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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 begging 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 Marchetto 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 these troublous times I make such a request, for, after all, 'Marte ha solo la scorza, e il resto Amore' (Mars only has the bark of the tree, and Love holds the rest)." 1

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Yet another member of this brilliant group, whose name lives in Castiglione's immortal 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 Podestà 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 1503, Isabella begged Pietro to accompany

1 D'Arco, Documenti, 81; Arch. St. It., App. ii.

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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 her 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 Highness, 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 myrtle 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 1 D'Arco, Notizie d'Isabella, p. 312.

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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 wonderful 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 delighted 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, beginning, after his usual custom, with the words Jesus Christus:

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"I send Your Excellency, my dear Madonna and most honoured mistress, ten sonnets and two somewhat 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 that my poor compositions can never attain to greater honour. Most of the sonnets and 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 delight 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

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Signory will deign to commend me to my Lady Alda Boiarda. Of Your Illustrious Signory the servant, PIETRO BEMBO."1 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 Piero 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 artichokes 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 remarks, nothing can be better for us than the establishment of peace between the most powerful 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 1 D'Arco, Notizie d'Isabella, p. 312.

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Here we

on Saturday, and on Sunday to Mantua. have no further news since the last which I gave you. Please kiss Federico for me.-Your wife, ISABELLA."1 Ferrara, April 19, 1505.

This was the errand which brought Machiavelli 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 and 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 exceedingly. To Osanna's prayers Isabella confidently believed that she owed the gift of the long-desired son, whose birth the holy nun prophesied some months before the event, while in all private and public calamities the Gonzagas always turned to her for help and consolation. Now the Marchesa placed a silver head on the Sister's grave, and employed her favourite 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. 1 D'Arco, op. cit. 277.