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she had not seen since those brilliant days of old. It was for the last time; Maximilian's throne was already tottering to its fall, and before the year was over he had been driven into exile, and the victor of Marignano was reigning in his stead.

CHAPTER XXVIII

1514-1516

Isabella's visit to Rome-Her reception by Cardinal Bibbiena and Giuliano dei Medici-Fêtes in her honour-Representation of "La Calandria" in the Vatican-Her visit to NaplesLeo X. keeps her in Rome for the carnival-Her return to Mantua and regrets for Rome-Francis I. attacks MilanVictory of Marignano-Abdication of Maximilian SforzaFederico Gonzaga at the French Court-Death of GiulianoConquest of Urbino by Lorenzo dei Medici-Flight of the Duke and Duchesses to Mantua.

IN the autumn of 1514, one of Isabella's most cherished and long-delayed wishes was at length fulfilled, and for the first time in her life she went to Rome. Since the accession of Leo X. she had received pressing invitations from her friends, Cardinal Bibbiena and Pietro Bembo, but had been compelled to defer her visit owing to Francesco's ill-health. During that summer, however, his condition showed some signs of improvement, while the alarming rumours which came from Rome of the Pope's designs against Ferrara and Urbino increased Isabella's anxiety to cultivate the Pontiff's friendship. Accordingly she started for Rome early in October, and was met at Bolsena by Giuliano dei Medici, Cardinal Bibbiena, and l'Unico Aretino. Since his brother Pietro Accolti's elevation to the Cardinalate, the vanity of this popular improvisatore knew no bounds. He spoke openly of that prelate as the next Pope, and

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announced that he himself would not be satisfied with anything short of the crown of Naples and the hand of the widowed Duchess. On this occasion he declared that he held a papal bull empowering him to act as commissioner in bringing the Marchesa to Rome; upon which Bibbiena and Giuliano endeavoured to mystify him by pointing out first one lady of Isabella's suite, then another, as the Marchesa, until he was about to give up the search in despair. When at length he discovered the trick which his companions had played upon him, he broke into a furious passion, and his rage excited the merriment of the whole company.

On the 18th of October, Isabella entered Rome, and received the most cordial welcome from Pope Leo and all the members of the Sacred College. During the next six weeks her time was spent in visiting the remains of ancient Rome and the wonders of the Vatican. She saw with her own eyes the statues of which she had heard so much from Cristoforo Romano and Bembo and her own son Federico, and realised all that Castiglione and Bibbiena had said of the sublime greatness of Michel Angelo's creations and of the surpassing grace and perfection of Raphael's art. She climbed the Capitol with the thought of Mantegna's Triumphs in her heart, and looked down from the Loggia of the Belvedere on the purple plains of the Campagna and the Alban Hills. She knelt with deep devotion at the shrine of the Prince of the Apostles, and walked in Angelo Colocci's famous gardens on the slopes of the Pincio and Quirinal, attended by the foremost scholars of the day. Bembo and Bibbiena, Sadoleto and Castiglione were the com

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CHIGI AND RAPHAEL

panions of her daily walks and rides in the Eternal City. The learned librarian of the Vatican, Tommaso Inghirami, the Phædrus of the humanists, became one of the Marchesa's greatest admirers, while Colocci discussed Provençal poetry with her, and asked her to accept a copy of his rare book on the Limousin poets. Chigi entertained her at magnificent feasts in his new villa, where the costliest wines and rarest delicacies were served on the most exquisitely wrought gold and silver plate, in halls adorned by the first painters of the day. There Isabella saw Raphael's beautiful fresco of the milk-white Galatea driving her chariot on the waves, which was the wonder and delight of all the humanists in Rome and Urbino. And Raphael himself was in all likelihood the Marchesa's guide among the excavations, and showed her the wonderful paintings and stuccoes which had been lately brought to light in the Baths of Titus and the Golden House of Nero. Isabella certainly met the great master, who was then at the height of his fame and had recently been appointed architect of St. Peter's by the Pope. And as he talked with her of the old days of Urbino, of his father, who had painted her portrait, and of his first patrons, the good Duke and Duchess, she begged him with a charming smile to paint a little Madonna for her whenever he had a few spare moments. Of course Raphael, who was a gentilezza stessa, promised gladly, and then went back to his frescoes and buildings and his plans of ancient Rome, and forgot all about the Marchesa and her picture.

Cardinals and princes vied with each other in doing their illustrious guest honour, and entertained her at sumptuous banquets or dainty little suppers,

"LA CALANDRIA"

113 where the Aretine recited his latest verses and the Pope's pet buffoon, Fra Mariano, indulged in those mad freaks that afforded His Holiness such infinite amusement and made his guests laugh till the tears ran down their cheeks. But the most memorable of all the entertainments that were given in Isabella's honour was the representation of Cardinal Bibbiena's "Calandria" before the Pope in the Vatican.1 This comedy had been acted for the first time at Urbino on the 6th of February 1513, under the direction of Castiglione, who himself described the performance in a well-known letter to Cardinal Lodovico di Canossa. The play, an evident imitation of the "Menæchmi' of Plautus, deals with the ridiculous adventures of a twin brother and sister, whose love intrigues and mistakes afford plenty of material for that broad farce in which the Cardinal's contemporaries took unfailing delight. On this occasion the scenery was painted by the Siena master, Baldassarre Peruzzi, and was of the most elaborate kind. Vasari expatiates on the beauty and variety of the spectacle, on the streets, palaces, temples, loggias, and piazzas, all in admirable perspective, that were cleverly introduced into this limited space, in such a manner as to give the impression of a city of great size and extent. The interludes of ballets and tableaux, transformation scenes and allegorical representations were planned on the most gorgeous scale, and the music of flutes and viols and sweet voices of the singers were blended exquisitely with the melodies of the Pope's new organ, that splendid instrument which had been recently made for him and brought to Rome by Lorenzo da Pavia.

VOL. II.

1 D'Ancona, op. cit., ii. 88.

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