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THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT his State would derive from the marriage. When the Emperor, moved by his invincible hatred for the Borgias, commanded him as his liege 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 Cæsar were exultant, and Lucrezia, who, in spite of her troubled past, was of a singularly child-like and lighthearted 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 during the next few weeks.

"The dowry," he wrote on the 13th of December, "will consist of 300,000 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 30 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 preparing her outfit during the last few weeks than is generally required in two years.”

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FERRARESE ENVOYS IN ROME

On the 23rd of December, Alfonso d'Este's brothers, 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 Cæsar led them into the palace, while the Pope looked on from 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 praised her beauty and goodness, comparing her to the Marchesana 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 regard to Lucrezia's own character by the following letter which his confidential agent, Gian Luca Pozzi, 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 conversed 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, and her manners are full of modesty and decorum. She is a good Christian, filled with 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 and graceful manners make

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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." 1

The bride made the same excellent impression on Il Prete, that faithful servant of Niccolo da Correggio, whom Isabella, in her anxiety to receive full particulars of the marriage, had sent to Rome in her brother's suite. This admirable chronicler described the wedding ceremony and fêtes, the dresses and jewels of the chief personages, and the bride's dowry and trousseau, with a fulness and exactness which, as Gregorovius remarked, are worthy of a Times reporter. He was especially careful to obey the Marchesa's wishes, by giving a minute description of Lucrezia's appearance and character. "She is a charming 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 Isabella: "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 1 F. Gregorovius, "Lucrezia Borgia," p. 189.

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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! Yesterday the Cardinal and Don Ferrante rode through the town with the Duke, all wearing masks."1

The wedding was celebrated on the 30th of December, in the Aula 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 delivered 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. cit., p. 194, &c.

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membered with a sigh, had belonged to her dearly loved mother. The Pope was delighted, and exclaimed 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 gifts, 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 Il Prete. "Then Cæsar," he goes on, "took the Madonna's hand and danced before the Pope with rare grace, and the maids-ofhonour 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 recitation of epithalamiums and marriage hymns, the bullfights organised by Cæsar Borgia, and the torchlight processions in which Lucrezia took part.' At length, 1 Gregorovius, op. cit., pp. 200-217.