of Naples — Ferrante recovers bis kingdom — Francesco Gonsaga commands the Venetian army — Isabella governs Mantua — Her correspondence and friendship with Lorenzo da Pavia — Birth of her second daughter — Illness of the Marquis — His return to Mantua, and visit to Venice — Death of Ferrante of Naples, of Gilbert de Montpensier, and Beabice d'Este — Francesco Gonzaga deprived of the ofHce of captain- general of the Venetian armies — Death of Anna Sforza. Early in January, the Marquis of Mantua left home again to take the command of a new Venetian army which the Signory sent to assist Ferrante, the young king of Naples, in recovering his dominions. After the retreat of Charles VIII. this gal^t [niuce had crossed over from Ischia, and entered Naples on the day after the battle of Fomovo. The people wel- comed him with shouts of joy and the nobles flocked to his banner, and soon Montpensier, who had been left at the head of the French troops, was compelled to retire into the mountains of Calabria. There he carried on a war of petty skirmishes and depredations against the Venetian forces under the command of his brother-in-law, Francesco Gonzaga. While their husbands were fighting on opposite sides, Chiara Gonzaga renuuned at Mantua with her sister-in-law, to whom she was fondly attached, and whose com- pany consoled Isabella in some measure for the departure of Elisabetta, who returned to Urbino in ^dbyGoogle LORENZO DA PAVIA 129 February. It was a dull year for the Marchesa, and, ■with the exception of a short visit to Ferrara in January, she was too much occupied with public affairs to leave home. But, as usual, she made good use of her time. She returned to her classical studies, applied herself to master the rules of Latin grammar, and consulted the great Ferrara humanist, Ercole Strozzi, as to the choice of a new tutor. Much of her leisure time was devoted to music She took lessons on the lute from a new master, Angelo Testagrossa, a Milanese youth who sang like a seraph, and played the lyre and clavichord. On her last visit to Milan she had seen and greatly admired an instrument which Lorenzo Gusnasco of Pavia, the &mous master of organs, had made for her sister Beatrice. Now she was seized with an ardent desire to possess a similar one, and on the 12th of March 1496, she addressed the following letter to Lorenzo da Pavia, whom she had often met at the court of Milan, but who had lately moved to Venice for the greater convenience of his trade: — " M. Lorenzo da Pavia, most excellent master, — We remember that you made a most beautiful and perfect clavichord for that illustrious Madonna, the Duchess of Milan, our sister, when we were last at Pavia, and since we oxuselves now wish to have an instrument of the same kind, which cannot be sur- passed, we are sure that there is no one in all Italy who can satisfy our wish better than you can. We therefore pray you to make us a clavichord of such beauty and excellence as shall be worthy of your high reputation and of liie trust that we repose in you. The only difference that we wish to see in this VOL. I. I 130 ISABELLA'S ORDERS instrument is that it should be easier to play, because our hand is so light that we cannot play well if we have to press heavily on the notes. But you, I have no doubt, will understand our wishes and require- ments. For the rest, make the instrument exactly as you choose. And the more quickly you can serve us the better shall we be pleased, and we will t^e care that you shall be well rewarded, and place ourselves at your service." ^ Lorenzo hastened to reply that he would gladly serve the Marchesa, but that he feared some time must elapse before he was able to execute her commands, since he had unfortunately promised to make a viol for the Duchess of Milan and a clavi- chord for one of her courtiers, Messer Antonio Visconti. Isabella, however, was not to be so easily put off, and on the 19th, she wrote to the Milanese nobleman, b€^;ging him to allow Lorenzo to make her instrument firet. " Most honoured friend, and dear to us as a brother, — We have desired M. Lorenzo da Pavia, in Venice, to make us a clavichord, but hear from him that he cannot undertake this until he has finished a viol for our honoured sister, the Duchess of Milan, and a clavichord for Your Magnificence. But as we are very anxious to have our new instrument, we beg you to be as good as to yield us the next place after the Duchess, which would give us the greatest pleasure, and if you are willing, will you kindly write to Messer Lorenzo, giving him leave to make our clavichord first? And we shall be ever ready to consult the pleasure of Your Mag- nificence." ' Lorenzo Gusnasco, DoU. Carlo deWAcqua, p. 20. ib,Cooglc A PERFECT INSTRUMENT 181 On the same day she wrote to Zoizo Brognolo as follows : — " You may tell M. Lorenzo da Pavia that we have written to M. Antonio Visconti in terras that leave us no doubt but that he will allow us to have our clavichord made first, and that he can set to work at once, and if he can finish it in less than the three months which he named, we shall be the better pleased. But if this is impossible, we are content to wait, as long as he makes a most excellent instrument." ' But Lorenzo was too fine an artist to allow himself to be hurried, and he sent back word by Zorzo, a month later, that he had b^un tiie instru- ment, but could not possibly finish it before three months. Once more Isabella returned to the charge, and at the end of May desired Brognolo to go and see how Lorenzo was getting on, and find out if her instrument seemed to be a fine one, and how soon it would be ready. In reply, Zorzo wrote that the clavi- chord would be most beautiful, and would be finished by August. But, as usual, the finishing touches took longer than the master had expected, and it was not till Christmas Day that Messer Lorenzo arrived at Mantua, bringing with him the Marchesa's clavichord, which, she wrote to Zorzo, was so perfe5t and beauti- ful a thing, it could not please her better 1 Lorenzo was not allowed to return to Venice without promis- ing to undertake anotJier commission for the insatiable Marchesa. This was a lute, which he proposed to make of inlaid ebony and ivory, " because," he writes, " these two material go well together and are beau- tiful companions." On the 3rd of February 1497, he 1 Lnzio in Jtvk. Si. Lomb , xvii. 637. ^dbyGooglc 188 LORENZO'S FRIENDS wrote that the lute would soon be finished, and entered readily into Isabella's suggestion that a star should be let into the woodworic of the instrument, since this was a favourite device of the Marchesa, and appears on the reverse of her medaL A few months later the Marchesa wrote to ask about a certain lute which the singer Serafino had seen in Lorenzo's shop at Venice, and begged that the in- strument which he was making should be strung in such a manner as to suit her voice. Lorenzo had, it appears, met with unexpected difficulties in completing his task, but, as before, he entered warmly into the Marchesa's idea, and took infinite pains to meet her wishes. " I cannot," he wrote, " find any ebony that is black enough and fine enough to suit me, and am much disappointed, because I hoped to make this lute the most beauti^ thing in Italy and the best, both from my great desire to give you pleasure, and &om my natural wish to make an instrument of the highest excellence." Accordingly he sent to Munich for the strings of the lute, as he had heard of a G«inan master who supplied the best quality, and promised to pay especial attention to the shape of the instrument, " because beauty of form is everything," a sentiment which must have found an echo in Isabella's heart Perche neUa forma sta el tuto? This, then, was the beginning of Isabella's corre- spondence with this remarkable man, who was closely connected with the most cultured members of the Milanese court, and belonged to a small circle of highly gifted men, which included the painter, ]l<eonardo da Vinci ; the sculptor, Cristoforo Romano ; > Aldo Manuxio, Lettrtt tt doatmenits A. Buchet ^dbyGoOgle CORRESPONDENCE WITH ISABELLA 188 the writer and collector, Sabba da Castigliooe ; and the great printer, Aldo Manuzio. Lorenzo da Pavia was intimate with all these distinguished men. He shared their love of music and of ptdnting, their enthu- siasm for the antique, their passion for all that w«s beautiful in art and letters. His fine taste and critical eye commended him in an especial manner to Isabella d'Este, who found in him a kindred spirit, not easily satisfied either with his own work or with that of others, and aiming at nothing short of perfection. During the next twenty years she corresponded with him constantly, and employed i him not only to manufacture those wonderful oi^;ans, lutes, and viols, of ebony and ivory, which were as | perfect in shape as in sound, but to buy pictures and antiques, amber rosaries and ivory crucifixes, enamels, | cameos and Murano glass, and Eastern stufis, costal \ mirrors and inlmd cabinets, and all the rare and ' lovely things with which she adorned her studio. And in all the deUcate and difficult negotiations , which he conducted on her behalf with Venetian merchants and artists, with the painter, Giovanni Bellini, or the printer, Aldo, she found Lorenzo's knowledge and advice, his tact and patience, of the greatest value. Books and music, as usual, were the chief occu- pations which filled Isabella's spare time. But she had more fiivolous amusements as welL Her letters abound with allusions to the tricks and jests of the favourite dwarfs and clowns with whom she loved to be surrounded. A whole suite of apartments, with low rooms and passages suited to their size, was built for the court dwarfs at Mantua during her life- time, and may still be seen in a wing of the Castello. iu,CjOOglc 184 ISABELLA'S PET DWARFS In March 1406, just when Isabella was corresponding with Lorenzo da Pavia about the clavichord, she wrote to beg her father to allow the French clown, Galasso, and Fritello, the wondraful dwarf who danced and sang, and turned somersaults in the air, to the delight of all the Este family, to come and amuse her, saying that she was as cold as ice and as dull as ditch water in her husband's absence! Her only pleasure, she declared in another letter, was to make Mattello dictate letters to the Marquis. One day she nearly died of laughing at the sight of Mattello imitating a tipsy man ; another time he appeared in a Mar's habit, and was announced as the venerable Padre Bernardino Mattello.^ When Alfonso d'Este was ill and sad, in 1498, after his wife's death, the Marchesa sent Mattello to amuse him, and her brother wrote in return that he could not express the delight which the buffoon had afforded him, and that he esteemed his presence a greater boon than the gift of a fine castle. Great was Isabella's dismay when soon after his return to Mantua, this pet dwarf fell ill and died, to the grief of the whole court. She visited him repeatedly during his last illness, and told her husband the jokes which the poor fool made on his death-bed. " Most people," wrote Francesco in reply, " can be easily replaced, but Nature will never produce another Mattello." // primo matto nel mondo, " the foremost fool in the world," as Isabella called him, was interred in S. Francesco, the favourite burial-place of the Gonzaga princes. Tebaldeo wrote his epitaph, and Bonsignori painted his portrait, while the bard Pistoia composed an elegy, in which he says: "If 1 Luzlo, Buffimi, &c., in Nuova Anialopa, 1691. lu^CoO^IC DOGS AND CATS 135 Mattello is in Paradise, he is making all the saints and angels laugh ; if he is in hell, Cerberus will forget to baik." The same wits and poets were called upon to write Latin epigrams and sonnets on Isabella's pet animals, on the Persian eat Martino or the CoffnoUno Aura. The novelist Bandello tells us how the Marchesa's presence was heralded by the barking of her little dogs, and on one occasion she desired Brognolo to send to all the convents in Venice for Syrian and Thibet cats,* in order that she might choose the finest for herself. These pet animals were buried with great solenmity in the terraced gardens of the Castetlo opposite the Corte Vecchia, and cypresses and tombstones inscribed with their names marked their graves. All the ladies and gentlemen of Isa- bella's household were present on these occasions, and her finvourite dogs and cats joined in the funeral procession. And it was characteristic of the age that every incident, from the birth of a prince or the fall of an empire, to the death of a fool or pet dog, be- 1 came an occasion for producing Latin epitaphs and sonnets and elegies in the vulgar tongue. But more serious subjects now claimed Isabella's attention. On the 6th of July, when Mantegna's Madonna was borne through the streets of Mantua, we have seen that the Marchesa's state of health did not allow her to walk in the procession, and that she witnessed the ceremony firom Giovanni Gonzaga's house in the Borgo. A week later she gave birth to a second daughter. The babe was named Margherita after Francesco's mother, but her sex was a cause of bitter disappointment to Isabella, who looked with 1 Luzio in Girnn. St. d. LeO. It., vol uudii. 45. ^dbyGoOgle 186 BIRTH OF A DAUGHTER envy on her sister Beatrice's two fine boys. The Mar- quis was more philosophical in this instance, especially when he heard that the child was much prettier than little Leonora and strongly resembled him. He told his wife not to look so coldly oa the poor babe, since no doubt God would send them sons all in good time, and if ever a father had reason to be satisfied with his daughters, it was he. His affection for Leonora never changed, and nothing pleased him better than to hear that his little daughter asked after her father and sent him messages. " Madonna Leonora," wrote a secretary to him in Calabria, " commends herself to Your Highness, and would like to have a fine new doll in a silk frock to play with in bed, as her old one is quite worn out." And often, on his hunting expeditions nearer home, he would send her a hare which his dogs had caught, and tell her to eat it for dinner I ' But Francesco never saw the babe whose birth he had been the first to welcome, and poor little Margherita died before her father's return on the 28rd of September. The war in Calabria, as Isabella had foreseen, proved a tedious and difficult enterprise, and by the end of the summer both parties were heartily sick of the struggle. On the 29th of July, Montpensier was forced to surrender the strong city of Atella after a long blockade and fell dangerously ill of fever. Francesco Gonzaga, ever courteous towMds his foes, sent his doctor to the French camp with presents of fruit and game for his brother-in-law, but the Venetian Signory, Marino Sanuto tells us, did not approve of their general's action, and were dissatisfied with his conduct on other grounds. However, they 1 Luzio e Renter, MaiHom e Urbino, pp. 75, S7. ^dbyGooglc THE CARDINAL'S HAT 187 declined to allow him to come home on leave, and supported his application when he asked the Pope to make his brother a Cardinal. On his way to Naples, Francesco had spent a few days in Rome, to pay his respects to Alexander VI., who received him with marked favour and presented him with the golden rose. This had encowviged him to renew his old suit on behalf of Sigismondo, and the better to press his claim, he wrote in August to ask his wife to raise seven thousand ducats on the spot, and if necessary to pledge her jewels for this purpose. Isabella, who had already pawned the greater part of her jewels for the same object two years before, and had lately been seeking her father's help to enable her to redeem them, replied in the following letter :— " I am of course always ready to obey Your Excellency's commands, but perhaps you have for- gotten that most of my jewels are at present in pawn at Venice, not only those which you have given me, but those which I brought when I came as a bride to Mantua or have bought ms^self since my marriage. I say this, not because I wish to make any difference between yours and mine, but to show you that I have parted from everything and have only four jewels left in the house — the large balass ruby which you gave me when my first child was bom, my favourite big diamond, and the last ones which you gave me. If I pledge these, I shall be left entirely without jewels and shall be obliged to wear black, because to appear in coloured silks and brocades without jewfels would be ridiculous. Your Excellency will understand that I only say this out of regard for your honour and mine, and for this cause I pray and ^dbyGoogle 188 FRANCESCO'S ILLNESS entreat you not to rob me of these few things, since I would rather ^ve you my caitiora embroidered with gems than be left without jewels. On this account I will not send away my jewels until I have received Your Excellency's reply." ' Mantua, August 27, 1496. As before, however, the negotiations regarding the Cardinal's hat proved fruitless, and Isabella was allowed to keep her jewels. When she wrote this letter her husband was seriously ill of fever at Fondi. He had been carried there on a litter, fearing to remain at Naples on account of an old prophecy that he should die in that city. Here he became so dangerously ill that he sent for the Venetian senator Paolo Capello and begged him in case of his death to commend his wife and little daughter to the pro- tection of the Signory — "a sure sign," remarks Sanuto, "that he puts greater trust in Venice than in his brother-in-law of Milan, or his fether-in-law of Ferrara.*'' Meanwhile Montpensier was still lying ill at Fozzuoli, and an armistice had been signed between France and Venice, so that there was nothing to keep the Marquis in the South, and as soon as he was fit to move, he started on the journey home. A few days after her infant daughter's death, Isabella set out to meet her husband, accompanied by the Protonotary Sigismondo. Early in October, the Duchess of Urbino came to meet her at Fano, and on the following day Isabella joined Francesco at Ancona, and brought him home by slow stages to Ravenna, and thence up the Po by water to Ferrara and afterwards to Mantua. ' Luzio, II Ltuto tCIteAelia <rEtU, io Nuova Anlologia, 1696. < Diarii, L S94. ^dbyGooglc DEATH OF KING FERRANTE 139 The Marquis's first duty was to report himself to the Doge and Signory, and as soon as his health was sufficiently restored, he went to Venice on the 21st of November. Here a grand reception awaited him. At Ghioggia he was welcomed by the Senate and representatives ; at Malamocco the Signory and foreign Ambassadors came out to meet him in state. The great doors of St. Mark were thrown open in his honour, and after mass he was conducted up the Canal Grande on the bucentaur to his own house at San Trovaso. On the following day he appeared before the Signory, to give an account of his pro- ceedings, and in the evening he attended the wedding of Zuan Soranzo's dau^ter to Giorgio Comaro, brother of the Queen of Cyprus. Marino Sanuto, who saw the Marquis on this occasion, describes him as wearing a Spanish suit and short black beard, as he appears in Mantegna's altar-piece, and remarks that his face bore evident traces of his recent sickness. But the sad news from Naples threw a gloom over these festivities both at Venice and Mantua. On their journey home the travellers heard that the yoimg King Ferrante had died after a short illness, brought on by the hardships and fatigue which he had under- gone in his victorious campaign against the French. Both Francesco and Isabella were much attached to their brave young cousin, who had fought so gallantly to recover his father's dominions. Solemn funeral services were held in his house at Mantua, and the Carmelite Vicar-General, Fra Pietro da Novellara, preached a Latin oration in his honour. When, a year afterwards, the dead king's sister, the widowed Duchess Isabella of Milan, wrote to ask Francesco Gonzaga for a portrait of her brother which she iu,C00gIC 140 OF BEATRICE D*ESTE heard was m his possession, the Marchesa sent her word that her lord could not part witii the picture, which was dear to him for the love which he bore to Ferrante's memory, but would have it copied for her by Francesco BonsignorL This sad event was soon followed by the death of Gilbert de Montpensier, who breathed his last at Pozzuoli on the 11th of November, and Isabella was called upon to console his widow, Chiara Gonzaga, while at the same time she had to condole with Antonia del Balzo, on the loss of her husband Gian- firancesco of Bozzolo. A still more tragic event darkened the Christmas festival. This was the sudden death of the Marchesa's own ^ster, Beatrice d'Este, Duchess of Milan, and wife of Lodovico Sforza. The poor young princess, who was only twenty-one, gave birth to a still-bom son on the night of the 2nd of January in the Castello of Milan, and died herself an hour afterwards. The sad news, which Francesco had to break to his wife, came as a terrible shock to Isabella, who had lately seen her sister in the bloom of youth and fulness of prosperity. At first she was overwhelmed with grief, and her hus- band said that he had never seen his wife so utterly broken down. '* I know not," she wrote to her fether, " how I can ever find comfort" Fortunat^ Elisabetta of Urbino had arrived at Mantua a week before, and the companionship of this beloved sister- in-law was Isabella's best consolation. When the Duchess returned to Urbino at the end of April, both Isabella and her husband accompanied her to Ferrara and spent some weeks with her &ther and brothers. That year the Feast of St. Geoige was shorn of its usual splendour. There were no races ^dbyGoogle DISMISSAL OF FRANCESCO 141 and Qo banquets or comedies. The people shared in then prince's sorrow, and Duke Ercole presetted the pallium which would have been the prize of the races to the church of S. Francesco.^ On the 24th of June, the Marquis went to Venice, having received orders from the Signory to prepare tot -wax. But when he reached his house in San Trovaso, Zorzo Brc^nolo met him with the unex- pected announcement of his dismissal from the post of captain-generaL For some time past the Signory had entertained grave susjEHcions of Francesco's fidelity, and on the day before his arrival in Venice the Council of Ten finally issued a decree by which he was removed from office. At first the Marquis could hardly believe in the truth of Brognolo's announce- ment. He rode along the Canal Grande, Marino Sanuto tells us, " with great arrogance," and meeting the Procurator of the Republic in the church of San Giorgio Maggiore, haughtily demanded an audience from the Signory. " Every one," adds the chronicler, "murmured at his audacity; but although he was dismissed from his post, he was suffered to remain in the city, because he was a zentUuomo of Venice, and had inherited the privil^e of citizenship from his ancestors. And from the age of twenty-eight he had been captun-general, and being also related to the King of Naples and the Dukes of Mil&n, Ferrara, and Urbino, he enjoyed the best time of any lord in Italy. He had bdd this office for the space of eight years, one month, and twenty-four days, and now he says that from being the fifst man in Italy he has ruined himself, and this is no doubt true. But the Signory will save his salary." * > Uantori, zziv. HO. * JXaru, L 667. ^dbyGoogle 142 FROM THE POST OF CAPTAIN Meanwhile Isabella, unconscious of her husband's disgrace, was spending Midsummer's day at Verona, where, by Francesco's wish, she had accepted an invitation from the Podesta to witness the jousts in honour of San Giovanni's day. The Venetian Signory were aware of her presence, and had sent orders that the Marchesa was to be honourably entertained, and was to receive 25 ducats a day for her expenses as long as she remained in Verona. After her prolonged period of mourning and seclusion, the young princess appeared once more in public with fresh brightness and charm, and rode along the lists and greeted all her friends in the most gracious manner. Not a word was breathed in her presence as to the Marquis's disgrace, and it was only when she reached Mantua and met her husband that she heard the story from his own lips. AJready the bad news had reached Ferrara.' Alfonso d'Este galloped to Mantua to see his sister, and Isabella went back with him to take counsel with her father, while the disconsolate Marquis remained at his villa of Gon- zaga, declaring loudly that his disgrace was due to the Duke of Milan's intrigues and Galeazzo Sanse- verino's jealousy. " I hear,' wrote Sanuto, "that he is very gloomy and goes clad in black, and wears an iron ring on his collar, which he has vowed not to lay aside until he has been on a pilgrimage to Loreto. And there is sorrow throughout the Mantovano, and the people, who had been happy and smiling before, are now sad and out of heart." ' It was then, in token of his grief and remorse, that Francesco adopted the device of gold faggots in a fiery crucible, with the motto, Hoifiine probasti me et cognovisti, which figures 1 Muratori, Diario Ferrarete, xsiv. 345. ^ tHani, L 697. ^dbyGoOgle OF THE VENETIAN ARMY 148 in the pavement of Isabella's Grotta and in the frieze of her caTnerim, and still adorns one of the vaulted ceilings in his favourite palace of San Sebastiano.^ All through the summer the Marquis made re- peated efforts to recover the Signory's good graces. He offered to place his wife and child as hostages in their hands, and even to surrender some of his for- tresses. And when he reviewed his troops on the Feast of the Assumption, he told them that they were kept for the use of the Signory, and threw them gold when they shouted Marco f But the Signory refused to see him or even accept a pre- sent from him, and were persuaded that he was secretly in league with the French king. There seems no doubt that Francesco had lately held secret communications with the French court, and in November Lodovico Sforza addressed an indignant remonstrance on the subject to Isabella, telling her that he held proofs of her husband's dealings with the French and the Florentines in his hands, and only re&ained from sending them to Venice out of love and regard for her. Isabella was deeply distressed at this breach between her husband and brother-in-law, and did her best to effect a reconciliation between them, but her position was a difficult one and her path was by no means strewn with roses. To add to her family sorrows in this year of misfortunes, her brother Alfonso's wife, Anna Sforza, died on the 80th of November, aA^r giving birth to a dead child, who was buried with her in the same grave. Alfonso was left a childless widower, and the sudden death ot this gentle young princess was a fresh cause of grief to Duke Ercole and his people. A fortnight later another Este princess, the once brilliant and beautiful ' Pm>1o Glorio, Imprete, p. 88. iu,CjOOgIC 144 FRANCESCO'S MISTRESS Beatrice, died in a fit of apoplexy at Milan, and Isabella addressed heart-felt condolences to her aunt's son, Niccolo da Corre^o, remarking sadly that at least his mother had died in the natural order, and that her life had not been cut short by a cruel and untimely end. Certainly Isabella had her fiill share of anxieties at this time. For, as she and all the world knew, h^ husband was consoling himself for his reverses in the company of a mistress named Teodora, who bore him two daughters, and shocked public feeling by~ appearing in splendid attire at a tournament held at Brescia in honour of the Queen of Cyprus. The Marquis himself was present on this occasion with his brother-in-law, the young Cardinal Ippolito, while his rival, the Moro's son-in-law, Galeazzo Sanseverino, appeared in the lists and was not sorry to cross swords with him.* But Isabella held her peace like a wise woman, and won general admiration by her patient and dignified bearing. " You aie blessed beyond most men," wrote the Bologna humanist Floriano Dolfo to the Marquis Francesco soon after his victory at Fomovo, " in having a fair, wise, and noble wife, who is altogether discreet and virtuous, and has shown lUrself a true mother of concord, ever anxious to gratify your wishes, while she prudently feigns neither to see nor hear those actions of yours which must be hatefulandinjurioustoher."' This was plain speaking, but the writer had been long intimately acquainted with the Marquis and his wife, and the tribute of praise which he paid Isabella was well deserved. ^ Marino Sanuto, Diam, i. 697. * Liuio e Renier in AtcK St. Lomb., xrii. 646. ^dbyGoogle CHAPTER IX 1498—1*99 Intrigues of Francesco Gonzaga with Venice jand Milan — Isabella seeks to reconcile him with Lodovico Sfom — ^The Marquis goes to Milan and is appointed captain-general of the League — Visit of the Duke of Milan to Mantua — Correspondence of Isabella with Lodovico — Conquest of Milan by the French, and flight of the Duke — Louis XII. enters Milan — Isabella pays court to the French — Receives the Milanese exiles — The Moro's retom and his final surrender at Novara. It is a difficult task to unravel the tangled web of Italian polities at the close of the fifteenth century and to follow the Marquis Francesco's course of action dtiring the two years that elapsed between his dismissal by the Signory of Venice and the fall of his brother-in-law, Lodovico Sforza. His tortuous policy and frequent changes of front are fully dis- cussed in a learned treatise by M. Louis FeUssier,' while Dr. Luzio has recently brou^t several fresh documents on the subject to light.* But one thing seems clear. While Francesco and his broth * Giovanni were inclined to join with Venice, Isabella d'Este's sympathies were wholly on the side of Lodovico, imtil it became plain that his cause was irrevocably ruined. Then, like the true "cinque- centist" that she was — to borrow M. Pelissier's ^ L, Pelisaier, Louii XII. el L. Sforza; Documentt pour ThitUAre de la domination fran^aue dan* le MUanait. * Luzio, Arch. Si. Lomb., 1901. VOL. I. " '" K ^dbyGooglc 146 LODOVICO SFORZA phrase — ^the Marchesa applied all her energies to win the French king's favour and make Louis XII. her friend.' Diuing the winter and spring of 1498, her con- fidential agent, Capilupi, was repeatedly sent to Milan to negotiate with the Duke, and when in April a new league was fonned between him and the Emperor Maximilian, the command of the allied forces was offered to Francesco, with a yearly salary of 80,000 ducats. The Marquis went to Milan, where he was splendidly entertained, and agreed to all Lodovico's proposals, but he was secretly disf||j|fied because the Duke would not give him the flU of captain-generd of the Milanese army, which was borne by his son-in-law Galeazzo, uid sent word by his brother Giovanni to the Signory that he would greatly prefer to return to his old all^iance.' Isabella, however, strongly advised him to accept the post, saying that the salary was the important thing, although the refusal of the title might be vexatious. Lodovico now annoimced his intention of coming to Mantua himself, both to show the world the con- fidence which he placed in the Marquis, and to thank Isabella personally for her good offices. Great preparations were made for his reception, and the Marchesa borrowed plate and tapestries from Niccolo da Correggio, consulted Capilupi as to the Duke's favourite dishes and wines, and was greatly exercised in mind as to whether she ought to wear black and drape her rooms with sable hangings, since Lodovico had never laid aside his mourning since the death of Beatrice. And we learn, from the following letter to > Let Awiet de Ladoaie Sforga (Rewe hutoriqut, 1891). * Marino Sanuto, Diarii, L 1112. ^dbyGoogle VISITS MANTUA 147 Capilupi, that she gave up her own rooms in the Castello for the use of her guest " Benedetto : We intend to lodge the Duke here, in oui rooms in the Castello, giving him the CaTiiera dipinta, with the ante-chamber, the Cuuerino of the Sun" — LodoTico Gronzaga's device — "the Camera of the Cassone, our own Cunerino and dining-room. And we mean His Excell^icy to occupy the Camera of the Cassone himself, which we will drape with black and violet hangings, as, although we hear that he still wears mourning, we think this will look rather less melancholy, and show that here at least we have good reason for r^oicing on this occasion. But I hope you will consult M. Antonio di Costabili " — the Ferrarese envoy — " and Messer Visconti as to the hangings of the oliier rooms, if you do not think it well to mention this to the Duke himself, and let me know their opinion, as it does not seem to me con- venient that our rooms should be bare even if His Excell^icy brings his own hangings. Please also let me know what wines the Duke usually drinks, and what kind of clothes I had better wear, as I said before." ' Mantua, June 8, 1498. The Duke however be^^ed the Marchesa to please herself, and expressed himself highly gratified with her thoughtfiilness, and when he heard that Isabella had a slight attack of fever, he sent his jester Barone on beforehand to amuse her with his merry tricks. On the 27th of June he arrived himself, bringing Isabella's brother. Cardinal Ippolito, and several foreign ambassadors in his train, and accompanied by a suite of a thousand persons. He spent three days at Mantua, visited the principal churches and ' Luxio e Renier in Arch. St. Lomb., xvii. 656. ^dbyGoOglc 148 INTRIGUES WITH VENICE palaces, and admired Mantegna's glorious frescoes, and the treasures of art which Isabella had collected in her studio. The Marquis gave a series of tourna- ments and comedies in honour of his illustrious guest, but the Venetians watched these proceedings jealously and Sanuto remarked that the Marchesana was evi- dently anxious to draw her husband to the Duke of Milan's side, and, like her father Ercole of Ferrara, was all against Venice. Still Francesco wavered, and sent messages to the Signory throu^ his brother Giovanni, who was known to be attached to Venice, and whose wife, Laura Bentivoglio, paid frequent visits to the con- vent of S. Giorgia On the 20th of October, he came to Venice and threw himself at the Doge's feet, placing his services and those of his family at his disposal But, althou^ the Signory was ready to pay him the same salary as before, they would not agree to give,him the title of captiun-general, and he left Venice in disgust The next day news came fit>m Milan that the Marchesa had concluded an agree- ment with Lodovico, and that her little daughter Leonora was to be affianced to her cousin, Maxi- milian, the young Count of Pavia. "Every one agreed," wrote Sanuto, " that the Marquis had treated our Signory veiy scurvily, and the Pope is said to have remarked that we are well rid of a great fooL" On this occasion Isabella certainly seems to have urged her husband to come to terms with Lodovico, and herself took an active part in the negotiations. When, early in November, the Marchesino Stanga and Gaspare San Severino came to Mantua and the agreement with Francesco was finally concluded, they visited Isabella in the Castello^ and told the Duke ^dbyGooglc ISABELLA AND LODOVICO 149 that she could hardly contain her joy at seemg them. Lodovico himself wrote to express his thanks for her assistance, saying that the Marchesino had told him how diligently she had laboured to bring about this happy result. On the 1st of January 1499, the imperial envoy, Erasmo Brasca, solemnly deliva«d the bftton and standard of the King of the Romans to the Marquis, in front of the church of S. Fietro. Isabella witnessed the investiture from a platform erected on the Piazza, and afterwards entertained the ambassador at a banquet in the Castello. The banner was solemnly blessed in the Cathedral and borne through the city in procession, after which the Marquis rode out with the ambassador to sup at his villa of Goito. But it was reported at Venice that the children in the street cried Marco ! Marco ! at the sight of the lion on the banner, upon which the German envoy looked puzzled, and the Marquis only smiled and kept silence.^ All through this last year of his reign, when Lodovico's enemies were busy plotting his de- struction, Isabella was in constant communication with her lnx)ther-in-law. He wrote r^;ularly, giv- ing her the latest political and court news, such, for instance, as that of King Charles the Ei^th's sudden death in April 1498, and sent her baskets of peaches and barrels of sweet wine, with charming little notes calling her his dearest sister and signing himself " your most affectionate brother." And she in return sent him the finest trout from Garda and swans from the Mantuan lakes to sail in the moat of the Castello, and thanked him cordially for his gracious remembrance, while Evangelista, Francesco's famous 1 Swuto, Diom, iL ih6. ^dbyGoogle 150 ISABELLA'S PORTRAIT stud groom, tamed the Duke's horses and sent them back in three days' time, fit for His Excellency to ride. One c^ the last letters which Isabella addressed to Lodovico was a request for his permission to present Giangaleamo's widow, her cousin Isabella of Aragon, with her portrait in colours. The Marehesa had always shown the greatest kindness to this unfortunate princess in the days of her rivalry with Beatrice, and still corresponded with her frequently. In 1498, she sent her a fine marble bust from Mantegna's collection, which the Duchess was anxious to possess, as it was supposed to resemble her, and allowed Leonardo's pupil Beltraffio to copy a portrait of her late brother King Ferrante II., that bdonged to the Marquis. Now Isabella of Aragon expressed a great wish for her cousin's own portrait, and the Marehesa had it painted by a Parma master, Gianfrancesco Maineri, and sent to Milan by her master of the horse, N^;ro, but prudently asked the Duke's leave before she pre- sented the picture to his nephew's widow.' " I am afraid," she wrote pleasantly, " I shall weary, not only Your Hi^mess, but all Italy with the sight of my por- traits, but I could not refuse Duchess Isabella's urgent entreaties. I send this one, which is not really very good and makes me look fatter than I am, and have desired Negro to show it to Your Highness, and if you approve, give it to the Duchess frt>m me." The Duke replied courteously that he admired the portrait * Liufo, Emporium, 1900, p. 85S. This portrait may possibly be the same as that in Mrs. Alfred Morrison's collection, which was exhibited at the Burlington Fine Arts Club In 1894. ' Whether it is the work of the Parma artist or of Beltraffio, who was at Mantua at the time, the portrait bears a marked likeness to Leonardo'a dnwing of Isabella. ^dbyGoogle INTRIGUES WITH FBANCE 161 and thought it very good, even if it made his sister- in-law fatter than she was when he saw her last Isabella, we know, was inclined to embonpoint^ and lived in constant terror of growing stout,' as she did in her, later years. When she was at Pavia with Beatrice in 1492, she informed her husband with great satisfaction that her sister the Duchess had not grown any taller than herself, but was distinctly stouter and seemed indined to resemble her mother in this respect. And in after years we find frequent allu- sions to this tendency in her letters. The portrait was sent to Milan in March 1499, when Lodovico's affairs were ah-eady in a critical state. A few weeks earlier, in FebruMy 1499, the treaty between Venice and France was signed, and the destruction of Lodovico and piotition of his State was finally deter- mined. Isabella was spending carnival at Ferrara, where her father was giving a series of Latin comedies in her honour. She wrote off without a moment's delay to her husband, telling him that news of a t3«aty between the Signory and King Louis of France had just reached Ferrara, and was of such great importance that she must send to him at once. This seems to have decided Francesco's course of action. His saluy was in arrears ; the old grievance against the Moro and Galeazzo rankled in his heart, although he nominally retained his command, and in May he made secret ovatures to Louis XII., placing his sword at his service. The King repUed graciously, and soon afterwards sent him the Order of St. Michael, at the same time recommending hun cordially to his Venetian aUies. The prospect of an alliance between the Pope and Louis XII. was still ^dbyGooglc 152 FRANCESCO MEETS LOUIS XII more alarming. The Pope's son Csesar Boigia had been received with great favour at the French court and created Duke of Valentinois, and his marriage to Charlotte d'Albret took place at Blois on the 16th of May. Both Francesco Gonzaga and Duke Ercole began to tremble for their own safety, and instead of taking up arms for the Moro, felt that the time had come to defend their own States. Meanwhile Isabella watched the course of affairs with growing anxiety. She was sincerely grieved at the downfall of Lodovico, who had been her true and loyal friend, and thou^t with concern of her sister's helpless children, whom she saw driven into exile. But she was none the less eager to conciliate the victor and save her husband and his State from' ruin. She sent gifts of falcons and trout to Louis XII. when he was at Milan, a couple of dogs to Count Egmont, and a horse to the Mar^chal de Giers, and invited Monseigneur de Ligny, who was a connec- tion of her family, to visit Mantua. And when, in November 1499, she heard that Cardinal d'Amboise expressed a great wish to have a devotional picture by Mantegna, whom he held to be the first painter in the world, she promptly ordered Messer Andrea to paint a St. John the Baptist with the portrait and arms of the French prelate, and sent the picture to the Cardinal, who declared that he valued it more than a ^ft of 2000 ducats.^ Both Duke Ercole and the Marquis of Mantua hastened to meet the French king when he reached Favia, and accompanied him on his triumphal entry into Milan. Young Baldassarre Castiglione, the future writer of the Coritgiatio, who 1 PeliBsier, Let Ames de Ludomc Sforza {Revue kutorique, 1891). ^dbyGoOgle AT MILAN 158 was in attendance on his master Francesco Gonzaga, wrote home to tell his friends at Mantua how the Marquis and the king had attended mass at San Am- brogio, and had afterwards been out hunting together, and laid stress on the great friendliness and evident conformity of tastes between His Most Christian Majesty and the Marquis. " So I hope," he adds, not without significance, " that all will go weU now." ' Yet Isabella's heart must have ached wh»t she heard of the haroe which the French invaders had wrought in the &ir halls of the Castello ; of the foulness and dirt, the confusion and disorder which reigned in that once beautiful palace. She must have thought with a pang of the gorgeous tapestries and priceless gems, antique marbles and cameos, the pictures by Leonardo and the instruments by Lorenzo da Favia, of the rare manuscripts which Lodovico had collected at infinite pains and cost, and of poor Beatrice's rich embroideries and jewelled cameras, which were now the spoil of the treacherous subjects who had betrayed their prince. But she hid her grief from other ^es, and showed a smiling £ace to the world. And, with characteristic alacrity, she wrote on the 18th of December 1499 to Antonio Falla- vicino, who had been one of the chief traitors, begging him to let her have the wonderful clavichord which Lorenzo da Favia had made for Beatrice four years before. Antonio wrote back from Lodi, that he would gladly execute her errand on his return to Milan, and inquire what had become of the precious instru- ment More than a year elapsed before he was able to gratify the Marchesa's desire, but Isabella's perse- verance eventually triumphed over all difficulties, and ' Serassi, Letigrt di B. Cattig&me. ^dbyGoogle 154 MILANESE BEFUGEES on the 81st of July 1501, she wrote joyfully to tell her fiiend Messer Lorenzo that the beautiful clavichord which he had made for her sister, the Duchess of blessed memory, had been given her by Messer Galeazzo Fallavicino, ^e husband of her cousin, Elisabetta Sforza. "And I felt," she adds, "that I must let you know this, feeUng sure you will be glad to hear it was in my hands, being as it is your work, and so excellent an instrument that it must always be very dear to me." ' At the same time, she showed the real warmth of her heart by the tenderness with which she treated the unfortunate Milanese exiles who came to seek refuge at Mantua. Many of these were kinsfolk of the Sforzas, or high-bom ladies whom she had known intimately at the Moro's court. Among them, strange to say, were Lodovieo's two mistresses, the accom- plished Cecilia Gallerani and Lucrezia Crivelli. Isa- bella entertained Cecilia courteously, and afterwards recommended her to the favour of the French king, as a lady of rare gifts and charm, while Lucrezia and her two little sons found an asylum in the Kocca of Canneto, and lived there many years under the pro- tection of the Gonzagas.* Another distinguished visitor who spent some weeks at Mantua that winter was the Marchesa's unfortunate cousin, Isa- bella of Aragon, whose only son had been carried off to France by Louis XII., and who, with her two young daughters, was now on her way to Bari. The two Sanseverino brothers, Antonio Maria, with his wife Margherita Pia — an intimate friend of Isabella— and the brave Captain Fracassa, also ' Lorenzo Gusnaaco, Carlo dtlTAcqua, p. SO. > Luzio in Arch. Si. Lomb., 1901, p. 154. ^dbyGoogle AT MANTUA 155 sou^t shelter at the Gonzagas' court ; and through these refugees, who were in constant correspondence with the exiled Duke at Innsbrttck, Isabella heard of the plots that were secretly made for his restora- tion. And she heard from her friends Leonardo da Vinci and J^uca Facioli, the great mathematician, who visited Mantua on their way to Venice, how cordially the people of Milan hated the French invaders, and how confidently they looked for Jjodovico's return. When, in the first days of B'ebniaiy, the Moro crossed the Valtelline Alps and entered Milan, amidst the acclamations of his subjects, it was to Isabella that his first letter from his old capital was addressed. He felt confident of her sympathy in his triumph, as he had been on his reverses, and he fondly imagined that he could depend on the support of his brother-in-law. We can imagine the breathless excitement, mingled with anxious fears for those she loved best, with which Isabella watched tlie course of events during those thrilling days. Her own impulse was to throw herself heart and soul into the Moro's cause, and she wrote not only to her brother-in-law, but to Cardinal Ascanio Sforza, saying that she longed to fly to Milan, and fight against the French herself. The Cardinal replied, not without meaning, that her husband's presence would be more usefiiL But Francesco was too aautious a man to conmiit him- self to so desperate a venture. He returned evasive answers to his brother-in-law's passionate entreaties for help, and all he did was to send his brother Giovanni with a troop of horse to join Lodovico bdbre Novara.' By this time the Moro's doom was 1 Pnito, Cronaca Milantte,- Arch. SL It, ili. S44. DK],lz.dbyG00gle 156 FINAL RUIN OF LODOVICO already sealed, and when, on the 10th of April, he was given up to the French general Trivulzio, it was Giovanni Gonzaga who rode alone, as fast as his horse could bear him, to bring the news to Mantua.^ Then Isabella knew that Lodovico's ruin was com- plete and irrevocable. All her efforts were now directed to conciliate the French victors, and to recover the favour of King Louis, who complained of Francesco's disloyalty to his ally in sending his brother to fight against him, and in receiving the Sforza partisans at Mantua. She herself was openly denounced by the French circles at Milan as an inveterate Sforzesca, and it needed all the influence of her father and brothers to prevent an open breach. By the exercise of her wonted tact and diplomacy the Marchesa, however, succeeded in averting the threatened rupture, and both she and her husband eventually r^ained the good graces of the French monarch. ^dbyGoogle CHAPTER X • 1497—1500 lubella's literary uid artistic interests — Foundation of the Studio of the Grotta in the Corte Vecchia — H antegna's paintings for the Grotta — Cristoforo Romano comes to Mantua — V/orka for the studio — His medal of Isabella — Correspondence with Niccolo da Correggio^Leonardo da Vind visits Mantua — Draws Isahella's portrait — Shows it to Lorenso da Pavia at Venice — Isabella intends to raise a monument to Virgil — Her letter to Jacopo d'Atri. DuBiNo these troubled years at the close of the fifteenth century, when political affairs occupied so large a share of Isabella's time and thoughts, and private sorrows and public calamities both fell heavily upon her, she lost none of her interest in art and letters. On the contrary, it was just in these luixious days that she was most actively engaged in corre- sponding with painters and sculptors, and in securing works of art for her camerim. From the first day that she came to Mantua the decoration of her rooms, as we have already seen, had been one of her favourite amusements, and she had employed her agents in Venice and Milan and Ferrara to collect those rare and precious objects with which she loved to surround herself. Before long she found the little studio of the Castello was unable to contain all her treasures, and about the year 1496 she obtained her husband's leave to remove some of her most valued possessions to another suite of rooms on the ground floor of the iu,CjOOgIC 158 THE STUDIO OF THE GROTTA Corte Vecchia. Since the erection of the Castello the halls in this part of, the old p^ace, which had fonnerly belonged to the Bonacolsi, had been partly used as public offices, while others contained Fran- cesco's fine collection of armour. But the ground floor remained unoccupied and afforded Isabella an excellent opportunity for carrying out her plans. Here then, in a hall looking out on the Piazza del Fallone, she now founded her famous Studio of the Grotta, An inventory, taken three years after her death, gives a fiill list of the paintings, statues, bronzes, and medals which it contained,^ while a poem, written by Raffaelle Toscana in 1586, supplies some interesting details regarding the place itself. Que/ loco ch^l mondo la Grotta appeUa. " Here," sings the poet, "are hidden the ruest treasures of Italy. Here is the suite of fine rooms which the mag- nanimous Isabella d'Este built and richly adorned. Two of these contain works of art which fill mortals with joy and wonder. They are decorated with rich gilding, with exquisite designs and intricate carving. Here Mantegna and other masters display their genius in sublime painting." The five pictures by Mantegna, Costa, and Ferugino were still in the Grotta in 1627, and Duke Vincenzo refused to sell them to Charles I. with the rest of the Mantuan collection ; but they were bought \ty Cardinal Riche- Ueu immediately after the sack of the town in 1680, and are now in the Louvre. The beautiful fittings of the rooms, the richly carved and gilded wood-work, the delicate intarsiatura, and the majolica pavement were destroyed by the Austrian soldiers, who occupied the palace during 150 years, and only the outer court 1 D'Areo, ArU e Artffid. ii. 134. ^dbyGoogle idb,Googlc idb,Googlc ITS DECORATIONS 159 and the room known as the Sc^cheria or Cancelleria retun any of the original decorations. But frag- ments of the pavement, of coloured Pesaro tiles, bearing the Gonzaga devices, the crucible and faggots, which Francesco adopted, the sun which decorated his father's Camera del Sole, the dove bearing the motto, Semper, the black eagles and golden lion granted to his ancestors by the Emperor Sigismondo, and many other fevourite emblems, may still be seen in public and private galleries, at South Kensington Museum, and Berlin, in the Andr^ Rothschild collec- tion.' According to Abbot Bettiaelli, who described the palace of the Gonzagas in the ei^teenth century, the studio took its name frt>m the outer court leading to the gardens, which was decorated in the grottesca style, with stuccoed vaults and niches, and marble coltunns, and adorned with statues and bas-rehefs. The inscription on the waUs of the Cortile bears the date of 1522, and shows that it was enlarged and im- proved when, at her son's request, Isabella gave up her old rooms in the Castello to inhabit the Corte Vecchia. But the new studio already went by the name of the Grotta at the dose of the fifteenth century, and con- tained the Marchesa's finest pictures and choicest books, as well as an infinite number of other beautiful objects wtiich she had collected from all parts of Italy. In May 1498, she dates a letter to her hus- band from the Grotta,' and from that time we find frequent allusions to this favourite spot in her correspondence. It was Isabella's dream to make this Grotta a 1 Yriarte, GoBette d. B. Artt, 1895. ^ Luzio e Renler io Arch. St. Lomb., xvU. €54. ^dbyGoogle 160 ISABELLA'S ART TREASURES place of retreat from the world, where she could enjoy the pleasures of solitude or the company of a few chosen friends, surrounded by beautiful paintings and exquisite works of art. Here she would read her favourite authors or sing Virgil and Petrarch's verses to her lute. Here she would play the clavi- chord with the Greek and Latin mottoes which had once adorned Beatrice's camerino in the stately Castello of Milan, and listen to the strains of Jacopo de San Secondo's viol or the recitations of the won- derfrd improvisatore Serafino. Here she would spend delicious hours with Duchess EUsabetta and her sister-in-law, Emilia Pia, and give herself up to the joys of intimate converse with the best and closest of friends. In this sanctuary, tcova which the cares and noise of the outer world were banished, it was Isa- bella's dream that the walls should be adorned with piuntings giving expression to her ideals of culture and disposing the mind to pure and noble thoughts. The subjects of these pictures were to be classic myths with allegorical meanings, chosen by herself with the help of some favourite humanist of her circle, and painted by the foremost masters of the day. During the next seven or eight years Isabella applied herself to attain this object with all the perseverance and tenacity of her character. No stone was left unturned, no chance of enriching her collection was ever thrown away. Agam and again in her letters she begged her chosen agents, Zorzo Brognolo in Venice, Ziliolo or Capilupi at Ferrara, to send her "some beautiful thing for the studio." Greek and Roman antiques, marble heads and relie& newly discovered in ruins of the Eternal City or ^dbyGoogle MANTEGNA'S PARNASSUS 161 among the temples of the Ionian Isles, reached Mantua in response to her urgent request. She did not scruple to ask Cffisar Borgia, who drove out Duke Guidobaldo, or the PMlavicini, who betrayed her brother-in-law, to give her the spoils of Milan and Urbino. The greatest painters, the most distinguished sculptors and goldsmiths of the day, Mantegna, Bellini, Ferugino, Costa, Michel Angelo, Cristoforo Romano, Raphael himself, were all in turn desired to contrib- ute some picture or statue to the decoration of the Grotta. Often she met with refusals, oftener still with delays and disappointments, but still she perse- vered with the unwearied ardour, the indomitable passion of the true collector. First of all she b^gan with Mant^na. Of all living masters, none shared Isabella's enthusiasm for antiquity or was more truly inspired with classic feeling than this old servant of the Gonzagas. Since his return from Rome he had been too busily engaged on the Triumphs, and the decoration of Francesco's villas at Marmirolo and Gonzaga, to work for the Marchesa, and the one portrait which he had painted, had &iled to satisfy her critical taste. But the task which she gave him now appealed in a peculiar manner to his imagination, and in the two magnificent tempera paintings which he executed for the Marehesa's new studio, the aged master rose to new heights of creative power and romantic invention. In the one, Venus the Queen of Love is throned on the green slopes of Parnassus by the side of Mars, the God of War, and at the foot of the sacred mount, Apollo and the Muses celebrate her triumph in joyous songs and dances. A drawing of the central figure in the lower group by Mantegna's pen has been preserved at Munich, ib,Cj00gIc 162 THE DANCING MUSE and in this Muse, who leads the dance, we recognise the &ir face and radiant smile of the young Marchesa herself, whom the painter has here introduced as the presiding genius of the studio.^ In the other pictiure, Minerva is seen armed with ^pear and helmet rushing out of a thicket and chasing the Vices of Ignorance, Ingratitude, Sloth, and Lust from the green bowers and cypress arbours of a sheltered garden. There can be little doubt that the idea of this new series of Triumphs, in which the victory of moral force and of that supreme excellence which under the name of virtii was so often on the lips of Isabella and her contemporaries, ori^nated with Mantegna, and that the Marchesa afterwards adapted it with the help of the humanist Faride Ceresara to the other pictures of the cycle.* The Parnassus or Triumph of Love, which is by far the finest of the two paintings, was completed 1^ Andrea in the sunamer of 1497. The Marchesa, in a letter written that spring, thanked her friend Lorenzo da Pavia for some new varnish which he had sent from Venice, and which was so excellent that Messer Andrea would like to have twice as much, and on the 8rd of July Alberto da Bologna wrote to Isabella, who was absent at Ferrara: " Nothing is now wanting to the studio of Your Highness, and you will find Messer Andrea's picture has been hung and its pedestal and frune gilded." ' The companion pictxure of the Triumph of Virtue was probably finished by the end of the century, but even before this Isabella was doing her utmost to ^ B. Berenson, "The Drawings of Mantegna," p. 4. » Cf. Dr. Paul Kristeller, "A. Mantegna," pp. 348, 5*9. ■ Yriarte, GaaeUe d. B. ArU, 1895. ^dbyGoogle PERUGINO 168 obtain works from other masters. When the Mar- quis visited Venice on his return from Naples, Isabella de^red him to tell Giovanni Bellini how anxious she was that he should paint a picture for her studio, and on the 26th of November 1496, Alberto da Bologna, who was in attendance on his master, wrote to say that the painter had promised to satisfy her as soon as possible. In the same letter, the faithful servant, who may have felt it necessary to assure his mistress of her husband's loyalty, adds : " Not a day passes but His Excellency speaks of Your Highness in the most affectionate terms. Your image is graven on his heut, and he always speaks of you as of a dear and sweet daughter." OntheSrdof April 1497. Isabella asked Lorenzo da Pavia, with whom she was in constant correspondence, if his friend the painter Perugino were ahve or dead. A report of the Austrian master's death had, it appears, reached her ears, but if he were aUve and in Venice she begged Lorenzo to ask him to paint a pictiu% for her studio.^ Perugino was aUve, but had left Venice some months before, and Lorenzo no doubt told Isabella how full of woric the painter was, and how long the Duke of Milan and the Prior of the Certosa had waited in vain for their altar-piece. But many more years were to pass before either Giovanni Bellini or Perugino could be prevailed upon to satisfy the Marchesa's wishes. As she wrote to her friend Ceresara : " We only wish that we could be as well served by painters as we are by men of letters. But we know that the wish is vain. We must be content to take what they choose or are able to give us." * 1 YrUrte, op. at. • Ibid., 1896. ^dbyGoOglc 164 CRISTOFORO ROMANO Meanwhile, the Marchesa had been fortunate in securing the services of a master whose rare excel- lence she had long admired — the sculptor Giovanni Cristoforo Romano. This accomplished artist, who was bom in Rome about 1465, and sent to Milan by Cardinal Ascania Sforza, was employed on the worics of the Certosa of Favia, and became one of Beatrice d'Este's favourite singers. In this capacity he ac- companied her on all her journeys, "and was with her," as Marchesino Stanga wrote, "now in one place, now in another." From his boyhood Cristoforo had devoted himself to the study of antique art in Rome, and did his utmost to prevent the Eternal City from being stripped of its precious marbles. Sabhk da Castighone tells us that he was as fine a connoisseur as Mant^na, and in the Cortigiano he is ranked with Michel Angelo among the foremost sculptors of the age, and would have rivalled him in greatness if he had not suffered from constant ill* health. Since Isabella had seen his charming bust of Beatrice, on her first visit to Milan, she had been very anxious to obtain a similar efiigy of herself, and had begged Lodovico to allow the sculptor to come to Mantua. But although the Duke and Duchess had readily granted her re- quest, Cristoforo had excused himself from accept- ing the Marchesa's invitation until he had finished his work at the Certosa, and it was not till after Beatrice's death that he consented to leave Milan. In April 1497, Isabella again begged Lodovico to allow Messer Zoan Cristoforo to come to Mantua, as she wished for his advice on certain works, and in September she wrote to Benedetto Tosabezzi, her agent at Venice, endosing a letter from "our ^dbyGoogle DOOR IN THE GROTTA 165 sculptor and servant, M. Zoan Cristoforo Romano," desiring the Venetian engineer, Antonio Riccio, to send him certain Carrara marbles, with which she wished him to adorn her studio.' From this letter it is plain that Cristoforo was already in her service, and that he was about to design the beautiful doorway which may still be seen in her apartment of the Paradiso, on the upper floor of the Corte Vecchia. Since these rooms were only built in 1520, when the Marchesa gave up her old apfotments in the Castello, there can be little doubt that this white marble portal, richly encrusted with porphyry and other coloured stones, and adorned with classical bas-reliefe, was originally destined for the Studio of the Grotta. The subjects of these medallions agree exactly with Mantegna's pictures and with the general scheme of decoration. Minerva appears in one tondo, armed with spear and olive; in another, Apollo hangs up his lyre on the trunk of a tree ; and on a third we see the Muse of Poetry and Eloquence represented with a book and cornucopia; while the whole is framed in a frieze of Greek vases, griffins, and doves, and carved with exquisite delicacy. We recognise this gifted sculptor's hand in two sepulchral monuments, bearing the date of 1498, in the Gonzagas' &vourite sanctuary of S. Maria della Grazie, near Mantua, and Dr. Luzio has lately discovered two sketches of the Marquis Francesco's device of the crogioh or crucible, which he designed in the same year. We learn from a letter, which Isabella sent to the sculptor in Rome in March 1506, that soon after his arrival at Mantua he had carved her bust in marble for her faithful servant, Ales- ' Lusio e Senier, AtcK St. Lomb., xvii. 51. ^dbyGoogle 16fl PORTRAIT-MEDAL sandro da Baesso, and afterwards repeated the work cm a smaller scale, for her friend, the Marchesa di Cotrone. Unfortunately both these busts have per- ished. But one memorable work which Cristoforo executed at this period has fortunately survived. This is the famous portrait-medal of Isabella, with a winged figure driving away a serpent on the re- verse, and the sign of the Archer and her favourite device of a star above. The letter group was prob- ably intended as a symbolic representation of the Marchesa's virtues and wisdom ; while the motto, Benemerentium ergo, is an evident allusion to her protection of art and letters. But the great value of Cristoforo's medal consists in the authentic portrait which it gives us of Isabella, as she was at the age of twenty-four. The beautiful fece with its regular features is seen in profile, the waving locks are loosely caught up in a knot at the back of the head, and a single string of pearls adorns the bare throat. And, in order to leave no room for doubt, the words " Isabella Esten, March, Man.," are inscribed round the head. Fortunately we possess documents which fix the date of this medal with absolute certainty. The one is a letter of September 1498, in which a Ferrara poet, Giacomo Faella, tells the Marchesa that his fnend Tebaldeo, vrith whom he has been spending the sunmier in the hiUs near Brescia, has shown him the medal of Her Excellency, and that the sight of her feir face has inspired him with a sonnet.' The other is a letter from Niccolo da Coneggio, regarding the Latin motto which the Marchesa had desired him to choose for her medal.* > D'Arco, Arch. St. It., App. ii. < Liudo e Benier, Giom. St. d. LeU., v., xxl., S4S. ^dbyGoogle NICCOLO'S MOTTO 167 After the death of the Duchess Beatrice this brilliant cavalier left Milan to visit his old home at Correggio, but feared to accept a pressing invitation from Isabella to bring his daughter, Leonora, to see her, lest he should bring the plague to Mantua. On the 8th of June he wrote &om the heart of Petrarch's country : — " To-morrow, my dear lady, I am going to dine at Selvapiena, two miles from Rosena, where the most celebrated Messer Francesco Petrarca composed so many worics. It is a pleasant spot, fit for such exercises, and if you read the life which is printed with his sonnets and tritunphs, you will see it mentioned. So 1 go there joyfully, in spite of the long journey to Rosena, which is twenty-five miles from Correggio and a very remote place. I shall remain there some days and await the conunands of Your Excellency, whose slave I am for ev&c." In July he came to Mantua, and falling ill soon after his departure, wrote gallantly to his lady : " I parted with Your Excellency and with my own health at the same moment." The following May found him again at Correggio, from which place he wrote to tell Isabella that he hoped soon to be allowed to visit the "retreat of the Grotta," to which his secretary, the accomplished soldier and poet who went by the name of " II prete di Correggio," had been lately admitted. "If I am allowed this &vour I shall count myself honoin^d indeed, and if you do not let me in, I must reluctantly confess my inferiority and seek to learn of my more fortunate servant." A few days afterwards, Isabdla wrote beting him to send her a suitable motto for Cristoforo's medal. In reply, Niccolo ^dbyGooglc 168 NICCOLO'S LETTERS suggested the Latin wonk, Benemerenthtm. causa, which, however, did not please her, as she had seen this motto before and desired something entirely new and original, upon which Niccolo replied, on the 18th of May :— " It certainly would not do for a lady of so rare a merit to adopt a motto which had ever been used by another, although I must own that I had never seen it before. Nevertheless to please my sovereign lady I Moll say Benemerentium ergo, which has the same meaning as Benemerentium causa. This will show you how blindly I obey Your Excellency 1 I send back your cavalier as quickly as possible, only grieving that I cannot be with you myself for another week, as I must go to Milan. — Your servant, Niccolo da Coreeggio. " P.S. — I have thought of two more lines which I will add, although they are of little worth. Naturae offidum GraUtudlnis studio." Niccolo met the Marchesa again in the following spring at Ferrara, where she entertained her father's guests and presided at the carnival balls and fdtes. After the Moro's fall he fixed his residence once more at Duke Ercole's court, where he was much beloved by all the princes of Este and became a devoted admirer of Alfonso's second wife, Lucrezia Borgia. But he still owned allegiance to Isabella, and sent her canzoni and capitoU on the pattern of his favourite Petrarch's compositions. One sonnet of his which especially pleased her was composed in memory of a beautiful youth in Rome, who had lately died in the arms of his mistress. Isabella on her part sent him presents of fish from Garda, and ^dbyGoogle TO ISABELLA 169 when, in 1506, his son Galeazzo married the fiiir and accomplished Ginevra Rangoni she presented the bride with a splendid clavichord. "Your Excel- lency,"* wrote Niccolo from Correg^o, " has sent a most beautiful clavichord to my daughter-in-law, and has very kindly ordered Domino Philippi to put it in order. Besides the thanks which my daughter her- self is sending you, I felt that I must thank you personally for these favours, for which we cannot be too grateful. As for the song which you ask me to select from Petrarch, I have chosen one of those which I like best, banning : Si e debole iljile a cm s'atiene, which seems to me well suited for your purpose, containing verses which must be sung by turn crescendo and dimnuendo. With it I send one of my own songs, composed in a similar metre, which you can sing to the same tune as the Petrarca canzone, and also a poem in imitation of Petrarch's CMare, dolce et Jresche deque. Once more I com- mend myself to your good graces, and am keeping Domino Philippi till to-morrow." ' But Isabella was never satisfied, and a few months later wrote in great distress because her favourite maid of honour had lately died, and no one could find the last capitoU and sonnets which Niccolo had sent her. Fortunately Niccolo, who, as a rule, never transcribed his verses, was able to supply another copy of the poem banning with the words : Non si i ardito il cor, which the Marchesa especi^y wished to read, and with his old gallantly wrote that, old as he was growing, he was still young enough to dance with her, and to ride at the ring, and break a lance, for her sake, in the coming jousts. 1 Ludo e Renier, op. at., p. S44. ^dbyGoogle 170 SERAFINO'S POEMS Many other poets and utists there were who, like Cristoforo Romano and Niccolo da Corre^io, found their way to Mantua or Ferrara, when Beatrice's tragic death had, in Cahneta's words, turned that brilliant court " from a joyous'paradise into the blackest hell." Calmeta himself, " tdeganiissmo Calmeta," as he was called by his contemporwies, who had been her sister's secretaiy, spent some time that summer at Mantua and dedicated his commentary on Petrarch's camame, Mai non vo cantar, to the Marchesa, and Serafino, the famous singer and actor, who was so great a favourite with all the Este and Gkinzaga princes, also accepted Isabella's invitation. During the year which he spent at Mantua, after Beatrice's death, the Duke and Duchess of Urbino begged him in vain to come and amuse them for a little while, and both Cardinal d'Este and his brother Farante a^ed Isabella for copies of his strambotti aiid capitoU. The Mut:hesa, however, was very jealous of these poems which Serafino composed for her benefit, and when Bishop Louis Gonzaga of Gazzuolo asked her for a certain capitolo *' On Sleep," which the poet had lately written, be^ed him to keep it under lock and k^ and not allow any one to see it, as she particularly wished these charming verses not to become public property. " This, however," she adds, " you will, I fear, find to be a very difficult thing." ^ But the greatest of all the Milanese artists who came to Mantua after Lodovico Sforza's exile was the Florentine master, Leonardo da Vinci. Isabella had often met the distinguished artist who stood so high in the Moro's favour, and had seen and admired his masterpieces in painting and sculpture. > Lusio e Beoier, Miatiova e Urhino, p. 9S. ^dbyGoogle ^dbyGoogle idb,Googlc LEONARDO'S PORTRAIT 171 A year after Beatrice's death, on the 26th of April 1498, she sent to beg Cecilia Gallerani, Lodo- vico's former mistress, to lend her the portrait which Leonardo had painted some years before, in order that she might compare it with some fine portraits by Giovanni Bellini which she had just seen. Cecilia hastened to gratify the Marchesa's wish, and sent back Leonardo's picture by Isabella's messenger, saying that she only wished it were a better likeness ; not that this was the master's fault, for there was no painter in the world who could equal him, but because, when he painted it, she was of " youthful and imperfect age." ' Leonardo himself seems to have paid a flying visit to Mantua in the following December, for in a letter from his villa <rf Goito, the Marquis desires his treasurer to pay Leonardo the Florentine eleven ducats for certain strings of lute and viol which he had brought from Milan, and begs him to do this at once, in order that the master may be able to continue his journey.' But we know that he and his friend Luca Pacioli, who dedicated his " Book of Games " to the Marchesa, visited Mantua on their way to Venice at the close of 1499. It was on this occa- sion that Leonardo drew the beautiful portrait of Isabella, in red chalk, which is now in the Louvre. The late M. Yriarte was the first to recognise Isabella's features in this drawing of the Vallsrdi collection, and although Dr. Luzio has lately ex- pressed doubt on the subject, there seems little reason to question the fact. Leonardo has drawn the brilliant Marchesa's portrait in his own fashion — » " Beatrice d'Este," pp. 58, 54. ■ Luzio, Etnponum, I900, p. S5S. ^dbyGoOglc 172 LORENZO DA PAVIA wearing a simple striped bodice, with the waves of rippling hair falling low on her bare neck, without ornament or jewel of any description. But the fine and delicate features are the same as those in the medal which Cristoforo designed two years before; the eyes have the same bright and keen expression, and the whole £ice is radiant with life and intellect. Time has dealt hardly with Isabella's portraits, and of all those countless picttires which were scattered over Italy, this of Leonardo's is the only one which brings her before us in the bloom of youth and beauty. As it happens, we have a testimony to the truth of Leonardo's portr^t from no less an authority than the great connoisseur Lorenzo da Pavia. For the Florentine master went on from Mantua to Venice, there to await the issue of Duke Lodovieo's descent on Milan, and to watch with anxious eyes the result of that forlorn hope, on which his whole friture was staked. There he met his old friend, the wise man of Pavia, and as they talked together of their great patron and the old life at Milan, the painter brought out his drawing of the Marehesa and showed it to her loyal servant. And on the 18th of March 1500, while they were rejoicing over the wonderful news from Milan, Messer Loren20 wrote to the Marehesa about a lute which he was sending to Mantua. " Most illustrioiis Lady, — I send you by this courier an excellent lute of walnut wood, made in the Spanish fashion, which seems to me to have the finest tone that I ever heard. I have been ill, and as yet unable to finish the black and white lute, which I will do, like this one, in the Spanish style. Leonardo Vinci is in Venice, and has shown ^dbyGoogle ADMIRES LEONARDO'S DRAWING 178 me a portrait of Your Highness, which is exactly like you, and is so well done that it is not pos- sible for it to be better," ^ Leonardo, it appears, took a copy of his car- toon to Venice, and left the otiier at Mantua, for, a year afterwards, the Marchesa sent a message to him in Florence, b^ging him to send her a replica of his drawing, since the Marquis had given away the copy which she had kept. But he never piunted her portrait in colours, as he had promised on that brief and memorable visit, and not aH Isabella's efforts and entreaties were able to ob- tain a picture by his hand for her studio. In this . same year, when Leonardo came to Mantua, Isabella was intent on a new scheme, the erection of a statue to Virgil in the square in front of the Gastello. Early in the century. Carlo Mala- testa, acting as r^ent for his nephew, the young Gianfrancesco Gonzaga, had, in a fit of misguided piety, thrown a statue of Virgil which adorned the Piazza di S. Pietro into the Mincio, saying that the people of Mantua paid the Roman poet a homage only due to a saint. The Marquis Lodovico, who had leumt fix>m his great teacher, Vittorino da Feltre, how to reverence Virgil, had been very anxious to restore this statue, but had never been able to cany out his pious intention. Now the discovery of an antique bust which Battista Fiera, a lefumed Mantuan physician, pronounced to be the true effigy of Virgil, fired Isabella with ambition to ruse a monument to the Mantuan poet. She naturally proposed to entrust the work to the artist of all others best fitted for the task, Andrea Mantegna. A letter which her hus- > A. Buchet, Aide Mmuce. ^dbyGoOgle "I 174 MONUMENT TO VIRGIL band's secretary, Jacopo d'Atxi, wrote to her from Naples, shows the enthusiasm which her intention excited among classical scholars. " Most illustrioiis and excellent Madonna, — Your Excellency has doubtless heard of the great merits and talents of Pontanus,' of whom we may truly say that not only in our own time, but since the days of Virgil, there has never been a man of greater learning or more real merit. Yesterday, after having a long conversation with him in the name of your illustrious lord, I remembered Your Highness's desire to raise a statue to Virgil, and thought I would consult him on the subject and hear his advice. I told him I did this by your order, and explained the object which animated Your Highness and inspired your magnanimous soul with the wish to cany out this idea. As soon as Pontanus heard this, he called two learned gentlemen and said to them : * If Paolo Vergerio, who wrote De Educando Uberis, were present, the pleasure that he would have in recog- nising the generous soul of this illustrious Madonna would exceed the sadness which he felt on hearing that Carlo Malatesta had thrown the statue of Virgil into the river.' Then, laying stress on these words, he added : ' Only consider, gentlemen, the magnanimity of this lady of tender years and without classical learning, who determines to revive the fame of this great man, and to render honour and glory to Mantua, where the sffioae lord. Carlo, a man <k ex- 1 Pontanui, to irhoni he here alludee, was not onl^ an elegant Latin poet, whose verBCB were afterwards published I^ Aldus, but held high office under King Alfonso] of Naples and his son Ferrante, and enjoyed 'the confidence of the reigning monarch, Federico. ^dbyGoogle ADVICE OF PONTANUS 175 perience and leaming, outraged the poet's memory and the fame of that noble city. Here, indeed, is a royal lady, worthy of all praise and commendation, and had I heard of this before, I would certainly have given her a place in my bodt De Magnammtate.' We then proceeded to discuss the question whether the poet's statue should be made of bronze or marble, and agreed that although bronze is certainly the nobler material, yet, since there is always a risk that it may be melted down to make guns or bells, we should prefer a fine marble statue, placed on a noble pedestal in some honourable place. The work should be given to some good sculptor, who would take the poet's portrait &om nature, for I had just told Fon- tanus of the effigy lately discovered by Messer Battista della Fiera, And in order not to depart from the antique style, the statue should stand by itself, with a laurel crown on the head, and the drapery, either an uitique toga caught upon the shoulder or a senator's robe, such as Messer Andrea Mantegna may think best. The hands should hold nothing, and the statue should be perfectly plain, with- out a book or anything else, but with antique sandals on the feet, and the attitude would be such as Messer Andrea shall decide. At the base there should only be a few words, such as — PubUus VirgiUus Mantuanus, and also — Isabella Marchiomssa Manhus restitvit — as may please Your Excdlenc^. These gentlemen agreed that Fontanus must consider what would be the best words to be engraved on the base, and he agreed to do this willingly. What I did will, I hope, be agreeable to Your Excellency, since it was prompted by true affection, and by one who desires your gloiy and feels that this will bring you immortal iu,C00gIC 176 DESIGN ASCRIBEB TO MANTEGNA ' fame. — Your slave and servuit, Jacopo d'Atri."' Naples, 17th March 1499. ' A drawing, now in the His de la Salle collection in the Louvre, of a statue of Virgil, covered with laurel and holding the iEneid, in the style, although not by the hand, of Mantegna, was probably executed by Isabella's order, but her project was never carried out, and Mantua was left without a monument of her greatest son. The only memorial erected in Isabella's Ufetime was the fine terra-cotta bust of Virgil, which, in 1511, the doctor Battista Fiera placed on an arch in front of the church of S. Francesco, together with a bust of the Marquis, and of the Carmelite poet Battista SpagnuoU. The arch was destroyed by the Austrians in 1852, but the three busts are still preserved in the Museiun of Mantua. 1 A. Baschet, GaetOe d. B. ArU, 1866. ^dbyGooglc CHAPTER XI 1500— 150a Birth of Isabella's sod Federico — Csesar Borgia his godfather — Relations of the Gonzagas with htm — Ehsabetta of Urbino goes to Rome — Letters of Sigiamondo Cantehno — Comedies at Ferrani and Mantua — Treitt]^ of Granada and partition of Naples — Ciesar Borgia conquers Romagna — Abdication and exile of Federico, King of Naples — Betrothal of Alfonso d'Este to Lucrezia Borgia — Preparations for the marrif^e in Rome — II Prete'i letters to Isabella — Wedding of Lucrezia and her journey to Ferrara. The year 1500, which- saw the final ruin of Lodovico Sforza and the rise of Csesar Borgia, was a memor- able one for Isabella d'Este, both in her public and private life. On the 17th of May, within a month of the catastrophe of Novara, she gave birth, in the Castello of Mantiia, to the long-wished- for son and heir. Some time before, Suor Osanna foretold this event, and bade the Marchesa be of good cheer, since her prayers were heard and she would soon bear a son.' Now the joyfiil news was hailed with acclamation, not only throughout Mantuan territory, but at Ferrara and Urbino. The sumptuous cradle which Duke Ercole had sent for his first grandchild's birth, and which Isabella had refused to let her daughters use, was at length brought out; and the happy mother borrowed Spanish leather hangings and t^»estries from Ferrara for the ^ Donesmondi, Sioria Ecclet. di Manlova. VOL. L '" M I u, Google 178 BIRTH OF FEDERICO decoration of her infant son's nurseries at his chris- tening. This ceremony took place on the 16th of July, but was not marked by any public rejoicings. As Isabella wrote to her sister-in-law, " the troubled state of Italy has deprived him of a more honourable baptism." ^ The choice of the godfathers was signifi- cant. The first was the Emperor Maximilian, whose friendship the Marquis was anxious to secure without breaking with Louis XII., and who was himself rejoicing over the birth of his grandson, the future Emperor Charles V. Little did Isabella know how great an influence the babe, who first saw the light at Ghent, on that auspicious Feast of St. Matthias, was destined to wield over the fate of Italy and the fortunes of her new-bom son. The second of Federico's sponsors was Cardinal Sanseverino, the warlike prelate, who, like all his brothers, had been a devoted partisan of the Sforzas, and had entered Milan at the head of the Moro's followers. None the less, he had, a few months before, succeeded in making his peace with France, through the ^endship of Cardinal d'Amboise, and soon afterwards returned to Milan. The third august personage whom the Marquis chose to hold his son at the font was Caesar Borgia. The Pope's son, as yoimg Castiglione wrote home, was the tallest and most splendid-looking man among all the princes and nobles who escorted Louis XII. on his entry into Milan. Now he was rapidly becoming the most prominent figure in Italian poUtics. His energy of will and powers of mind were as great as his strength of body ; his ambition was as boundless as his courage. His influence over the Pope was absolute. He was 1 Luxio e Renier, Mmiova e VrbtHO, p. 106. ^dbyGoogle C^SAR BORGIA HIS SPONSOR 179 already master of Rome and aspired to reign over all Italy. The Pope's son, wrote the Ferrarese envoy, Pandolfo Collenuccio, " has a great soul and seeks &me and grandeur, but cares more to conquer States than to govern and defend them. He is fierce in his revenge and never for^ves a wrong, so I hear on all sides." The truth of this report was confirmed by the Pope himself, who remarked, in conversation with another Ferrara agent, Costabili : " The Buke is a good-natured man, but he cannot forgive an insult. The other day I told him that Rome was a free city, where every one had a right to say what he pleased. ' That may be all very well for Rome,' repUed Cfesar, ' but I will teach people to be sorry for what they say.' " ' From the first, Francesco Gonzaga and his wife realised the growing power of I>uke Valentino, as he was popularly called in Italy, and lost no opportunity of conciliating this dangerous personage. A few days after his son's birth, the Marquis wrote to a^ him to stand sponsor to the little Federico, an honour which Caesar accepted with alacrity, as we learn frt>m a note written on the 24!th of May : — " I heard of the fortunate and much-desired birth of Your Excellency's little son with exultation as great as if it had been my own, and gladly accept the honour you propose to do me, bulging that you will depute one of your councillors to represent me at the font and will give my congratulations to your most illustrioiis consort, hoping this babe may be the first of a numerous race of sons destined to perpetuate the name of two such noble and glorious parents." * > Pastor, "Hirtory of the Popes," vi. 113, * F.GTegonmiu, "LucrezU Borgiit," p. 66. ^dbyGoOgle 180 ELISABETTA GONZAGA But enough was known of Cffisar Borgia's designs at Mantua to excite the worst fears, and the suspicion which the Marquis Francesco entertained of his new ally is evident from a letter which he addressed to Elisabetta of Urbino, in March 1500, be^ng his sister to abandon h^ intended visit to Rome. Already in the summer of 1499, the Duchess had invited Isabella to accompany her on a pilgrimage to Rome in this yeiff of Jubilee, but the critical state of public affairs in Lomburdy and the approach- ing birth of her child compelled the Marchesa re- luctantly to decline the proposal. As the time of Ellisabetta's journey drew near, the Marquis became seriously alarmed for his sister's safety, and ui^ed her by their mutual love to consider the present state of things and the risks to which she would be exposed. If she is in need of change, let her come to Mantua and give his wife the pleasure of Iier company. " The year is long," he adds, " and later on we will aU three go to Rome and visit the holy places together in a more convenient season." But when this letter reached the Duchess, she was already on her way to the Colonnas at Marino, and wrote to the Marquis from Assisi, full of concern at the objections which he raised to her plans. " Most illustrious Prince and dearest Brother, — A few days ago I left Urbino on my way to Rome to keep the JubUee, as I told you some time ago, and this morning reached Assisi, where I received your letter begging me to give up my journey. This has caused me the greatest possible grief and vexation. On the one hand, my sole desire is now, as it has ever been, to comply with your wishes, and ^dbyGoogle VISITS ROME 181 pay you the obedience due to a father. On the other, as you see, I have already started and am beyond the borders of the State, and Signor Fabrizio Colonna and Madonna Agnesina, my honoured sister-in-hiw, have engaged a house and made all the necessary arrangements for me. And smce I have promised to be at Maiino in four days, and Signor Fabrizio is on his way to meet me, I do not see how I can give up the journey with honour to my lord and myself, more especially since everjrthing has been considered and arranged beforehand by my good lord. Neither will Your Excellency have any fear for my safety when you hear that I go to Marino first, and on with Madonna Agnesina incogmto to Rome, there to visit the churches chosen for this Holy Jubilee, without making myself known or speaking to any one. In Rome, we shall be lodged in the house of Cardinal Savelli, which is conveniently situated in the midst of the Colonna quarter, but I intend to return to Marino as soon as possible and spend most of my time there. So Your Highness need have no doubts or fears for my safety, although I confess that, if I had not already started, I would have given up my intention, not from any fear of danger or distiirbance, but in order to satisfy Your Excel- lency. But since I have already got as £ur as this on my journey, I am sure this letter wUl satisfy you, and I beg and pray you to write to me in Rome so that I may know that you are satisfied and may keep the Jubilee with greater content and peace of mind. Otherwise I shall be in continual distress and anxiety. I commend myself heartily to your good graces, and remain your younger sister, Elisabetta." ' ^ F. Gnigoroviiu, op. at., p. 1S4. ^dbyGoogle 182 DEATH OF EMILIA PIA'S HUSBAND The next day Elisabetta continued her journey, and after spending Holy Week in Rome and visiting St. Peter's and the Tombs of the Apostles, in strictest iTuxtgmto, she returned with her sister-in-law to the Colonnas' castle of Marino in the Alban hills, uid enjoyed the company of Madonna Agnesina and her seven-yew-old daughter, the little Vittoria, who was already betrothed to the young Marquis of Pescara. A fresh sorrow awaited her at Urbino in the death of her husband's half-brother, Antonio, a valiant soldier who had fought at Fomovo with Francesco, and whose wife, Emilia Pia, was her devoted friend and companion. The Duchess's tender heart was full of sympathy for the heart-broken widow, and she wrote to Isabella saying that both she and the Duke were doing their best to comfort poor Madonna Emilia, whose grief was enough to move the stones to pity. Isabella herself wrote in the most affectionate terms to Emilia Pia, begging her to take comfort, '* since this is a journey on which we all must go," and telling her that, as she had proved herself the best of wives in the past, it was now her duty to try and confonn herself to the divine will, in order that her prayers for her husband's soul might be the more acceptable in the sight of God.* Before long Emilia dried her tears and recovered her old gaiety, but in spite of her charms and popularity, she never consented to marry again, and remained faithful to the memoiy of her lamented husband. Early in the following year Isabella visited Fer- rara and spent some time at her father's court, where several Latin comedies were acted, including the "Mercadanti," the "Asinaria," and tlie "Eunucho." 1 Ltuk) e Benler, Manlova e Vriitw, p. 107. ^dbyGoOgle COMEDIES AT FERRARA 188 " These plays," she remariis in a letter to Mantua, "are certainly full of vain words, and ore not without doubt- ful passages to which some persons might take ob- jection. All the same, they are very amusing, and excite much laughter, chiefly owing to the frequent . changes of voice and excellent performance of these actors." At her urgent entreaty the Duke agreed to return with her to Mantua, where the Marquis made great preparations for some dramatic representations to be given in his honour. But, at the last moment, the arrival of papal envoys with important proposals from the Borgias detained Ercole at Ferrara, and the carnival fites at Mantua took place without him. One of his favourite courtiers, however, Sigismondo Cantelmo, the husband of Isabella's intimate friend, Maigherita Maroscello, accompanied the Marchesa home, and sent the Duke full accounts of the per- fonnances in the magnificent theatre prepared for the occasion in the Castello. His elaborate descriptions of this building and allusions to the Triumphs of Mante^fna, with which the stage was decorated, lend especial interest to the following letter : — "Most excellent Prince, my dear Lord, — The arrangements made by this illustrious Lord Marquis have been most splendid, and deserve to be studied by all who wish to erect appropriate theatres for the performance of ancient and modern plays. I do not doubt that Yoiu" Excellency has already heard of the representations which have been given. None the less, I should fiiil in my duty if I did not write to tell you what, indeed, requires a better scribe than I am — all the magnificence, grandeur, and excellence of the said representations, the beauty of which I will try to describe as briefly as possible. The stage itself ^dbyGooglc 184 THEATRE AT MANTUA is quadrangular in form, but somewhat extended in length. Each side has eight arcades, with columns well proportioned to the size and height of the arches. The base and capitals of each pillar are richly painted with the finest colours and adorned with foliage, and the arches, with their reliefs of flowers, offer an admir- able perspective, each being about four bracda wide and proportionately high, the whole representing an ancient and eternal temple of rare beauty. The back of the stage was hung with cloth of gold and foliage, as required for the recitations, and the sides were adorned by six paintings of the Triumphs of Cffisar by the famous Mantegna. On the two other and smaller sides of the stage there were similar arcades, but only six in number. Two sides of the stage were given up to the actors and reciters ; on the two others were steps occupied on the one hand by women, on the other by strangers, trumpeters, and musicians. At one angle were four very lofty columns with rounded bases, and between them a grotto designed with great art, but in the most natural manner. The roof overhead blazed with hundreds of lights like shining stars, with an artificial circle, showing the signs of the zodiac, and in the centre, the sun and moon moving in their accus- tomed orbits. Within the recess was a Wheel of Fortune inscribed with the words, Regno, regnam, regnabo, and in the midst, the golden goddess, seated on her throne, bearing a sceptre adorned with a dolphin. The lowest tier of the stage was hung with the Triumphs of Petrarch, also painted by Mantegna, and large golden candelabra hung from the centre of the roof, each holding three double rows of torches and a sliield with the arms of His ^dbyGoogle DESCRIBED BY CANTELMO 185 Cesarean Majesty, the black eagle with the royal and imperial diadem. At the sides of the stage were two large bamiers with the arms of His Holiness the Pope and the Emperor, and smaller ensigns with those of the Most Christian King and illustrious Signory of Venice. Between the arches were banners with the arms of Yom* Excellency and of the German prince Duke Albert of Bavaria, and the devices of this Signor Marchese and the Signora Marchesana. Higher up on the walls were busts and statues of gold, silver, and other metals, which added greatly to the decorative effect of the whole. Last of all the roof was hung with sky-blue cloth to imitate the blue vault of heaven, studded over with the constellations of our hemisphere. "The recitations were exceedingly fine and en- joyable. On Friday ' Fhilonico ' was given, on Saturday ' II Penulo ' of Plautus, on Sunday the * Ippohta ' of Seneca, on Monday the ' Adelphi ' of Terence. All of these were admirably recited by skilled actors, and received the greatest applause from the spectators. As Monsignore Louis d'Ars, the son of the illustrious M. de Ligny, is now here, uid had not seen the first play, I hear the ' Philonico ' will probably be given again. If I have forgotten anjTthing, I hope soon to supply the omission by word of mouth, when I see Your Excellency, to whose good graces I commend myself. — Your Excellency's servant and slave, Sigismondo Can- TELMO." * From Mantua, Feb. 18, 1501. This minute description, obscure as it is in some places, at least enables us to form some idea of the 1 Campori, LetUrt artMche, 1866, and D'Ancona, Oripm del Ttatro, vol U. ^dbyGoogle 186 BIRTH OF LIVIA construction of the new theatre and of its splendid and elaborate decorations, while the presence of the French visitors, whom the Gonzagas were especially anxious to conciliate, showed that the event was not without political significance. That autumn Isabella gave birth to a third daughter, who received the name of Livia, but died at the age of six. Neither this child nor Leonora, who was already seven years old, appears to have interested her mother much, and she seldom mentions their names in her letters. She was, how- ever, careful to give them an exceUent education, and first Sigismondo Golfo, then Francesco Vigilio, taught Leonora Latin and grammar. The Marchesa chose these teachers herself, and would allow no carelessness or irregularity. On one occasion, when Golfo absented himself for some weeks, she sent him an order to return at once, if he did not wish to lose his situation. But all her fondest hopes centred round her little son, Federico. She watched the growth of this {nrecious infant with the ten- derest affection, and when the Marquis was absent from Mantua sent him daily reports of his little son. "I am quite well," she writes on the 8rd of July 1501, "and so is our beautiful boy, who is always asking for his PA." Again, on the 7th of August, the proud mother writes : " To-day our little boy began to walk, and took four steps without any help ; although, of course, he was care- fully watched, much to our delight and his own. His steps were a little uncertain, and he looked rather like a tipsy man I When I asked him after- wards if he had any message to send his &ther, he ^dbyGoogle CONQUEST OF ROMAGNA 187 said, * Ti Pal' so I must commend him to you as well as myself."^ Meanwhile political events of grave importance were taking place in other parts of Italy. The Pope's daughter, Lucrezia Boi^ia, after the dis- solution of her first marriage with Giovanni Sforza, the widower of Maddalena Gonzaga, became the wife of Alfonso, Duke of Bisceglia, an illegitimate son of Isabella's uncle, the late King Alfonso of Naples, and nephew of the reigning king, Federico. The union proved a happy one, but the unfortunate prince was so foolish as to quarrel with Ciesar Borgia, and in July IdOO he was attacked by five masked assassins as he left the Pope's rooms, and seriously wounded. "Every one here," wrote Cal- meta from Rome to Elisabetta Gonzaga, "knows that this is Duke Valentino's doing." A few weeks later the wounded man was strangled in his bed in the Vatican by Caesar's guards before the eyes of his wife. "The Pope," wrote the Mantuan envoy, Cattaneo, "is very much displeased at this event, both on account of the King of Naples, and for the sake of his daughter, who is in dequur." • Inmiediately after this deed, which excited general horror, Caesar Borgia set out to conquer Romagna at the head of an army of 7000 men. First Fesaro, then Rimini, siurendered without a blow, and Giovanni Sforza fled to Mantua, and sought refuge in his first wife's home. Francesco received his brother-in-law kindly, but told him plainly that he could do nothing against Borgia. In spite, however, of Isabella's professions of friendship ^ Luzlo, PreceUori, &c., p. 87. • Pastor, " History of the Popes," vl 6lS. ^dbyGoogle 188 BY CESAR BORGIA for her son's sponsor, she could not conceal her admiration for the gallant little town of Faoiza, which remuned loyal to its prince, Astorre Manfredi, and alone among the cities of Romagna offered a determined resistance to the conqueror. On the 20th of April 1501 she wrote to her husband: "I rejoice to hear that the citizens of Faenza are so loyal and constant in their lord's defence, aad feel that they have redeemed the honour of Italy. May God give them grace to persevere ; not that I wish Duke Valentino any ill, but because neither this poor Signor nor his faithful subjects deserve such ruin. I thank Your Excellency for giving me news of the first battle, of which Messer Carlo da Sesso also informs you in the enclosed letter, which I opened in your absence.'" But five days after this Faenza was forced to surrender, and the brave young Manfredi was t^en captive to Rome, and strangled in Castell' Sant' Angelo by Cfesar's orders. At the same time Isabella had to lament the ruin of her mother's family and the downfall of the last king of the house of Aragon. Federico's doom was already sealed. In November 1500 a secret treaty was concluded between Louis XII. of France and Ferdinand the Catholic, who agreed to divide the kingdom of Naples between them. In June a large French army crossed the Alps and marched against Naples, and a month later Gonsalvo di Cordova landed in Calabria with a Spanish force. The Pope ratified the treaty pubhcly, and Casar Boi^ left his army in Romagna to join the French before Naples. After a fiercely contested battle, Gaeta and Naples opened their gates to the victors, and on the 4th 1 D'Arco, Arch. SL It., App. ii. ^dbyGoogle MARRIAGE OF ALFONSO D'ESTE 189 Federico fled to Ischia, and abdicated his throne in fevoxir of the French king. He retired to France, where a pension and the Duchy of Anjou were granted him, and where he spent the remaining three years of his life. Everywhere Ctesar Borgia and his French allies were triumphant, and no one knew in which direction their arms would next be timied. The situation was ftn anxious one, and Isabella was greatly alarmed to hear from her father's envoy at Milan that her husband had incurred the suspicion of the French Viceroy, Cardinal d'Amboise, by his supposed in- trigues with the Emperor. One day, when the Fenarese ambassador was dining with the Viceroy, his host suddenly asked him what he thought of the Marquis of Mantua's plot to drive the French out of Italy. Then, turning to Trivulzio, the Cardinal said : " M. le Mar^chal, what would you do if you knew that the Signor Marchese kept a spy here to report all our actions ? " "I should dismiss his ambassador at once," replied Trivulzio. And that same evening the Mantuam representative, Tosabezzi, received notice to leave Milan.^ Under these circiunstances Francesco Gonzaga saw that his best pohcy was to cultivate the friend- ship of Csesar Borgia, and he took care to offer no opposition to Duke Valentino's latest scheme. This was the proposal of a marriage between his sister Lucrezia and the Duke of Ferrwa's eldest son, Alfonso d'Este. A few weeks after the murder of her second husband, the report of this intended alliance was already the common talk of Rome. "The Pope's dau^ter," wrote a German pilgrim ^ lyATco, Arch. St. IL, App. iL ^dbyGoOgle 190 WITH LUCREZIA BORGIA who visited Rome in this year of Jubilee, and was grievously shocked at these scandals, " Uves here in great state, and is about to marry a third husband, the first being yet alive. If one does not please her, she asks for another." In February 1501, when Isa- bella was spending the carnival at Ferrara, formal proposes to this effect were made to her &.ther by the Pope's envoy. At first the jmjud spirit of the Este princes recoiled with horror from the thought. Not only was Lucrezia the Pope's bastard, but her own character was by no means free from stain. There might be no grounds for the horrible crimes which were &«ely imputed to her in Rome, but the Ferrarese ambassador reported that she had been engaged in an intrigue with a papal chamberlain named Peroto, and had given birth to a child a year after the dissolution of her first marriage. The bare idea that a woman against whom such charges could be brought, should reign in the place of the good Duchess Leonora, seemed intolerable to the Duke and his children. At first Alfonso quite declined to entertain the proposal, and Isabella regarded it with unqualified disgust, although she was too prudent to give vent to her feelings in public. But by d^rees this natural repugnance melted away before the solid advantages of the proposed marriage. The Pope not only offered to give his daughter the enormous dowry of 800,000 ducats, but to reduce the yearly tribute paid by Ferrara as a fief of the Church firom 400,000 ducats to a nominal sum of 60 ducats, and to siurender several important fortresses and valuable benefices to the Duke. Louis XII. warmly supported the Pope's proposals, and Ercole began to realise the substantial benefits which he and ^dbyGoogle THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT 191 his State would derive from the marriage. When the Emperor, moved by his invincible hatred for the Boi^as, commanded him as his hege lord to break off the negotiations, the Duke only returned a civil answer, and made use of Maximilian's despatch to secure better terms from the Pope. Atlength, after prolonged conferences, the marriage contract was finally signed on the 26th of August, and Ercole wrote to inform his daughter Isabella of the fact. On the same day the marriage was publicly proclaimed in Rome. Both the Pope and Caesar were exultant, and Lucrezia, who, in spite of her troubled past, was of a singularly child-like and light- hearted nature, gave vent to her delight by dancing all night with so much energy that she was laid up with an attack of fever the next morning. The Mantuan agent, Cattaneo, supplied Isabella with abundant details of the preparations that were made for the wedding diuing the next few weeks. " The dowry," he wrote on the 18th of December, " will consist of 800,000 ducats, counting the value of the presents which this Madonna will receive. First of all, 100,000 ducats will be paid down in gold at Ferrara ; then she will have clothes, plate, jewels, fine linen, costly hangings and trappings for horses and mules representing another 200,000 ducats. Her trousseau will contain no less than 200 camoras, each of which will be worth 100 ducats, with sleeves and gold fringes valued at 80 ducats apiece. One robe alone is valued at 20,000 ducats, and a jewelled hat is said to have cost 10,000 ducats, while in Rome and Naples more gold has been employed in pre* paring h^ outfit during the last few weeks than is generally required in two years." ^dbyGoogle 192 FERRARESE ENVOYS IN ROME On the 28rd of December, Alfonso d'Este'sbrothers, Don Ferrante and Cardinal Ippolito, arrived in Rome with a brilliant suite to solemnise the marriage, and escort the bride to Ferrara. Lucrezia, clad in white and gold brocade, with pearls and rubies in her hair, received the two princes on the steps of the Vatican, and Caesar led them into the palace, while the Pope looked on &om a balcony, and greeted his guests with effusion. He conversed freely with the Ferrarese envoys, saying that he meant Lucrezia to have more beautiful pearls than any other princess, and |naised her beauty and goodness, comparing her to the Mui:hesana of Mantua and the Duchess of Urbino. But in spite of these assurances we see how deep was the distrust which the Borgias inspired and how anxious Duke Ercole felt with r^ard to Lucreda's own character by the following letter which his confidential agent, Gian Luca Fozzi, wrote on the evening of his arrival in Rome : — " To-day, after supper, Girardo and I waited on the most illustrious Madonna Lucrezia, in the name of Your Excellency and Don Alfonso. We con- versed together on many subjects, and in all she said we found her very sensible, discreet, of good and loving nature, and sincerely attached both to Your Excellency and Don Alfonso, so that I confidently believe Don Alfonso will find real comfort in her society. Besides which, she is singularly graceful in all her actions, uid her manners are full of modesty and decorum. She is a good Christian, filled wiUi the fear of God, and is going to confess to-morrow, and to communicate on the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord. She has a sufficient share of good looks, and her pleasing expression ^d graceful manners make ^dbyGoogle IL PRETE'S REPORT 198 her seem more beautiful than she really is. In short, her qualities are such that I am sure there is nothing to fear from her, but rather everything to hope for. Your Highness may rest assured that, bound as I feel to speak the truth without prejudice, I tell you this with great joy and consolation." ' The bride made the same excellent impression on // Prete, that faithful servant of Niccolo da Correggio, whom Isabella, in her anxiety to receive full particu- lars of the marriage, had sent to Rome in her brother's suite. This admirable chronicler described the wedding ceremony and fites, the dresses and jewels of the chief personages, and the bride's dowry and trousseau, with a fulness and exactness which, as Gr^orovius remarked, are worthy of a Times reporter. He was especially careful to obey the Marchesa's wishes, by giving a minute description of Lucre- zia's appearance and character. "She is a charm- ing and very graceful lady," he wrote after the first interview. " I can tell you that our Cardinal's eyes sparkled at the sight of her." On the 29th of December, he wrote again to Isa- bella : " This noble Madonna is seldom seen in public, being occupied in preparation for her departure. But on Sunday, the Feast of St. Stephen, I went to see her later in the evening, and found her sitting near the bed with ten maids -of -honour, and twenty other ladies wearing handkerchiefs on their heads after the Roman fashion. They soon began to dance, and Madonna danced very gracefully and well with Don Ferrante. She wore a camora of black velvet trimmed with gold fringe, with narrow sleeves slashed to show her white linen chemise, a > F. GregoroviuB, "Lucreria Borgia/' p. 189. VOL. I. N ;cl by Google 194 WEDDING OF LUCREZIA BORGIA vest of black velvet richly embroidered in colours, a gold-striped veil and a green silk cap with a ruby clasp on her head. Her maids-of-honour have not yet got their wedding dresses. Our own ladies are quite their equals in looks and in everything else. But two or three of them are decidedly graceful. One from Valencia dances well; another, called Angela, is very charming. Without her knowledge I have chosen her for my mistress I Yesterday the Cardinal and Don Ferrante rode through the town with the Duke, all wearing masks." ^ The wedding was celebrated on the 80th of December, in the Cappella Paolina, before the Pope, who sat on his throne, attended by thirteen Cardinals and the foreign Ambassadors, only the Emperor's representative being conspicuous by his absence. The bride was magnificently attired in a robe of gold brocade, with flowing sleeves that trailed on the floor. Her train of crimson velvet, trimmed with ermine, was borne by ten maids-of-honour. Her golden hair was tied back with a black ribbon, and she wore a gold net over her hair, and a string of pearls with a pendant of large emeralds, pearls, and rubies round her neck. The Duke of Ferrara's mandate was read aloud, the Bishop of Adria de- livered an address which was shortened by the Pope's orders, Ferrante placed the ring on the bride's finger in his brother's name, and she replied in a clear voice that she received it of her own free choice. Then Cardinal Ippolito presented her with Duke Ercole's present, a gorgeous casket of jewels, valued at 70,000 ducats, filled with precious gems, rings, necklaces, and the famous pearl necklace which, Isabella re- 1 F. Gregorovius, op. ciL, p. 19*, &c. ^dbyGoogle F^TES IN ROME 195 membered with a sigh, had belonged to her dearly loved mother. The Pope was delighted, and ex- claimed as he took the jewels in his hands that the young Cardinal's charm of manner doubled the value of the jewels. But Duke Ercole had been careful to insert a proviso in the contract stipulating that the jewels were to be returned, and only the wedding ring kept by Lucrezia if the marriage were afterwards dissolved. Cardinal Ippolito then presented the bride with his own gift of four jewelled crucifixes, and the other Cardinals followed with their gift:s, after which the whole company witnessed a succession of races and jousts on the Piazza before the Vatican. Steel weapons were used, and as many as six noble youths were wounded, reports // Prete. " Then Caasar," he goes on, " took the Madonna's hand and danced before the Pope with rare grace, and the maids-of- honour followed and danced very well in couples. His Holiness was in high spirits, and laughed all the time. This lasted over an hour. Then the comedies began. One was in Latin verse, and a shepherd and children were introduced, and looked very fine, but I could not understand its meaning. After that the company dispersed, and only His Holiness, the bride, and her brother and brothers-in-law sat down to the wedding feast at the Pope's table." Isabella's correspondent gave her detailed accounts of the week's festivities that followed, of the comedies and ballets, the masquerades and dancing, the recita- tion of epithalamiums and marriage hymns, the bull- fights organised by Cssar Borgia, and the torchlight processions in which Lucrezia took part.* At length, 1 Gregorovius, op. cU., pp. 200-217. ^dbyGoogle 196 JOURNEY OF THE BRIDE on the 6th of Januuy, the wedding party set out for Ferrara, escorted by a cavalcade of Roman horsemen. The bride was attended by a suite of 180 persons, and Angela Borgia, that damigella elegantissima who had fascinated // Prete at first sight, was her chief lady- in-waiting. By the Pope's command the bride was received with royal honours at Temi, Spoleto, Fohgno, and each place where a halt was made. At Gubbio Duchess EUsabetta herself came to meet her, and Duke Guidobaldo, who had strong reason to distrust Cassar Borgia, no doubt felt it prudent to give his sister a splendid reception at Urbino. Elisabetta her- self accompanied the bride over the mountain passes to Pesaro, where Lucrezia was lodged in the very palace which she had occupied for some years as the wife of Giovanni Sforza. At Imola, the party rested for a whole day in order that the bride might set her jewels and clothes in order for her entry into Ferrara, and wash her head. This, Ferrante d'Este explained in a letter to his father, she had been unable to do for ten days, owing to which she suffered severely &om headaches. Some days were spent at Bologna, where a banquet was given by the Bentivoglios in her honour, after which the party embarked on bucen- taurs, and travelled by water first along a canal, and then up the river Po as far as Castell Bentivoglio, a town about twenty miles from Ferrara. Here the bride was surprised to see Don Alfonso, who had ridden out in disguise to meet her, and spent two hours in her company to her great delight. She wrote that night to tell her father of the prince's courtesy, which gratified the old Pope highly. The next day he sent for the Ferrarese envoy to express his satisfoction, and spoke with genuine affection of iu,CjOOgIC TO FERRARA 197 Lucrezia, saying repeatedly : " I have done great things for her, and I mean to do more." As the Venetian ambassador, Paolo Capello, remarked : " The advancement of his children is the only thing that he seems to care about." ^ > M. Sanuto, DiarU, iif. 847. ^dbyGooglc CHAPTER XII 1503 Isabella presides at Luerezia Borgia's marriage fesUvitiea — Recep- tion of the bride at Ferrara — Isabella's letters to her husband — Comedies, balls, and f^tes — The ambassadors' gifts — Isa- bella entertains the French ambassador — Her interview with the Venetian envoys — Return to Mantua — Lucrezia Borgia's life at Ferrara — Her relations with Isabella and the Marquis. While Elisabetta Gonzaga was escorting Lucrezia Borgia on her journey through Central Italy, Isabella d'Este came to Ferrara at her father's request, to receive her brother's bride. Her own letters to Francesco give full descriptions of the wedding festivities, which were on a splendid scale and are said to have cost Duke Ercole 25,000 ducats. On the 2dth of January, two days after her arrival, Isabella wrote : — " My dearest Lord, — My father came to my room after dinner to-day and arranged the order of the bride's entry, which is to be as follows. On Tuesday, I shall accompany Don Alfonso with only a few ladies in a barge as far as Malalbeigo to meet her, after which she will sleep at my lord Alberto d'Este's house at Casale, and I shall return home with the Duchess of Urbino, who however must go back on Wednesday to keep the bride company. Madonna Lucrezia Bentivoglio with half of these ladies will go to meet her and follow her in the procession, while I remain here with the other half to receive her at the steps of the Palace. It is true that I mean to go and ^dbyGoogle ISABELLA AT FERRARA 199 see the entry from the Custom-house, but as soon as the procession has passed by, I shall return to the Palace. After making these arrangements, my father took me to see the haU where the comedies are to be acted, which is 146 feet long by 46 wide. Steps have been made from the Piazza with a parti- tion to divide the men from the women, who will be in the centre, with the men on either side; the ceiling and stq)s are hung with green, red, and white draperies. On the opposite side of the hall is a wooden stage about the height of a man, with battle- ments, and the scenery for the comedies, which are to be six in number. About 5000 persons are expected, but the seats will be reserved for strangers, and any that remain will be given to Ferrarese gentle- men. Five shields with coats of arms hang from the roof — those of the Church, of France, Este, and Borgia, and the black and white eagle which was our old coat of arms. I saw nothing else worthy of note. The wooden beams of the roof are left bare, but perhaps these are to be draped later. I will tell you what more is to be seen on the day itself. All these gentlemen are busy preparing sumptuous dresses and gold chains, but the attire of the women will be splendid beyond words I I have not left the house these two days, owing to the number of visitors which I have had. To-night we go to the house of M. Ercole Strozzi. I am sending 500 oysters by the sailors who take back the barge, and 1 hope Yom* Excellency will enjoy them for love of me. Kiss my darling boy a thousand times over I — Your wife, Isabella." ^ Ferrara, Jan. 29, 1502. ' This and the following letters from Ferrara were published hj D'Arco in <lrcA. St. It., App. li. See also F. Gregorovius, " Lucresia Borgia." ^dbyGooglc 200 RECEPTION OF THE BRIDE On the 1st of February, the Marchesa described her first meeting with the bride : " Soon after eight o'clock I entered Don Alfonso's bai^ together with Don Giulio (her half-brother) and my own gentlemen and ladies. At Torre della Fossa I changed boats and went on to Malalbergo, where we met the bride in a ship with Don Ferrante and Don Sigismondo and a few others, and here I found the Duchess of Urbino with them. The boat came alongside, and one bark having curtsied to the other with joyous haste, I entered the bride's with Madonna Laura (Giovanni Gonzaga's wife), and after exchan^ng salutes we went on our way and she did not enter the smaU bucentaur for fear of losing time. About four o'clock we reached Torre della Fossa, where my father was standing on the shore awaiting us. The archers in their red and white liveries, seventy-five in number, were drawn up in a row, and the whole court galJiered round the Duke, who took Madonna Lucrezia by the hand and kissed her, after she had insisted on first kissing his hand. Then we entered the large bucentaur, where all the ambassadors shook hands with us, and we sat down in the following order: the bride between the French and Venetian, myself between the Venetian and Florentine, and the Duchess of Urbino between the Florentine and Sienese, the Lucchese envoy being close by. My father and Don Alfonso sat on deck above, talking and joking together, and were much amused by the Spanish clowns, who paid the bride all manner of compli- ments, and so, amid great cheering and shouting and the sound of trumpets and guns, we reached Casale about five. After accompanying the bride to her rooms we all left, and I took the Duchess of ^dbyGoogle COSTUMES OF THE PRINCESSES 201 Urbino in my carretta to her lodgings, which are those of Ventimiglia above the loggia. I will not describe Madonna Lucrezia's appearance, as you have seen her. She wore a vest of wrought gold trimmed with crimson satin, with slashed sleeves in Castilian fashion, a crimson satin mantle, turned back on one side and lined with sable, open at the throat to show a frilled chemise, in the usual fashion. On her neck she wore a string of big pearls, with a pendant of ruby and a pear-shaped pearl, and a gold coif on her head, but no band. Madonna Lucrezia Benti- voglio received her on the shores of the Po with a great company of ladies. Madonna Teodora was presented to her by Don Alfonso's seneschal as chief lady-in-waiting, together with twelve Ferrarese maidens wearing camoras of crimson satin, and black velvet mantles lined with black lamb. The gentle- men of her household have not yet been chosen. Five carriages were sent to meet her — one hung with gold brocade, and led by four white horses, each worth fifty ducats apiece ; one covered with red velvet, led by roan horses, all very fine ; and three hung with purple satin, with horses of different colours. I have not mentioned Don Alfonso, be- cause, as I told Your Excellency before, he went last ni^t to Bentivoglio, returned to Ferrara this morning, and joined my father at Torre della Fossa. The Duchess of Urbino is very well and lively, and commends herself to Your Excellency with me, and I beg you to kiss the dear child of our love. — Your wife, Isabella." On this occasion the Duchess of Urbino wore black velvet embroidered with a gold pattern, while Isabella herself was attired in a black velvet robe DiclzedbyGoOgle 202 LUCREZIA'S APPEARANCE trimmed with lynx fur, with a green velvet vest studded over with gold plaques — a gift from Fran- cesco — a gold circlet on her head, and a gold collar set with diamonds round her neck. Her beauty and distinguished air attradted general ad- miration, as the Marchesa di Cotrone, who accom- panied her to Ferrara, wrote that evening to the Marquis. " The bride is not beautiful, but sweet and attrac- tive in appearance, and although she had many ladies with her, and among them that illustrious Madonna, the Duchess of Urbino, who is very handsome and a worthy sister of Your Excellency, yet ray illustrious lady was universally pronounced, both by our people and by those who came with the Duchess, to be by far the most beautiful, so much so that if the bride had foreseen this, she would have made her entry by torchlight! There can be no doubt of this, since others are as nothing at my lady's side. So we shall bear the prize back to the home of my own Madonna." ^ On the following day the Duke and his son rode out to meet the bride at Casale, and escorted her across the bridge of Castel Tedaldo, and through the town to the ducal palace. The pageant is described by contemporaries as the grandest ever seen in Ferrara. *' I will tell you the order of this illustrious bride's entry," writes Isabella, " and whatever else is worth noting, as best I can. First of all came my father's seventy-five archers in white and red liveries, with three captains in different costumes, then eighty trumpeters, among them six of the Duke of Romagna's, wearing cloth of gold, and purple and ' D'Arco, op. at. ^dbyGoogle ENTRY OF THE BRIDE 208 white satin uniforms, and twenty-four pipers and trumpeters. Behind them came the nobles and gentle- men of Ferrara, of whom seventy wore golden chains, none of which cost less than 500 ducats, while many were worth 800, 1000, and even 1200 ducats. Then followed the Duchess of Urbino's suite, all in black velvet and satin, and after them Signor Don Alfonso and M. Annibale BentivogUo. His Highness rode a big bay horse with purple velvet trappings embossed with gold. He wore a suit of grey velvet covered with scales of beaten gold, worth at least 6000 ducats, a black velvet cap trimmed with gold lace and white feathers, and grey leather, gaiters. Eight squires walked behind him, four men and four boys, in French suits of gold brocade and purple velvet, with hose of red and purple cloth. Then came the bride's suite, twenty of whom were Spaniards clad in black and gold, but only twelve of the whole company wore gold chains, and these not at all large ones or equal to those worn by my gentlemen. These were followed by the Bishops of Adria, Comachio, Cervia, and two others sent by the Pope. Then came the ambassadors, waking two abreast — a Lucchese and a Sienese together, the other Sienese with a Floren- tine, and so on, the two Venetians wearing long crimson satin mantles ; last of all the four Roman ambassadors in long cloth-of-gold mantles lined with crimson satin. Behind them were six drummers and two Spanish jesters in brocade of variegated colours. Then the bride, under a crimson baldacchino carried by the doctors. In front of her was a big dapple-grey horse, given her by the Duke, with crimson trappings embroidered with gold, led by eight grooms in purple and yellow vests and hose." ^dbyGooglc 204 STATE PROCESSION The Venetian chronicler' informs us that, as the bride rode over the bridge of Castel Tedaldo, her horse took fright at the guns, and would have thrown her if her groom had not rushed to her help, and placed her on a mule. Isabella continues: "The bride was mounted on a roan mule with velvet trappings covered with gold lace, and fastened with nails of beaten gold. She wore a cloth of gold camera with purple satin stripes and flowing sleeves after the French fashion, and a sberma of wrought gold, open on one side, and lined with ermine, as were her sleeves. Round her throat was tiie necklace of rubies and diamonds which belonged to Madonna of Ferrara, of blessed memory 1 On her head was the jewelled cap which my lord father sent tt^ther with the necklace to her in Rome, without any band. Six of Don Alfonso's chamberlains, all wearing fine gold chdns, held the reins. The French ambassador rode at her side, outside the baldacchino." The bride, according to another account, sent for the French envoy, Philippo Bert, when the procession started, and made him ride at her side, as a token of the Pope's gratitude to the King of France for bringing about the marriage. "Behind the bride, the Duchess of Urbino and my lord father ; the Duchess on the right on a roan mule, with black and gold velvet trappings, wearing a black velvet robe adorned with certain triangles of beaten gold which are astrological signs, a string of pearls at her throat, and a gold coif on her head. My Lord Duke rode a roan horse, with black velvet and a suit of purple velvet, and was followed by two ladies. Donna Hieronima Borgia and the wife of > Marino Sannto, DiarU, iv. SSS-SSO. ^dbyGoogle ISABELLA RECEIVES THE BRIDE 205 Fabio Orsini, both in black velvet ; and behind them, Madonna Adriana, a widowed relative of the Pope. These were the only women on horseback. Madonna Lucrezia BentivogHo rode in a chariot hung with gold brocade, followed by twelve other chariots, bear- ing the bride's ladies and her own Ferrarese and Bolognese ladies. Behind them came two sumpter- mules, with black and silver trappings, elaborately worked, and fifty-six more with red and yellow clothing, and twelve with purple and yellow. A few arches, as I told Your Excellency, were erected at certain points along the route, and there were some represen- tations which are not worth mentioning, and no one paid much attention to them." At five o'clock the procession reached the Piazza, where two rope-dancers descended simultaneously fit)m opposite towers, and at the same moment the doors of the dungeons were thrown open and all the prisoners released. On the steps of the ducal palace, the Marchesa, magnificently arrayed in a camera of cloth of gold, embroidered with her favourite device of musical notes and rests, received the bride, and conducted her to the Sala Grande, followed by the Duke and the whole company. In this noble hall, hung with Leonora's priceless tapestries, two Ferrara poets, Celio Calcagnini, the friend of Raphael and Erasmus, and Ariosto, recited a Latin Epithalamium in the bride's honour, and hailed Lucrezia as pul- ckerrima Virgo — a title which may well have sounded ironical in the ears of the bystanders, when applied to one whom the Romans had derisively called "the Pope's daughter, wife, and daughter-in-law." The following day was spent in dancing and acting, and in the evening Isabella took up her pen iu,C00g[c 206 COMEDIES AND BALLS and wrote : " To give Your Excellency an account of to-day's doings : After dinner we brought the bride out of her rooms, and led her into the Sala Grande, which was so crowded with people that there was no room to dance. However, we got through two dances as best we could." Cagnolo, who had come to Ferrara in the French ambassador's suite, tells us that Lucrezia came down from the tribunal, where she was seated between Isabella and Elisabetta, and danced Roman and Spanish dances, to the sound of tambourines, with rare grace. He adds that although she is not regularly beautiful, her golden hair and the dazzling whiteness of her skin, together with her gentleness and winning manners, render her most attractive. " She is very gay and hght-hearted, and is always laughing." * Then the acting b^an. " My father," continues Isabella, "brought in all the actors, and showed us the costumes which have been prepared for the five comedies, to show us that the dresses had been made on purpose, and that those which were worn in one comedy would not have to be used agun. There are in all one hundred and ten actors, men and women, and their clothes are of cendale (a fine silk) and camlet. The leader of the troop appeared in the character of Plautus, and ex- plained the argument of the five plays, the ' Epidico,' the ' Bacchidae,' the ' Miles gloriosus,' the ' Asinaria,' and ' Cassaria.' After this we passed into another hall, and about six o'clock the first play began. Neither the verses nor the voices struck me as very good, but the Moresche dances between the acts were very well danced, with great spirit. . . . The 1 Zambotto, Cronaca. ^dbyGoOgle ISABELLAS ENNUI 207 last was danced by Moors with lighted torches in their hands, and was a fine sight. It was not over till past ten, and then every one went home to supper." The Marchesa evidently found these pro- longed festivities very tedious, and at the end of Uiis letter she adds a postscript in which her real feelings are expressed. " I will not deny that Your Excellency, in my eyes, enjoys far greater pleasure in being able to see my little son every day, than I find in these f&tes. If they were the finest in the world, they would not please me without Your Excellency and our little boy. But I will' not believe that he has forgotten me already. If he does not remember me out of affection, he must remember me if only because he is kissed so often ! So I hope Your Excellency will be sure to kiss him a few more times for love of me I Don Alfonso and the bride slept together last night, but we did not pay them the usual morning visit, because, to say the truth, this is a very cold wedding I I hope that my person and suite compare favourably with those of others who are here, and we shall at least carry off" the prize of the card-playing, since Spagnoli has already robbed the Jew of 500 gold pieces. To-day we are to dance till four o'clock, and then see another comedy. — Your wife, Isabella." Feb. 8. On the 4th, the bride did not leave her room till late in the day, and the Duke took his chief guests to see the sights of Ferrara— the treasures of art con- tained in the Castello and the Schifanoia palaces, the guns in which his son Alfonso took especial interest, and the holy Dominican nun, Sister Lucia of Viterbo, ^dbyGoogle 208 HER IMPATIENCE TO RETLTRN HOME who had received the stigmata, and whose wounds were said to bleed afresh every Friday. " Yesterday," wrote Isabella on Saturday the 5th, '* we all stayed in our rooms till five o'clock, because Madonna Lucrezia chooses to spend all these hours in dressing, so that she may outshine the Duchess of Urbino and myself in the eyes of the world, and being Friday, there was no dancing. At half-past five the ' Bacchidfe ' began, and was so long and tire- some, with so few dances, that I wished myself many times at Mantua. It seems a thousand years till my return, both because of my longing to see Your Excellency and my little son, and of my wish to escape from here, where I do not find the least enjoyment. Your Excellency need not envy me for being at this wedding, which is a cold and dull affair t I only wish I had stayed at home. If I had time to write to you more fully, I should be less bored. But, as soon as I am out of bed, my brothers come in and do not leave my side all day. Besides which all the ladies come and visit me, since Donna Lucrezia is not to be seen untU she appears in the Sala. We sup about eleven o'clock and go to bed at one or two. You may imagine how little I enjoy all this. Pity me 1 Last night only two dances were introduced in the play, and at the end we he^ nothing but groans and complaints from the spectators, who had already sat there more than four and a half hours. Nothing else is worth saying, only I beg you not to forget to kiss Federico for me. — Your wife, Isabella. "P.S. — I must tell you that to my credit I am always the first to be up and dressed I " February 5, 1502. ^dbyGoogle THE FRENCH AMBASSADOR 209 Lucrezia spent that day in her room, washing her head and writing letters to tell her father of the splendid f&tes which had been given in her honour. And Sanuto informs us that she privately presented Duke Ercole with the pontifical bull releasing the fief of Ferrara from the payment of tribute. In the evening Isabella invited Monseigneur Bert, the French ambassador, to supper in her rooms, and placed him between the Duchess of Urbino and herself at table. The conversation, Cagnolo tells us, was witty and brilliant. The Marchesa looked her loveliest in a robe of white and silver talh, and at the urgent entreaty of her guests, consented to sing to them after supper, accompanying herself on the lute, to the delight of all who were present. After- wards she took the ambassador into her private rooms and discussed poUtical afFaiis confidentially with him for nearly an hour, in the presence of two of her ladies. Finally she took off her own perfumed gloves and presented them to Monseigneur Bert, who received them with the deepest reverence and gratitude, saying that he counted them even more precious than the sacred linen bestowed on him by Suor Lucia, and would keep them in a reliquary to the end of his days. On Sunday the whole court attended high mass in the Duomo, and Don Alfonso was solemnly in- vested with a consecrated cap and sword, presented by the Pope to his dear son. Another ball was given in the Sala Grande, at which Isabella looked radiant in a gown of crimson satin and black velvet, trimmed with massive gold cord, and ruby and pearl buttons ; and the bride, who appeared in a violet robe patterned over with gold fish-scales, and a Jewelled coronet on VOL. I. Q ^dbyGoogle 210 COMEDIES AND JOUSTS her head, danced French country dances with great charm and spirit. After this came a performance of the " Miles gloriosus," ending with a true mummers' dance of the rudest description, in which shepherds, wearing rams' heads, fought and butted each other with their horns to the infinite amusement of the spectators. On Monday a new diversion was provided for the guests, in the form of a single combat which took place on the Piazza in front of the ducal palace, between Vincenzo da Imola, a soldier in the Marquis of Mantua's service, and a Bolognese gentleman of Annibale Bentivoglio's suite. After a desperate en- counter with lances and clubs, Vincenzo succeeded in unhorsing his adversary, and would have slain him if the Duke had not divided the combatants. " Vin-* cenzo remained on horseback," writes Isabella, *' and rode round the enclosure amidst infinite shouting, all the people ciying Turco / while the poor Bolognese showed his broken stafFI So we bore off the palm." In the evening the "Asinaria " was performed with a marvellous interlude of satyrs, who danced to the tune of a musical clock, and chased wild beasts and birds over the stage. Then a Mantuan musician played three lutes at once, and the whole performance ended with a ballet of the harvest, in which the difierent operations of digging, ploughing, sowing, reaping and thrashing the com were represented to the rustic music of bagpipes. Isabella appeared in a gown of crimson velvet, striped with gold bands, and a tiara of immense diamonds on her head, while the bride wore a robe of woven gold, and a long chain of priceless gems round her neck. On Shrove-Tuesday, which was the last day of ^dbyGoogle GIFTS TO THE BRIDAL PAIR 211 the carnival, the ambassadors visited the bride's chamber, and presented her with costly gifts. First of all, Duke Ercole gave his daughter-in-law his own magnificent jewels. Then the French ambas- sador presented the bride with a rosary of golden beads, perfumed with musk, and her chief maid-of- honour, Angela Borgia, with a precious chain. At the same time he gave the Duke a golden shield with an enamelled figure of St. Francis, made in Paris, and Don Alfonso a similar shield, bearing an image of the Magdalene, no doubt, remarks Cagnolo, because he had taken to himself a bride who in virtues and charms resembled this saintly maiden, and of whom it might be said, as it was of Mary Magdalene, " to her much is forgiven, because she loved much I " The other ambassadors followed with gifts of rich brocades and bronze and silver ewers and bowls, but the most remarkable presentation was made by the Venetian envoys, who took off the magnificent crimson velvet and ermine mantles which they had worn all the week, and laid them at the feet of the bride — " upon which," wrote the Marchesa di Cotrone to Francesco Gonzaga, " every one who was present burst out laughing." A ball took place afterwards, at which the royal ladies appeared in their most gorgeous costumes, and Isabella wore a violet velvet robe embroidered with gold acorns, and a magnificent jewelled tiara. The last comedy, the " Cassaria," was performed with a series of elaborate musical interludes and recitations in honour of the happy pair. Don Alfonso, who was an accomplished musician, played the viol, and took part in a concerto for six instruments, and at the close of the last ballet — a war-dance of Swiss ib^Cooglc 212 A ROPE-DANCER soldiers — a golden ball melted away in the air and re- vealed the forms of four Virtues, who sang a delicious quartette. But the musical part of the entertainment was decidedly superior to the comedy, which Isabella declared to be " lascivious and immoral beyond words,'* so much so that she refused to allow any of her ladies to be present The next morning, being Ash Wednesday, was spent by Isabella in religious exercises with her family. But in the afternoon, by way of relaxation, she was present with the whole court at a performance given by a youth named Cingano, who anticipated Blondin by walking on a rope from the roof of the bishop's palace to the Sala Grande in the ducal palace. The Duke's son and the royal ladies, as well as aU the foreign envoys, came out to witness the feats of this performer, who danced with his eyes blindfolded, walked backwards in a steel cuirass, and was seen hanging by his feet t» the rope suspended in mid-air above the square, to the infinite amusement of the august company.' That evening the Marchesa re- ceived farewell visits from the foreign ambassadors, and made use of this opportunity to ingratiate herself and her husband with the Signory of Venice, as we learn from the foUowing letter, which her secretary Capilupi addressed to the Marquis : — " My dear Lord, — To-day my Madonna and the Duchess were in the bride's room when the Venetian ambassador came to take leave of her, and at the same time pay their respects to Her Excellency and the Duchess of Urbino. But they first of all ad- dressed my Madonna, in a long speech, saying that the Signory had charged them to call upon Your ^ Muratori, Diario FerrareMe, vol, xxiv. 404. iu,C00gIC THE VENETIAN AMBASSADORS 218 Highness if you had been at the wedding, and that since you were not present, they wished to pay the same honour to the Marchesa, because of the services rendered by Your Excellency to their State, whose loyal son they count you to be, and on whose good offices you may always depend. Madonna then took up her speech and answered them in a clear voice, with as much elegance and prudence as if she had been a consummate orator. I am quite unable to write down all that she said, but I must tell you one thing which every one thought very wise and admirable. * If this illustrious Signory,' she re- marked, ' had made trial of Your Excellency in your youth, and had employed you in the defence of Italy at that time, now that you are older and more ex- perienced, they might avail themselves of your services with more advantage.' These and other appropriate words amazed the ambassadors imd others present so much that they all confessed themselves her slaves. The ambassadors then turned to the Duchess of Urbino, and in their words plainly showed that they honoured her in the first place as Your Excellency's sister, and in the second as the Duke of Urbino's wife, and she also replied discreetly. Last of all Donna Lucrezia spoke, but although she has had more husbands than either your wife or sister, she could not attain by a long way to the wisdom of their answers. Your Excellency will rejoice to learn what an excellent impression Madonna your wife has made on all these lords and am- bassadors. Her disgust and displeasure at the foul comedy of yesterday was evident to all, so that the Duke had good cause to be ashamed ; her conduct was only praised> since, as Your Highness knows. ^dbyGooglc 214 LUCREZIA BORGIA she would not allow any of her maidens to be present. — Your faithful servant, Benedictus Capi- Lupus." ' Ferrnra, Feb. 9, 1502. The next day Isabella took leave of her relatives, and, accompanied by the Duchess of Urbino, re- turned to Mantua, where she arrived on Monday the 14th, and joyfully embraced her little Federico once more. A few days afterwards she addressed a courteous note to Lucrezia, announcing her safe arrival and signing herself " Your loving sister." * Lucrezia on her part was unfeignedly anxious to cultivate Isabella's friendship. In a letter which Laura Bentivoglio addressed to the Marchesa a few months afterwards, firom Ferrara, she described a visit which she had paid to Alfonso's wife, in the following terms : — " She made me sit down, and asked with charming sweetness after Your Excellency, b^gtng to hear about your clothes, and especially about your head- dresses. Afterwards, in speaking of her Spanish robes, she said if she had anything that you would care to see or possess, she would gladly oblige you, being most anxious to please Your Excellency. And she expressed a wish that you would write to her sometimes and be more familiar in your inter- course with her, and asked repeatedly if the betrothal of Duke Valentino's daughter with your son had been arranged. To-day she wore a camora of black satin and gold foliage, with a hem that looked like a flame of pure gold, and flowing sleeves, such as Your Excellency wears, and a necklace of the finest pearls. Her head was dressed in her usual fashion, 1 Luaio, Prtcettoii, p. 36. ' F. Gregorovius, " Lucresia Borgia," App. I idb,Google HER RELATIONS WITH ISABELLA 215 with a very bright emerald on her forehead and a green velvet cap wrought with beaten gold. Her manners and gestures were most natiu^ and quite charming, and she looked very pretty, but has grown rather thinner, although she is not ilL" Luerezia always showed great curiosity about the Marcfaesa's clothes, and on one occasion, Luere- zia d'Este, who visited her while she was under- going a cure, wrote as follows to Isabella : *' I found her lying on the bed wearing a black silk robe with tight sleeves and frills at the wrist, and after many caresses and affectionate greetings, she inquired what were the latest Mantuan fashions and praised my head-dress. I promised to make some caps in our style, and send them to her. Certain rosettes which I wore on my forehead also pleased her, and she b^^jed me to show them to a jeweller and have them copied for her." * But, in spite of mutual compliments and fine speeches, the two ladies were never on intimate terms, and Dr. Luzio points out that most of the letters from the Gonzaga archives quoted by Lucrezia's biographer Gregorovius were in reality addressed to the Marquis and not to Isabella.* In later years some rivalry arose between the two princesses, and Isabella could not forgive her old friends, Niccolo da Corre^o and Ercole Strozzi, for transferring their devotion and dedicating their poems to her sister-in-law. Luerezia, however, proved an excellent wife to Alfonso, by whom she was fondly beloved, and who sincerely lamented her early death in 1519. She bore him four children, the eldest of whom, 1 Lnxio in N. Antolo^, 1696. * Lusio, Precettmi, p. 37. ^dbyGoogle 216 HER CONDUCT AT FERRARA Ercole, was bom in 1508, and succeeded his father as Duke in 1584. Her conduct during the latter years of her life was exemplary, and she edified the people of Ferrara by the charitable institutions which she founded, and spent much of her time in Duchess Leonora's fJEivourite convent ai Corpus Domini. ^dbyGoogle CHAPTER Xlll 1602 Isabella's visit to Venice — Her letters to the Marquia — Courtesy of the Doge and Signory — Her income and expenditure — - Proposed marriage between Federico Gonzaga and Cssar Borgia's daughter — Elisabetta of Urbino goes with' Isabella to Porto-^Casar Borgia seises Urbino — Flight of Duke Guidobaldo to Mantua — Isabella asks for the Venus and Cupid of Urbino — Cosar Borgia sends them to Mantua — Michel Angelo's Cupid sold to Charles I. and brought to England. As soon as Isabella had recovered from the fatigues of the wedding festivities at Ferrara she began to make plans for a new expedition. The Duchess of Urbino had never seen Venice, and a vow which Isabella had made to the Santo at Padua afforded a good excuse for paying a second visit to the famous city. This time the two princesses decided to go in the strictest incogvito, in order that they might be able to dispense with tedious ceremonies, and devote themselves whoUy to sight-seeing and their own amusement. So they set out one morning in March, taking only two ladies with them — the Marchesa di Cotrone and the faithful Emilia Pia — and escorted by the Protonot^o Sigismondo Gon- zaga and two of Isabella's most trusted servants, her seneschal Alessandro da Baesso and her secretary Benedetto Capilupi. The Marquis accompanied his wife and sister as far as Sermide, where they took ^dbyGoogle 218 VISIT TO VENICE boat to the mouth of the Po, and spent the night at a wretched hostehy at SteUata. As usual, Isabella gave her husband a full account of her doings in a letter from Venice, where she arrived on the 14th of March.^ " My dear Lord, — Yesterday morning we left * la Stellata' so early that we reached Chiozza an hour after dark, but since the hostelries were all full we had to send Benedetto Capilupi to inform the Podest^ of our arrival, which we did the more readily, hearing that he was M. Alvise Capello, brother to M. Paolo, and a great firiend of Your Excellency ; and although we begged him to direct us to some private lodging near the inns, he insisted on receiving us in his own house in the kindest manner possible, and, above all, allowed us to remain strictly incognito. So we accepted his invitation, and were honourably lodged and entertained at supper in the palace. That night we were too tired and travel-stained to see His Magnificence, but this morning he visited us and regretted that he had not been aware of our coming, so as to pay us greater honour, as the Signory would have wished, and begged us to dine with him. We replied that we were on our way to discharge a vow at Padua, but had come through Venice, as the Duchess had never seen this city, and that since we were in travelling dress we should not have made ourselves known to him, only that he was a friend of Your Excellency, and, we felt sure, could be trusted to keep our secret ; to which he replied that we had done well, and that the moment he heard of our arrival he had • This and the five followiDg letters in the Archivio Gonsaga were published by Dr. Lush), Maniova t Urbmo, 807-315. ^dbyGoogle THE SIGHTS OF VENICE 219 sent word to the Signory, but we b^jed that on no account should we be received and publicly enter- tained by them. So we came on here quietly this evening, and are lodged in the house of M. Niccolo Trevisano, which is occupied by the Duke of Urbino's ambassador. We found Franceschino Trevisano in the house, and hear £rom him that aU Venice knows of our arrival, and that Your Excellency's friends are deUghted. We all three commend our- selves to you, and I beg you to kiss my boy. To-morrow I will send some fish and oysters. I thank Your Excellency for allowing me to come heare, and am joying Venice much more than I did last time, and think the city far more beautiful. The Duchess owns that it is more marvellous than Rome, and wonders at the sight, and is lost in admiration, and kisses Your Excellency's hand. — With the right hand of your wife, Isabella." Venice, March 14, 1502. The next day she resumed her tale : — " I was sure Your Excellency would be vexed to hear of the discomforts that we endiaed at the Stellata, but I hope you will understand that mine were not serious, and that I have spirit enough to put up with such trifling inconvenience, although, of course, we should have been more comfortable if we had stayed with Your Excellency at Sennide. The only disadvantage would have been that we could not have reached Chiozza that evening, where, although we arrived unexpectedly, we were very honourably entertained by M. Alvise Capello at his expense, as I told you before. Yesterday we stopped at Ponia to see those big ships, and went on board a very large one which is being built and is said to be three thou- ^dbyGoogle 220 THE CAMPANILE sand tons and more. This morning we went to hear mass at Sta. Maria dei Miracoli, and then to S. Giovanni e Paolo and the Scuola di S. Marco, and returned home by another way. Directly after dinner we went to S. Marco, hoping to find very few people at that hour, but we were mistaken, as there were a good many, and then, so as not to leave any- thing undone and to see this marvellous city well, we climbed the Campanile of S. Marco, where we greatly enjoyed the beautiful view and examined the noble buildings on all sides. When we descended, we returned by boat and went to S. Giorgio and to the Misericordia, and came home by the Grand Canal. As yet I have seen none of our friends, except Genua, who shook hands with me in the Campanile, and this evening he called at our lodgings to see Lf we required anything. Monsignore and I spoke to Francesco directly about the jewels. Monsignore pretended that he had found a Mend who would lend him 8000 ducats before Your Excellency heard of this, in order to conduct the transaction the more secretly with regard to the 2000 ducats which the Albani will pay. We have sent for the Jew, and Monsignore and I will do our utmost to settle this business. The Duchess is anxious to see the Doge and Signory, who will not appear till the procession of Olives on Sunday, so we have settled to stay here over that day, although I, having seen them already, do not care about it, but I must do this for her sake. On Monday we shall be at Padua, Tuesday at Vicenza, Wednesday at Verona, and so as not to travel on Holy Thursday or Friday, we will spend these two days there and make our com- munions. On Saturday we shall be at Mantua, and I ^dbyGoogle COURTESY OF THE DOGE 221 pray you to give a hundred kisses to my darling boy, so that when I am there he will not think it strange to be kissed." Since the Doge had invited the Marehesa to visit the Collegio, as she had done before, Isabella sent Capilupi and Baesso to make her excuses and those of the Duchess to the Prince and Signory, and explain that they were travelling incognito, and had no clothes in which they could appear. The Doge returned a courteous answer, and gave orders that the Treasury of S. Marco and the Arsenal should both be shown to the distinguished visitors. " Meanwhile," writes IsabeUa, " we went to hear mass at Ca' Grande, and afterwards landed at the Rialto and walked through the Fish-market and the Merceria to the columns of S. Marco. There were such crowds of people that it was difficult to make our way, but we enjoyed it so much that we did not mind the walk, and Monsignore was the most tired of the party. The Duchess is as well as pos- sible. At the columns we took a boat and came home, where we found a secretary from the Signoria waiting to tell us that four gentlemen were coming to visit us on the part of the Doge and Senate. We begged him to dispense with this ceremony, but we had hardly finished dinner before they were here. The Duchess and Monsignore and I met them on the stairs and led them into the room, and I replied to their compUments, laying stress on the love and devotion of Your Excellency for this illustrious Signory. When they were gone M. Alvise Marcello appeared, having cleverly delayed his visit till theirs was over, and spent some time in friendly conversa- tion. He seems as much devoted to you as ever. ^dbyGoogle 222 GIFTS FROM THE SIGNORY M. Filippo CapeUo also called and talked in the same familiar way with Monsignore and me. Then we went to the ' Vergine,' where we enjoyed seeing the nuns' rooms and hearing two of them sing, but owing to the new regulations lately introduced by Frate Raphael da Varese, who is preaching in S. Marco this Lent, no men are allowed to enter the convent. On our return home we found Alvise Mareello, who told Monsignore that he had got the order to view the Treasury to-morrow morning and the Arsenal after dinner. We commend ourselves to you, and so does M. Alvise a thousand times. I enclose the names of the gentlemen, begging you to kiss our little son for me: M. Alvise Moncenigo, M. Zoanne Gabriele, M. Pietro Justiniano, M. Alvise Molino." Venice, March 16. The next day Messer Alvise called early with a present of fish and confectionery from the Signory,^ valued, Sanuto tells us, at twenty-five ducats. This gift included four large chests of fish of different kinds, eight large gilt marzipane cakes, twenty-nine boxes of sweetmeats, four pots of ginger and four of syrup of violets, as well as twenty pounds of wax candles. Isabella sent these presents by messenger to Mantua that evening, be^ng the Marquis to accept them for her sake. She added a postscript to the effect that the Pope's ambassador had informed the Duchess how warmly the Doge had spoken of their august visitors in the College, saying tiiat the Duke and Marquis could give no better proof of their con- fidence in the Signory than by sending those persons who were dearest to them to Venice. " And all our friends here say the same thing." 1 SxDuto, DiarU, iv. 23*. ^dbyGoOgle ST. MARK'S 228 After this the Marchesa proceeded to give her husband the following account of their day : — " We went to mass at the Cariti, and on to S. Marco, where the Pala and Treasury were shown us by Messer Paolo Barbo, the procurator. Then we were taken to the Great Hall of the Council, and to the Annoury of the Doge's Palace, after which we went on foot by the Merceria, which were prepared for us, as far as the Rialto, where we took boat and came home to dinner. Afterwards we went to the Arsenal, which our friend Messer Alvise Marcello showed us with the greatest, care and kindness, and Messer Carlo Valerio and Paolo Capello came to shake hands. When we had seen all, M. Alvise took us into the house which he occupies close by, as Treasurer, and entertained us in the usual manner. M. Alvise and M. Paolo Capello came with us in the boat to S. Antonio, where we saw the Sepulchre, and on our way home we called on our nei^bour, tbe Queen of Cyprus, who had invited us to visit her. These gentlemen escorted us home, and so the day ends, and if Your Excellency considers the length of the journey, and all we have seen and done, you will count us to be the most gallant ladies in the world I " Venice, March 17, 1502. The two princesses had certainly made good use of their short visit, and Isabella was delighted with all that she had seen and done. We do not hear if she saw her friends Lorenzo da Pavia and Aldo Manuzio, or the painter Giovanni Bellini, who had excited her displeasure by his long delays in exe- cuting the picture for her Grotta. But it was Alvise Marcello to whom she appUed two years later to help her in the matter, and the other patricians are fre- ^dbyGoogle 224 RETURN TO MANTUA quently mentioned in her correspondence. Queen Caterina Comaro was aD old iriend of the Este prin- cesses, whom Isabella had already visited in her mountain home of Asolo, and to whom she wrote after her return to Mantua, thanking her for the affection and kindness which she had shown her. On the morning of the 21st, the ladies left Venice, and by evening reached Padua, where they were entertained by Count Achilles Borromeo, and Isa- bella found time to inform her husband that the French ambassadors were expected at Padua on their way to Venice, having been abruptly dismissed by the Emperor. Maximilian had refused to grant Louis XII. the investiture of Milan and the incor- poration of the duchy in the kingdom of France, while the French monarch on his part declined either to release Lodovico Sforza or to allow the exiled partisans of the Sforzas to return to Milan. " Until the present time," she adds, " the King of France has taken little count of the VenetiMis, but now he is most anxious to secure their friendship." And she ends with expressing her delight in the good news which her husband gives her of Federico, whose company she longs to share, but hopes to make up for lost time on her return. Alter spending the last days of Holy Week in the house of Count Canossa . at Verona, and receiving a gift of fish from the cavalier Giorgio Comaro, in the name of the Signory , of Venice, Isabella and her sister-in-law reached Mantua on Easter Eve, and the happy mother once more clasped her precious boy in her arms. A week afterwards, Francesco left home to attend some races in the neighbourhood, and Isabella's letters; as usual were full of fond allusions to the child's ^dbyGooglc FEDERICO'S INFANT CHARMS 225 cleverness and charms. " The boy always seemed intelligent," she writes on the 4th April, " but since Your Excellency's depart;ure, he surprises me every hour with his pretty ways, and seems determined to keep me amused in your absence. He sits in your place at meals, and plays a thousand other tricks, which I do not tell Your Excellency lest I should excite your envy." Again, two days later, she wrote : " Yesterday, when I was saying my office, he came in and said he wanted to find his papa, and turned over all the cards till he found a figure with a beard, upon which he was deUghted, and kissed it six times over, saying, ' Papa bello / ' with the greatest joy possible." ' Another and less pleasant task to which Isabella now turned her attention was the settlement of her accounts. The expenses of her visit to Ferrara had been heavy ; besides the cost of her own sumptuous toilette, and those of her ladies, presents of costly brocade and chains had to be given to the actors and buffoons, the trumpeters and musicians. Marino Sanuto tells us Uiat on this occasion the Marchesa had shown remarkable liberality to all of these, but especially to the Spanish jesters in the bride's train.^ At Venice, as we have seen, she had been engaged in raising fresh loans to pay the Albani and redeem her jewels ; and soon after her return to Mantua she ad- dressed a letter to her father, Duke Ercole, to whom she had more than once applied for help in her difficulties. This time, however, she gave him a full statement of her income and expenditiu^, which is of great in- terest, and shows that if this brilliant lady occasionally ' LuEio, PreceUori, p. 38. * DiarU, iv. iSQ. ^dbyGoogle 226 ISABELLA'S EXPENSES erred on the side of extravagance, she was a prudent and clever manager, who made the most of her money, and had a shrewd eye to business. " My honoured Lord and Father, — When I first entered this iUustrious house I was given a yearly allowance of 6000 gold ducats, to pay for my clothes and provide dowries for my maidens, and aJl that is necessary for my servants — including two gentlemen ; the Court supplying the food of about a hundred persons. Afterwards, in order that I might be free to increase or diminish my household, my illustrious consort gladly agreed, by the advice of his stewards, to t^e this burden from off their shoulders, and give me another 2000 ducats for the expenses of my whole company. Of this income 6000 was charged on the toU of the mills, 1000 on an excise duty, and the other 1000 on the lands of Letopalidano, near Gonzaga. So you see that in all I have 8000 ducats a year. It is true that by my own economy, and that of my servants, the income of this estate has been increased by about 1000 ducats, with which I have been enabled to buy some neighbouring lands ; so that at present the rent brings in about 2500 ducats a year. But I also have to feed about fifty more persons of my household. And it is true that my lord has given me other houses for my pleasure, such, for instance, as Sacchetta and Porto ; but their income does not exceed their ex- penses, and sometimes I have to spend more money to keep them in repair. This is all I can tell Your Excellency for your satisfaction." By this statement it is clear that Isabella enjoyed a yearly income of from 8000 to 9000 ducats — no inconsiderable sum, if we consider that the ducat was worth about eleven and a half francs — or, roughly ^dbyGoogle ALLIANCE WITH THE BORGIAS 227 speaking, nearly ten shillings — and that money has increased five times In value since those days.' But considering the large demands upon her purse, and her passion for pictures and antiques, as well as fine clothes and jewels, it is decidedly to her credit that she was able to keep out of debt, and could often raise money to help her husband in bad times or sudden emei^ncies. The question of the Cardinal's hat for her brother-in-law, Sigismondo, was now once more raised. But this time it was complicated with another scheme. This was nothing less than the betrothal of Isabella's two-year-old son, Federico, to the infuit daughter of Csesar Borgia and Charlotte d'Albret. The proposal was first made by Duke Valentino. Early in June 1502 he addressed a charming letter to Isabella, expressing his joy at the prospect of this fresh, link between tiiem, and during the next few months this marriage was the object of constant negotiation. Both parties were equally wary. Francesco stipulated that his brother should be raised to the Cardinalate at once, while Borgia, on his part, demanded substantial pledges for the consummation of the marriage in future years. But flattering as were the terms in which the Duke expressed his delight at the prospect of the union between his family and the Gonzagas, both the Marquis and Isabella looked upon his proposals with deep distrust Their suspicions were not removed by the events which took place in the course of the following summer. About the 20th of June Isabella and her sister-in-law went to Porto with a few chosen ladies, and little Federico, be- cause, as his motiier said, she could not be happy 1 See A. Liuio in Niioea Antotogia, 1896. ^dbyGoOgle 228 CiESAR BORGIA SURPRISES URBINO without him. While they were enjoying the fresh breezes and delicious gardens of this charming eountry-house, the most terrible and unexpected news reached them from Urbino. " We were here," wrote Isabella on the 27th of June to her sister-in-law, Chiara de Montpeosier, "very quiet and contented, enjoying the company of the Duchess of Urbino, who has been wiUi us since carnival, and often wishing that you were here to complete our happiness, when news of the unex- pected and perfidious seizure of the duchy of Urbino reached us. The Duke himself arrived here with only four horsemen, having been suddenly surprised and treacherously attacked, so that he narrowly escaped with his life. We were quite stunned by the blow, and are still so bewildered and unhappy that we hardly know where we are, as Your Excellency will understand ; and so great is my compassion for the Duchess that I could wish I had never known her." ' On the 18th of June, the day after Ceesar Borgia addressed his affectionate letter to Isabella rejoicing over the proposed marriage of their children, he left Rome at the head of a large army, and marched through the district of Spoleto, laying the whole country waste, and spreading terror wherever he came. Before his departure he sent friendly mes- sages to Duke Guidobaldo, asking him to allow his troops to march through the territory of Urbino, and begging for the help of some artillery in his ex- pedition against the Varani of Camerino. But when he reached Spoleto, instead of marching against Camerino as had been expected, he suddenly turned 1 LuDo, JUtmtoiw e Urlmo, p. 125. ;dbv Google FLIGHT OF GUIDOBALDO 229 up the rocky defile of the Furlo Pass, and marched along the great Flaminian Way, and through the valley of the Metaurus towards Urbino. Qn the 20th of June, the Duke, " supposing himself to be in perfect security,'" had ridden out to sup in the orange gardens of the Zoccolanti convent, a favourite sanctuary of the Dukes of Urbino, where Fiero della Francesca had painted his fine altar- piece, now in the Brera. Here, in the shady groves on the outskirts of the convent garden, he was en- joying the beauty of the summer evening, when a mes- senger arrived in hot haste firom Cagli to say that Duke Valentino was outside tiie city, marching on Urbino at the head of 2000 men. It was too late to think of resistance. Caesar's mercenaries were advancing in every direction. Already the passes of the Apen- nines were guarded, and a price had been set upon the Duke's head. Guidobaldo's only hope of safety lay in flight, and, yielding to the entreaties of his servants, he fled for his life, taking with him his young nephew, Francesco della Rovere. After many adventures and narrow escapes, the fugitives suc- ceeded in reaching Mantua safely. " I have saved nothing but my life, my doublet, and my shirt," wrote Guidobaldo on the 28tii of June to his kins- man, Cardinal GiuUano della Rovere, in a long letter giving a vivid description of his midnight flight, and of the fiilse promise with which Boi;gia had deceived him. " Such ingratitude and treachery," he adds, "were never before known."' Even Lucrezia was appalled at her brother's action, and told the 1 Dennistoun, " Ehikea of Urbino," vol. it pi S25, &a * Alvisi, " Ces«r BorgU " ; Dennistoim, " Dukes of Urbino," ToL i p. 391 ; YrUrte, " Obu Borgia," toL U. ^dbyGoOgle 280 MICHEL ANGELOS CUPID prete of Corre^o that she was miserable when she remembered how kindly the Duchess of Urbino had treated her, and would not have had this happen for all the world. At smirise on the 2l5t of June, the Duke of Romagna, as Ceesar now styled himself, entered Urbino, and, clad in a splendid suit of annour, in- stalled himself on the ducal throne in the ancient palace of the Montefeltri. No resistance was pos- sible, and the few loyal subjects who dared oppose the victor were stabbed or thrown into prison. During the next few weeks a long train of mules was seen descending the steep hillside, laden with the priceless tapestries and statues, the paintings and treasures of gold and silver plate, which were the pride of the ducal house. Sanuto reckons the value of the booty carried off by Duke Valentino on this occasion at 150,000 ducats, or nearly half a million of our present money. In iJie general grief and consternation at Mantua, Isabella did not lose sight of her own interests. She remembered a wonderfiil torso of Venus, and a Cupid of almost equal beauty, which she had seen and ad- mired in her brother-in-law's collection, and wrote off without delay to Rome, begging her brother. Cardinal Ippolito d'Este, to secure these rare statues, if pos- sible, for her Grotta. Her letter was written on the 80th of June, only three days after Guidobaldo reached Mantua. "Most Reverend Father in God, my dear and honoured Brother, — The Lord Duke of Urbino, my brother-in-law, had in his house a small Venus of antique marble, and also a Cupid, which were given him some time ago by His Excellency the Duke of :dbv Google ISABELLA'S REQUEST 281 Romagna. I feel certain that these things must have fallen into the said Duke's hands, together with all the contents of the palace of Urbino, in the present revolution. And since I am very anxious to collect antiques for the decoration of my studio, I desire exceedingly to possess these statues, which does not seem to me impossible, since I hear that His Excellency has Uttle taste for antiquities, and would accordingly be the more ready to oblige others. But as I am not sufficiently intimate with him to venture to ask this favour at his hands, I think it best to avail myself of your most revered Signoria's good offices, and pray you of your kind- ness to ask him for the s^d Venus and Cupid, both by messenger and letter, in so efibctual a manner that both you and I may obtain satisfaction. I am quite willing, if it so please Your Reverence, that you should mention my name and say that I have asked for them very urgently, and sent an express courier, as I do now, for, bdieve me, I could receive no greater pleasure or favour either from His Excel- lency or from your most dear and reverend Signoria, to whom I commend myself affectionately. — Your sister, Isabella, Marchioness of Mantua." ^ Mantua, June 80, 1502. The letter, in its frank, straightforward tone, is highly characteristic of the writer. Even at this critical moment, when her heart is wrung with sorrow for the poor Duke, who has fled to Mantua in his shirt-sleeves, and the beloved Duchess, Isabella does not hesitate to seek a favour at the hands of the treacherous prince who had caused their ruin. It is true, she will not stoop to a^ this favour of Valentino 1 Oajc, CarUggfo d'Artitti, toL ii. 5S. ^dbyGoogle 282 C^SAR SENDS THE STATUES in person ; she has no domestichezza with him, and is not on sufficiently familiar terms with him for that. But she is none the less ready to make use of his connection with her owb family in order to att^ her object and ^^tify her passion for rare antiques. The Cardinal, who was in high favour at the Vatican since Lucrezia's wedding, complied with his sister's request without delay, and Cssar Borgia hastened to gratify the fancy of the illustrious Madonna, whose goodwill he was especially anxious to gidn. Within the next few weeks, the Duke of Romagna's chamber- lain, bringing with him a mule laden with marbles, arrived at Mantua; and on the 22nd of July, the Muxshesa told her husband joyfully that the precious statues were safe in her Grotta. " Yesterday, the muleteer arrived safely with the Venus and Cupid which Duke Valentino has sent here, and his chamberlain, Messer Francesco, presented them to me." And after begging Francesco, who had gone to meet the French king at Milan, to take steps for recovering the Duchess of Urbino's dowry, she adds the following postscript : " I do not write of the beauty of the Venus, because I believe Yom* Excellency has seen it, but for a modem thing the Cupid has no equal." ' This Cupid, which justly excited the accomplished Marchesa's admiration, was not, as she apparently knew, a genuine antique, but tiie work of a young Florentine sculptor, Michel Angelo Buonarroti, whose fame was already great in Rome. In those early days, when Savonarola's sermons were shaking the heart of Florence, the youth of twenty carved a Sleeping Cupid with quiver and torch at his side, which was ' Alvisi, " Osar Borgia," Pl 537. ^dbyGoogle TO MANTUA 288 so like a Greek marble that a dealer took it to Rome and sold it to Cardinal Riario as an antique. The Cardinal found out the fraud and retmned the Cupid to the dealer, but invited tJie scidptor to Rome. Michel Angelo, indignant at the fraud which had been practised in his name, sought out the dealer and demanded him to restore his Cupid ; but the agent laughed him to scorn, and soon found another pur- chaser in the Pope's son, who, wishing to conciliate the Duke of Urbino, presented him with this Cupid and an antique torso of Venus. Guidohaldo, it seems, set great store on this Cupid, and when, towards the close of ld08, he had recovered his dominions, he told Cattaneo, the Mantuan agent at the Papal court, that he wished the Marchesa would restore his statue. But Isabella replied with her usual readiness that, glad as she was to hear that the Duke was recovering his scat- tered b^asures, she must remind him that he had given her permission to ask Borgia for the Cupid; and, to prove her case, sent Cattaneo Guidobaldo's own letter on the subject After this there was nothing left for the Didce but to beg the Marchesa to keep the statue and to assure her that his person and property were altogether at her disposal.' So the Cupid remained in the famous Grotta, where it is mentioned in the inventory of 1542, as the work of MichelagTiolo JiorenUno. De Thou, who visited the Castello in 1578, prised the statue highly, and in June 1680, Charles the First's agent, Daniel Nys, mentions it together with the Cupids of Praxiteles and Sansovino as the tarest objects in the ducal collection. There seems little doubt that this Cupid, which Michel Angelo carved, 1 Luilo is Ank. SL lomi., 1886: ^dbyGoogle 284 THE LOST CUPID and which bad so strange a story, and both Guido- baldo and Isabella valued so highly, came to England in 1682, with the rest of the Mantuan art-treasures, and for a while adorned the palace of Whitehall or the halls of Hampton Court. But nothing is known of its fate in after years, and it probably disappeared with so many other rare and precious things at the sale of Charles the First's collections. ^dbyGoogle CHAPTER XIV 1508—1608 Louis XII. at Milsn — He receives the exiled princes and the Marquis of Mantua — Cssar Borgia arrives at Milan and con- clades an agreement with the king — Isabella's warnings to her husband — The Duke and Duchess of Urbino forc«l to leave Mantaa and take shelter at Venice — Francesco Gon- saga goes to France — Isabella governs Mantua — Her nego- tiations with Borgia regarding her son's marriage — Cesar's carapaigu in Romagna — Treacherous murder of Vitellouo and his companions — Isabella sends Valentino a present of- masks — Death of the Pope and sudden revolution in Rome — Return of Duke Guidobaldo to Urbino — Election of Pope Pius III. All the victims of Ciesar Borgia's high-handed poUcy, and all those who looked with alarm at his rapid success, now turned to the French king for help. Early in July, Louis XII. crossed the Alps to make preparations for war against the Spanish forces, who, under Gonsalvo di Cordova, had attacked his troops in Naples. On the 28th he entered Milan, bringing wit^ him Federico of Aragon, the ex-king of Naples, and attended by the Duke of Ferrara and the Mar- quis of Mantua, who bad joined him a week before at Vigevano. Here, too, came Uie unfortunate Duke of Urbino and Giovanni Sforza to plead their cause agunst Valentino. Louis received the exiled princes with fair promises, and Francesco Gonzaga was be- ginning to talk loudly of av^i^ng their wrongs, when Cfesar Bo^ia himself appeared suddenly on ^dbyGoogle 286 ISABELLA'S FEARS the scene. " This inscrutable Duke," as Machiavelli calls him, " who hardly ever speaks, but always acts," left his victorious army in Umbria, and after paying a flying visit to his sister Lucrezia, who had given birth to a dead child and was lying dangerously ill at Ferrara, reached Milan on the 7lJi of August. His coming changed the face of affairs and destroyed EUsabetta Gonzaga's last hopes. He accompanied the king to Genoa on the 26th, and did not take leave of him until Louis had promised him his sup- port in completing the conquest of Central Italy in return for his help against the Spaniards in Naples. All this while Isabella was going through agonies of fear and suspense. The imprudent words which her husband had spoken in pubhc agfunst Valentino had filled her with alarm for his safety, and she im- plored him repeatedly in her letters to be more care- ful in future, and, above all, to take every precaution against poison, knowing the unscrupulous nature of the Duke and the crimes which he had already committed. " I cannot conceal my fears for your person and State," she writes on the 28rd of July, only the day after she had received Borgia's gift of tiie Venus and Cupid. " It is generally believed that His Most Christian Majesty has some understanding with Valentino, so I beg of you to be careful not to use words which may be repeated to him, because in these days we do not know who is to be trusted.' . . . There is a report here — whether it has come from Milan by letter or word of mouth, I do not know — ^that Your Excellency has spok«i angry words against Valentino before the Most Christian King ■ D'AicOj Notixie tfltabelia, p. 59. ^dbyGoogle FOR HER LORD'S SAFETY 287 and the Pope's servants, and whether this is true or not, they will doubtless reach the ears of Valentino, who, having already shown that he does not scruple to conspire against those of his own blood, will, I am certain, not hesitate to plot against your person. And being jealous for your life, which I count dearer than my own, and knowing how your natural good- ness leads you to take no precautions for your safety, I have made inquiries of Antonio da Bologna and others, and hear firom them that you allow all manner of persons to serve you at table, and that Alessandro da Baesso eats with you, leaving grooms and pages to do the offices of carvers and cupbearers. So that I see it would be perfectly easy for any one to poison Your Excellency, since you have neither guards nor proper servants. I pray uid implore you therefore, if you will not take care for your own sake, to be more careful for my s^e and that of our little son, and I hope that you will in future order Alessandro to discharge his office of carver with the greatest caution. If he cannot do this, I will send Antonio or some other trustworthy servant, because I had rather run the risk of makkig you angry than that both I and our little one should be left to weep for you." She added the following postscript in her own writing : " My dearest lord, do not laugh at my fears and say that women are cowards and always afraid, because their malignity is &r greater than my fears and your own courage. I would have written all this letter with my own hand, but the heat is so great we are nearly dead. The boy is very well and sends you a kiss. — Isabella, who longs to see Your Highness." ' > Luzio e Reoier, Mjmtova e Vrhmo, p. 137. ^dbyGoOgle 288 CiESAR BORGIA AT MILAN At the same time Isabella wrote to ha old friend, Niccolo da Corre^gio, who had also gone to meet King Louis, begging him to acquaint her with all that w^ happening at Milan. On the 8th of August, Niccolo, ever loyal to her wishes, wrote to tell her of Caesar Borgia's imexpected arrival, and of the affectionate way in which the King had welcomed him : — " To obey your ordas I must tell you that last night Duke Valentino arrived here on horseback. I cannot tell you with what warm demonstrations of friendship His Christian Majesty welcomed him. He was returning fix>m the house of Messer Trivulzio, when he met the Lord Duke arriving fiixim the Porta Romana, and, embracing him with great joy, he led him to the Castello, and lodged him in the room nearest to his own. He himself ordered the Duke's supper, choosing certain favourite dishes, and he visited him three or- four times in the course of the evening, even when he had put on his night-shirt and was about to go to bed I He ordered seneschals and servants for the said Duke, and b^ged him to weu- his own shirts and clotiies, saying that he is not to ask any one else for what he needs, but make use of the king's wardrobe, carriages and horses, as if they were his own. Only think, His Majesty went so far as to propose that a litter for the camp, to suit the Duke's taste, should be provided. In fact, he could not do more for a son or brother. Yesterday, being Sunday, His Christian Majesty went to mass at San Stefano, where Duke Galeazzo was murdered, and ^erwards dined in the house of your illustrious father, the Duke of Ferrara, which is now occupied by Messer Teodoro di Trivulzio, and ^dbyGoogle FAVOUR OF LOUIS XII. 289 went to a dance at the house of Francesco Ber- nardino Visconti, and after supper he went to see some more dancing in the house of Bishop Fallavicini outside the Porta Lenza, and the Lord Duke accom- panied His Majesty on horseback, and did not return to the Castdlo until past nine. I did not go to the festa, but hear that Ippolito was at the Bishop's house. This morning the king is gone to dine at Binasco, where he remains to-night, and goes on to supper at Pavia to-morrow. The illustrious Lord Duke, your father, will also go to Pavia, starting three or four hours earUer. His Christian Majesty goes on to Genoa, not, as was said at first, to Parma, since he is returning to France sooner than was expected. I do not know what else to tell Your Highness of public matters, for it is rash to pro- nounce any judgment in these times. But the Signor Marchese will soon return, and will tell you more of these caresses between the Duke and the king."' This letter confirmed Isabella's worst fears. She used all her influence to induce her husband to pay court to the dreaded Valentino. As a further pre- caution, she induced him to write a letter expressing his friendly sentiments for the Duke, which she could show to the chamberlain who had just presented her with the two antiques. Her fears, as it turned out, were not unfounded, for Sanuto reports that Francesco publicly denounced Caesar Borgia as a bastard and a priest's son, and that Valentino, on arriving at Milan, openly challoiged him to fight. During mass the next day the Marquis told the Venetian envoy that he would fight the Duke single-handed with sword 1 LiuiOj " Nicoolo da Cotreggio," in Giont. St. d. Lett., xzi p. 340. ^dbyGoogle 240 THE EXILED PRINCES and da^er, and boasted that he would deliver Italy. King Louis, however, succeeded in reconciling the two princes, and when he returned to France they parted good friends. In a conversation which Borgia had at Genoa with the Mantuan treasurer, Ghivizzano, he laid stress on his friendly feelings for his lord, and on the Pope's esteem for both Francesco and his wife, but insisted that if the Marquis wished to remun his ally, he must not keep the exiled Duke at his court. Accordingly, on the 9th of September, both the Duke and Duchess of Urbino left Mantua, Elisabetta declaring that her husband would be exposed to greater peril without her, and that she would never leave him, were they to die in an hospital. Fortunately they found shelter at Venice, which, Sanuto remarks, became tiie refuge and resort of all the princes whom Duke Valentino had expelled, and were hospitably received by the Signory, who gave t^em a pension and a house at Canareggio.^ But poor Elisabetta was reduced to the greatest straits for want of money. At one time she even entertained the idea of entering the service of the Queen of France, Anne de Bretagne, who, in the kindness of her heart, had sent the unhappy Duchess generous offers of help. But she could not make up her mind to leave her husband, while no power on earth would induce her to accept Valentino's offer of a liberal pension if she would consent to Uie dissolu- tion of her marriage, and Guidobdhlo would agree to renounce his patrimony and become a faiest. In these melancholy circumstances Isabella showed the same tender affection and sympathy for her un- fortunate relatives. She ventured to ask Duke > Dittrii, iv. 389, 701. ^dbyGoogle ELISABETTA AT VENICE 241 Valentino for the recovery of Emilia Pia's property, and sent her trusted seneschal Alessandro da Baesso and other members of her household constantly to and &o with letters and presents to Elisabetta. On the 5th of October she wrote as follows : — " My dear and honoured Sister, — ^The good news of your safe arrival at Venice, and of the kind reception which you have had both in public and private, re- joiced my heart, and I thank you warmly for your letters. I could not answer before, because I had no messenger to send, but now that Alessandro is going to you, I would not put off" writing any longCT. You will hear from him that my lord and all of us are well, excepting Leonora, who still has fever. We have weaned Federico, who after the first night and day has got over it easily. My lord starts to-morrow for France as arranged. Your Highness may think how sad I am without your conversation, but I hope you will console me by writing constantly, and I will do the same, and commend myself to you as well as to the illustrious Lord Duke and Madonna Emiha." ^ But when, a few days after this, Guidobaldo, responding to the call of his old subjects, made a desperate attempt to recover his throne, the Marquis turned a deaf ear to his sister's entreaties, uid refused to lift a hand against his ally, Duke Valentino. As might have been expected, his gallant effort proved fruitless, and the love of his people availed little against the might of Borgia. Guidobaldo was forced to fly from Urbino a second time, but fell danger- ously ill at Citt^ di Castello. It was not until the end of January that he succeeded in escaping to Venice. During some weeks EJisabetta remained ^ Lusio, ilattowt e Urbmo, p. 145. VOL. 1. a ^dbyGoogle 242 THE MARQUIS IN FRANCE ignorant of his iate, and Sigismondo Gonzaga, who hastened to Venice and tried to comfort her, gave Isabella a piteous account of her sorrow and anxiety. Meanwhile, Francesco Gonzaga had started for France on the 6th of October, as Isabella informed the Duchess, on the invitation of King Louis, who wished to consult him on Italian affairs and hoped to secure his help against the Spaniards. He had pro- mised his wife that he would be at home for Christ- mas, and Isabella's letters show how eagerly his return was expected. " After I sent my last letter," she writes on the 2nd of December, " Federico wished to have supper with me, which he did with the most charming grace in the world, and afterwards, as he was at play with ten gold ducats before him, 1 made some one knock at the door and pretend that a poor beggar was asking for alms. Upon which he took up a ducat at once, and without any prompting, desired the money to be given him, saying : ' Tell him to pray to God for me and also for my Pa.^ This delighted all who were present. I hope this childish inspiration will have the effect of soon bringing you home, where your presence is eagerly desired." ^ But Louis XII. insisted on taking the Marquis to spend Christinas in his chateau at Loches, and eventually kept him at his court xmtil the end of January. Both the King and Queen treated Fran- cesco with marked courtesy, and Anne of Brittany renewed an offer which she had formerly made to educate his daughter Leonora at her court and marry her to a prince of the blood-royal. This plan was eventually abandoned, but at one time it seems to > Liui*, Preeettvri, f. 3t. :dbv Google QUEEN ANNE OF BRITTANY 248 have been seriously entertmned, as we leam from a curious autograph letter addressed by the Queen to Isabella, which is still preserved in the Gonzaga archives : — " A ma Cousine la Marquise de Mantove. " Ma cousine, men cousin votre mari m'a dit que lui et vous me veuliez bailler votre fille pour estre avee mey et vous la m'envoyerez, mais que eussiez sceu mon vouloir. Ma cousine, envoiez la moi quant vais voudrez, car je la traieteray tout ainsi que si elle estoit myenne, et pouvez estre seure, ma cousine, que tout ce que je pouiriez faire pour vous, toujours my employereay de bon coeur. Priant Dieu, ma cousine, qu'il vous ait en sa garde.~Votre bonne cousine, Anne. " Escript h, Loehes, le 15 jour Decembre." ' During her husband's absence, Isabella adminis- tered public affairs with her usual tact and ability, and managed to keep Duke Valentino in good humour. The negotiations regarding Federieo's marriage and Sigismondo's Cardinalate still dragged on, and the Duke sent an envoy to Mantua to dis- cuss tiie terms of the contract with the Marchesa. But both parties regarded each other with mutual suspicion, and in her letter to Francesco, Isabella complained that the Pope returned equivocal answers as to the Cardinal's hat, while the Duke refused to fix the amount of his daughter's dowry. Ctesar's object, it is clear, was to gain time, and to keep in touch with the Gonzagas and with France, until the dream of his life was successfully accomplished, and he had established one great kingdom of Central Italy. All through the autumn of 1502, he continued 1 L. PelisBicr, Revue hutorigue, 1891. ^dbyGoOgle 244 MASSACRE OF SINIGAGLIA his career of conquest After quelling the rebellion in Urbino, he marched ag^nst Siniga^a, which was held by Guidobaldo's sister Giovanna for her young son Francesco della Rovere, and captured and sacked the town. Then he seized Perugia and Cittk di Cas- tello and proceeded to attack Siena. The conquest of Tuscany was his next object, and he entered into n^otiations with the Emperor for the investitiu% of Pisa, Siena and Lucca. On the 1st of January 1508, he informed the Marchesa Isabella, who had repeatedly sent him congratulations on his victories, of his latest success at Sinigaglia, and of the cold-blooded murder of his old colleagues, Vitellozzo, Oliverotto, and their companions. This treacherous act, which Machia- velli describes as the " belUssimo inganno di Sini- gaglia," forms the subject of a long letter which Isabella wrote to her husband on the 10th of January, and which throws considerable light on the political situation. "My dear Lord, — Much as I desire Your High- ness's return, and impatiently as I long to see you again, I quite imderstand from your letter of the 16th of December, which the muleteer has brought me, that the cause of your delay is honourable and useful to Your Excellency as well as agreeable to His Most Christian Majesty. This being the case, I am content with your explanations, and take no little pleasure and comfort in hearing how much favour and atten- tion is paid you by His Majesty. The feet that he supplies you with money from his own purse, over and above the pension which you receive, is in itself, as you say, a great sign of affection. I thank you warmly for telling me this, and have communi- cated the good news to the most revered Proto- ^dbyGoogle TREACHERY OF C^SAR BORGIA 245 notary, the Magnifico Giovanni Gonzaga, and other of our gentlemen, who feel no small pleasm% in hearing that you are so highly honoured. After my last letter of the 8rd, I should not have written again if I had not received yoiu* letter, from which I gather that this one will reach you before you leave Lyons. Although you have doubtless heard of the capture and death of the confederates of La Marca, I will tell you the accoimt which I have received from our mutual brother. Signer Giovanni. On the Srd he wrote to say that the illustrious Lord I>uke of Romagna was congratulating himself with Signor Giovanni Bentivoglio on the capture at Sinigaglia of Paolo Orsini, Vitellozzo, the Duke of Gravina and Oliverotto de Fermo. He justifies his action because, in spite of the pardon which they had received from His Holiness and His ExceDency after their former rebellion, they came to Sinigaglia as soon as the French troops were gone, with the intention of seizing his person. Fortunately he heard of this and was able to forestall their action and treat them as they would have treated him. The said captains went to Sinigaglia by order of the Duke, with his safe conduct, and took possession of the town in his name and then rode out to meet him. The Duke shook hands with them and em- braced them, re-entered the town riding between Vitellozzo and the Duke of Gravina, and talking with them. But as soon as they entered the house where he took up his abode, be made them prisoners with his own bands, and they were led away bound and condenmed to die the next morning. Both Vitellozzo and Oliverotto had their heads cut off. By the same letter I hear that the Frefetessa, bearing of the ^dbyGoogle 246 ISABELLA'S ACCOUNT Duke's advance, abandoned the town, leaving the Rocca well defended, and went by Florence to Genoa, to join S. Pietro in Vincula (her brother-in- law, Cardinal Giuliano), which Francesco Malatesta also confirms. Signor Giovanni wrote on the 5th, to say that the Lord Duke had informed his brother- in-law (Annibale Bentivoglio) of the death of Vitellozzo and Oliverotto, and that the Duke of Gravina and Paolo Orsini are prisoners, and will shortly be put to death in their turn. From Rome we htttt of the imprisonment of Cardinal Orsini, and M. Giovanni Lucido (Cattaneo), writing fix>m Rome on the Srd, tells me that the Pope threw Rinaldo Orsini, Cardinal Archbishop of Flor^ice, and Giacomo Sante Croee into prison on the same day, and that all Rome has taken up arms in self- defence. But the Pope is well prepared and there will not be any revolt. Signor Giovanni tells me that the Duke left Sinigaglia after the town had been sacked by his troops, and hastened against Perugia, ^ere Giovanni BagUoni and his men-at-arms sur- rendered. I hear that a plot has been made in Siena against Pandolfo Petrucci, who has imprisoned twenty-two citizens, and put three of the chief among them to death. The Lord Duke has written a very courteous letter to Signor Giovanni Benti- voglio, begging him to conclude an alliance with him, and asking for 100 hgbt horse and 80 men- at-arms, whom he is sending under the Cavaliere della Volta. I also hear that Signor Giovanni Maria da Camerino has fled and that his women are gone to Florence, and the people of Ancona have sent envoys to the Duke promising to pay him obedience. No one knows where the Duke ^dbyGoogle OF BORGIA'S CONQUESTS , 247 of Urbino is, but, from what we hear, we think that he escaped from Citt^ di Castello through the Casentino, and Modesto, who has just arrived from Venice, tells me it is reported there that he has reached a place of safety and will soon be in Venice ; but of this 1 have not heard either fi«m the Duchess or from any one else. Francesco Malatesta writes from Florence that the devoted friends of Your Excellency there are alarmed at the extraordinary good fortime and exaltation of the Duke of Romagna, and wish that you were at home, fading that they could better decide on their course of action if they knew they could depend on you and yoin- forces. It is said that the Pope has renewed negotiations Mdth the Florentines, and I hear this also frY>m Rome, but it is not likely that they will trust him. All the same, if Your Excellency has not already concluded this alliance, 1 beg you to make haste and to settle matters, while you are with the Most Christian King, as long as you can do this with profit and honour, for there is no knowing what may happen. As to the affairs of Naples, I hear so many different reports that I do not know what to beUeve, and leave Your Excellency to learn the truth at court There is nothing more to say, excepting that I and Federico and our other children Leonora and Livia are well and commend ourselves to your good graces. — Your obedient wife, Isabella." ^ A few days after writing this letter, which gives so graphic a picture of Ciesar Borgia's treacherous and vindictive acts, the Marchesa thought it well to conciliate the all-powerful Duke by offering him a present of a hundred masks, which she sent him 1 D'Arco, Notiae ^Isabella, p. S65. ^dbyGoogle 248 HER GIFT TO CAESAR together with the following letter congratulating hira on his " glorious victories." " Most illustrious Lord, — Your kind letter inform- ing us of Your Excellency's fortunate progress has tilled us with that joy and delight which is the natural result of that friendship and affection which exists between you and ourselves, and in our illustrious lord's name and our own we congratulate you on your safety and prosperity, and thank you for inform- ing us of this, and also for your offer to keep us informed of your future successes. This we beg you of your courtesy to continue, since, loving you as we do, we are anxious to hear often of your movements, in order that we may rejoice in your welfare and share your triimiphs. And because we think that you should take some rest and recreation after the fatigues and exertions of these glorious undertakings, we send you a hundred masks by our servwit Giovanni, being weU aware that so poor a gift is unworthy of your acceptance, but as a token that if in our land we could find an offering more worthy of your greatness, we would gladly send it to you. If these masks are not as fine as they should be, Your Excellency must blame the masters of Ferrara, since owing to the law agwnst wearing masks in public, which has only lately been revoked, the art of making them has been in a great measure lost. We beg you to accept them as a token of our sincere goodwill and affection for Your Excellency. As for our alliance, we have no more to say until we hear the decision of His Holi- ness regarding the securities required for the payment of the dowry, which we await in order finally to conclude the agreement" * 1 GregoToviiu, " LucresU Borgia," App. ^dbyGoogle HIS REPLY 249 The Duke, who not only followed the practice of other noble youths in riding out in disguise in search of adventures, but always wore a mask on his face in the streets of Rome,' was highly gratified by the Marchesa's present, and wrote to express his thanks, from Aquapendente, on the 1st of February : — "Most illustrious and excellent Madonna, hon- oured Comatre^ dearest Sister, — We have received Your Excellency's gift of a hundred masks, which are most acceptable to us not only on account of their remarkable beauty and variety, but because of the time and place «f their arrival, which could not possibly be more opportune. It seems, indeed, as if Your Excellency must have foreseen the order of our plan of campaign and our present journey to Rome. After having taken the city and province of Sinigaglia with all its fortresses, in a single day, and justly punished the perfidious treachery of our foes, we released the cities of Castello, Fermo, Cistema, Montone, and Perugia from the yoke chF tyrants, and brought them back to their old obe- dience to His Holiness. Last of all, we deposed the tyrant Pandolfo Petrucci from the dominion of Siena, where he had shown such atrocious cruelty. And these masks are above all precious to us be- cause they afford a fresh proof of the singular affec- tion which we know that you and your illustrious lord cherish for us, and have already shown in other ways, and now testify again by the long letter which accompanies them. For all this we thank you in- 1 A. Giiutinkn, Ditpacd, L 418. * Comatre, Fr. ammire, gossip. Cssar Borgia habitually ad- dresses Isabella by this title because he had stood godfather to her SOD. ^dbyGoogle 250 FRANCESCO IN FRENCH SERVICE finitely, although the greatness of your merit and of your goodness towards us is beyond words, and claims recognition by deed. We shall wear the masks with pleasm«, and their perfect beauty will need no other ornament As for our mutual relationship, we are doing our utmost to bring this about, and when we reach Rome will see that His Holiness gives his consent to the contract. The prisoners for whom Your Excellency intercedes shall be set free, and as soon »s we have information to this effect, we will let Your Highness hear from us without delay. — Of Your Excellency the compare and younger brother, C^SAR, Duke of Romagna. From the pontifical camp at Aquapendente." ' When Cffisar Borgia wrote this letter, he was hurrying back to Rome to quell the rising of the Orsini, who, in revenge for the Pope's violent acts, had entrenched themselves in their fortresses of Ceri and Bracciano, and were ravaging the Campagna up to the gates of Rome. While he was ^igaged in this fresh warfare, news reached him of the reverses which the French troops had suffered in Naples. On the 28th of April, Gonsalvo de Cordova gained a decisive victory over the French general, Louis d'Ars, at Cerignola, and soon afterwards entered Naples in triumph. Louis XII. lost no time in raising a new army, and in July the Marquis of Mantua, who had only lately returned from France, started for the South wilji La Tr^mouiUe, at the head of a con- siderable force. Isabella was once more left to hold the reins of state in these critical times. Since her visit to Venice after Lucrezia Borgia's wedding, she had not left ' GregoroviuB, " Lucreiia Borgia," App. ^dbyGoogle A MIRACLE-PLAY 251 Mantua for a single day, but in April 1508, she paid a short visit to her father, and spent St. George's day at Ferrara, where, as usual, ^e received a warm wel- come. On the 24th, she wrote to her husband : — " Yesterday, besides receiving visits from a lai^ number of ladies and gentlemen, Uiese Signers, my brothers, remained continually with me, and about four o'clock my sister-in-law (Lucrezia) came to my room, and after conversing very pleasantly for some time, took me in her chariot for a drive through Ferrara till late, when the said Signors returned with me to my lodgings. To-day the representation of the Annunciation has been given. I went to the Castello to fetch this lady, who continues to ^ow me great honour and affection, and we went together to the Archbishop's hoiise, where I found my lord father, and saw the wooden stage which had been erected and sumptuously adorned for the occasion. A young Angel spoke the argument of the play, quoting the words of the Prophets who foretold the Advent of Christ, and the said Prophets appeared, speaking their prophecies translated into Italian verse. Then Mary appeared, under a portico supported by eight pillars, and began to repeat some verses from the Prophets, and while she spoke, the sky opened, revealing a figure of God the Father, surrounded by a choir of angels. No support could be seen either for His feet or for those of the angels, and six other seraphs hovered in the air, suspended by chains. In the centre of the group was the Archangel Gabriel, to whom God the Father addressed His word, and after receiving his orders, Gabriel descended with admir- able artifice, and stood, half-way in the air, at the same height as the orgim. Then, ^ of a sudden, an ^dbyGoogle 253 AT FERRARA infinite number of lights broke out at the foot of the angel-choir, and hid them in a blaze of glory — which reaUy was a thing worth seeing, and flooded all the sky with radiance. At that moment the Angd Gabriel alighted on the ground, and the iron chain which he held was not seen, so that he seemed to float down on a cloud, imtil his feet rested on the floor. After delivoing his message he returned with the other angels to heaven, to the sound of singing and music and melody, and there were verses recited by spirits, holding lighted torches in their hands and waving them to and fro as they stood supported in the air, so that it frightened me to see them. When they had ascended into heaven, some scenes of the Visitation of St. Elizabeth and St. Joseph were givoi, in which the heavens opened again and an angel descended, with the same admirable contrivance, to manifest the Incarnation of Jesus to Joseph, and set his doubts at rest regarding the Conception of the Holy Virgin. So the festd. ended. It lasted two and a half hours, and was very delightfid to see, be- cause of the fine machinery which I have described, as well as other things of the kind which I have left out. But the heat was great, because of the im- mense crowd of people. On Thursday I think we are to have a representation of the Magi and of the Innocents, of which 1 will inform Your Excellency, to whom I send by this courier a basket of fresh honeycomb. — You most devoted wife, Isabella." ^ On the following day the spectacle of the Magi offering their gifts at the cradle of Bethlehem, with the guiding star in the sky above, and a fine display of opened heaven and angelic choirs, excited great 1 D'Arco, Notisie etUebtUa. ^dbyGoOgle DEATH OF ALEXANDER VI. 258 admiration, while the Massacre of the Innocents moved the spectators to tears, and many women and children who were present cried aloud.^ A Iresh sorrow awaited Isabella on her return home. This was the death of her sister-in-law, Chiara de Montpensier, whose troubled life ended at Mantua on the 2nd of June. The poor Duchess of Urbino, hving as she was in penury and exile at Venice, felt this fresh blow keenly, and wrote to Isabella saying that after losing state, home, and fortune, she was now deprived of the sister who had been to her as a mother. Suddenly an unexpected event turned the tide of affairs and changed the whole poUtical situation. On the 18th of August, Pope Alexander VI. died in the Vatican. His illness had been very short On the 5th of August, he uid his son Ctesar, who was on the point of starting to join his army at Perugia, and embark on a fresh series of con- quests, dined with Cardinal Adriano da Cometo at his villa. The following day Caesar wrote a letter to Isabella d'Este, gratefully accepting an offer of a couple of her dogs, which belonged to a breed that he admired especially. A week afterwards both he and his father fell seriously ill of malarial fever, which attacked all the guests who had dined at the Cardinal's villa. The old Pope, who was seventy-three years of age, became rapidly worse, and on the after- noon of the 18th CostabiU wrote to Duke Ercole,' and Cattaneo sent word to the Marquis of Mantua, that His Holiness was sinking. He died that night, but Cattaneo, who informed the Marquis of the event • D'Ancona, Origini, vol ii, ■ Arc/mio di Stato, Modata. ^dbyGoogle 254 RETURN OF GUIDOBALDO early the next moming, says expressly that there was no suspicion of poison, although both father and son were taken ill at the same time.* The news spread like wildfire through the whole of Italy. It reached Francesco Gonzsga as he was marching south Mdth the French army at Parma, and he sent it on by express courier to Mantua. It rejoiced the heart of Giovanni Sforza, who was ill in bed himself, but told his brother-in-law that the good news had nearly cured his malady, and that he only hoped soon to hear that Valentino was also dead I It reached the exiled Duke and Duchess in their sad retreat at Venice, and Guidobaldo started without delay for Urbino, where the people rose in arms and welcomed him with acclamation. Never was an exiled prince greeted with such passionate delight. The children poured out to meet him with olive- branches in their hands, and hailed his return with triumphal songs. Old men wept tears of joy, women and children thronged the streets, and mothers held up their little ones to see the Duke, and told them never to forget that day. "The very stones," wrote Castiglione, "seemed to rejoice, and to sing for gladness." * Emilia Pia's secretary, who described the scene to the Marehesa Isabella, told how high-bom women danced with glee in the streets, and old blind men of eighty were led up to the Duke, and asked leave to touch him with their hands that they might be sure he was there again. " Some brought their children in arms to see him ; others uttered words which would have moved the ' Archivio Goitsaga, quoted in Pastor, "History^of the Popes," vi., App. ^ Serassi, iMUrt tli Ctuti^ioite. ^dbyGoogle PAPAI. CONCLAVE 235 stones to tears." ^ Elisabetta herself wrote to tell Isabella the welcome which the Duke had received from his faithful people. She remembered how, in the darkest days of her distress at Mantua, the good Sister Osanna bade her dry her tears, since Borgia's dominion would prove as transitory as a blaze of straw, and thanked God that her words had proved true.' Meanwhile aH Rome was in a ferment "The confusion," wrote Cardinal Egidio of Viterbo, "was such that it seemed as if everything were going to pieces." Ciesar Bor^a, after vainly trying to take possession of Castell' Sant' Angdo, was borne in a Utter to Nepi, and placed himself under the pro- tection of the French army, which had advanced to Viterbo. On the 16th of September, thirty-seven Cardinals met in conclave. At first the French candidate, George d'Amboise, was thought certain of success, but Giuhano deUa Rovere strongly opposed his election; and before the conclave met, the Mantuan agent, Ghivizzano, wrote to the Marquis, saying : " The Cardinals are buzzing about us like bees, and intriguing in all directions, but neither D'Amboise nor Giuliano will be Pope: it will be Siena or S. Prassede." The issue proved that he was right. On the 22nd the aged Cardinal Ficcolomini of Siena was elected. "A good man," says Ghivizzano, "whose previous life and acts of charity make the people hope that as a Pope he will be the very reverse of Alexander VI. And so they are beside themselves with joy." ' On the same day Francesco ' Luzio e Renter, Mantova e Urbino, p. 1 4^. ^ Donesmondi, Sloria Eccl. tU Mantova, ii. • ArcMoio Goazaga; Pastor, "Histoiy of the Popes," vol. vi. p. 619. ^dbyGoogle 256 THE POPE'S DEATH-BED Gonzaga wrote a remarkable letter to his wife from the French camp outside the walls of Rome, telling her of the Pope's election, and repeating the legend which had already sprung up in the popular mind, that the devil himsdf had come to fetch the soul of the hated Borgia. "Most illustrious and beloved Wife, — In order that you may hear the latest details which have reached us of the Pope's death, we write to inform you how, in his last illness, he began to speak and act in a way which made those about him think that he was wandering, although he retained perfect possession of his faculties. His words were : * I will come, you are right, only wait a Uttle longer,' and those who were in his secrets afterwards revealed that in the conclave held after the death of Innocent III. he had made a compact with the devil and had bought the papal tiara at the price of bis souL One article of the compact was that he should sit in the papal chair for twdve years, which he actually did, as well as four more days. There are others who say that seven devils were in the room at tiie moment when he gave up the ghost And when he was dead, his blood began to boil, and his mouth foamed as if he were a burning caldron, and this lasted as long as he was above ground. His corpse swelled to such a size that it lost the very shape of a human body, and there was no diflference between its breadth and length. He was carried to the grave with little honour, his body being dragged from the bed to the sepulchre by ajacckino, who fastened a cord to his feet, because no one would touch him, and his funeral was so miserable that the wife of the lame dwarf at Mantua had a more honourable buri^ than this Pope. And every ^dbyGoogle ELECTION OF PIUS III 257 day the most shameful inscriptions are written over his grave for his last epitaph. To-day we hear that Siena is elected Pope. He is said to be a neutral person, without passions or party. We are altogether at the service of Your Highness, and beg you to kiss Federico many times. We have sent to ask for victuals and a passage through Home for our army, as had been abeady promised, but since the new Pope had not yet been elected, we do not know what answer to expect We hear that the enemy are at Genazzano and are advancing against us. Mon- seigneur Tremoglia is ill and has been forced to retire, so we are left in command of the camp. Berie valeat. Conjux Marchio Mantuce. Ex Insula. 22 Sept. 1508. Xmo Regis Locum tenerUis GeTieraUs." ] ' Gregoroviu8, "LucrcaU Borgia," App. p. 123. D,„l,z.dbyG00gle CHAPTER XV 1503—1605 Death of Pius III.— Election of Julius II.— Return of ElisabetU to Urbiao— Cces«r Borgia sent to Spain, and his capture — Birth of Isabella's daughter IppoUta — Francesco Goneaga resigns his command of the French armies — Returns to Mantua — The French lose Naples — Comedies at Urbino, Mantua, and Ferntra — Death of Duke Ercole — Quarrels and plots of the Este brothers — Marriage of Francesco Maria della Rovere and Leonora GoDeaga — Sigismondo Gomaga raised to the Cardinalate — Letters of Emilia Pia — Castiglione and Bembo — Death of Suor Osanna — A Dominican vicar-general — Birth of Isabella's son Ercole. The election of Pope Pius III. proved to be only a temporary measure. The new Pontiff was rfready worn out with age and infirmities, and the fatigues of his coronation, added to the anxieties of his office, brought on a fatal illness of which he died on the 17th of October, only a month after his elevation to the papal see. This time all parties agreed to choose Giuliano della Rovere, and on the 1st of November, after the shortest conclave ever known in the long history of the Papacy,' he was proclaimed Pope under the title of Julius II. His election produced a complete revolution in the policy of the Holy See. The Duke of Urbino, whose sister was the wife of Giovfumi della Rovere, Prefect of Rome, was appointed Captain - general of the Church, with Giovanni Gonzaga as his lieutenant, and his nephew > Pastor, " History of the Popes, " vi. 210. :dbv Google ELISABETTA RETURNS TO URBINO 259 Francesco deUa Rovere, the son of Julius the Second's brother, was pubUcly recognised as heir to the duchy. EUsabetta, who had remained in Venice until peace and order were restored in her lord's dominions, now took leave of the Doge and Senate, uid after thanking them publicly for the hospitality which she had received at their hands, returned to Urbino the first week in December. On the 11th, her seneschal, Alexander Picenardi, gave Isabella the following account of the rejoicings which hailed her entry: — " Most illustrious Mistress, — I venture to give Your Highness an account of the entry of Her Excellency the Madonna into Urbino, but could not describe the disasters and discomfort that we suffered from bad weather, bad roads and bad hostelries between Venice and Urbino. When at length we were four miles from Urbino, the whole population poured out to meet her, chanting Te Deums, with olive-boughs in their hands and crying 'Gom&g& and Feltrol' And when we reached Urbino, a great number of gentlemen and citizens were at the gates, and came out to greet her with the greatest joy, kissing and clasping her hand with tears of tenderness, so that it was three hours before Her Excellency could reach the Piazza. Then she ali^ted from her horse in front of the Vescovado and entered the church, where aH the ladies of Urbino were assembled, bringing her an olive-branch with golden leaves, and all with one voice called out Her Excellency's name and embraced her with great joy. Then Monsignore the Bishop, robed in his vestments, took Madonna the Duchess by the hand and led her to kneel down before the high altar, where all the deigy :dbv Google 260 THE COURT OF URBINO were assembled, and they b^an to sing Te Deum laudamug and other devout prayers. When the blessing had been given, they came out of church and entered the palace, accompanied by the Bishop and all the clergy and a great multitude of people, and they remained in the palace till past midnight, and every day and every night Her Excellency has been f^ted in this manner. She is very well and com- mends herself to Your Illustrious Highness, and, poor as I am, I venture to throw myself at your feet, and hope Your ExceUency with forgive my presumption. — Your most faithful servant, Auexandee, Sene- schal." ^ Thus the good Duchess came back to reign over this people who adored her, and charm the hearts of men by her gentleness and sweetness. For the next few years the court of Urbino shone with more than its old lustre, and the most brilliant cavaliers and most accompUshed scholus and artists — Castiglione and Bembo, Cristoforo Romano and TUnico Aretino — sought a home in this palace, where Guidobaldo and Elisabetta held up before the world a noble example of the purest virtue and the most refined culture. By d^rees the home of the Montefeltri regained its former splendour. It is true that the priceless tapestries of the Trojan war were never recovered, but the famous library, and many of the treasures of art which the palace had formerly contwned, were restored by Caesar Borgia, who, in his anxiety to conciliate ibe new Pope, was abject in his professions of ftioidship for the Duke, whom he had wronged so cruelly. But the election of Juhus II. had sealed his doom. He was too dangerous a rival to be allowed to ' Liuio e Renier, op, ck., p. 150. ^dbyGoOgle CiESAR BORGLA'S END 281 remun in Rome, and after surrendering the chief for- tresses of Romagna to the Pope, he went to Naples. Here Gonsalvo de Cordova arrested him by order of King Ferdinand of Aragon, in spite of a safe conduct which had been giren him. He was sent to Spain in August 1504, and after languishing for two years in prison, succeeded in making his escape from the Tower of Medina del Campo, and feU in March 1507, at Viana, fighting for his brother-in-law, the King of Navarre, against Castile. So this hero of great powers and greater audacity, whose extraordinary career had filled Italy with amazement, and whose name struck terror into every heart, died at the early age of thirty-one, and the meteor which had Hashed upon the world with sudden brilliancy, vanished into night Six months after his father's death he was already forgotten in Rome. " Of Valentino," wrote the Mantuan envoy, Giovanni Lucido, "one hears no more." To the last he remained on friendly terms with the Gonzagas, and when he reached Pampeluna, he wrote a long account of his escape to the Marquis, signing himself, " Your Compare et minore frateUo," and telling him that now, after all his labour and efforts, he was at length a fi%e man. And Lucrezia, in her letters to Francesco, thanks him repeatedly for " the singular and truly fraternal love that you have ever shown to my brother the Duke." While these strange events were thrilling the heart of Italy, and one Pope was succeeding the other at the Vatican, Isabella rem^ed at Mantua, directing the govoiunent in her husband's absence, and much occupied with her little son. On the 12th of November, she took the three-year-old child ^dbyGoogle 262 MESSEK VIGILIO to see an Italian comedy, the " Formicone," adapted from Apuleius, acted by some pupils of Francesco Vi^o, who held a pubUc school in Mantua, and whom she had already determined in her own mind to choose for Federico's tutor. The performance was admirable, and Isabella, in writing to her lord, tells him that " a son of our steward distinguished himself in the part of a servant, and will be of great use in our comedies, while Federico was surrounded by a fine troop of children." But the Marquis disapproved alike of Messer Francesco and of his comedies, and wrote back rudely that Isabella need not take Federico to those plays and encourage Vino's hopes of having the child for a pupil, since he meant the boy to have Uttle book-learning, and acquire that little from other teachers, and hoped soon to take him out to fight at his side and make a man of him.' The day on which Isabella attended the repre- sentation of Messer Vigilio's comedy was marked by another event, as we learn from her brother-in-law the Protonotary's letter to the Marquis. " Yesterday I went with this illustrious Madonna and Signor Federico to the school of Messer Fran- ceso, whose scholars recited a fine comedy exceedingly welL It was a very pretty sight, and pleased us all highly. Afterwards we drove as usual to take the air in the town, and returned to the Castello about five o'clock ; and Madonna sat down to cards to spend the evening after her usual custom, and played till after eight. Then she rose from the table and told me that she would not come to supper as she felt pmns, and went to her room, and we sat down ' IVAacoiu, Oriffm, iL 389, and Lusio, Ftdenco Ottaggio, p. 62. ^dbyGoogle BATTLE OF THE GARIGLIANO 268 to table, and 1 supped in the Castello. And before we had finished, the said Madonna gave birth to a little girl, and although we greatly desired a boy, yet we must be content with what is given us." ^ This fourth daughter who was bom to Isabella received the name of IppoUta, and became a mm in the Dominican convent of S. Vincenzo. Meanwhile Francesco GonzAga. was conducting the campaign in the kingdom of Naples under great difficulties. The French troops under his command were turbulent and imdisciplined, his movements were impeded by heavy floods, and his plans were foiled by the superior generalship of the Great Captain, although he succeeded in crossing the river Garigliano and relieving Gaeta. At length, heartily sick of the task, and being unable, in the words of the Venetian diarist, " any longer to endure the pride, quarrels, and disobedience of the French," he resigned his command on the plea of illness, and returned to Mantua.* A few weeks after his departure, on the 28th of De- cember, the French were completely defeated in a battle on the banks of the GarigUano, and Piero dei Medici, who fou^t on the French side, was drowned in the river. The fortress of Gaeta, which Gonsalvo had long blockaded in vain, now surrendered, and Naples was lost to France. On the 11th of Feb- ruary a treaty was signed at Lyons by which Louis XII. gave up all claim to the kingdom, and Ferdinand of Aragon remuned in undisputed pos- session of Southern Itidy. Francesco's return and the restoration of Duke Guidobaldo to his duchy were celebrated with bril- ' Lusio e Reoier in Giont, Si. d. Lett. It., vol. xxxiv. p. 27. ' M. Suiuto, vol xxiv. ^dbyGoogle 264 PLAYS AT FERRARA liant fgtes both at Mantua and Urbino. Among the dramatic performances given at the Duke's court, was the so-caUed Comedy of Pope Alexander VI. and Valentino, a representation which included Lucrezia's wedding, Cffisar Borgia's conquest of Urbino, the death of the Pope, and the triumphant return of Guidobaldo and Elisabetta.' Duke Ercole came to Mantua at Isabella's urgent entreaty, and highly commended the series of come- dies that were given' in his honour. After he had returned home, a dramatic version of the history of Joseph, by a Ferrara poet, was given in the ducal theatre, and Isabella's old friend, the chamberlain Bernardo dei Prosperi, sent her full accounts of the performance. "Yesterday," he writes, "this Signor had the first part of the story of Joseph represented, up to his imprisonment in Egypt. It was very touching, and admirably acted in perfect silence, because we have adopted the good customs learnt at Mantua, and no longer allow every rogue to come in and interrupt the performance. There was no music but that of the organ and some flutes, which were very soft and pleasant to hear."' The Duke's health had lately given much cause for anxiety, and he was no longer able to ride ; but in July he travelled in a litter to Florence to pay his vows at the shrine of the Annunziata. After his re- turn he fell seriously ill, and Isabella hurried to Fer- rara to nurse him. But he rallied again, and retained his keen interest in literary subjects. On the 27th of October Isabella sent him one of the satirical pro- ductions known as predicke d^amore, which had been > D'AncoDa, Orifftu, iL 21 ; Ugolini, Storia di Urbino, U. 138. * D'Anconaj op. dt. ^dbyGoogle DEATH OF ERCOLE D'ESTE 265 lately composed at Milan by a witty Mar named Fra Stoppino.' He lingered on through the winter months, and died on the 25th of January 1505.^ Alfonso, who had been absent on a long journey to France, England, and Spain, hurried home on hearing of his father's illness, and the day after his death, rode through Ferrara clad in white, during a heavy fall of snow. A bold soldier and mighty hunter, the new Duke was a man of extraordinary physical strength, and would spend whole nights in the marshes of Comacchio, tracking wild boars, in the roughest weather, to the despair of his courtiers and attendants. He inherited Uie artistic traditions of the house of Este, built the sumptuous marble villa of Belvedere on an island in the Po, and employed Giovanni Bellini and Titian to decorate the Castello. But his fierce and vindictive temper was the cause of great family dissensions, and the first year of his reign was marked by a terrible domestic tragedy which cost Isabella many tears. First of all, in November 1505, a quarrel arose between Cardinal Ippolito d'Este and his half-brother Giulio, an illegi- timate son of the late Duke, who were both in love Trith their sister-in-law Lucrezia's fair maid-of-honour, Angela Borgia. One day Angela laughingly told the Cardinal that his brother Giulio's eyes were worth more than his whole person, upon which Ippolito, in a fit of jealous rage, hired a band of assassins to attack Don Giulio on his return from a himting expedition at Belriguardo. The ruffians tried to put out his eyes and partially blinded him. Don Alfonso repri- manded the Cardinal sever^y, and when Don Giulio ' Luzio e Renier, Mantooa e Urbiiio, p. 169. < Frlszf, Slaria di Ferrara, iv. S50. ^dbyGoogle 266 PLOT OF THE ESTE BROTHERS had recovered his sight, Niceolo da Correggio succeeded in effecting an apparent reconciliation between the brothers. But a few months afterwards Giulio entered into a conspiracy with his younger brother Ferrante to murder both the Duke and Cardinal and seize the duchy. The plot was discovered, and Ferrante was thrown into prison. Giulio fled to Mantua, where Isabella not only gave him shelter, but did her utmost to save him from Alfonso's wrath, and wrote long letters to her old friend Niceolo on the subject. But the Duke was implacable, and Niceolo visited Isabella, in July 1506, at her villa of Sacchetta, and laid proofs of Giulio's guilt before her eyes. After this the un- fortunate prince was given up, and imprisoned together with Ferrante in the dungeon of the Castello of Ferrara. Here the unhappy brothers were left to languish in captivity during the whole of Alfonso's reign. Ferrante died in prison in 1540, and Giulio was only released in 1550, two years before his death. By this time he was eighty-three years of age, and the Ferrarese chroniclers relate that when the old man came out of his ceU he still wore the clothes which had been in fashion when he was first imprisoned more than half a century before.' This tragic incident threw a gloom over Isabella's family life, and after 1506, her visits to Ferrara became less frequent than of old. But her strong family instincts made her cling to her father's house, and in the long stru^le which Alfonso maintained against three successive Popes, he found a loyal friend and supporter in his sister. While these dark shadows saddened Isabella's old home, happier events were taking place at Mantua. 1 Frizzi, op, dL, p. S5fi. ^dbyGoOgle BETROTHAL OF LEONORA GONZAGA 267 The month of her father's death was also that of her daughter Leonora's betrothal to Francesco Maria della Rovere, the nephew and heir of her brother-in- law, Duke Guidobaldo. This marriage had long been desired by EUsabetta, and was equally agreeable to the Marquis of Mantua, as a means of obtaining the Cardinalate, which he had been striving to obtain for his brother during the last fifteen years. The Venetian ambassador, Giustiniani, mentions a re- port as to the proposed marriage in his despatches from Rome as early as 1503;' and Emiha Pia, in writing to Isabella at the close of 1504, remarks that *' the new Cardinals are to be made at Easter, and it is held certain that Our Reverend Monsignore, the Frotonotary, will be one." The official proclamation actually took place in the Consistory held in the following November, when Sigismondo GU)nzaga was proclaimed Cardinal, together with eight other prelates nominated by the Pope. In January 1505, Lodovico Canossa was sent to Mantua with formal proposals by the Duke of Urbino, and on the 2nd of March, the marriage was celebrated in the Vatican, Giovanni Gonzaga acting as his niece's represen- tative. The Pope insisted that the bride should bring her husband a dowry of 30,000 ducats, but only 20,000 ducats were to be paid at once, and the remainder of this sum at a period to be fixed by the Duchess EUsabetta. Leonora's portrait was sent to Rome, at the request of the Pope, and in a letter of April 80, Isabella expressed her regret to the Prefettessa Giovanna della Rovere that it was only a black and white drawing, since there was no ptunter at present in Mantua who could handle colours well, ' Ditpacci, u. 359. ^dbyGoOgle 268 EMILIA PIA'S LETTERS but said that she hoped to be able to send a better picture soon. It was a struige excuse for Isabdla to advance, but Mantegna's health, we know, was foiling, and his son Francesco and Bonsignori were probably engaged elsewhere. This proposed mar- riage led to an active renewal of correspondence between the courts of Mantua aaA Urbino, and since Elisabetta's time was fully occupied, she often employed Emilia to write to Isabella in her stead. The letters of this witty and accomplished lady abound in information of the most varied description. She thanks iJie Marchesa for an account of the Queen of France's coronation, which Mario Equicola has sent firom Blois, and gives her in retmn all the latest gossip from Rome and Urbino.* She describes Uie funeral services in honour of Que«i Isabella of Spain, the banquets and representations given by Car- dinal Sanseverino, and the wedding of Julius the Second's daughter. Madonna FeUce, to Giovanni Orsini, the eccentric lord of Bracciano, whom Leonora's husband, Francesco Maria, denounced as a madman. She tells Isabella the marriages which are expected to take place, and those which have ended in smoke. and discourses in the same witty fashion of carnival plays and Lent sennons. She has a great deal to say of the eloquent friar, whose preaching is con- verting every one at court, and rejoices to hear that Isabella is attending the sermons of two of her own friends, who are giving Lent courses at Mantua, although they can hardly rival the Urbino monk. In the same letter she informs the Marchesa of the alarm which had been excited in Rome by a report, brought from Spain by the merchants of > Liuio e Benier, Manlova e Urbino, pp. IS8-I66. ^dbyGoogle ISABELLA'S PERFUMES 269 Valencia, that Csesar Borgia had escaped from piison. In reality, as Emilia expluns, Valentino had tried to let himself down from his prison window hy a rope made of his bedclothes. But his attempt failed. The rope gave way, and he fell and dis- located his shoulder. The Marchesa's lively corre- spondent ends by telling Her Excellency that she is sending her a certain kind of wood that is said to have a murellous property for polishing the nails and the hands, as well as a recipe for washing the teeth, which is used by the Queens at Naples. And, in return, Isabella sends Emilia some of the silver boxes containing perfiimes of her own manufocture, which were eagerly sought after by persons of quaUty, and were so highly appreciated by Fietro Bembo in the days when he was secretary to Pope Leo X.' In the summer of 1504, Elisabetta invited Isabella to accompany her to Rome. The Marchesa, who had never seen the Eternal City, was enchanted at the prospect, and declared that she would either come incogmtO) clad in black, or else as a maid in the Duchess's train. This journey, however, was ulti- mately abandoned, partly from fear of the plague in Rome, of which there were several cases ; partly because of the wish of the Pope to cut down expenses and restore order in the disordered finances of the Vatican. "This Pope," writes Emilia, "is so niggardly that I know not if our plan will succeed." But she rgoices to hear that the standards of the Church, which are said to be very gorgeous, and the b^ton of Captain -general, are on their way to Urbino. That summer a distinguished Mantuan gentle- 1 V. Ciaa in Gwm. St. d. LeU. It., is. ISO. ^dbyGoqgle 270 CASTIGLIONE AND man, Baldassarre Castiglione, entered the Duke's service and settled at Urbino, much to the displeasure of his own Uege lord. The Marquis Francesco's consent had indeed been formally asked, but he was naturally reluctant to lose so brilliant and accom- plished a figure from his court. AVhen, a year afterwards, Guidobaldo sent him as envoy to Fernura, he was forbidden to cross the Mantuan frontier ; and when, in 1506, he went to England to receive the Order of the Garter, which Henry VII. conferred on the Duke of Urbino, Francesco refused to allow him to visit Mantua and embrace his mother before he started on this long journey. Neither EUsabetta's intervention nor a humble request which Castighone himself addressed to the Marquis could induce him to relent, and it was not till his return from England, in the spring of 1507, that he was allowed to set foot on his native soil. Isabella, however, proved a good friend to Castiglione, and earned his undying grati- tude by her constant efforts to appease her husband's resentment Another Mantuan subject and kinsman of Fran- cesco, Cesare Gonzaga, also settled at Urbino in these days, but always remained on friendly terms with the Marchesa, and was one of her constant cor- respondents. A devoted friend and companion of Castighone, he assisted him in the composition of the pastord pl&y< " Tirsi," which the two authors recited at the carnival of 1506, and is one of the chief speakers who figure in the " Cortigiano." Cesare was the brother of Luigi Gonzaga, who Uves in Ariosto's verse, and whose splendid palace of Boigo- forte, near Mantua, was often honoured by Isabella's presence, and his gay letters were much appreciated ^dbyGoogle CESARE GONZAGA AT URBINO 271 by the Marchesa. In the summer of 1504, he writes that he hears she has been reading Esop, and is so much devoted to Latin literature as to despise all poetry in the vulgar tongue, and ends by be^png her not to tire out all her teachers ! Again, at the close of 1510, when Cesare is on duty in the papal camp at Modena, he snatches a moment to beg Her Excellency to allow Marehetto to set a madrigal of his composition to music, and send him the melody of her favourite sonnet " Cantai." '* If you will do me this kindness," he adds, *' I shall be grateful to you till the Day of Judgment, and do not think it strange if in IJiese troublous times I make such a request, for, after all, 'Marie ha solo la scorza, e il resto AToore' (Mars only has the bark of the tree, and Love holds the rest)." ' Yet another member of this brilliant group, whose name lives in Castiglione's inunortal pages, and who, like him, sang the praises of the gentle Duchess, was also intimately connected with Isabella d'Este. This was the Venetian Pietro Bembo, who came to Rome in the spring of 1505, on a mission from the Doge and Signory, and was sumptuously entertained by the Duke and Duchess, in their anxiety to make some return for the hospitality which they had received at Venice during their sad days of exile. Isabella was already well acquainted with Pietro's father, the old FodestJi of Verona, and with his brother Carlo, whose palace she had visited in Venice, and who had lent her some portraits of Petrarch, Dante, and Boccaccio, which she wished to have copied at Mantua. In January 1508, Isabella begged Pietro to accompany 1 D'Arco, Documenli, 81 ; Anh. SL It., App. 0. ^dbyGoogle 272 PIETRO BEMBO his friend Ercole Strozzi to Mantua, but at that time he had been unable to accept her invitation, which thus, in his courtly phrase, rendered him at once the happiest and most miserable man in the world. Again, in October 1504, Bembo was on his way to visit Mantua, when he heard, on arriving at Verona, that Isabella had been summoned to h^ dying father's bedside. The Marchesa renewed the invitation early in April, and Pietro wrote from Venice, saying that to visit Mantua was one of the greatest wishes of his heart, but regretting that as yet he is unable to wait upon her. " Since, however," he adds, " I cannot come myself, I send Your Hi^mess, by Zuan Valerio, part of my family, that is to say, three youths who have not yet left the house, and commend them humbly to Your Excellency's good offices." ' The three sonnets of his composition, which Bembo enclosed, were highly appreciated by Isabella. She was still better pleased when, two months later, their author presented himself at Mantua on his way back to Venice, with letters from Elisabetta and Emilia Pia, who availed herself of this opportunity to send the Marchesa a flask of m}rrtle scent. On this occasion Isabella showed her cultured guest the treasures which she had collected in the little room in the old Castello, with their delicately inlaid woodwork, and frieze of music notes and playing cards, and the new studio of the Grotta in the Corte Vecchia, where her choicest pictures and marbles were arranged. There Bembo saw Michel Angelo's sleeping Cupids and Mantegna's two priceless paintings, the Triumphs of Venus and of Pallas, as well as Perugino's Triumph of Chastity, which had lately arrived from Florence, and promised > D'Aico, Noluie UnAtUa, p. 318. ^dbyGoogle VISITS MANTUA 278 to try and induce his friend Giovanni Bellini to paint a similar fantasia for the Marchesa's camerino. He saw Isabella's rare books and manuscripts, the dainty Aldine editions of Virgil and Petrarch, in the production of which he had helped the great Venetian printer ; Messer Lorenzo's wonderftil organ and viols and ebony and ivory lutes, and all the rich stores of antique cameos and medals which were Isabella's proudest possession. Isabella herself, as she wrote to tell Bembo's friend Tebaldeo, was delisted to see how much her illustrious guest appreciated all her treasures, and charmed him by singing some of his own songs to the music of her lute. After his departure Bembo sent her the following letter, be^nning, after his usual custom, with the words Jesus Christus : — " I send Your Excellency, my dear Madonna and most honoured mistress, ten sonnets and two some- what irregular tramotti, not because they are worthy to come into your hands, but because I wish that some of these verses may be recited and sung by Your Signory, remembering with what surpassing charm and sweetness you sang the others, on that happy evening which we spent together, and knowing tiiat my poor compositions can never attain to greater honour. Most of the sonnets anA both the tramotti are quite new, and have not yet been seen by any one. I must confess that they will not, I fear, answer Your Signory's expectations, any more than they satisfy my wishes. But I know that, if they are sung by Your Signory, they will be most fortunate, and nothing will be needed to delist the listeners except the beautiful and charming hand and the pure, sweet voice of Your Most Illustrious Highness, to whose good grace I never cease to commend myself. Your VOL. I. s ^dbyGoogle 274 MACHIAVELLI AT MANTUA Signory will deign to commend me to my Lady Alda Boiarda. — Of Your Illustrious Signory the servant, PiETRO Bembo." ' Venice, July 1, 1505. About the same time, Isabella received a still more famous visitor in the person of the great Florentine, Niccolo Machiavelli, who came to Mantua in May, to bring Francesco Gonzaga the formal intimation of his appointment to the post of Captain - general of the Republic. His name had been first suggested by Louis XII. to the Gonfaloniere Fiero Soderini, and negotiations had been in progress during some weeks, as we learn from a letter which Isabella wrote to her husband from Ferrara in April. " My dear and most illustrious Lord, — The arti- chokes which Your Excellency sent me were especially acceptable, both as coming from you and as being the first which I had seen this year. My brothers and sister-in-law enjoyed them with me, for love of you, and I thank you warmly for taking the trouble to send them. Yesterday morning I received yours of the 17th, containing much good news. Truly, as Your Excellency remarics, nothing can be better for us than the establishment of peace between the most powerfril King of the Romans and France and our other allies. We shall be able to judge of this better when we hear particulars of the treaty, but the idea that the Florentines wish to secure you for their captain seems to me to promise well and to be likely to lead to great honour. You will no doubt consider this offer with your wonted prudence, and I will keep my counsel, for it is not a thing to be discussed with other persons, until it is finally arranged. I think of coming to Revere > D'Arco, Notieie d'habtlla, p. 312. ^dbyGoogle DEATH OF SUOR OSANNA 275 on Saturday, and on Sunday to Mantua. Here we have no further news since the last which I gave you. Please kiss Federico for me. — Your wife, Isabella." ^ Ferrara, April 19, 1505. This was the errand which brought MachiavelU to Mantua early in May. Unfortunately we have no further information as to his visit, interesting as it would have been to learn the impression which so brilliant a lady luid skilled a diplomatist as the Marchesa made upon the author of the "Prince." His mission proved unsuccessful, for the salary which the Florentines offered was far inferior to that which the Marquis had received from the Venetians, and after some prolonged negotiations, Francesco finally declined the post. The death of Suor Osanna, who breathed her last in Isabella's arms one day in June 1505, was a great sorrow to the Marchesa. She had shared all her joys and griefs with this saintly friend, and the good Sister is said to have loved her exceed- ingly. To Osanna's prayers Isabella confidently beheved that she owed the gifl of the long-desired son, whose birth the holy nun prophesied some months bdbre the event, while in all private and public calamities the Gonzagas always turned to bra* for help and consolatioa Now the Marchesa placed a silver head on the Sister's grave, and employed her &vourite sculptor, Cristoforo Romano, to raise a noble monument to her memory in the Dominican church. During the next few years Isabella endeavoured by every possible means to obtain the beatification of her sainted friend, an honour which was finally bestowed upon Suor Osanna by Pope Leo in 1515. ' D'Arco, op. ciL 277. ^dbyGooglc 276 PADRE FRANCESCO Her efforts on behalf of " this our dear mother," as she calls her, were warmly supported by Padre Francesco da Silvestri, the distinguished Dominican friar who filled the chair of theology at Bol(^na during many years, and was afterwards appointed General of the Ord^ by Pope Clement VII. This learned and ac- complished ecclesiastic, to whom Bandello dedicates one of his novels and whom he praises as a most rare and singular man, endowed by nature with every gift of body and mind, was one of Isabella's most constant friends and correspondents. He shared her love of music and pictures, and encouraged her to persevere in her own studies, and above all to train her children in the love of learning and in the fear of God. In March 1504, when Isabella, released by her husband's return from the cares of government, once more returned to her classical studies, Padre Francesco writes to her from Milan : "I hear that you are still studying grammar. I hope that, when I visit you next, I shall find you studying rhetoric." And, in a Latin letter of July, he exhorts her to attend to her son's education, and warmly approves the choice of VigiUo as his pre- ceptor. "See that Federico receives a liberal education," he writes when the boy is barely four years old, " and appUes himself in these tender years to letters, so that he may grow up worthy of his wise and excellent mother." When her fother died, Francesco's letter was the most beautiful and con- soling unong all the infinite number of condolences which Isabella received, and when Suor Osanna died, six months later, it fell to the Mar to pro- nounce her funeral oration. In later years, Fran- cesco's arduous duties as Vicar-General and Grcneral :dbv Google LA BEATA OSANNA By F. BONSIGNORI ?•-/«' A 'A ™/.- D,t„db,Googlc ,db, Google ISABELLA'S ILLNESS 277 of the Order compelled him to travel through France and Italy to inspect Dominican convents, but his interest in the Marchesa and her family never fuled, and he remained a true and faithful Mend until he died at Rennes in 1528. In the autumn of 1505, Isabella fell seriously ill of fever, and could not shake off the attack for several weeks. Her friends in all parts of the world wrote to express their anxiety, and combined to b^^e the dulness of her convalescence. Bembo made anxious inquiries aitet her health &om Venice. CristofoFo Romano called on all the Dominican Mars of Le Grasie at Milan to pray for her recovery, and promised to visit the Seven Churches in Rome, and say a prayer at each altar for his dear lady. Mario Equicola sent the latest literary curiosities &om Blois for Isabella's amusement, confessing, however, that he could find nothing in France that would be new to her I Elisabetta despatched her favourite jester, Fra Serafino, to Mantua without delay, and Emilia Pia wrote lively letters to cheer the invalid. But Isabella foi^^ all her troubles when, towards the end of November, she gave birth to a fine boy. " 1 rejoice," wrote Cristoforo from Rome, " to hear of this fortunate event, and thank GJod that your ill- ness has had so happy an ending. Be of good cheer, dear lady, and may God give you much joy in your children ! " This second son, the future Cardinal who was one day to preside over the Council of Trent, received the name of Louis or Alvise in honotu* of the King of France. But Isabella preferred to call him Ercole, after his grandfather, and when the boy grew up to manhood, he became known by this second name. ^dbyGoogle CHAPTER XVI 1505—1607 Isabella's visit to Florence — Mario Equicola's treatise, Wee spe nee metu — Ravages of the plague at Maatua — Isabella retires to Sacchetta with her family — Francesco Gonsaga joins Pope Julius II. at Peni^a — Conducts the papal army against Bologna —Flight of the BenttvogU— Entty of the Pope— Letters of Isabella — Frisio sends her antiques from Bologna — Birth of Isabella's son Fernmte^ Visit of Ariosto to Mantua — Favour shown him by Isabella — Ariosto pays her a splendid tribute in hia OtIohJo Furioto. In March 1506, Isabella took a journey to Florence to discharge a vow which she had made during her illness, to Santa Maria dell' Annunziata, and spent the Feast of the Annunciation in that city. It was the first and, as far as we know, the only visit that she paid to this town, where were hving so many friends, and which must have had many attractions for her. Great, indeed, must have been the interest with which she saw Uie Duomo and the Campanile of Giotto, the churches and palaces on the banks of Amo, and above all, the frescoes and pictures of her artist-friends. Perugino, it is true, had failed to satisfy her, and young Raphael had lately left for Urbino ; but Isabella probably met the Florentine master Lorenzo di Credi, since he soon afterwards painted a Magdalene by her order. And she looked with wonder and admiration at the great cartoons which Leonardo and Michel Angelo — the sculptor ^dbyGoogle ISABELLA IN FLORENCE 279 of her Cupid — had designed for the decoration of the Council Hall, in the Palazzo Puhblico. The Marchesa paid several visits to Madonna Argentina, the wife of the Gonfaloniere Piero Soderini, and met Leonardo's uncle, but did not succeed in seeing the painter, who had retired to Fiesole in disgust at the failure of his experiments in wall-pwnting, and was buried in the absorbing study of hydraulics. Before she left Florence, she desired a sculptor named Filippo Benintendi to model a sUver effigy of herself, to be placed by that of her husband in the chapel which Alberti had built for Lodovico Gonzaga, in the Annimziata church. But the plague broke out after her return to Mantua, and for some time to come, money was very scarce in the Gk)nzaga treasury. So the poor sculptor never received the 25 ducats which the Marchesa had promised him, and nearly two years afterwards, he ventured to remind her of this omission, telling her at the same time how beautiful her image appeared, standing as it did in the finest part of the church, and how much ad- miration it excited &om every Mantuan who came to Florence. Unfortunately this silver head shared the fate of all Isabella's busts, and perished in a fire which destroyed all the ornaments and works of art in the Gonzaga chapel.^ On the Mu^hesa's return home, the alarming increase of the plague compelled her to leave Mantua and take her children to the villa of Sacchetta, where they spent the summer months. Here, on her birth- day, the 16th of May, she received a present of exceptional interest in the shape of a treatise, ' Luiio in EmpOTiymt 1900, p. S55. ^dbyGoogle 280 ISABELLA'S MOTTO composed by Mario Equicola, on her favourite motto. Nee spe nee metu. The Marehesa, as we have already seen, in common with most Italian lords and Udies of the age, was in the habit of adopting special devices and mottoes. The musical notes which gave expression to her love of music, the candelabra bearing the motto Sufficit unwm in tenebris which Paolo Giovio suggested, and which were embroidered in gold on her festal robes, may still be seen among the decorations of her camerim at Mantua. There too, inscribed in quaint characters, we may read the words of her favourite motto, Nee spe nee metu, by which she expressed that serene equanimity and philosophic frame of mind to which she aspired, neither elated by hope nor cast down by fear. She chose this motto for her own as early as 1504, when, at the request of her friend Margherita Cantelma, she gave one of the Imperial ambassadors who visited Mantua and Ferrara gracious permission to use the words in writing and in his armorial bearings and on the liveries of his servants, " we ourselves," she wrote at the time, " being the inventor of this motto, and having adopted it as our peculiar device."^ In the following autumn Mario Equicola, the Calabrian secretary of Margherita Cantelma, who had followed her and Sigismondo to Ferrara, and was often em- ployed by the Este princes, wrote from Blois to inform Isabella that he had written a book on this device, and only awaited her permission to publish the work. "Most illustrious Lady, — It was the custom of ancient authors to seek for noble and excellent sub- jects in order to render their works immortal. > Luzio e Renier, Giom. St. d. Lett, II., zxxiiL 49. ^dbyGoogle "NEC SPE NEC METU" 281 Signora mia, although I am only a poor man of letters, I thank God, who has allowed me to serve Your Excellency, from whose rare talents and lively wit I hope some of my writings may acquire fune and authority. In this firm hope, 1 have composed a book of some forty sheets, in interpretation of Nee spe nee metu, making mention of the words on every page. In the said book 1 introduce discussions on the meaning of this motto, which will show Your Signory the methods of ancient poetry, philosophy, and theology, connecting Nee spe nee metu with each in turn, and praising this motto above all others ever composed. I beg you to give me leave to publish and print this Uttle work, and if you wish, will send it to you before it is published. 1 awwt your pleasure, certifying that the twenty-seven chapters on this inscription are neaily finished, after which I will illustrate the musical signs." ^ Mario had apparently divided his book into twenty-seven paragraphs, in allusion to the mystic number XXVll., vinie sette, another device adopted by Isabella, which, we learn from Paolo Giovio,* signified that all the sects {sette) of her enemies were conquered (vhUe). Isabella readily gave the desired permission, and the book, piinted and bound in elegant covers, was presented to her by Maigherita Cantelma on her next birthday. "Your letter and the book which Madonna Margherita sent us," wrote Isabella in reply, "are a more delightful birthday present than any gift of gold or other precious things, since you have thereby exalted our little device to sublime heights." But, with her usual candour, she 1 ITArco, NoHne d'ltabelia, p. SIS. * Delle Inprat, p. 59. ^dbyGoogle 282 MARIO EQUICOLA remarks to her friend Margherita, in a letter written on the same day : " I certainly never imagined all these mysteries when I made the little motto I " Mario, however, succeeded in ingratiating himself with the Marchesa, who invited him to Mantua on his return from France, and whom he describes, in a letter to Cardinal d'Este, as one of the Trinity whom he served on cMth. *' The first," he explains, " is Your Highness ; the second. Signer Sigismondo Cantelma ; the third, the Signora Marchesana." When Mario left Mantua in the following September, Isa- bella sent a bust of herself as a gift to his mistress, Mar^erita Cantelma, in return for the pains which this beloved friend had taken with her birthday present. A year afterwards, he accompanied Mar- gherita again to Mantua, and assisted at some dramatic performances given by Bishop Lodovico Gonzaga and Antonia del Balzo at Gazzuolo. " You must blame Madonna Antonia," wrote Margherita, on the 15th of November, "who insists on keeping me here a ni^t to see the Most Reverend Mon- signore's comedy. I will not describe the amuse- ments to which these lords and ladies devote themselves until we meet ; they really are so many and varied that I am convinced time does not fly for them, and they are more youthftd, more joyous and blooming than ever. None tiie less I am longing to be in the sacred Grotta, with her who is the true goddess of my adoration." Bishop Lodovico was the last siurivor of Lodovico and Barbara Gonzaga*s sons, and only died in 1511, while his sister-in-law, Antonia, lived till she was close upon a hundred, and, as we learn from Bandello's writings, preserved her joyous nature and love of letters to the last In ^dbyGoogle PLAGUE AT MANTUA 288 March 1508, we find Equicola again reading Latin poetry at Mantua with Isabella, and in the autumn he finally obtained leave from Cantelma and his wife to enter the Marchesa's service, and eventually succeeded Capilupi as secretary of his "most illustrious and learned pupil." When Mario's libretto reached Isabella, she had, as we have said, left Mantua to escape from the plague, and was spending the summer at Sacchetta. It was a dreary year in the chronicles of the house of Gk>nzaga. The chronicler Schivenoglia records that the plague broke out at carnival, and lasted so long that the gates of Mantua remuned closed until the day of the Blessed Vit^n's Nativity in September. More than 2000 persons died in the city and suburbs, and the expenses of the epidemic cost the Govern- ment 140,000 ducats. Trade suffered severely, and the people were reduced to the greatest misery. The taxes were not paid, the revenue was in arrear, and Isabella was once mpre compelled to pledge her jewels. But she battled bravely with this new calamily, and exerted herself with her wonted energy to found charitable institutions and to relieve the distress of her husband's subjects. When the plague was beginning to abate, the Marquis received a summons from Pope Julius II., who was starting an expedition against Perugia and Bologna, and invited Francesco to meet him at Urbino. By a bull issued on the 10th of January, this warlike Pope had proclaimed his intention of recovering all those territories of which the Holy See had been unjustly robbed, and the BagUoni and Bentivogli were the first usurpers against whom he directed Ids arms. Duke Guidobaldo recommended ^dbyGoogle 284 POPE JULIUS II his brother-in-law to His Holiness as the most v^ant and expert captain in Italy, and Julius, acting on his suggestion, summoned Francesco to his help. When he left Rome towards the «id of August, so promptly did the Marquis respond, that he reached Perugia at the head of 200 horse on the 17th of September, a few days after the Pope had entered that city in triumph. *' The faith which His Holi- ness places in us," he wrote to Isabella, "leaves us no choice in the matter, yet we cannot but feel com- passion for that noble family of Bentivoglio, which has always been so friendly to us."' On the 25th Julius II. reached Urbino, where great pT^>arations had been made for his reception, and Elisabetta had borrowed Isabella's biggest pearls and finest tapestries to do honour to His Holiness. So numerous were the guests that EUsabetta wrote to tell her brother that to her regret she was unable to give him lodg- ings in the palace, which, "being neith^ Mantua nor Ferrara," could with difficulty accommodate the Pope and his seventy-eight Cardinals. After a, rough journey by bridle-path over the mountain- passes, in torrents of rain, the Pope reached Imola, and here, on the 25th of October, the Marquis of Mantua was appointed Ueutenant - general of the army in the place of Guidobaldo, who was liud up with gout. At the same time news was received of the flight of Giovanni BentivogUo and his family, who had left for Milan, with a safe conduct from Charles d'Amboise, the French general A fort- night later, on the 11th of November, tiie Pope entered Bologna in triumph. The weather was lovely and the roses were still 1 Luxio e Renler, Mtmlava e Urbino, p. 174. ^dbyGoogle CONQUERS BOLOGNA 285 in bloom when, on ^e Feast of St Martin, the victorious Pope, wearing his purple cape and richly jewelled mitre, borne aloft on the Sedia Gestatoria, made his way through the crowded streets to the Cathedral of S. Petronio. Before him marched the pontifical standard-bearers, and, immediately behind him, ten white palfreys with golden bridles, closely followed by the Duke of Urbino, the Marquis of Mantua, Francesco Maria, Prefect of Rome, and a suite of nobles. Last of all, borne aloft in the air, came the Papal Cross and the Host, under a silken baldacchino, accompanied by the Sistine choir and forty priests with lighted tapers in their hands. Thirteen triumphal arches were erected along the route, and gold and silver medals, struck in honour of the occasion, were thrown to the crowds of spectators who came to witness the stately pageant and receive the Pope's blessing from the steps of S. Petronio. Francesco Gonzaga wrote glowing accounts of the great ceremony, and of the marked favour with which the Pope treated him. " It is even possible that we may bring him with us to Mantua," he wrote to his wife, and forthwith he desired her to see that the Castello was made ready, and gave orders that the frescoes of the Camera DipiiUa should be carefully restored, where they had suffered damage, by Andrea Mant^fna and his sons, " or, if they cannot or will not do the woric, by M. Francesco Bonsignori." But when this letter was written the great master was already dead. A brief mention of his death appears in one of Isabella's letters to her husband, but she was too fidl of joy and triumph at the thought of Francesco's triumphant success to dwell aa this irreparable loss. ^dbyGoogle 286 THE CAMERA DIPINTA On the 21st of September she wrote : — " I received Your Excellency's letter, describing your entrance into Perugia, and all the honours and &vours and promises which you have received from His Holiness. May God in the highest be praised I And I thank Your Excellency for informing me of this, since nothing can give me greater joy and satis- faction than to hear of your prosperity and exaltation. Let Your Signory boldly ask the Pope to come to Mantua, and we shall contrive to do him honour. I will have the corridor arranged, and the Camera ZHpinta restored by Maestro Francesco, because, as you will have'_heard, Messer Andrea died immediately after yoxur departure. Federico's cure has been pro- nounced complete by the doctor this morning. He dressed, and dined with good appetite, and is playing merrily in his room, so he is making a good recovery. I will not write more now, as Monsignore is sending this courier in great haste. Ercole and the girls are well." Three days later she wrote again : — *' I ordered Ghisolfo to have the corridor leading to the Camera Dipinta covered in, but we cannot find the key of the armoury, and have not liked to force the door open, because of all the things which it contains, and it ought not to be left open all day, while men are going to and fro, and are at work in the corridor. Your Excellency must tell me what you wish about this, as there will be plenty of time. The son of M. Andrea Mantegna will repair the Camera, as Mffistro Francesco (Bonsignori) cannot leave his Cenacolo (in the convent of the Zoccolanti Friars). I have been to see the new rooms at S. Sebastiano, which are very fine, and the pictures seem to me ^dbyGoogle MANTEGNA'S TRIUMPHS 287 admirable, Federico and the other children are well, and so am I." ' The pictures to which Isabella here alludes were in all probability Mantegna's Triumphs of Ciesar, for which a new hall had been lately prepared in Francesco's newly-built palace, S. Sebastiano, near the Porta Pusterla. In a letter of April 17. 1506,' Corradi had already informed the Marquis that he has ordered the carved pilasters for Messer Andrea's canvases, and it is these pillars, as Dr. Kr^teUer points out,' that we see reproduced in Andrea's well-known wood- cuts. But the Triumphs were still employed as stage decorations, we learn from a letter of Francesco Gonzaga, who, in giving Vigilio orders for the repre- sentations of a comedy in December 1501, desired him not to move the Triumphs from Marmirolo, as those which are in Mantua will be sufficient to adorn the theatre.* We find another allusion to the new rooms in the Palazzo della Pusterla in a long letter which was addressed by Isabella to her husband on the 5th of October, and which, although written in her most lively strain, shows that her relations with him were none of the happiest.* " Your letter apologising for not having written before has filled me with coniusion, for it is I who ought rather to have begged your pardon for my 1 D'Arco, Arte « At^fid, ii. 68. « Ibid., 69, ^ "Andrea Mantcgns," p. 279. * D'Ancona, Oripni, ii. ^ This interesting letter escaped the notice of D'Arco and other historians, and is only to be found in a rare pamphlet pub- lished in 1870 by P. Ferrato and entitled LeUere di Priacipate di Cata Gotaaga. ^dbyGoOgle 288 ERCOLE GONZAGA delay, not you, when I know you have hardly time to eat I but, since you are so kind as to make excuses to me, you will also be so good as to forgive my delays, which were caused by Federico's illness and my reluctance to give you any news which would make you anxious. Now, thank God, he is perfectly well, and I can the more gladly discharge my duty. The hat for which you ask shall be made as soon as the master arrives, and shall be as fine and gallant as possible. If you will say how soon you require it, I will try and have a coat made to match, if there is time ; but pray tell me this at once. Thank you for wishing me to see your entry into Bologna. It will no doubt be a magnificent sight. I am very well, and, if you desire it, will come gladly. I think even a bomb would have some trouble to make me miscarry. Your Highness must not say that it is my fault if I quarrel with you, because, as long as you show any love for me, no one else can make me believe the contrary. But no interpreter is needed to make me aware that Yoiur Excellency has loved me Uttle for some time past. Since this, however, is a disagree- able subject, I will cut it short, and say no more. I am sorry Your Highness objects to my calling our boy Ercole. I would not have done this if I had thought you would dislike it. But Your Highness knows that when you were at Sacchetta you said he was very like my father, of blessed memory ; and I said that, this being the case, you were wrong not to call him Ercole. You laughed, and said no more ; but if you had told me your mind, then I should not have made this mistake. But only let me have another boy, and you may call him Alvise, or what- ever you like, and leave the other to be Ercole for me. ^dbyGoogle PALACE OF S. SEBASTIANO 289 But I am sure that, if I had a thousand sons, I shall never care as much for any of them as I do for Federico. All the same, let Your Highness please yourself, and I will do as you wish. A few days ago I was in Yoxu: Excellency's new house, and, as I wrote before, thought it most beautiful. You write that I am making fun of you, which is not true, because, if the rooms were not fine, I should keep silence ; but, as tJie effect seemed strikingly fine to me, I wrote this to you, and I repeat that th^ are beautiful, and all the more so in my eyes because Your Highness has followed the example of my room, althou^, I must confess, you have improved upon it. I will not weary you any more with words of little importance, but commend myself a thousand times over to Your Highness. — By the hand of Isabella, who longs to see you." Mantua, Oct. 5, 1506. On the 20th of October, Isabella wrote again as follows : — " Your letter, giving me an account of your fortunate progress, has given me great pleasure, both as showing me that you are in good health, and telling me of all the honour and glory you are gaining. I thank you exceedingly, and must tell you ia retiun that I and Federico, Alvise, and all the girls are well. Alvise's nurse has had an attack of fever, so I have ^ven him Livia's nurse, until she has recovered, which will not, I hope, be long now. As soon as the felt hat, which is being made after Bemardus del Armaria*s directions, is finished, I wiU have it covered with velvet and embroidered with such taste that it shall be the finest and most gallant thing in the world 1 Please see that the pearls which I VOL. I. T ^dbyGoogle 290 SUSPICION OF THE VENETIANS lent to the Duchess of Urbino are soon restored to you. Francesco Mant^na has begun to repair the frescoes in the Camera Dipinta, and Ghisolfo is having the corridor covered. The painters are gone to Venice to copy the Italia. The Vicar of Serravalle writes to say that part of the Castle wall towuxls the Po has fallen down, of which danger he says he warned Your Excellency and the Masters of Revenue some time ago. I sent orders to the said officers to provide for its repair. Owing to this accident Federico's nurse lost 70 measures of wheat and 200 of millet" In her next letter Isabella told her husband of the unexpected difficulties experienced by Girolamo Corradi and Bonsignori, the two artists whom she had sent by his orders to copy a fresco with a figure of Italia in the ducal palace at Venice, which was to be reproduced in his palace of S. Sebastiano. At the same time she informed him of the jealousy with which the Signory evidently regarded his close relations with the Pope and the King of France.' " When Messer Hieronimo the painter and his companion went to Venice to copy the Italia, I wrote to Carlo Valerio begging him to assist them, and he, being anxious to serve Your Excellency, asked His Serenity the Prince for his permission, because without this they could not obtain entrance into his anto-chamber, and those artists who formerly ventured to copy the painting without his leave, went there at their own peril. Messer Hieronimo now informs me, on Messer Carlo's part, that the Prince refused to give his consent, saying : * Look at those letters which we have received, informing us that the Marquis of Mantua every day speaks against this 1 D'Arco, ArU e Artffid, ii. 71. Gayc, Carie^, li. 90. ^dbyGoOglc ISABELLA WARNS HER HUSBAND 291 Signory, not in public, where he uses honourable expressions, but in private, and not only does he him- self act thus, but his servants follow his example, which is most injurious to the State.' It is plain they nourish hatred against Yoiu- Excellency, and every day they say that they receive similar informa- tion. Messer Carlo promised to behave with great circumspection, and advises Your Excellency to say some good words to the Signory's unbassador now in attendance on His Holiness, so that he may report them, and not leave the Senate under so xmfavourable an impression. Whatever turn affairs may take, he begs you to be careful not to let any one know that this warning has come from him. As to the copy of the Italia, he says it will be best to wait a month or two, and after that he will try to obtain the necessary permission. It has seemed to me right, both for your sake and for that of Messer Carlo, to give Your Excellency this information, while you are with the said ambassador. Federico continues to gain strength. — Your wife, Isabella, with her own hand."' Nov. 1, 1506. A fortnight later the Marchesa wrote again, on receiving Francesco's account of the Pope's triumphal entry into Bologna. " I was filled with joy on hearing the account of the solemn entry into Bologna, which Yoiu* Ex- cellency described so fully in your two letters of the 11th, but this evening I am still more delighted to hear that you soon hope to return home. Here I expect you eagerly, since my present condition will not permit of my coming to join you at Bologna. I have received four ducats of the Pope's new coinage, > D'Arco, AtU e Arlifid, ii. 78. ^dbyGoogle 292 FLIGHT OF THE BENTIVOGLI which I distributed as you desired, thanking you very much for letting me have them. As soon as I received your first letter, saying that His Holiness has removed the interdict from Bologna, all the piiests in this city began to celebrate mass in thanks- giving. I told Messer Annibale Bentiv<^lio, who is at Revere, of the permission which you informed me has been granted him, at your request, to keep his house and all its contents. He has replied that he is well aware how much he owes to Your Excellency, and b^s me to thank you in his name, hoping that you will continue to give him your good protection, since his only hope is placed in Your Highness." The Bentivogli, as we saw, had fled from Bologna before the papal army, and their splendid palace, newly decorated with frescoes by Francia's hand, had been razed to the ground. In this general ruin, Annibale, the eldest son of the ruling prince, and his wife, Lucrezia d'Elste, Isabella's half-sister, gratefully availed themselves of the G^nzagas' help and protection. They came to Mantua, where both the Marquis and his wife treated them with the greatest kindness, and braved the wrath of the fiery old Pope, who was furious with Francesco for giving shelter to his enemies. "His Holiness," wrote the Mantuan envoy, '* began to bellow like a bull with rage, and not only threatened Your Excellency, but Heaven itself." At the same time Isabella did not neglect this opportunity of enriching her own collec- tion with the spoils of her vanquished friends. A certain Niccolo Frisio, who, according to Bembo, was German by birth, but thoroughly Italian in all else, and had earned Castiglione's gratitude by nursing him during a senous illness in Rome, wrote ^dbyGoogle BUSTS SENT TO MANTUA 298 on the 27th of November to inform the Marchesa that he had recovered two ahtbaster heads which had belonged to the Protonotary, Antonio Bentivoglio, and had been stolen. One was a head of Antonia ; the other, which had pearls in the hair, a bust of Faustina. " I only regret," he added, " that I am not in Rome, where I might have secured a couple of paintings on the labours of Hercules, which would, I am sure, have pleased you better ; but, if I return to Rome, I hope to be able to do you this service — From him who would have desired to see Your Excellency reigning in the capitol, in the great days of triumphant Rome, your servant, Niccolo Frisio." The busts were duly sent to Mantua, and found a place in the Grotta, by the side of that famous bust of Faustina which had been Mantegna's greatest treasure.' Francesco's return was celebrated with great rejoicings at Mantua, and the performance of the " Formicone " was once more given in the Castello at the New Year, under Messer Vigilio's direction. Soon afterwards Isabella gave birth to a third son, who received the name of Ferrante, and became a valiant soldier, as well as a prime favourite of the Emperor Charles V. Isabella herself was dangerously ill for some days, and narrowly escaped with her life. On her recovery, her brother. Cardinal d'Este, sent the poet Ariosto to convey his affectionate congratulations to the Marchesa on this happy event, an attention which Isabella greatly appreciated. During the few days which he spent at Mantua, Ariosto read to the Marchesa the greater part of his Orlando Furioso, 1 D'Aico, Arte e Artffid, a, p. 73. ^dbyGooglc 294 ARIOSTO AT MANTUA and this, she wrote to the Cardinal, "made these hours in bed pass not only without weariness, but with the greatest possible pleasure." From the first Isabella showed the keenest interest in the Ferrara poet's verses, and encouraged him to continue his Orlando, and weave the scattered fragments into one great poem. He oftai came to visit her at Mantua, and listened attentively to her advice and criticism. When his poem was published in 1516, her husband allowed the paper on which it was printed to be sent from Venice to Ferrara free of duty, a privilege to which great importance was attached, and which was only granted to a few highly &voured scholars. As soon as the book appeared Ariosto came himself to Mantua, and presented a copy to Isabella herself, and another to her husband, while, in a later edition, he paid a magnificent tribute to her charms and virtues. ^dbyGooglc CHAPTER XVII 1607—1508 Louis XII. invites Francesco Gonzaga to help him in the siege of Genoa— Visit of Isabella to Milan— Ffites in the Caatello— Isabella's correspondence with Elisal>etta Gonzaga — Her intended journey to France — Death and funeral of the Duke of Urbino— Visit of Duke Francesco Maria to Mantua — Birth of Isabella's youDgcBt daughter — Murder of Ercole Strozzi, and death of Niccolo da Correggio — Rivalry of Isal>ella and Lucrezia Borgia. Early in April 1507, Louis XII. entered Italy with 8 large army, and invited the Marquis of Mantua to help him in quelling a rebeUion which had broken out in Genoa, and was secretly supported by MachiaveUi and the Florentines. Francesco gladly accepted the king's proposal, and distinguished himself greatly in the siege of Genoa. After the surrender of that city he entered Milan in triumph with Louis, who appointed him Grand Master of the Order of St. Michel, and expressed so earnest a wish to make the Marchesa's acquaintance that Francesco sent an express courier to beg his wife to come to Milan at once. Isabella set out immediately with her little son Federico, now a child of seven, and travelled by Lodi to Milan. Once more she saw the beautiful city which she had known so well in the reign of her brother-in-law, the unhappy Duke who languished in the dungeon of Loches, and with that strange foigetfulness of the past which marked the ^dbyGoogle 296 ISABELLA AT MILAN men and women of her age, danced and supped with King Louis in these same hdk of the Rocchetta where Beatrice had died. Great as were the changes and melancholy the scenes of destruction which met her eyes in this once splendid palace of the Sfoizas, Isabella found many old friends and familiar &ces in the brilliant crowd of courtiers. Galeazzo di San Severino was there, in close attendance on the king as Grand £cuyer de France, and distinguished himself in the tournament given in the Marchesa's honour on the piazza in front of the Castello, which had been the scene of his prowess in old days. So, too, was the Moro's favourite painter, Leonardo the Florentine, who came to Milan at the French king's urgent entreaty to erect triumphal arches and arrange the court pageants held in honour of his victory. And before Isabella left, another old fiiend appeared on the scene in the person of Antonio Pallavicini, now Cardinal di S. Prassede, who arrived in great haste on the 7th of June as papal legate, and was received with the stately ceremonial due to the Pope's representative. But, melancholy as were the associa- tions which these old scenes and well-known faces must have recalled, Isabella seems to have enjoyed herself exceedingly. Her brilliant charms made a profound impression on King Louis and all his courtiers, and the monkish chronicler, Jean d'Auton, singled her out among all the fair and high-bom ladies who were present at the royal ball in the Castello as une belle dame qui danse a merveUles.^ On her return to Mantua the Marchesa wrote in high spirits to tell her sister-in-law at Urbino all that she had seen and done in Milan. Her letter, breathing 1 Ckrxmique de Louit XII., public par R. de Msulde L* CUviire. ^dbyGoogle FfeTES IN THE CASTELLO 297 as it does a gay spirit of fun and rivalry eminently characteristic of the writer, must be given in full ; — "Since Your Excellency went to Rome and Rome came to Urbino, I have never ventured to rival the grandeur of your court, nor to pretend that I have seen as many rare and excellent things as you have done, but have looked on in silence and not without hidden envy at Your Highness. But now that I have been to the first and noblest court in Christendom, I can boldly not only challenge you, but compel you to envy me. A few weeks ago, I was sununoned by my illustrious lord to Milan to pay homage to His Most Christian Majesty, and arrived there on the vigil of Corpus Christi. After dinner, as I was about to go and pay my respects, I received a message from him, desiring me to go to the lists on the Piazza where the Giostra was being held. So I went there at the stated hour and found His Majesty, who came to meet me on the steps and received me with the greatest courtesy possible. All the Milanese ladies were present and the Princess of Bisignano, as well as all the barony and nobiUty of France and the great lords of Italy, the Duke of Savoy, the Marquises of Mantua and Montferrat, and all the castellans of the Milanese towns, and the ambassadors of every power in Italy. The French lords are so numerous that it would be impossible to name them alL But I must mention the Due de Bourbon, our nephew, a tall youth of handsome and majestic appearance, who closely resembles his mother (Chiara de Montpensier) in complexion, eyes, and features. If the Roman Court is marvellous for its ceremonial and order, that of France is no less amazing and extraordinary ^dbyGoogle 298 JOUSTS AND BANQUETS for confusion and disorder — so much so that it is quite impossible to distinguish one man from another ! It is also certainly remarkable for its freedom and absence of etiquette. In this court, for instance, cardinals are not treated with any greater honour than chaplains are in Rome. No one gives place to them or pays them any respect, from the king downwards. His Majesty, however, is always most courteous and respectful to all who presume to approach him, and above all to ladies, always rising from his seat and lifting his cap to show them honour. Thrice over he came to visit me in my lodgings. The first time, when I happened to be dining with Signor Zoanne Giacomo Trivulzio, he waited more than half-an-hour for my return, and each time he remained no less than two or three hours, conversing on different subjects with the greatest friendliness in the world, neither did he fail to speak honourably of Your Highness in the course of conversation. Madonna Margherita di San Severino (sister of Emiha Pia), the Contessa di Musocho, and sometimes the Princess of Bisignano, who are well versed in the French language, were our interpreters. In spite of repeated efforts, I never succeeded in finding His Majesty in the Castello, saving one day when he invited me to a public banquet in the Roechetta, where the Princess of Bisignano and I had the honour of sitting at his table. We danced in an informal manner both before and after supper. His Majesty danced with me, and the Cardinals Narbonne, San Severino, Ferrara, and Finale, who were present at the banquet, were constrained by him to dance, much to our amus^nent and diversi<Hi. I will not write about ^dbyGoogle THE FRENCH COURT 299 the public spectacles held on the Piazza, because I know that they will have been fuUy described by your ambassador. Certainly 1 have seen better- managed jousts, but I never saw, and do not think that, in all Christendom, it would be possible to see, a greater number and variety of people t Most of them were nobles — not only those of Milan, which must be the first or second largest city in the world, but the whole court of France and most of the courts of Italy were here assembled, so that Your Excellency wUl understand how proud and glorious a sight it was I The assembly was a much larger one than we could have seen at the king's own palace in France, because the lords who followed him to Italy do not reside at court, and if they are occasionally present at some solemn ceremony, we should not have seen all the people and nobles of Milan, and indeed we may say of Italy, since the gentlemen and' citizens of many different cities came to witness these spectacles. O how great was my happiness ! and how it makes me rejoice every time Uiat I remember it ! Only think what it would be if Your Signory were here and we could communicate by word of mouth ! I have written all this to deliver myself from the sin of envy, and also to describe a thing which is excellent in spite of its disorder! I am sure that the Roman court is not to be compared with the French court, where the temporal and spiritual are united. If Your Excellency could have seen the procession of Corpus Christi set out from the Duomo with little enough order — first the clergy, then an infinite number of Swiss guards with halberds on then- shoulders, behind them the Gentlemen of the Guud, battle-. ^dbyGoogle 800 THE PAPAL LEGATE axes in hand, and after them under a baldacchino home by the chief lords came the L^ate of France bearing the Body of Christ, followed by the king, with seven Cardinals and all the barony of France and Italy, and people of Milan and the neighbouring towns — it would have seemed to you the finest spectacle which you had ever witnessed 1 It is true tJiat Your Signory may say, ' I have seen Rome ' ; still you must confess that you saw it undone uid in ruins. But I have seen Genoa, Florence, and Milan, which in our age are no less worthy of admiration, in their most triumphant days. I will not deny that I have a great wish to see Rome, not for the sake of the court and the different nations who are represented there, for I could not look upon anything finer than what I have seen here, but in order to visit the antiquities and famous ruins of Rome and to realise what the triumph of a victorious Emperor must hare been. But this occasion has not been entirely without Roman ceremonies, since at the entrance of my friend, the Most Reverend Cardinal and Legate of S. Prassede, he was received by the Ijcgate of France and eight Cardinals, all the orders of clet^, and singers, with great magnificence, because His Most Reverend Signory holds the rank of the Pope whom he represents, so that I may say I have seen both the Pope and the Roman court. Afterwards I paid His Signory two visits at his lodgings, where I was most lovingly received, embraced, and honoured, and was able to realise the splendid state of the Cardinals who live in Rome. This impression was confirmed by the visit which I received from Cardinal de Rouen and all the other Cardinals attached to ^dbyGoogle ELISABETTA AND ISABELLA 801 this court, who came in a body, not to pay me honour, which would not have been suitable on their part, but merely to show me courtesy. I might go on and describe all the separate visits which I re- ceived from Italian and French lords and Milanese ladies, as well as from the Ring and the Cardinals, but this and all the rest I will leave to Your Signoiy's ima^nation, lest I give you too much reason to envy me I " Mantua, July 7, 1507. Elisabetta. however, declined to own herself van- quished, although, owing to Duke Guidobaldo's ill- ness, it was two months before she sent the following rejoinder : — " It is already over a month since I received Your Signoiy's letter, which was delightful and ac- ceptable beyond words. If I could, my dear lady, express in words or writing the pleasure and satis- &ction which I take in reading your eagerly expected and much -prized letters, it would take me all eternity I And I am sure that if you realised a small part of the happiness they give me, you would more often employ your secretary. On the other hand, if I complain, I do not wonder that they are few and far between, knowing that all dear and precious things are rare. . . . Althou^ Your Excellency thinks that you have delivered yourself frvm the sin of envy in order to excite my jealousy by telling me all the great and magnificent things which you have seen at Milan, I must reply that I feel no envy whatever. What sight can be greater than that of Rome ? I saw that city, which is and has ever been acknowledged to be the head of the world, with all the marvellous ancient and modem treasures which it contains, to my great and endless wonder and delight. ^dbyGoogle 802 THE POPE AT URBINO I saw, above all, the Pope, who represents God upon earth, surrounded by the whole Roman court, which is second to none. I confess that these things which Your Signory has seen with so much pleasure, are also splendid, but if you had seen these other great sights, you would, I do not doubt, hold them to be very inferior. But of one thing I can boast with far greater reason than Your Excellency, which is that, although I have only once visited Rome, Rome and the Roman court has been, not once, but twice to visit me at Urbino. Now Your Excellency will see if I cannot challenge you to a glorious duel and carry off an honourable victory I And further> I will tell you of other things, which will, I am certain, cause Your Signory voluntarily to retire from the fray, and peiiiaps make you regret that you ever entered the lists, seeing that you are en- tirely vanquished. The Most Serene Catholic King, being at Gaeta, desired to imitate the example of the Pope and Sacred College, and himself proposed to come to visit me at Urbino, which he would have done had he not been ^erwards obliged to change his plans and take another voyage elsewhere." This was Ferdinand the CathoUc, who came to visit his newly conquered kingdom of Naples with his new wife, Germaine de Foix, in October 1506, and re- mained there until the following June, when he met Louis XII. at Savona, before that monarch returned to France. "And the great King of the Romans, after holding many Diets, was unable to obtain the Electors' consent to his journey into Italy, so that till now it has been impossible for him to visit Urbino in person and keep his promise of showing me His Majesty. All this will help Your Highness ^dbyGoogle ISABELLA INVITED TO FRANCE 303 to understand that I do not in the least envy the sights which you have seen, nor do I need to go elsewhere to see nobler and more wonderfiil things, since, without leaving home. Heaven has granted me these rare favours. Nor do I intend to take any more journeys, unless it is to see and enjoy the com- pany of Your Signory, which I shall always count the greatest of all pleasures. Mid which I desire above all things, both for the sake of embracing you and enjoying your presence, and because I have so many things to discuss with you that, without the help of Madonna Emilia, five days of uninterrupted talking would hardly satisiy me. I hear that Your Signory has made a vow to visit Loreto and exhort you to fulfil this vow soon, after which I intend to lay such snares for you that, whether willingly or by force, you will find yourself in my power I My loni Duke has recovered from his indisposition. I am well and hope to hear the same of you, Sic. — Your sister, Elisabetta, Duchess of Urbino.'" Urbino, Sept. 7, 1507. When Elisabetta's letter reached Isabella she had just received an unexpected invitation fit)m Louis XII. and Anne of Brittany to visit the French court, and accept the office of godmother to the babe whose birth was hourly expected, and who, it was confidently hoped, would this time prove a Dauphin. The Marchesa was oveijoyed at the pros- pect, and wrote triumphantly to tell the Duchess of this new and unexpected honour, and to express her delight at the prospect of a journey beside which the glories of her pilgrimages to Rome, and papal and royal visits, grew pale. " I made the sign of the Cross at the si^t of a ^dbyGoogle 304 HER JOY AT THE PROSPECT letter of Your Signory's which was more than six lines in length, and felt so much pleasure at the sight that I read it with greater care and attention than the short ones which I usually receive. Your Excellency, I feel, here tacitly confesses that she prefers the style which I have acquired on my journeys to that which she has learnt hy going <Hily to Rome I And since you are under this obligation to me, 1 will not this time thank you for your long and affectionate letter. Neither will I promise to write more often, as you ask, because, if you look, you will find that you have many more of my letters in your file than you can raster of your own. But, in accusing me of neglect, Your High- ness was evidently anxious to forestall my chatges, knowing well that neither the pleasures and good time which I enjoy here, nor the pressure of overwheJming business, ever prevent me remembering one whom I love as my own soul. In reply, I must say that you have indeed beheld great things in Rome and at Urbino, and that you hoped to have seen more if the Catholic King had come to visit you or if the Most Serene King of the Romans had been able to under- take his journey to Italy, and the Diets had not determined otherwise. But how can these things in any way compare with my prospects in the near future, putting aside all that I have seen and done in the past, as is well known to Your Signory ? The Most Christian King thinks that the Queen cannot bear a son unless I am present, and he has therefore begged me earnestly to stay with her for this event, in order that I may both honour the birth with my presence, and hold the infant at the sacred font. What greater honour could there be in this world ^dbyGoogle OF SEEING PARIS 805 than to be gossip and sponsor to a King of France I what splendour, pomp, and glory will be mine I I shall not only visit Paris, the most flourishing Uni- versity and populous city of the universe, but the whole of France, Burgundy and Flanders, and may perhaps reach Sant' lago of Galicia. O how many new lands and royal sights I shall see on this journey t Your Signory and Madonna Emilia, who know so much of the country and its customs, will be able to imagine these. But what if my journey to France takes place, and the coming of tiie Emperor to Italy, which had been overruled by so many Diets, should be abandoned ? In this case, the glory which you love will return to me, and the Germans, I think, may give up Diets in future, and eat and drink to their hearts' desire I I do not know if after this you can claim to be my equal, and if it will be pos- sible for me to accept your invitation to Urbino so easily 1 When I return to Italy I be^in to wonder if this earth will be worthy to bear me, if carpets will not have to be spread imder my feet, and a baldacchino sent to meet me wherever I go I But, joking apart, I really hope to start for France in a few days, and am busy making preparations. When 1 return we must think of meeting, for I am as anxious about this as Your Highness can be."' Mantua, 25th September 1507. Whatever her moods may be — ^grave or gay, im- patient or gentle, stem or gracious — Isabella always interests and attracts us ; but Isabella in high spirits, intent on some new departure and gaily challenging ' This and the three preceding letters in the ArcAivio Goazaga were first published b; Dr. Ludo in r pamphlet entitled Gara da yiaggi. ^dbyGoogle 806 DEATH OF GUIDOBALDO the world in her buoyant fancy, is altogether irresist- ible. Unfortunately she was doomed to disappoint- ment, and this journey to France, to which she looked forward with so much delight, never took place. There were many difficulties in the way. Money, as usual, was scarce at Mantua, and the Marquis was reluctant to let his wife undertake so long and expensive a journey. Her presence was urgently required at home during his frequent excursions, and the negotiations that were being secretly cturied on between the Pope and his allies might, at any moment, as Francesco well knew, involve him in war with Venice. So Isabella was compelled to put off her expedition, and devote herself to her husband and children. She could not even visit Ferrara, and assist at the splendid fites that were held at her brother's court, during the carnival of 1508, when an Eclogue composed for the occasion by Ercole Pio was represented, in which the shepherds of Arcadia paid a glowing tribute to three nymphs who dwell on the banks of the Po, the Mincio, and the Metauro, and Lucrezia, Isabella, and Elisabetta, who were there extolled as the most famous ladies of the age. For in January her little girl Livia died, and Francesco himself fell seriously ill, and showed the first symptoms of that incurable disease which eventually ended his life. At the same time, sad news came from Urbino. The unusual severity of the winter brought on a fresh attack of the gout, from which GuiHobaldo had suffered all his life, and on the 11th of April 1508 he died. The good Duke was only thirty-five years of age, but his sufferings had been intense during the last weeks of his life, and death came as a welcome ^dbyGoogle DUKE OF URBINO 807 release. " Why do you envy me so great a blessing ? " he said, with a smile, to his heart-broken wife and weeping friends ; '* is it not a great good to be freed from this terrible burden of pain ? " And a few hours later he passed away, repeating a favourite passage from Virgil, to Castiglione, who stood at his bedside. Elisabetta was inconsolable. She nursed her beloved husband with the greatest devotion, and won general admiration by the wisdom with which she conducted affairs of state, and secured the peaceful succession of Guidobaldo's young nephew, Francesco Maria dcBa Rovere. "Never was there so prudent and wise a Madonna," exclaimed her brother Giovanni Gonzaga, who hastened to Urbino to comfort his sister; "she is indeed to be commended in all that she does." ' Three days after his death, Guidobaldo was buried by his father's side, in the little church of the Zoccolanti Mars, in the shady gardens which he had loved so well, and where, on that fatal night, six years before, he had first received the news of Csesar Borgia's invasion. On the 2nd of May, a solemn requiem mass was held in the Duomo, and was attended by many princes and foreign ambassadors. A huge catafalque was erected in the nave, decorated with the late Duke's arms and banners, and his robes as Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter were laid on the bier, while his old tutor Odasio pronounced a touching and eloquent oration, which, Giovanni Gonzaga informed his brother, "was said to be very beautiful by persons who understand these things better than I do." * Four days later, Isabella's faithful secretary, Capilupi, whom she had ^ Liudo e Renier, Maalova e Urbino, p. 182. > Dennuloim, " Memoirs of the Dukes of Urbino," ii. 79- ^dbyGooglc 808 GRIEF OF ELISABETTA sent to express her grief and sympathy with the widowed Duchess, reached Urbino, and thus de- scribes the gloom and mourning which now reigned in the once gay and brilliant palace : — '* I found tills illustrious Madomia surrounded by her women in a room hung with black, with the windows all closed, and only one candle on the floor. She was sitting on a mattress spread on the floor, with a black veil over her face and a black vest up to her throat, and it was so dark I could hardly see, and had to be led up to her like a blind man by my cloak. She took my hand, and we both began to weep, and it was some time before her sobs and my own allowed me to speak. I gave her Your Excellency's letter, and expressed my sympathy in as few words as pos- sible. . . . We spoke of Your Excellencies and your children, and of different subjects, and she told me the great kindness which His Holiness has shown at this time, and I stayed with her more than two hours. The new Duke was sitting among the women, but when the Duchess called him he rose, and I gave him your messages. He replied briefly, but in a prudent and sensible manner. He looks to me taller and slighter than I expected, but it was too dark to judge fairly. The Duchess speaks of him very warmly, and he treats her with the reverence of a son and a servant. To-day we spent more than three hours together, and I induced her to talk of other subjects, and even made her laugh, which no one had as yet succeeded in doing. I b^^ed her to open the shutters, which no one had dared suggest, and I think that in two days' time she will consent to do this. She still eats her food on the floor. I complained of the black veil which displeased Your ^dbyGoogle FRANCESCO MARIA 809 Highness ; shfe excused herself for wearing it, but had not thought of this before Signor Giovanni arrived, and could not remove it now with decency, but says that when Donna Leonora comes here as a bride, she will change it joyfully, and says that if this marriage proves as prosperous as she desires, she will no longer feel widowed, and that this will be the greatest joy that she can ever hope to know on earth. . . . The fimeral ceremonies, as Signor Giovanni has told you, were sumptuous. There were 825 mourners, wearing long cloaks with trains and hoods. All the friars and priests of the state and five bishops were present, and stood round the cata&lque, with an infinite number of lighted torches, but they were hardly as numerous or as fine as those at Mantua, The universal grief and lamentation here is beyond description." ' The young Duke, Francesco Maria, now expressed a great wish to visit his promised bride. For some time past he had been anxious to come to Mantua, and his natural eagerness to see his future wife was further stimulated by Leonora's uncle, Giovanni Gonzaga, who told him that, when he had seen Donna Leonora and the Marchese*s famous breed of horses, he would have seen the two finest things in the world I For, he assured him, there was no fairer and sweeter maiden in the whole of Italy, while no Christian king or prince had a stud to equal that of Mantua. Accordingly, on the 25th of August, Francesco Maria made his appearance at Mantua, and spent two days with the Marquis and his daughter. Isabella herself was absent, having lately given birth to another daughter at her summer villa on the heights ' Lusio e Renier, ManU>va t Urbmo, p. 185. ^dbyGooglc 310 VISITS MANTUA of Cavnana, and Federico Cattaneo sent her the following account of the young suitor's visit : '* Yes- terday evening about seven, the Duke of Urbino Mxived at the Castello, travelling incognito with only four persons, and renudned upstairs with our illustrious lord for about half-an-hour. As soon as he arrived, our Signor sent for Madonna Laura (the wife of Gio- vanni Gonzaga), whose little girl died two days ago. She came at once, and with her Madonna Violante, Madonna Costanza, Madonna Orsini d^h Uberti, and as soon as they were in the Castello they dressed Madonna Leonora in white tabby. If Your High- ness could have seen the confusion there was at that moment I As for me, I very much wished you could have been there for many reasons, and many others of your servants did the same. The Cardinal then came in, took Madonna Leonora by the hand, and led her down the little staircase near the Camera Di^nta. They entered the Camera of the Sun, and found the Duke with our illustrious Signor and many other gentlemen. The Duke came to meet Madonna Leonora and kissed her. But he did not seem to have succeeded very well, and our Cardinal pushed him towards her again, and then he threw his arm round her head, and kissed her on the mouth. After this they sat down together and talked of many things, and more especially of pictures. Presently my lord called me and bade me fetch the portrait of Your Highness by Lorenzo Costa, the Ferrara painter, which I had lately placed in its frame. I brought it directly, and every one admired it. Then we all took our leave. The Duke went to St. Sebastian, and every one else to his own house. Of Madonna Leonora's modesty and bearing I can only ^dbyGoogle HIS PRESENTS TO ISABELLA 811 tell Your Signory that she behaved not as a child, but as a very prudent lady. The Duke leaves here on Monday, and goes to Viterbo." Mantua, 26th August 1508. The young Duke was eighteen years of age and had already distinguished himself as a gallant soldier, but gave signs of that violent temper for which he was famous in after days. Only a few months before, he had stabbed one of Duke Guido- baldo's favourite cavaUers with his own.hand, because the unfortunate young man aspired to the hand of his widowed sister, Maria Varana.' But he always behaved with the greatest deference to his widowed aunt, and was anxious to acquire the good graces of his bride's parents. He sent the Marquis a scimitw which had belonged to the lamented King Ferrante II. of Naples, and presented Isabella with a set of costly trappings for a horse which had been the property of Caesar Borgia, saying he knew that she was not only fond of driving in a chariot and riding mules, but was an excellent horsewoman, and thought that she might relish a share " in the spoils of one who knew not how to make use of his good fortune." * Leonora was by this time a lovely maiden of fourteen summers, whose beauty was already the theme of cointiers and poets, and whose riper charms Titian's brush was to render immortal in years to come. The little daughter who was bom to her mother that August received the name of Livia Osanna, after her lamented Moid the Beata Osanna. The body of this holy nun had been taken up a few weeks before, in the Marchesa's presence, and after being exposed to the ' DennJstoun, op. cit., ii. 305. * Lusio e Renier, Manlami e Urhino, pp. 186, 187. ^dbyGooglc 812 PAOLA GONZAGA veneration of the public for a whole day, had been solemnly interred in the beautiful Area designed by Cristoforo Romano, in San Domenico. This second Livia was vowed to the cloister from her infancy, and became a Poor Clare in the convent of Santa Faola, or Corpus Domenico. Here the Emperor Charles V. himself came to see her, and the fame of her sanctity attracted many illustrious visitors. Sister Paola, which name the princess adopted on taking the veil, is mentioned more than once in her mother's correspondence, and several letters which she herself addressed to her cousin Duke Ercole of Ferrara and his wife Ren^ are preserved in the Gonzaga archives, and were published by Ferrate. In November Isabella went to Ferrara, where she still found a warm welcome from her brother Alfonso, in spite of the family quarrels which saddened her home, and the coolness between her and la Diva JSorgia, as Lucrezia was styled by flattering poets and courtiers. But two of her oldest friends were missing. Ercole Strozzi, the accomplished Latin poet and intimate friend of Bembo, whose house was often honoured by Isabella's presence, and who himself frequently came to Mantua, had been foully mur- dered in cold blood one summer day when he left his house to take tai early walk and enjoy the morning air. His wife, the beautiful Barbara Torelli, had only given birth to her first child a fortnight before, and now wrote " with streaming tears and broken heart " to tell her friends at Mantua the sad news. The murdered man was buried with great pomp, and the learned humanist, Celio Calcagneni, pronounced an eloquent oration over the corpse of his gifted friend. " Great is the sorrow we all feel here," wrote Bernardo ^dbyGoogle DEATH OF NICCOLO BA CORREGGIO 818 dei Prosperi to Isabella — "most of all, because he was so rare and excellent a man of letters." Not a word was said as to the murderer, but it was generally known in Ferrara that Alfonso d'Este had long been jealous of Barbara Torelli's preference for Ercole, and had secretly planned his destruction. Before Strozzi's death, the Marquis of Mantua had promised to stand godfather to his new -bom daughter, and now sent the poet Tebaldeo to repre- sent him at the christening. Something of the same mystery overshadowed the fate of Isabella's brilliant kinsman, Niccolo da Correggio, who died in January 1508, at Ferrara, away from his own house — to the bitter grief of his wife, Cassandra Colleoni. In her letter of condolence, Isa- bella expressed her pity for this poor Madonna, and alluded covertly to some love intrigues in which her old friend had been unhappily entangled. Only a year before, Alfonso had presented Niccolo with a fine palace in the Via degli Angeli, which had formerly belonged to his unhappy brother Giulio, in recognition of his services in discovering that prince's plot against the Duke's life. And in February 1507, he wrote to the Marchesa in his old strain, telling her how eagerly her coming was awaited at Ferrara, and how busy he was preparing masquerades for her amusement. The Duke, he added, was longing to see his sister, and confidently expected her to spend the next two months at his court. But soon after this the old courtier incurred his lord's displeasure, and Bernardo dei Prosperi, in a letter informing Isabella that Signor Niccolo was at the pomt of death, ascribes his melancholy condition to grief at his disgrace. " His case," adds Bernardo, " has been ^dbyGoogle 814 ISABELLA ASKS HIS SON pronounced hopeless by seven doctors, and in this miserable end we must plainly see the judgment of a just God."' No sooner did Isabella hear of her old Mend's death than she wrote to his son Giangaleazzo, desir- ing him to send her the MS. volume of poems which his father had dedicated to her many years ago. Giangale^zo replied courteously, begging for time to make certain corrections which his father had been unable to finish. Upon this, the Marchesa sent him a long letter, couched in her most imperious tones,' telling him that she could bring witnesses to prove how, at the time of Alfonso's wedding to his first wife, Anna Sforza, his fatho* Niccolo, being in the room above the court chapel, showed her his book in three parts, containing sonnets, captttU, and carusom, with an epistle dedicating each in turn to herself. " This," she goes on to say, " he confirmed again when he was with me in my villa of Sacchetta, at the time of Don Giulio's affair, saying that, in asking me to be the patroness of his book, he resembled those persons who, in order to keep their house clean, paint a saint upon the outer walls." Then, lapsing into a gentler and more pathetic strain, Isabella recalled the long familiarity and friendship which she had enjoyed with his father long before he was bom, and which dated back to her earUest childhood, and ended by desuring him to send the precious MS. without delay by the present courier.' Giangaleazzo now sent a servant to Mantua with &esh excuses and explanations. The MS. which his • Luzio e Benier in Giant. Si. d. Lea. It, xsiii. 77. ' D'Arco, Notisie tTItabella, p. 315. ' Lusio e Renier, op. di. 79- ^dbyGoogle FOR NICCOLO'S POEMS 815 father had shown her was, he explained, not worthy of her acceptance, being marked in certain places, and not as elegantly bound as Niccolo himself would have desired, so that he must beg her to wait a little longer. To these excuses the Marchesa paid little heed, beyond sending the writer a curt note, saying that, no doubt, his father being the most generous of men, would have wished to adorn the book before he presented it to her. Since he was unfortunately no more, she must request Giangaleazzo to forward the volume, which, as he is evidently aware, had been promised to her. But the book never came, and in August, Mario Equicola, Isabella's confidential servant, wrote from Ferrara, telling her that Duchess Lucrezia was going to Correggio to obtain Messer Niccolo's caTizoniere, a piece of information which roused Isabella's ire to the highest pitch. However, Giangaleazzo managed to evade Lucrezia's request with equal success, and, as the best way out of the difficulty, kept his father's canzoTuere in his own hands. We have another proof of the rivalry which existed between Isabella and her sister-in-law in a letter,' written by "Mxno in August 1508, telling her that, in looking over the MSS. of his friend Ercole Strozzi, he had discovered a Latin epigram, originally written for the Sleeping Cupid of Isabella's Grotta, which had been altered and adapted to fit a marble Cupid belonging to Duchess Lucrezia. " This," he adds, " is in reality a very inferior modem work, but her flatterers pretend that it is a genuine antique I " In conclusion, the excellent secretwy proposes his readiness to go to the stake, if need be, in order to maintain the 1 A. Luzio, / Prtctliori, p. 43. ^dbyGoOglc 816 LUCREZIA AND ISABELLA truth, and prove to all the world that Ercole Strozzi's verses were originally written in honour of the Sleeping Cupid in the Isabellian Grotta, and in- scribed to his own Madonna Marchesana. So keen was the competition of these great ladi^ for the tribute paid them by scholars and poets, so highly did they prize the honour of seeing their own names linked with these Latin verses which were to perpetuate their fame for all time. Tantum possunt camaerue. " Such power have the Muses ! " :dbv Google CHAPTER XVIII 1500—1506 Isabella's relations with painters during the early yean of the sixteenth century — Her letters to Leonanlo da Vinci — Corre- spondence with Fra Pietro da Novellara, Angelo del Tovaglia, Manfredi, and Amadori — She asks Penigino for a painting for her studio — Description of the Triumph of Chastity composed by Paride da Ceresara — Perugino's delays — Correspondence with MaUtesta, Tovaglia, Ac. We have seen how, in the closing years of the fifteenth century, Isabella founded her famous studio of the Grotta, in the ancient portion of the Castello known as the Corte Vecchia, and began to collect works of art for its adornment. In spite of the many distrac- tions which occupied her time and thoughts, in spite of her husband's absence, and the active part which she took in public afiairs, she pursued this object with unremitting energy and perseverance. Never at any period of her life were her relations with artists more frequent and more full of interest than in these first ten years of the new century. Andrea Mantegna, the court painter of the Gonzagas, as we have already said, executed the first pictures for the decoration of her new studio. And naturally enough the great Florentine master who had visited Mantua at the close of 1499, and drawn her portrait, was one of the next artists to whom she applied. After Leonardo's return to Florence in April 1500, he sent the Marquis a sketch of the house of Angelo :dbv Google 818 ISABELLA'S CORRESPONDENCE del Tovaglla, a wealthy merchant whom Francesco often employed on business matters, and which he had greatly admired on a visit which he paid to Florence that spring. " I send you," wrote the Mantuan agent, Francesco Malatesta, in August, " a drawing of the house of Angelo Tovaglia, by the hand of your servant Leonardo Vinci, who desires to be commoided both to you and to Madonna. But he said that to make the house perfect, and satisfy your idea, you would have to transport the site of Messer An^o's house to the spot where you intend to build. The drawing has not been coloured, nor have I thought it necessary to put in the evergreens, ivy, box, cypresses and laurels of the garden, but if you wish it, the said Leonardo offers to said you a painting as well as a model of the viUa."' The birth of Isabella's son, and the political troubles of that anxious year, prevented her from availing herself of Leonardo's offers of service at the time, but in the following March she wrote the follow- ing letter to the cultured ecclesiastic, Fra Pietro da Novellara, who was at the time preaching a course of Lent sermons in Santa Croce of Florence : — " Most Reverend Father in God, — If Leonardo, the Florentine painter, is now in Florence, we b^ you will inform us what kind of life he Is leading, that is to say if he has begun any work, as we have been told, and what this work is, and if you think that he will remedn for the present in Florence. Your Reverence might find out if he would under- take to paint a picture for our studio. If he consents, we would leave the subject and the time to him ; but > Lusio in En^xtrium, 1900, p. 353. ^dbyGoogle WITH LEONARDO DA VINCI 819 if he declines, you might at least induce him to paint us a little picture of the Madonna, as sweet and holy as his own nature. Will you also beg him to send us another drawing of our portrait, since our illustrious lord has given away the one which he left here ? For all of which we shall be no less grateful to you than to Leonardo." Mantua, March 27, 1501. TheCarmelite Vicar-General replied without delay : " Most illustrious and excellent Lady, — I have just received Your Excellency's letter, and will obey your orders with the utmost speed and diligence. But, irom what I hear, Leonardo's manner of life is very changeable and uncertain, so that he seems to live for the day only. Since he has been in Florence, he has only made one sketch — a cartoon of a child Christ, about a year old, almost jumping out of his mother's arms to seize hold of a lamb. The mother is in the act of lising from S. Anna's lap, and holds back the child from the lamb, an innocent creature, which is a symbol of the Passion, while S. Anna, partly rising frt)m her seat, seems anxious to restrain her daughter, which may be a type of the Church, who would not hinder the Passion of Christ. These figures are as large as life, but are drawn on a small cartoon, because they are represented either seated or bending down, and one stands a little in front of the other, towards the left And this sketch is not yet finished. He has done nothing else, excepting that two of his apprentices are painting portraits to which he some- times adds a few touches. He is working hard at geometry, and is quite tired of painting. I only write this that Your Excellency may know I have re- ceived your letters. I will do your commission, and let you know the result very soon, and may God ^dbyGoogle 820 CARTOON FOR THE SERVI keep you in His grace. — Your obedient servant, Fr. Petrus Novellara, Carm. Vic. -Gen."* Florence, April 8, 1501. The letter is of great importance, both as showing Leonardo's absorption in geometrical studies, and giving a description of the funous cartoon which he drew for the Servi firiars, and which not only filled all die artists with admiration, but brought crowds of men and women to the convent hall, where this masterpiece was exhibited during two days. "The whole city was stin^," wrote Vasari, "and you might have fancied that you saw a pro- cession on some solemn feast day." And Girolamo da Casio, the Rologna poet, with whom Isabella was in constant correspondence, wrote a sonnet on the ,cartooa which had moved all Florence to wonder. Ten dajrs later the Carmelite friar wrote again to tell Isabella the result of his efforts : — "This Holy Week I have succeeded in learning the painter Leonardo's intentions by means of his pupil, Salai', and some of his other friends, who, to make them more fuUy known to me, took me to see him on Wednesday in Holy Week. In truth, his mathematical experiments have absorbed his thoughts so entirely that he cannot bear the sight of a paint-brush. But I endeavoured as skilfully as I could to inform him of Your Excellency's wish. Then, finding him well disposed to gratiiy you, I spoke irankly to him on the subject, and we came to this conclusion : if he can, as he hopes, end his engagement witii the King of France without dis- pleasing him by the end of a month at latest, he would rather serve Your Excellency than any other ' Luzio, / Prtcetion, App. ^dbyGoogle LEONARDO'S MADONNA 821 person in the world. But, in any case, as soon as he has finished a little picture which he is painting for a certain Robertet, a favourite of the King of France, he will do your portrait immediately and send it to you. I left two good petitioners with him. The little picture which he is painting is a Madonna, seated as if at work with her spindle, while the Child, with His foot on the basket of spindles, has taken up the winder, and looks attentively on the four rays in the shape of a cross, as if wishing for the cross, and holds it tight, laughing, and refusing to give it to His mother, who tries in vain to take it from Him. This is aU I have been able to settle with the master. I preached my sermon yesterday. God grant it may bring forth much fruit, for the hearers were numerous. I commend myself to Your Excellency. — Frater Petrus de Novellara." Florence, April 14, 1501.' Leonardo's promises, however, remained as usual unfrilfilled, uid hearing no more of her Madonna, or portrait, in July Isabella wrote to Manfrcdo de Manfredi, her father's envoy at Florence, begging him to deliver a letter which she had written into the master's own hands. On the 80th, Manfredi replied : — " I have given Your Excellency's letter to Leo- nardo, the Florentine. I delivered it myself into his own hands, telling him that I would take charge of * This letter is quoted by M, Muntz, " Leonardo da Vinci," ii. 121 ; but the date of April 10, 1503, which he borrows from Cnlvi'a life of the master, is clearly wrong. D. Richter and Signor Solmi give April 4, 1501, as the correct date ; but since Easter Day fell on the nth of April in that year, Wednesday in Holy Week must have been the 7th, and the letter was probably written on the 14th. VOL. I. X ^dbyGoogle 822 LORENZO DEI MEDICI'S VASES any letter which he might wish to send in answer, and would see that it was faithfully delivered to you. Leonardo replied that he would send an answer shortly, and hoped to be able to oblige Your Ex- cellency. But, since no