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 CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 
 
 1924 087 980 458 
 
^1 A 
 
 ft 
 
 / 
 
 /)mA^ 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924087980458 
 
Ste&tnii&fjTnj 5&&yiv?iuZ>y/j% 
 
 GIULIA GONZAGA (reputed). 
 
 Sebastiano del Piombo. 
 
 Formerly in the Bandini Palace, Rome. 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 GIULIA GONZAGA 
 
 I 5 I 3~ J 5 66 
 HER FAMILY AND HER FRIENDS 
 
 BY 
 
 CHRISTOPHER HARE 
 
 AUTHOR OF 
 
 'LADIES OF THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE," "THE LIKE OF LOUIS XL, 
 
 "ISABELLA OF MILAN," ETC. 
 
 "Giulia Gonzaga, che le luci sante 
 E i suoi pensier siccome strali al segno 
 Rivolti a Dio, in lui viva, in se morta 
 Di null' altro si ciba, e si consorta." 
 
 Tasso 
 
 NEW YORK 
 CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 
 
 153-157 FIFTH AVENUE 
 
 U 
 
AM\ 
 
 
 M-G%o<?3 
 
 r-^ 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 PAGES 
 
 Concerning the family of Gonzaga — Birth and lineage of Giulia 
 Gonzaga — Lodovico III., Marchese of Mantua, marries 
 Barbara of Brandenburg — Before his death he divides his 
 estates amongst his sons : the eldest, Federico, succeeds 
 him in the title and the State of Mantua, while Gian- 
 francesco, his mother's favourite, receives Bozzolo and 
 Sabbioneta — He marries Antonia del Balzo, and their 
 granddaughter is Giulia Gonzaga, the heroine of this 
 Memoir — Her early life and education — Story of Antonia 
 del Balzo— The wedding feast of a Gonzaga Princess, told 
 by Matteo Bandello - - - - - i— 8 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 Happy family life at Gazzuolo — Giulia's- eldest brother, Luigi 
 Rodomonte Gonzaga, represents his father at the funeral of 
 the Marchese Francesco— Gallant adventures of Luigi— ^He 
 is in the service of the Emperor Charles V., and pays a 
 visit to England with him — Poetry of Luigi — Giulia Gonzaga 
 noted for her talent and beauty — She is invited to accom- 
 pany the Marchesa of Mantua, Isabella d' Este, to 
 Rome ------- g — 20 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 The journey to Rome — Giulia travels by the river to Ferrara, 
 where Isabella d' Este and her train are received by her 
 brother, Duke Alfonso d' Este — Onwards to Ravenna and 
 Rimini, the home of the Malatesta — The travellers are wel- 
 comed at Pesaro and then at Urbino by the Dowager- 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PASES 
 
 Duchess Elisabetta Gonzaga, and the Duchess Leonara, 
 daughter of Isabella d' Este — On the journey beyond Loreto 
 they receive news of the Battle of Pavia (February 24, 1525) 
 — The arrival in Rome — Isabella d' Este has an interview 
 with Pope Clement VII. — Life in the Colonna Palace 21 — 33 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 Pages from the Day-Book of Giulia Gonzaga : Her life in Rome, 
 at the Colonna Palace (June, 1525) — Account of literary 
 gathering of distinguished men — The Bishops Chiericati, 
 Sadolato, and others ; Pietro Bembo, Paolo Giovio, the poet 
 Molza, etc. — Discussions on many subjects — A visit to the 
 Salviati Palace ; Maria Salviati, wife of Giovanni delle 
 Bande Nere, her father and mother — Luigi Rodomonte 
 comes to Rome — His enthusiasm for Ariosto ; he tells the 
 story of the " Orlando Furioso " — Other events of that 
 winter (1525) ------ 34—51 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 Day-Book of Giulia Gonzaga (continued) : Vittoria Colonna in 
 Rome, after the death of her husband, the Marchese di 
 Pescara — Her story and her sonnets — The great Lord 
 Vespasiano Colonna, son of Prospero Colonna, is a suitor 
 for the hand of Giulia Gonzaga — Their splendid wedding 
 takes place on June 26, 1526 — Account of the ride across 
 the Campagna, and the coming to the Castello of Pagliano 
 (End of Giulia's Day-Book) - 52 — 67 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 The political situation of Italy in the year 1526 — The Colonna 
 Raid upon Rome — Pope Clement VII. takes his revenge — 
 Rivalry between Spain and France — The Pope's double- 
 dealing — Overwhelming invasion of Italy and sack of Rome ; 
 a time of unspeakable horror — Luigi Rodomonte Gonzaga 
 protects Isabella d' Este, and helps the Pope to escape from 
 Rome — Death of Giulia's husband, Vespasiano Colonna, 
 March 27, 1527 — His will — Pagliano defended by Luigi 
 from the Orsini — He becomes betrothed to Isabella 
 Colonna ._.... 68 — So 
 
CONTENTS 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 PAGES 
 
 Luigi Rodomonte wounded at Viterbo — Death of Giulia's 
 mother, Francesca Pieschi, and of her brother, Cardinal 
 Pirro Gonzaga — Her father takes orders, and is known as 
 the Abate Lodovico — Luigi attends the coronation of the 
 Emperor Charles V. at Bologna— Some time later the mar- 
 riage of Luigi and Isabella Colonna is formally announced 
 — Giulia visits Lombardy and her home — Birth of Vespasiano 
 Colonna Gonzaga — His father, Luigi Rodomonte, is wounded 
 at Vicovero, and dies, 1532 — His will- - - 81 — 96 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 Description of the ancient city of Fondi, where Giulia Gonzaga 
 held her splendid Court — Unique literary and artistic centre 
 — Her friendship with Vittoria Colonna — Poets and histor- 
 ians unite in their praises of Giulia Gonzaga Colonna — 
 Quotations from the works of Ariosto, Tasso, Flaminio, 
 Molza, and others — A " Golden Age " at Fondi — Her por- 
 trait is painted by Sebastiano del Piombo, by command of 
 the Cardinal dei Medici — His devotion to Giulia — The 
 story of Ippolito's life — He is made Cardinal by his uncle, 
 Clement VII. — He is present at the marriage of Catherine 
 dei Medici with'Henri, second son of Francois I., King of 
 France- ------ gy — IIO 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 1534— '■The Barbary Corsairs raid the Mediterranean coasts — 
 Attempt of Kher-el-dln (better known as the younger Bar- 
 barossa) to carry off the beautiful Countess of Fondi to the 
 Sultan, Suleyman II. — He lands at Sperlonga with his pirate 
 bands, and reaches Fondi in the dead of night — The hair- 
 breadth escape of Giulia Gonzaga, and her flight through 
 the darkness — Her city and palace sacked, and many of her 
 people massacred by the Corsairs — Cardinal Ippolito dei 
 Medici heads the avenging army — All Christendom is roused 
 — " La Ninfa fugitiva " — Expedition of the Emperor Charles 
 V. against Tunis and Barbarossa - - 111 — 121 
 
 vii 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 PAGES 
 
 Trouble between Giulia Gonzaga and Isabella Colonna concern- 
 ing the will of Vespasiano Colonna — Isabella is in constant 
 strife with her husband's relations — Cardinal Ippolito dei 
 Medici is sent from Florence by the fuorisciii on an 
 embassy to the Emperor in Tunis — He pays a visit to Giulia 
 at Fondi, and then passes on to Itri — Here he is poisoned 
 by the treachery of Duke Alessandro of Florence — Giulia 
 hastens to Itri, and is with him in his last hours till his 
 death, on August 7, 1535 — Her bereavement an undying 
 sorrow to Giulia — Deeply mourned by all, Ippolito is borne 
 to Rome and buried with stately funeral honours - 122 — 132 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 The Emperor Charles V. takes possession of Tunis — He sails 
 thence to Sicily, and appoints Ferrante Gonzaga Governor 
 of the island — On arriving at Naples the Emperor desires 
 to meet the Countess of Fondi, and invites her to his Court — 
 He finds a husband for the young widow, Isabella Colonna, 
 Charles de Lannoy Prince of Sulmona, the son of his 
 General at Pavia — The marriage takes place in February, 
 1536 — Giulia Gonzaga obtains leave from the Pope to live 
 in the Convent of San Francesco delle Monache at Naples 
 — She attends the preaching of Fra Ochino, and becomes 
 an earnest disciple of the reformer, Juan Valdes — At her 
 suggestion he writes his famous " Alfabeto Cristiano " — 
 Concerning other religious works of Valdes — His gathering 
 of friends at Chiaja for Christian discourse — Letter of 
 George Herbert on the translation of his works - 133 — 146 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 Strong movement for religious reform in Italy, but no desire for 
 schism against Rome — Great ladies take a foremost part in 
 the awakening of religious zeal : Giulia Gonzaga, Vittoria 
 Colonna, Rende of Ferrara, Costanza d' Avalos, Isabella 
 Brisegna, and others — Wonderful results of the teaching of 
 Valdes at Naples — His writings : " Dialogo de Mercurio y 
 Caron," the "Alfabeto Cristiano," the "no Considera- 
 
 viii 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 „ _ , PASES 
 
 tiones, Translations of the Psalms, the Gospels, and Epistles 
 — Also the " Beneficio," by a disciple of his, which spread his 
 views throughout all Italy— Death of Valdes, 1541 - 147—162 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 The Reformation in Italy (continued) — Renee, Duchess of Fer- 
 rara, Olympia Morata ; life of Caterina Cibo (who died at 
 Florence, 1557)— Persecution and flight of Fra Bernardino 
 Ochino, Peter Martyr, and others — Giulia Gonzaga is a 
 guiding spirit of the cause at Naples— Death of Madonna 
 Antonia del Balzo, 1538, and the Abate Lodovico, father 
 of Giulia — She then becomes the guardian of her 
 nephew Vespasiano, son of her brother, Luigi Rodomonte 
 Gonzaga ...... ^3 — 175 
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 Giulia Gonzaga at Naples devotes herself to the education of 
 Vespasiano, her nephew and her ward — She is painted by 
 Titian — She writes to Charles V. on behalf of Vespasiano 
 —He is appointed page to the Archduke Philip — Marriage 
 schemes for the boy — Giulia visits her home in Lombardy, 
 1546 — Her stay at Gazzuolo ; many changes, loss of loved 
 relations and friends, amongst them Isabella d' Este — 
 Letter from Vittoria Colonna ; her death in 1546 — An 
 attempt to establish the Inquisition at Naples is met with 
 insurrection of the people - 176 — 192 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 1548 — Vespasiano Colonna in Spain — He comes to Italy in the 
 train of the Archduke Philip ; is present at the marriage of 
 Isabella Gonzaga — He visits Mantua — The Duchess 
 Margherita Paleologa, a friend of his aunt Giulia, is Regent 
 of Mantua for two of her sons in succession, Francesco 
 and Guglielmo — -Vespasiano first meets Donna Diana di 
 Cardona— The Council of Trent (1549), and the famous 
 compromise, the " Interim " — Private marriage of Vespasi- 
 ano with Diana di Cardona — Death of Pope Paul III. — 
 The war of Parma, in which Vespasiano takes part— He is 
 
 ix 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGES 
 
 wounded, and cared for at Naples by his aunt Giulia — 1553 — 
 He fights in Picardy — Giulia's letters to Diana di Cardona — 
 Vespasiano is taken prisoner in the war of Flanders - 193 — 207 
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 The life and death of Ippolita Gonzaga ; Giulia's devotion to 
 her — Marriage of a daughter of Isabella Colonna — The 
 story of Count Galeazzo Caraccioli, a disciple of Valdes — 
 Other friends of Giulia : Onerata Tancredi, a lady of Siena ; 
 Isabella Brisegna ; Cardinal Seripando ; Pietro Carne- 
 secchi ; Margherita Paleologa, Duchess of Mantua, etc.— 
 Adventures of Vespasiano in various wars ; he is wounded 
 at Ostia — He returns to Sabbioneta ; tragic death of his 
 wife, Donna Diana di Cardona - 208 — 222 
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 Vespasiano Gonzaga Colonna resolves to build a city at Sab- 
 bioneta, 1559 — How the great work was begun, according 
 to the teaching of Vitruvius — The most famous architects, 
 sculptors, wood-carvers, and artists of the day were em- 
 ployed — Massive walls of red brick, stone, and rare 
 marbles for the palaces, colleges, churches, city gates and 
 triumphal arches — In three years the city rises like magic 
 from the ground and is filled with inhabitants, at the com- 
 mand of the Lord Vespasiano — He visits Spain at the 
 summons of Philip II., and marries the Princess Anna 
 d' Aragona, of the blood royal — Love and sympathy of 
 Giulia Gonzaga — There are born to him twin daughters 
 and a son ...... 223 — 236 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 Persecution of those who hold Reformed doctrines, by the 
 Pope, Paul IV. (Caraffa) — Giulia Gonzaga and her friends 
 in great peril — The colony of Protestant Waldenses in 
 Calabria hunted down like wild beasts — Giulia refuses to 
 seek safety in flight — Her letters to Pietro Carnesecchi 
 and others ; her generous help to all — The death of Pope 
 Paul IV. (1559) a providence for her — Failure of the 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGES 
 
 Council of Trent — Milder rule of Pope Pius IV, (Medici)— 
 He is succeeded by Michele Ghislieri, Pope Pius V., a 
 violent Inquisitor, in January, 1566 — Urgent peril of Giulia 
 Gonzaga ; her death in April, 1566, a merciful escape from 
 the flames of the Inquisition — Her noble character and 
 inspiring letters ..... 237 — 255 
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 The will of Giulia Gonzaga leaves all her possessions to her 
 beloved nephew Vespasiano — Mysterious illness of his 
 wife, Anna d' Aragona — He is made Vice-Duca of Casale 
 Monferrato — Interesting literary society, of which Guazzo 
 writes — Vespasiano is again called to Spain by Philip II., 
 and devotes many years to works of defence and fortifica- 
 tion on the coasts of Spain and Africa — Made Viceroy of 
 Navarre — Death of his mother Isabella ; he succeeds to 
 the vast Colon na estates — Returns to Sabbioneta and 
 devotes himself to its greatness and splendour — Laden 
 with honours and dignities, Vespasiano dies in 1591, 
 leaving as heir his surviving daughter Isabella, wife of 
 the Prince of Stigliano — With the death of the Master- 
 Builder there fades away all the pomp and glory of his 
 beloved city of Sabbioneta - 256 — 273 
 
 Concerning the Pictures of Giulia Gonzaga - - 274 
 Appendix ------- 275 — 285 
 
 Index .-...-.. 286 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 TO FACE PAGE 
 
 Giulia Gonzaga {Reputed) - - - Frontispiece 
 
 By Sebastiano del Piombo, formerly in Bandini Palace, Rome. 
 
 Family of Lodovico Gonzaga, Marchese of Mantua, 
 
 Ancestor of Giulia - - - - - 16 
 
 By Andrea Mantegna, Mantua. 
 
 Lodovico Ariosto (Reputed) - - - - - 48 
 
 By Titian, National Gallery. 
 
 Cardinal Ippolito dei Medici and the Artist - - 112 
 
 By Sebastiano del Piombo, National Gallery. 
 
 Giulia Gonzaga (Reputed) - 144 
 
 By Sebastiano del Piombo, Longford Castle Gallery (by kind 
 permission of Lord Radnor). 
 
 Giulia Gonzaga, Countess of Fondi - 176 
 
 Painter unknown ; Hof Museum, Vienna. 
 
 Giulia Gonzaga (Reputed), with Attributes of St. Catherine 208 
 
 By Sebastiano del Piombo, formerly in Bandini Palace, Rome. 
 
 Giulia Gonzaga (Reputed), with Attributes of St. Agatha - 256 
 
 By Sebastiano del Piombo, National Gallery. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 At the name of Giulia Gonzaga there rises before us a 
 vision of romance and beauty, set forth against that 
 sumptuous background of pomp and pageant — the later 
 Renaissance in Italy. To us in these prosaic days, it 
 seems a time of fantastic illusions and dramatic episodes, 
 when splendid knights in velvet and brocade, glittering 
 with silver armour and plumed helmets, rode forth to 
 battle as to a tournament. They besieged and scaled 
 picturesque citadels perched upon blue olive-clad hills, or 
 towering over verdant meadows and silvery streams ; with 
 sculptured cannons they battered against city gates, superb 
 with armorial bearings ; they bore classic names — Vespa- 
 sian, Hercules, Csesar, Coriolanus, Rodomonte — and if by 
 chance they fell — with their shining arms, by the side of 
 their mighty steeds — they were magnificent even in death. 
 In reading their tangled story, it often appears to be 
 quite a secondary matter on which side they fought — 
 whether for Emperor, or Pope, or King of France, for 
 themselves, or even on some trivial pretext concerning 
 the boundary of a petty State. To add to our sense of 
 Unreality, these stately warriors all wrote poetry — like 
 everybody else — and it became almost a point of chivalry 
 for the victor to console the vanquished hero with a 
 sonnet or an epigram — to set him free and send him 
 rejoicing on his way. 
 
 xv 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 The visionary scenes rise before us like pictures in 
 some tapestry, and we scarcely wonder at an interlude 
 in which a Gonzaga princess of enchanting beauty nar- 
 rowly escapes being carried off to the Sultan by a horde 
 of invading Corsairs. Or again, when, between a siege 
 and a battle, the magnificent Lord of Sabbioneta com- 
 mands a city to rise from the dust, and, in three brief 
 years, we see it complete in Palladian splendour, enclosed 
 within geranium-coloured walls, with streets of colleges 
 and frescoed palaces, with stately churches and carved 
 triumphal arches. 
 
 It may well seem that to this romantic period belong 
 the earlier years of Giulia Gonzaga's eventful life : her 
 marvellous childhood, when already her beauty and talent 
 had been sung by many a poet; her triumphal visit to 
 Rome as one of the bevy of fair damsels in the train of 
 Isabella d' Este ; and her marriage at the age of thirteen 
 to the most splendid of the Colonna princes. Left a 
 widow at fifteen, the Countess of Fondi barely avoids 
 paying the penalty of her far-famed loveliness when the 
 Corsairs of Barbarossa make a raid on her palace to carry 
 her to the Sultan. We thrill with horror at the hair- 
 breadth escape of the " Ninfa fugitiva" and her terrible 
 flight, bare-foot and half-clad, through the darkness of 
 the night, with only one faithful attendant. To avenge 
 this insult, all Christendom was roused to action, and 
 " a thousand swords were ready to spring from their 
 scabbards." 
 
 Foremost amongst the champions of Giulia is the 
 young Cardinal Ippolito dei Medici, her constant and 
 devoted servant until his tragic death, which brought to 
 a close that most pathetic of love-stories. For Giulia 
 Gonzaga henceforth the days of romance are over, and 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 in the prime of her youth and beauty she turns away from 
 the pomps and pageants of this mortal life.* The Colonna 
 princess forsakes her beautiful home at Fondi, her splendid 
 Court which was looked upon by poets, artists, and philo- 
 sophers, as bringing back the " Golden Age," to seek the 
 seclusion of a cloister at Naples. 
 
 Now all is changed, and the later part of Giulia's story 
 leads us from the world of Romance to the stern realities 
 of an awakened Faith and religious persecution. We see 
 our noble lady in a new phase of her character — first an 
 earnest pupil of the Reformed doctrines, then an heroic 
 champion and supporter of her friends who are called 
 upon to suffer for their Faith. With splendid courage, 
 she refuses to seek safety in flight, and barely escapes the 
 martyr's last ordeal in the cruel flames of the Inquisition. 
 Her only link with the world, where she had once 
 reigned so brilliantly, remains in her guardianship of her 
 beloved nephew, Vespasiano Colonna Gonzaga, whose 
 flamboyant story carries us back to the most sumptuous 
 era of the Renaissance in Italy. 
 
 * When Ippolito died in 1535, Giulia Gonzaga was not yet twenty- 
 two. 
 
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SOME BOOKS CONSULTED 
 
 Achiardi, Pietro d'. Sebastiano del Piombo. 1908, 
 Affo, P. Ireneo. Vita di Luigi Rodomonte Gonzaga. 
 
 „ ,, Vita di Vespasiano Gonzaga. Parma, 1780. 
 
 „ „ Memorie di tre principesse della famiglia Gon- 
 
 zaga. 
 Agostini, A. Pietro Carnesecchi e il movimento Valdesiano. 
 
 Florence, 1899. 
 Aldimari. Historia genealogica della famiglia Caraffa. Napoli, 
 
 1691. 
 Amabile. II Sant' Officio della Inquisitione di Napoli. Citta di 
 
 Castell, 1892. 
 Amani. Memorie Estor. di Fano. 
 Amante, Dott. Bruto. Giulia Gonzaga, Contessa de Fondi. 
 
 Bologna, 1896. 
 Ammirato. Opusculi. 
 Aretino, Pietro. Lettere di. 
 Ariosto, Ludovico. Orlando Furioso. Ferrara (M. Francesco da 
 
 Valenza), 1516. 
 Armstrong, Edward. The Emperor Charles V. London, 1902. 
 Atanagi, M. Dionigi. De le rime di diversi nobili poeti toscani. 
 
 Venezia, 1565. 
 Baguenault de Puchesse, F. Histoire du Concile de Trente. 
 
 Paris, 1870. 
 Bandello, Matteo. Le Novelle. Lucca (Busdrago), 1554. 
 Beccadilli, Lodovico. Vita del Cardinal Pole (e Monument!). 
 
 Bologna, 1797. 
 Bembo, Pietro. Opere (V. Cian). Torino, 1887. 
 Benedetti, Alessandro. Fatto d' arme del Taro. 
 Benrath, K. Biografia di Bernardino Ochino. Leipzig, 1875. 
 „ Julia Gonzaga. Halle, 1900. 
 
 xx 
 
SOME BOOKS CONSULTED 
 
 Bergamaschi, S. Domenico. Storia di Gazolo. In Casalmaggiore, 
 
 1883. 
 Bertolotti. Artisti in relazione coi Gonzaga, Signori di Mantova. 
 
 Modena, 1885-1894. 
 Betussi, Giovanni. Delle Donne illustre, vita di Boccaccio. In 
 
 Vinegia, MDLVIII. 
 Bohemer. Le cento e dieci divine considerazione di Gio. Valdes. 
 
 Halle, i860. 
 Bonnet. Vie d' Olympia Morata. Paris, 1851. 
 Braghirolli, W. Tiziano alle Corte dei Gonzaga. Perugia, 1881. 
 Campana, Albero di. Modena, 1885. 
 Campori. Lettere di scultori Italiano. 
 Cantu, C. Gli Eretici d' Italia. 3 vols. Turin, 1865. 
 Caraccioli, A. De vita Pauli IV. Cologne, 1612. 
 Caro, Annibal. Delle lettere familiare. Venezia, 1756. 
 Carrasco, Manuel. Alfonso et Juan de Valdes. Geneve, 1880. 
 Castiglione, Baldassare. II libro del Cortegiano. Venezia, 1528. 
 Ciuffi, V. Memorie storiche della citta di Traetto. Napoli, 1851. 
 Collenuccio. Comp. delle storie del Regno di Napoli. 
 Coppi, Antonio. Memorie Colonnese. 1855. 
 Creighton, D. History of the Papacy. 1897. 
 Crescimbeni. Poems. 
 
 Colocci, Angelo. Poesie Italiane e Latine. In Jesi, 1772. 
 Daino. Cronic. Mantuan MS. 
 
 Dolce, M. Lodovico. Stanze di illustri poete. Venezia, 1558. 
 Donesmondi. Storia ecclesiastica di Mantova. 1613. 
 Duruy, G. Le Cardinal Carlo Caraffa. Paris, 1882. 
 Equicola, Mario. Storia di Mantova. 1610. 
 Farnese, Carteggio del. Pier Luigi. Ed. A. Caro. Milan, 1807. 
 Faroldi, Giulio. Vita di Vespasiano Gonzaga. MS. 
 Farra, Alessandro. Settimania dell' umana riduzione. 
 Feliciangeli, F. Dott. Notizie e documenti sulla vita di Caterina 
 
 Cibo Duchessa di Camerina. Ivi, libreria Fattorino, 1891. 
 Feliciangeli, F. Dott. Alcune lettere di Principesse di Casa 
 
 Gonzaga. Imola, 1879. 
 Ferrari, L. A. Lorenzino de' Medici e la societa cortegiano. 
 
 Milano (Hoepli), 1891. 
 Ferrato, P. Lettere inedite di donne Mantovane del secolo XV. 
 
 1878. 
 
SOME BOOKS CONSULTED 
 
 Forcella. Iscrizione delle chiese e altre edifizie di Roma. 
 Fontana, Bartolommeo. Renata di Francia, Duchessa di Fcrrara. 
 
 Rome, 1889. 
 Fornari, Simon. La Spositione sopra 1' Orlando Furioso. In 
 
 Firenze, 1549. 
 Gaddi, Jacopo. Adlocutiones e Elogia. 
 Galiffe, G. Le Refuge Italien de Geneve au XVI. et XVII. Siecles. 
 
 Geneve, 1881. 
 Gerdes, Danieles. Italiae Reformats. 1765. 
 Giannone. Storia di Napoli. 
 Giovio, Paolo. Ragionamento sopra i motti e i disegni d' armi e 
 
 d' armore Milano. 1863. 
 Giovo, Paulo. Elogie, etc. Firenze, 1557. 
 „ „ Lettere Volgare. Venezia, 1560. 
 
 „ „ Histoirie . . . 
 
 Giustinopolitano, Muzio. Egloghe. Venezia, 1550. 
 Gonzaga, Curzio. II fido amante. 
 Gonzagium Monumentum MS. 
 
 Graf. Attraverso il cinquecento. Torino (Loescher) 1888. 
 Guazzo, Marco. Istorie. Storie Imprese, 1540. 
 Guazzo, Stefano. Conversazione civile. Venezia, 1575. 
 Guicciardini, Fr. Storia d' Italia. Firenze, 1822. 
 „ II Sacco di Roma. Paris, 1644. 
 
 Haile, Martin. Life of Cardinal Pole. 
 Informazione della Causa di Casalmaggiore. 
 Intra, G. B. Monografia sopra Sabbioneta. 
 Lamo, Alessandro. Discorso intorno all scoltura, etc. Cremona, 
 
 IS84- 
 Lavallee, J. Histoire des Inquisitions Religieuses. 2 vols. Paris, 
 
 1808. 
 Lee, F. G. Reginald Pole, Cardinal Archbishop of Canterbury. 
 
 London, 1888. 
 Lisca, Alessandro. Istoria. 
 
 Litta, P. Famiglie celebri Italiane. Milano, 1819-1858. 
 Marcobruni, Paolo Emilio. Lettere raccolte da. Venezia, 1595. 
 McCrie. History of the Reformation in Italy. Edinburgh, 1827. 
 Miccio. Vita di Pietro di Toledo. 1846. 
 Molza. Poesie del, raccolte dal Serassi. Bergamo, 1754. 
 Muller e Ferrero. Carteggio di Vittoria Colonna. Torino, 1889. 
 
 xxii 
 
SOME BOOKS CONSULTED 
 
 Muratori, L. A. Annali d' Italia. Florence, 1740. 
 
 Nichols, F. H. Epistles of Erasmus. London, igoi. 
 
 Ochino, Bernardino. Prediche predicate nell' inclita citta di 
 
 Venezia del 1539. Basilica, 1541. 
 Ochino, Bernardino. Sermones, Dialoghi, etc. Published at Basle 
 
 and Geneva, 1541-1554. 
 Paleario, Aonio. (Works of.) Trattato del Beneficio di Cristo (?) 
 
 Opera. Jena, 1728. 
 Pallavicino, Sforza. Istoria del Concilio di Trente. Roma, 
 
 1833- 
 Pichot. Charles Quint : Chronique de sa Vie. Paris, 1854. 
 Poggiali. Mem. Istorie di Piacenza. 
 Pole, Reginald, Cardinal. Epistolae, etc. Ed. Quirini. Brescia, 
 
 1744. 
 Porrino, Gandolfo. Rime di. Venezia (per Michele Tramezzino), 
 
 MDLI. 
 Reumont. Vittoria Colonna. Freiberg, 1881. 
 Ricotti. Delle rivoluzione protestante. Florence, 1861. 
 Rizzardi, F. Veronica Gambara : Rime e lettere raccolte. Brescia, 
 
 1759- 
 Rosso, Gregorio. Istoria delle cose de Napoli sotto 1' imperio di 
 
 Carlo V. dal 1526 al 1557. Napoli (Montanaro), 1635. 
 Ruscelli. Codice d' imprese in Mantova. 
 Ruscelli, G. Lettere di Principe. Venezia, 1574. 
 Sadoleto, I. Opera. 4 Vols. Venezia, 1787. 
 Sala, A. Biografia di S. Carlo Borromeo. Milano, 1858. 
 San Secondo, Conte di. Copia di lettere del. 
 Sansovino. L' historia di Casa Orsini. Venezia, 1565. 
 
 „ Dell' origine e di fatti delle famiglie illustri d' Italia. 
 
 Venezia, 1582. 
 Schlopis, F. Le Cardinal Jean Morone. Paris, 1869. 
 Schlosser, C. Baza und Peter Martyr Vermigli. Heidelberg, 
 
 1809. 
 Schmidt, Dr. C. Peter Martyr Vermigli. Eberfeld (von R. L. 
 
 Fridericks), 1858. 
 Segni. St. Florentine Milano, 1805. 
 Serassi. Vita del MolZa, che precede le poesie di questo. Milano, 
 
 1808. 
 Serassi. Notizie di Cesare Gonzaga. 
 
 xxiii 
 
SOME BOOKS CONSULTED 
 
 Summonte. Dell' istoria delle citta e regno di Napoli. Vol. IV. 
 
 Napoli, 1675. 
 Symonds, J. A. Renaissance in Italy. 7 vols. London, 1875-1886. 
 Tasso, Bernardo. Le lettere di, e poesia. Venezia, 1612. 
 Tasso, Torquato. Poesie. 
 Tiraboschi, Girolamo, Abate. Storia della literatura Italiana. 
 
 Milan, 1824. 
 Tolomei. Lettere di M. Claudio, Vinegia, 1565. 
 Toscanella, Orazio. Bellezze del Furioso di V Ariosto. . Venezia, 
 
 IS74- 
 Tramezzino. Pompe funer. nelle morte di Signor Luigi Gonzaga. 
 
 i5Si- 
 Ulloa, A. Vita del gran Capitano Don F. Gonzaga nella quale . . . 
 si descrivono le guerre d' Italia e di altri paesi, 1525-57. 
 Venezia, 1563. 
 Valdes, Juan. Alfabeto Cristiano. 
 
 „ „ Dialogo de Mercurio y Caron. 
 
 „ „ no Divine considerazione. 
 
 „ „ XVII Opusculi. Translated from Spanish and 
 
 Italian, and edited by J. I. Betts. 
 „ „ Epistle to the Romans. Translated. Triibner, 
 
 1882. 
 Gospel of St. Matthew. Translated, 1882. 1883. 
 „ „ Epistle to Corinthians. (Juan Perez.) 
 
 „ „ Psalms. 
 
 Vergerio, P. P. Opera. Tubingen, 1560. 
 Wiffen, Benjamin P. Life and Writings of Juan Valdes. London, 
 
 1865. 
 Young. Life of Aonio Paleario. London, i860. 
 Zaccaria. Annali de' frati minori cappuccini. Venezia, 1643. 
 
 Also a great number of letters written to Giulia Gonzaga by 
 personal friends, amongst whom the most notable are Vittoria 
 Colonna, Bernardo Tasso, and above all, Pietro Carnesecchi. 
 
 A large collection of Giulia's own letters, on which volumes might 
 be written. These include 81 more important letters, from which I 
 have largely quoted ; and 129 others, unedited, written between the 
 year 1533 and her death in 1566. 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE ITALIAN 
 REFORMATION 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 Concerning the Gonzaga family — Lodovico III., Marchese of Mantua, 
 divides his estates, leaving Bozzolo and Sabbioneta to his second 
 son Gianfrancesco, who marries Antonia del Balzo — Giulia 
 Gonzaga is their granddaughter — Her early life and education — 
 Story of Antonia del Balzo — A wedding feast described by 
 Matteo Bandello. 
 
 At the beginning of the sixteenth century the Gonzaga 
 family held a high position amongst the rulers of Northern 
 Italy. They had reigned in Mantua for nearly *wo cen- 
 turies since the first Lodovico Gonzaga had been chosen 
 Vicar-General by the Emperor. The family had risen 
 still higher in importance when a son of Gianfrancesco, 
 the first Marchese of Mantua, married Barbara of Branden- 
 burg. This Lodovico III. was persuaded by his wife to 
 divide his States amongst his sons : the eldest, Federico, 
 succeeded him in the title and the domains of Mantua ; 
 while Gianfrancesco, his mother's favourite, received 
 Bozzolo and Sabbioneta.* He married Antonia del Balzo, 
 and of this charming and accomplished lady we shall 
 hear much hereafter, as she survived most of her grand- 
 children. 
 
 Their eldest son Lodovico, who succeeded his father in 
 * See Genealogy I. 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 1496, married Francesca Fieschi, daughter of Gian Luigi 
 Fieschi, Lord of Genoa, and to them was born the peer- 
 less Giulia Gonzaga, the subject of this Memoir. The 
 date of her birth was 15 13,* and she was one of a large 
 family of sons and daughters. The eldest, Luigi, was 
 born in Mantua on August 15 in the year 1500, and was 
 of such splendid strength and stature that he was distin- 
 guished by the name of " Rodomonte." The next son was 
 called Pirro, and the third Gianfrancesco, to which was 
 added " Cagnino," to distinguish him from his kinsmen 
 of the same name. As for the sisters, there were Paola, 
 Ippolita and Leonora, Caterina and Elisabetta, all beautiful 
 and accomplished ; but we are told that Giulia, one of the 
 youngest, far surpassed them in every way. Their early 
 home was in the Castello of Gazzuolo, well situated above 
 the steep banks of the Oglio, a typical slow-flowing river 
 of the plains of Lombardy. 
 
 This branch of the Gonzaga family was famous, even in 
 those gallant days, for the splendid valour of the men and 
 the beauty of its women. This last they owed in a great 
 measure to the mother of Lodovico, Madonna Antonia del 
 Balzo, who was not only beautiful, but accomplished in 
 art and letters, retaining her wonderful charm and influ- 
 ence to extreme old age. She was the daughter of Pirro, 
 Prince of Altamura, heir of Des Baux, a Provencal family 
 so ancient as to dim the glory of all other boast of long 
 descent, for they claimed as their ancestor King Baldassare, 
 one of the three Magi, and proudly bore upon their coat-of- 
 arms the Star of Bethlehem. Her husband, Gianfrancesco 
 Gonzaga, had died in 1496, and the widowed Marchesa 
 made her home chiefly with her eldest son, Lodovico, the 
 father of Giulia to whom she was specially devoted, and 
 * " Amante," Giulia Gonzaga, p. 4. 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 who early learnt to share her grandmother's tastes in 
 literature. Madonna Antonia was an intimate friend of 
 Isabella d'Este, and we find in their letters many interest- 
 ing allusions to the books they both loved. As Antonia 
 said in one of her letters : "At this time, when I am often 
 unwell, and not able to go out much, I like to have books 
 read aloud to me, and thus pass the time pleasantly. . . . 
 Monsignore Lodovico especially loves the French romances, 
 and is glad to have them, as he has a youth in his house- 
 hold who is writing a book about Orlando, and hopes to 
 find some new incident in them. . . ."* 
 
 There is a charming letter of dedication to Madonna 
 Antonia by Matteo Bandello at the head of one of his 
 novelle.f In it he gives a delightful account of the 
 wedding at Casalmaggiore of Camilla, the youngest and 
 most charming of her seven daughters — an excellent 
 musician, who was wont to accompany her sweet voice 
 on the viol. Her elder sisters were all married to noble 
 gentlemen of Mantua or Milan ; but the bridegroom on this 
 occasion was a very great lord of the Kingdom of Naples — 
 Alfonso Castriotti, the Marchese Tripalda. The wedding 
 took place in the month of June, 15 17, and was probably 
 one of the most striking events of Giulia's young life. 
 This is the story of it, as told by the lively friar : 
 
 "II Bandello a I'lllustriss. et Eccellentiss. Heroina Madama 
 la Signore Antonia Bautia, Marchese di Gonzaga. 
 
 " Sal. 
 
 "At the most honourable and sumptuous wedding at 
 Casalmaggiore, in the Diocese of Cremona and your 
 Castello, so magnificently celebrated, when the virtuous 
 
 * The poet Lodovico Ariosto, who wrote the "Orlando Furioso." 
 t Matteo Bandello, Novella VII. in Book I. 
 
 3 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 Signora Bamilla, your daughter, took for her husband the 
 valiant Baron, the Lord Marchese de la Tripalda — to this 
 wedding, I say, the Signora Camilla herself deigned to 
 invite me, being in Milan, with a most kind and friendly 
 letter. . . . And to give greater authority to this letter, 
 there were five lines written by your hand, commanding 
 me that I should not fail to come, because no excuse of 
 mine would be accepted. This would have been quite 
 enough to make me fly and take post with all haste, even 
 if I had been at that time grievously ill. But behold, 
 another letter was given to me . . . written by the two 
 really true magnanimous heroes, your sons, the Signor 
 Federico and the Signor Pirro, who threatened to deprive 
 me of all their favour, with other penalties ... if I did 
 not come at once. Constrained by so many dear and sweet 
 commands, I put aside all other cares, and hastened to 
 come to Casalmaggiore. 
 
 " What shall I say of the kind reception and most 
 affectionate and flattering welcome which I received from 
 you all ? But indeed this is not my first acquaintance 
 with the charming courtesy, the true friendliness, and 
 splendid generosity of this most excellent and heroic 
 house of Gonzaga, which I have known for so long. 
 When I arrived, I found that already a great company of 
 noble lords, barons, and distinguished persons had come 
 to honour this wedding, and they were all most splendidly 
 lodged according to their rank, with noble hospitality. 
 The festivities had already commenced, and those who 
 wished to dance could most readily satisfy their desire, to 
 the sound of various musical instruments played by most 
 excellent musicians. There were also a variety of games, 
 in which those assembled took the greatest delight. Con- 
 jurors and buffoons were also present, and provided great 
 
 4 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 amusement by their performances, so that the time passed 
 most pleasantly. The heat being very great out of doors, 
 as is usual at this season of the year, I was sitting near 
 you one day at the hour of noon, when you rose and took 
 me by the hand, beckoning to the Signor Pirro and the 
 bride to follow you, and you led us into a hall on the 
 ground-floor, marvellously cool and pleasant. Many great 
 lords and ladies followed you, and when all had entered 
 and were conveniently seated, you chose a moment of 
 silence, and said : ' I have brought you here, my friends, 
 into this cool hall, not only on account of the great heat, 
 but also because of the crowd of so many people, and 
 I thought it would be more pleasant here. It came into 
 my mind, and may seem well to you, that, we should 
 leave the musicians in the other hall, and find here some 
 pleasing subject of conversation to pass away the hour of 
 noonday heat. If, therefore, there should happen to be 
 any of you who have at hand some goo tory, not too 
 much known, and would kindly relate it, I believe that this 
 honourable company would gladly stay and listen.' 
 
 " Everyone replied that this was a most admirable idea, 
 and that it ought to be carried out. Signor Pirro declared 
 that Madama had indeed given most excellent advice, 
 and he turned towards a Burgundian gentleman, by name 
 Edmond Orflec, who had long fought in Italy and served 
 under Signor Pirro, asking him if he would tell the stor)- 
 of which he had already spoken at Bozzolo. The Bur- 
 gundian needed no pressing, and at once began to relate 
 his tale, which filled his hearers with amazement and pity 
 to such a point that few of the men and none of the ladies 
 could restrain their tears of sympathy and compassion. 
 And because the story was somewhat long ... I took 
 notes of it, and wrote it out more fully when I returned 
 
 5 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 to Milan. ... I wish to dedicate it to your most noble 
 name, and will place it with my other novelle. ... It 
 will remain to the world a testimony of my service and 
 devotion to you and to all your illustrious house. And I 
 commend myself with all reverence to your good grace, 
 and pray our Lord God that He will grant you the fulfil- 
 ment of all your desires. I pray you remain in good 
 health." * 
 
 After this interesting event, we must return to the 
 Castello of Gazzuolo, where Giulia Gonzaga, not yet five 
 years old, had already begun her serious education. The 
 little girls shared the classical teaching of their brothers, 
 and were taught Latin and Greek, some branches of the 
 " humanities " and the " art of poetry " by learned tutors, 
 who never failed to remind them that they had the privi- 
 lege of reading the poems of Virgil in the very land in 
 which they were written. They were carefully trained in 
 the methods of the famous teacher, Vittorino da Feltre, 
 who had been so successful with their ancestors, and the 
 cultured Cecilia Gonzaga was held up to them as a lofty 
 and shining example. One of the most famous professors 
 who taught the Gonzaga children was Messer Giovanni 
 Buonavoglia of Mantua, who held the Chair of Eloquence 
 at Novilana, near Pesaro. It was his boast in later years 
 that it was he " who led the Signor Luigi Rodomonte to 
 the Castalian fountain, and taught him that ' art of 
 poetry ' in which he became so great a proficient that his 
 verses won praise from the greatest poets of the day." 
 Ariosto speaks of the young prince as " beloved alike by 
 Mars and the Muses." f 
 
 * Matteo Bandello, Novella VII., Book I. 
 t " Orlando Furioso," Canto XXXVII., stanza viii. 
 6 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 This eldest and dearest loved brother of Giulia was no 
 less gifted in body than in mind, and if his tutors found 
 him an apt and brilliant pupil in his studies, he was still 
 more distinguished by his strength and stature — his mag- 
 nificent personal qualities. He was so strong with his 
 hands that he could break a horseshoe with them or tear 
 a cord asunder ; with one hand he could raise and throw 
 an iron ball which other men could not lift, and he had 
 been seen to leap across the Castle moat, where it was 
 twenty -four feet wide. There was no horse which he 
 could not easily tame ; no one could beat him in racing, 
 in wrestling, or the game of pallone and other sports. 
 He was always first in the hunting-field, and was in- 
 vincible in tournaments. 
 
 If his sisters could not share these more active pursuits, 
 they learnt to ride almost as soon as to walk, and theirs 
 was the delight of hunting in that wild, open country, 
 or the still dearer joy of hawking by those misty river- 
 banks where the herons and the wild-fowl had their home. 
 Nor were more womanly tasks forgotten : the young girls 
 were taught the pleasing art of the dance ; they became 
 proficients in music and singing ; their mother, the gentle 
 Francesca, watched over their lessons in the delicate 
 arts of needlework and embroidery, while their religious 
 education was entrusted to the Sisters of the Convent of 
 Santa Maria, near by. 
 
 From all that we hear about her, Giulia Gonzaga seems 
 to have excelled the other wonderful maidens of the 
 Renaissance whose fame has reached us. It is said of 
 her at the time that " Nature had bestowed upon her 
 the most rare gifts alike of body and soul ; the charm 
 which shone forth in her words and deeds was accom- 
 panied by a modesty and grace which drew all hearts to 
 
 7 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 her. Not only did she distinguish herself in her classical 
 studies, in music and song, but she had such a wonder- 
 ful talent that she learnt all new things with amazing 
 rapidity. ..." 
 
 The learned Professor, Giovanni Buonavoglia, thus 
 mentions her in a well-known Latin poem : " . . . But 
 Giulia far surpasses all her sisters. Her modesty cannot 
 hide her talents and her charms ; she is ever ready with 
 witty sayings, yet ever full of courtesy. She can sing the 
 sweetest melodies ; she is as devoted to learning as a 
 Minerva, and with the talent of an artist she is also able 
 to reproduce the many beauties of Nature." Of her 
 unrivalled beauty we shall have occasion to give full 
 testimony later. 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 Luigi Rodomonte Gonzaga at Mantua to attend funeral of the 
 Marchese Francesco — Happy family life at Gazzuolo — Gallant 
 adventures of Luigi — His visit to England with the Emperor 
 Charles V. — His poetry — Talent and beauty of the young Giulia 
 Gonzaga — She is invited to accompany the Marchesa Isabella 
 d' Este to Rome. 
 
 A very charming account is given of the peaceful happy 
 life of the Gonzaga family in their home at Gazzuolo. 
 Under the watchful care of Madonna Antonia, the 
 children's education was carried on with brilliant success 
 by the most famous teachers of the day, while at the 
 same time the ardent pursuit of all outdoor sports was 
 encouraged. Yet in their isolated country life, constant 
 echoes from the world beyond did not fail to reach 
 them. Their father Lodovico had outlived his days of 
 active travel and warfare, of which he had taken his full 
 share, and had no great taste for Courts or cities. Still, 
 he was anxious that his sons should play their rightful 
 part alike in peace and war, and he lost no opportunity 
 of sending his eldest son on great occasions as his repre- 
 sentative. Thus when, in April, 1519, there occurred the 
 death of his kinsman, the Marchese Francesco Gonzaga, 
 Luigi Rodomonte went in state to Mantua to pay due 
 respect to the departed prince by attending his funeral, 
 and at the same time to honour and show sympathy with 
 his cousin Federico, the new lord of Mantua. There was 
 
 9 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 a great procession from the old Castello in which Luigi 
 rode with a company of nobles and gentlemen on April 4, 
 when the young Marchese received the sceptre of office 
 at the great gate of the Cathedral, and afterwards made a 
 solemn progress through the city, his steward riding in 
 front of him with a naked sword held aloft, while the 
 people shouted "Viva Gonzaga!" to an accompaniment 
 of drums and trumpets. Meantime, the body of the late 
 ruler, clad in the garb of a friar, had been carried to the 
 Church of San Francesco, and a week later was placed on 
 a raised bier surrounded with lighted torches and hung 
 with banners, while all the princes of his house assembled 
 to do honour to the head of their family, and the cere- 
 monies were concluded the next day by a most eloquent 
 funeral oration given by Ambrogio Fiandino, Suffragan 
 Bishop of Mantua. 
 
 The next record we have is a letter from Luigi, giving 
 his father a full account of the splendid tournament held 
 in Mantua on February 19, 1520, when he greatly distin- 
 guished himself and carried off high honours for a youth 
 of barely twenty. 
 
 It was in this same year that he had his first taste of 
 real war, in the service of the League formed by Pope 
 Leo X. and Charles V., Emperor, to drive the French 
 from the Duchy of Milan. The following year, when 
 the Marchese Federico was made Captain-General of the 
 Papal forces, Luigi received a command under him, and 
 fought under the Gonzaga banners. He was present at 
 the recovery of Parma and Piacenza for the Holy See and 
 also at the taking of Milan for the Emperor. 
 
 In this terrible war which raged between the Emperor 
 and the King of France, in which Italy was the battlefield, 
 it was most sad and unfortunate that the House of Gon- 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 zaga was divided in its allegiance. Long years before, 
 Luigi's father Lodovico and his brother Federico had 
 been sent to the Court of Charles VIII. of France to 
 learn the art of war and the courteous ways of chivalry 
 in the service of that prince. It was fortunate that later 
 events and the advice of his wise mother, Madonna 
 Antonia, induced Lodovico to choose and faithfully 
 continue in the service of the Emperor Charles V., but 
 his brothers Federico and Pirro remained on the side of 
 France — a disaster for them. It was in 1498 that his 
 mother arranged a suitable wedding for her eldest son 
 Lodovico with the eighteen-year-old Francesca di Fieschi, 
 of a noble family of Genoa. After their marriage the 
 parents of Giulia chiefly resided at the Castello of Gaz- 
 zuolo until, in 1521, there was a fresh division of property 
 amongst the family, and Lodovico took the title of Mar- 
 chese of Sabbioneta, while Gazzuolo fell to the share of 
 his brother Pirro, who married Donna Emilia Bentivoglio 
 of Bologna. 
 
 Giulia was nine years old when they moved to Sab- 
 bioneta, and they all became very fond of this country 
 home, where they had more freedom to enjoy their hunt- 
 ing and hawking and other sports and pastimes. The 
 sunniest and pleasantest rooms in the old Castello were 
 given up to Madonna Antonia, who was always the 
 beloved queen and ruler in everything. Nothing was 
 ever done without her advice, for she was as wise in 
 counsel as she was charming in conversation. She was 
 very fond of literature and especially delighted in the old 
 French romances. She often borrowed books from the 
 Marchesa Isabella d' Este, and it was a great delight 
 to the young girls to read aloud to their grandmother 
 those charming stories of olden days, " The Story of 
 
 11 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 Godefroi de Bouillon," and the fine romance of " King 
 Arthur and the gallant Knights of the Round Table." 
 But her taste was not confined to such tales, for she was 
 a devoted admirer of the poet Dante, and the " Epistles 
 of St. Jerome " was also a favourite book of hers. Her 
 grandson Luigi shared all these tastes when he was at 
 home, and he, as well as his father, began collecting books 
 very early, so that in time they had quite a fine library. 
 But Luigi was not much at Sabbioneta to enjoy it, for 
 soon after he went there his father thought it well to send 
 him to the Court of the Emperor Charles V. in Spain. 
 His gallant adventurous spirit took the greatest delight 
 in this opportunity of visiting so noble a prince and so 
 distinguished a company as he found assembled at the 
 city of Valladolid. 
 
 Wherever he went, Rodomonte was always so remark- 
 able for his marvellous strength of body and unrivalled 
 skill in all games and sports, which have been celebrated 
 alike in poetry and in prose, that it is not easy to write 
 down the story of his exploits. The poet Muzio was one 
 of those who sang the praise " of him who could cast the 
 great stone and raise the mighty bar, who could lightly 
 spring beyond the farthest limits of others, whose wrestling 
 none could resist, and in all such adventures there was no 
 man who could hope to rival him. He rose above others, 
 as the lofty tree above the humble shrubs." Also Curzio 
 Gonzaga, in " II Fido Amante." But so high was the 
 favour of this valiant youth with the Emperor that we 
 can scarcely wonder it should arouse envy and jealousy 
 among the courtiers. They found a gigantic Moor, of 
 monstrous build and strength, a noted wrestler who was 
 the champion everywhere he appeared ; and he was per- 
 suaded to challenge the Italian noble whom no one at the 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 Court could beat. I have before me at this moment a 
 most interesting letter from a noble gentleman, who 
 told the lord of Sabbioneta the whole adventure which 
 followed : 
 
 " Ill mo Signov eccell m ° Lodovico di Sablonete. 
 
 " It has seemed to me well that you should learn the 
 whole truth in this matter to the greater glory of your 
 most gallant and valiant young son. When he received 
 the challenge of this gigantic and terrible Negro, we, his 
 friends, considering his immature youth and smaller 
 experience, would have had Signor Luigi refuse the 
 contest, but he eagerly and gladly accepted it. At the 
 time and place appointed, there was a great company 
 assembled to behold this wrestling. On the struggle itself 
 I will not dwell, save to tell you that with the most 
 marvellous skill and courage our young champion seized 
 his mighty foe, and seven times, one after the other, cast 
 him down on to the breast of his mother earth. You may 
 picture the amazement of the spectators, who, like the 
 Negro himself, made quite sure that this David could 
 never stand up against such a Goliath. But at the time, 
 your son Luigi was compared to Hercules wrestling with 
 the giant Antaeus, and with a like result, wherein we do 
 see the righteous judgment of God * most clearly displayed 
 in the victory of his most Christian champion. His 
 fame has not only spread through our country of Spain, 
 but has been noised abroad to foreign parts, and the 
 English ambassadors have written to tell their most 
 famous King, Henry VIII., of all they have seen and 
 heard about this young hero. This is the more interest - 
 
 * Thus described by Dante, " De Monarchia," Book II., viii. 
 78-83, x. 87-89. 
 
 13 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 ing, as we hear that the Emperor, who is soon to pay a 
 visit to the English Court, has promised to bring this 
 brave Luigi Rodomonte Gonzaga in his train. . . ." 
 
 We have a very full account later from Luigi himself of 
 this State visit to England with the young Emperor, who 
 was so near his own age, having been born at Ghent on 
 February 24, 1500. They landed at Dover on May 6, 
 and were received with great magnificence in London, 
 and with splendid feasts and entertainments at Greenwich 
 and also at Windsor Castle. The Emperor was warmly 
 welcomed by Queen Katharine, his aunt, the daughter of 
 the great Queen of Spain, Isabel. He had much serious 
 business with King Henry VIII., and was able to borrow 
 from him a large sum of money to carry on the war with 
 France, on condition of signing an agreement to marry 
 his young cousin, the Princess Mary of England. But 
 these affairs of State did not interfere with splendid 
 tournaments and hunting in the forests of Windsor, and 
 in both these pursuits Luigi appears to have won the 
 highest honours from both sovereigns. There was one 
 incident of his single-handed contest with a wild boar 
 which was thought worthy of an eclogue by the poet 
 Muzio. 
 
 Meantime a rebellion in Spain broke out against the 
 Emperor, who returned thither with the young Gonzaga, 
 landing at Santandar on July 6. On this occasion Rodo- 
 monte wrote a sonnet to encourage his lord, who received 
 his poetical tribute with much friendliness : 
 
 " L' anima altera dal celeste Impero 
 
 D' imbraccia al suo Fattor sincera, e pura 
 Volse giu gli oochi a la sua dolce cura, 
 Da cui giammai non parte il bel pensiero. 
 
 14 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 E disse : ' o figliuol mio, figliuol mio vero 
 
 De le mie glorie nato, e di natura 
 
 Chiaro splendor, questa vita aspra, e dura 
 
 Non ti travii dal tuo dritto sentiero. 
 Svegliati, e mira il grave peso, e tante 
 
 Fatiche, ov'io morendo ardito entrasti 
 
 Qual Ercol sotto il faticoso Atlante. 
 Frena il tumulto Ibero, e i gran contrasti 
 
 Con quella lingua, e con quel bel sembiante, 
 
 Con cui giunto a 1' ardir lode acquistasti.' "* 
 
 Sonnet I. 
 
 The rebellion in Spain was very soon put down, and 
 the young sovereign was received with much honour and 
 reverence by most of his subjects. An unfortunate inci- 
 dent occurred soon after this, when Pirro, now Lord of 
 Gazzuolo, followed the example of his brother Federico 
 Gonzaga of Bozzolo, and took arms on the side of France. 
 There may have been excuses for him — although that 
 particular branch of the family was always loyal to the 
 Emperor — for the French nobles and officers they had 
 occasion to meet were so much more courteous and 
 pleasant to live with than the proud Spaniards or the 
 rough Germans, whom the elder Pirro always declared 
 were " insupportable." But this revolt was a most serious 
 
 * " The lofty soul of the Emperor (Maximilian, who died 1519), 
 sincere and pure from the heavenly embrace of his Creator, turns to 
 look down upon his dear charge (his grandson Charles) whom his 
 loving thoughts never leave. And he says : ' Oh, my son, my true 
 son, born to my glory and with a nature of such clear splendour, this 
 life so rough and hard will not draw you away from the straight road ! 
 Awake and consider the heavy burden and the many labours which 
 I, dying, cared to undertake, like Hercules under the weight of 
 Atlas. Bridle tumultuous Spain and the great rebellion with the 
 same language and the same splendid aspect with which I dared to 
 arrive, and acquire my fame.' " 
 
 15 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 matter for him, as, on hearing of it, the young Emperor 
 declared that the estates of both Federico and Pirro were 
 confiscated ; and by a deed, signed January 13 at Valla- 
 dolid, he bestowed upon their nephew Luigi, as a reward 
 for his good service, the lands of his uncle Pirro. The 
 property of Federico of Bozzolo was given to the young 
 Marchese of Mantua, who had at once claimed them as 
 former fiefs of his branch of the family. All this added 
 much to the dissensions amongst the Gonzaga ; but Luigi 
 was far too generous to profit by this gift, and his only 
 thought was to hold the lands on behalf of his young 
 cousins. His father quite agreed with this intention, and 
 his mother wrote Luigi a most charming letter in praise 
 of his generous feeling. 
 
 Some little time before Lodovico had received a visit at 
 Casalmaggiore from Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, 
 and he with his large company, were entertained with the 
 greatest kindness and hospitality. For this Sforza made 
 a very base return, as he resolved to get possession of 
 this property of Lodovico's, and in order to do so left a 
 number of his soldiers behind under pretext of protecting 
 the inhabitants from the French. In this way he gradually 
 became complete master of it all, notwithstanding the 
 complaints and solemn protest of Lodovico Gonzaga. A 
 much pleasanter visitor arrived about the same time, who 
 stayed first at Casalmaggiore and then at Sabbioneta. 
 This was the poet Giovanni Buonavoglia, who was the 
 most interesting and delightful guest, and wrote a beautiful 
 Latin poem, in which he described in glowing words the 
 almost pastoral life at Sabbioneta, and, above all, the 
 unapproachable charm of Madonna Antonia del Balzo : 
 " Born of a race of kings, her majestic rule was one of 
 wisdom and piety; beloved of Minerva and the Muses, 
 
 16 
 
FAMILY OF LODOVICO GONZAGA— Marchese of Mantua. 
 
 Ancestor of Giulia. 
 Andrea Mantegni. Mantua. 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 her beauty and her virtues were inherited by her children 
 and descendants. A mother of heroes, amongst whom 
 he mentions her grandson Luigi — another Achilles — as 
 wearing at the same time the wreath of Apollo. The 
 maidens of her household were radiant stars, and to hear 
 them sing was like listening to the heavenly choir." 
 
 We have now reached the eventful winter of the year 
 1524, when Giulia had attained the age of > twelve years. 
 Her family had always remained on friendly terms of 
 intimacy with the ruling Gonzagas of Mantua, as we have 
 already seen on various occasions. As early as 1520 Giulia 
 had written a letter to the young Marchese Federico, 
 sending him a new piece of music. As this is the first of 
 her many letters preserved to us, I will give it in full : 
 
 " Casalmaggiore, 
 
 " October 23, 1520.* 
 
 " Il mo et Ex mo Signor. . . . Hearing that Your Excel- 
 lency has great pleasure and takes much delight in musical 
 matters, and especially in new things, desiring, therefore, 
 to please you, I send enclosed a mottetto which has 
 been composed by Mons. Sebastiano Testa, servant of 
 the most Reverend Monsignore de Mondovi . . . this 
 mottetto not being yet in the hands of anyone. . . ." 
 
 In the following spring this little girl of barely nine 
 years old, sent another piece of new music to the Marchese 
 of Mantua, the first one having been graciously received. 
 
 The widowed Marchesa, Isabella d' Este, had found her 
 position much changed since her husband's death, and 
 circumstances had now given a fresh impulse to her love 
 of travelling. Her second son Ercole, to whom she was 
 
 * Arch. Gonz. Mantova. See Appendix for original, note 1. 
 
 17 2 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 greatly devoted, had already been made a Bishop at the 
 age of fifteen; but his mother's ambition was not yet 
 satisfied, and she had set her heart upon obtaining a 
 Cardinal's hat for him. Her efforts had been in vain 
 during the last months of Leo X.'s life, but now she 
 hoped to have more success with the new Pope, 
 Clement VII. She therefore resolved to make another 
 journey to Rome, where the Duke of Urbino had offered 
 her the use of his palace. Isabella was well aware that 
 on her popularity depended her great success in obtaining 
 all that she wished ; and in order to attain this she had 
 a way of surrounding herself with " a glittering train of 
 beautiful women," * amongst whom a " Delia " or a 
 " Brognina " would at times become notorious. We may 
 be sure that the astute Marchesa had long had her eye 
 upon the young cousin, who was already spoken of for her 
 surpassing charm and loveliness. 
 
 Thus it came about that at Christmas, 1524, there 
 arrived at Sabbioneta an amazing letter from Isabella 
 d' Este — nothing less than a warm invitation that Giulia 
 should join her in a visit to the Eternal City. We may 
 imagine the excitement in that quiet household, and the 
 solemn family conference which took place to decide this 
 important question. What might not be the result of this 
 journey for their beautiful child, who might thus achieve 
 some splendid marriage, for the Marchesa was well known 
 to be a great matchmaker ? The anxious fears of the 
 girl's gentle mother would be soothed by the news that 
 another cousin, the charming Camilla Gonzaga of Novel- 
 laria,+ would also be of the party ; while Madonna Antonia, 
 
 * Addington Symonds. 
 
 t Her praises were sung by Molza and Bembo. She married later 
 Count Alessandro di Porto, of Vicenza. 
 
 18 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 with the wise experience of long years, would point out 
 that every bird must leave the nest in time, and that it is 
 the nature of youth to long for change and movement. 
 Giulia could be trusted to do justice to her admirable 
 home-training. 
 
 As for the young girl herself, eager and thoughtful 
 beyond her twelve years, to her the prospect must have 
 seemed to throw open the gates of stirring life and adven- 
 ture. It would be hard to say farewell to her loved ones, 
 and she would long be haunted by the familiar memories 
 of her home — the broad expanse of flowery meadows, the 
 river softly rippling by under the shadow of bending 
 willows and tall whispering poplars, while far away on 
 the distant hillside, towns and castles glimmered out of 
 the blue mist. But she would cross those mysterious 
 mountains, she would see what lay beyond ; and there 
 was joy passing words in the thought that she would 
 travel to Rome itself — that marvellous city of her 
 dreams ! 
 
 In truth, Giulia was somewhat lonely at this time, for 
 her three brothers had gone out into the world, and one 
 by one her sisters had met with their appointed fate. 
 " Chi e nata bella e nata maritabile." First, Paola had be- 
 come the bride of Signor Galeazzo Sanvitale, Lord of 
 Fontanellato ; then came the turn of Ippolita, who married 
 Galeotto Pico, Conte della Mirandola; and Leonora the 
 Conte Girolamo Martinengo. Marriage had snatched 
 them away from her with inevitable devouring force, akin 
 to death, or so it seemed, for the home where they were 
 so happy and beloved henceforth knew them no more. 
 Two other sisters, Caterina and Elisabetta, became nuns 
 in the Convent of San Vicenzo, in Mantua ; but the 
 cloister had no attractions for Giulia. 
 
 19 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 When at length the die was cast, and the eager child 
 rode forth to Mantua with her father and mother, she 
 prepared to take leave of them with gallant courage and 
 wild expectation, little dreaming what would befall her 
 ere she saw them again. 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 The journey to Rome : By the River Po to Ferrara, where they are 
 received by Duke Alfonso I. d' Este — Onwards to Ravenna and 
 Rimini — Warm welcome at Pesaro and Urbino by the Duchess- 
 Dowager Elisabetta Gonzaga and the Duchess Leonora, daughter 
 of Isabella d' Este — On the journey beyond Loreto they receive 
 news of the Battle of Pavia (February 24, 1525) — Arrival in 
 Rome — Interview with Pope Clement VII. — Life in the Colonna 
 Palace. 
 
 Not until the darkest months of winter had passed away, 
 and the coming of February heralded the approach of 
 more hopeful weather, did Isabella d' Este, the widowed 
 Marchesa of Mantua, set forth on her journey to Rome. 
 It is difficult for us to realize at the present day what 
 a serious matter travelling was to the ladies of the 
 Renaissance. We cannot wonder that riding was looked 
 upon as an indispensable accomplishment, for a long land 
 journey was made entirely on horseback, day after day, in 
 all weather, except in the case of those who, from age or 
 infirmity, were compelled to use horse-litters. On this 
 occasion, however, as Isabella was bent upon paying a 
 visit to her old home at Ferrara by the way, the River Po 
 was available for crossing the plains of Lombardy. The 
 Marchesa had sent on most of her attendants a month 
 before with the heavy baggage, and she took only her 
 ladies and her secretary, Giovanni Francesco Tridapale, 
 with a suite sufficient for protection and comfort. 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 To Giulia Gonzaga, in the heyday of youth and health, 
 it was a glorious adventure thus to set forth with that gay 
 company through a strange and, to her, untravelled land, 
 towards that ancient city of renown, the home of art and 
 learning, the central shrine of Christendom. Her child- 
 hood seemed to have been left behind, for this was her 
 first experience of being treated by her companions as 
 a full-blown lady, her words listened to with respect and 
 attention, and every wish forestalled by the gallant 
 gentlemen who formed the suite of the Marchesa. The 
 great lady was kindness itself, called Giulia her dear 
 young cousin, and would constantly invite the child to 
 sit by her side. The young girl made great friends at 
 once with Camilla Gonzaga, who was a few years older 
 and had much more experience of Courts, so that she was 
 able to give many useful hints. 
 
 The journey as far as Ferrara was by river, in a stately 
 bucentaur, and they were fortunate in having a prosperous 
 voyage. Here, in the ancient city, a welcome awaited 
 them of grave and stately hospitality, for Duke Alfonso 
 was devoted to his sister Isabella ; but there were no 
 festivities or amusements of any kind, for the Court was 
 in mourning, and life had been very quiet and dull since 
 the death of the Duchess Lucrezia,* to whom her husband 
 was greatly devoted. Still, there were many interesting 
 things to see for a country maiden like Giulia : the great 
 Castello itself, a splendid medieval fortress, with its 
 massive walls and great corner towers ; the beautiful 
 Duomo, with San Giorgio and the dragon over the portal, 
 and the warrior-saint in his shining armour seen every- 
 where — the patron of the Ferrara Princes. 
 
 However, after three days, they were glad to continue 
 
 * Lucrezia Borgia, who died in 1519. 
 22 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 their journey, and the broad river was again their high- 
 way until they came to the great swampy reaches which 
 form the delta of the Po. Then they had to make their 
 way across the shallow lagoons in rude flat-bottomed 
 boats, such as have been used there from time immemorial. 
 Beyond this, they were able to ride along the narrow strip 
 of sandy ground which encloses the shallow, swampy 
 reaches from the sea, until before them rose the wonder- 
 ful Pineta, the dark, silent pine-forest, through which they 
 at length reached that old city of classic fame, and entered 
 Ravenna by the great Porta Serrata. Here they made 
 a brief stay in that dream city, haunted by legends of the 
 past. Those gorgeous basilicas, with their rich mosaics ; 
 those processions of splendid princes and Magi and white- 
 robed virgins would ever dwell in Giulia's mind, for they so 
 vividly recalled to her the teaching of Messer Buonavoglia. 
 He was an ardent worshipper of Dante, and he ever held 
 that it was here, in these solemn pictures, that Dante had 
 drawn his inspiration for the great company of the re- 
 deemed, moving in rhythmical circles through the central 
 Rose of Paradise. 
 
 From Ravenna they set forth on horseback, and for 
 some miles the way led them through the great Pineta, 
 with its shady groves and mysterious silence, from whence 
 they rode forth along the sandy dunes and the misty 
 shore, where the sea-birds made their home, and where 
 they clustered round in flocks, wailing their sad, melan- 
 choly cry. Passing through Cervia, they reached Rimini 
 as the dusk was closing in, and were hospitably received 
 in the Palace of the Malatesti, who were kindred of theirs 
 through an ancestress, Paola,* as the Marchesa Isabella 
 
 * Paola Malatesta, who died in 1453, married Gianfrancesco II., 
 first Marchese of Mantua, 1395-1^]^. 
 
 23 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 reminded Camilla and Giulia. But another and a deeper 
 interest was aroused ; for was not this the scene of that 
 most tragic story of the great poet ? — the drama of Paolo 
 and Francesco, who loved too well where love should 
 have had no place, and to whom Dante sternly metes out 
 unswerving justice, and places them within the dread 
 portals where all hope is left behind, but, with a touch of 
 pitiful mercy, leaves them together. 
 
 The next morning they set out early on the way to 
 Pesaro ; first a beautiful ride along the coast, then crossing 
 a chain of hills which descend towards the sea; while 
 again it was late in the day when they reached their 
 destination. A splendid welcome awaited them. They 
 were met some distance outside the gates of the city by a 
 gallant company of young knights, with Signor Guidobaldo, 
 a charming boy of eleven, at their head ; he had ridden 
 forward to receive with perfect courtesy his grandmother, 
 the Marchesa Isabella. Her daughter Leonora, Duchess 
 of Urbino, was awaiting her at the entrance of the palace 
 in the great piazza, and with her was the Dowager-Duchess 
 Elisabetta ; but the Duke Francesco Maria was away on 
 military service, as General of the Venetian Army. The 
 whole party were most sumptuously entertained ; but the 
 first evening they saw nothing of the two Duchesses, as 
 they were so fully engaged in the joy of pouring out their 
 hearts to the Marchesa. The great reception-rooms of the 
 ancient palace were most beautifully painted with coloured 
 friezes, while the chimney-pieces and columns were marvels 
 of sculpture.* There was also a great library, full of rare 
 books. On the second evening after their arrival they had 
 a delightful pastoral play, with very good music, and 
 afterwards finished the evening with dancing. 
 
 * By Ambrosio Baroccio and Francesco di Giorgio, of Siena. 
 
 24 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 It was with great regret that the company turned away 
 from these pleasures ; but Madonna Isabella could not 
 be persuaded to stay any longer, and on February 19 
 they continued the journey onwards towards Loreto, the 
 pilgrim shrine, passing Sinigaglia on their way. The 
 whole of this adventure — her first taste of the joys of 
 travel — would live in Giulia's memory as an ever-changing 
 vision of delight. She had long heard of Loreto, and it 
 was with intense interest that she saw rising before her 
 the picturesque hill-town, famed for so marvellous a 
 legend. As they entered the great church and made their 
 way towards the lowly " Casa Santa" — that house of Our 
 Lady at Nazareth said to have been so miraculously trans- 
 ported hither — it was strange beyond all words to think of 
 the untold hosts of the sick and sorrowful who had trodden 
 that well-worn path, to pray for help or pay their vows. 
 
 After Loreto the journey continued across the moun- 
 tains, and they travelled through Foligno, Spoleto, Terni, 
 and Narni, where they crossed the Bridge of Augustus on 
 the Flaminian Way. One thing would stand out in vivid 
 relief : it was in this part of their travels that a tremendous 
 piece of news fell upon them like a thunder-clap. An 
 exhausted messenger, who had ridden night and day, 
 brought word that a great battle had been fought before 
 Pavia on February 24, with terrible loss of life. The 
 Imperial troops had won a most decisive victory, while 
 the defeat of the French King, Francois I., was so com- 
 plete that he himself had been taken prisoner. It was 
 a fearful moment of anxiety, for they all had friends in 
 one army or the other. Giulia knew that Luigi was in 
 Spain with the Emperor, but her uncles, Pirro and 
 Federico Gonzaga, were fighting on the French side, and 
 the report received was that they were taken prisoners. 
 
 25 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 Madonna Isabella had many friends on that battlefield, 
 and was only eager to hasten onwards to Rome and obtain 
 more certain news. Every mile was now bringing them 
 nearer to that wonderful and famous city, but such was 
 their impatience that the longed-for goal of their desire 
 seemed to flee before them. 
 
 " When you gain the summit of yonder hill you will 
 discover Rome," they were told. Eagerly they climbed 
 the steep ascent, unconscious of fatigue, but no city 
 appeared. "You will see it from the next," was the cry; 
 and so on from height to height. But at length they per- 
 ceived a cluster of hills with green pastures on their 
 summits, enclosed by thickets and groves of ilex, while 
 here and there a white building caught a gleam from the 
 setting sun. Then domes and towers began to rise from 
 the mist of the valley, and the Marchesa pointed out the 
 magnificent roofs of the Vatican, with San Pietro rising 
 proudly above them. Every moment the glorious scene 
 expanded before them, until, winding round the last hill, 
 all Rome was suddenly outspread before their longing 
 gaze. With what a feeling of awe would they ride down 
 the hill, cross the bridge over the Tiber, pass through the 
 long avenue, enter the city of the Caesars by the Porto del 
 Popolo, and behold, as in a vision, the domes, the churches, 
 the obelisk, the long perspective of streets and palaces 
 beyond, all aglow in the ruddy gold of a sunset sky ! 
 
 In the grand palace of the Duke of Urbino, at the right 
 of the Corso in Rome, everything was prepared for her 
 comfort, as the Marchesa Isabella had sent her servants 
 a month in advance with all the heavy baggage. It was 
 close to the very ancient and sacred Church of " Santa 
 Maria, in Via Lata," which is said to have been built over 
 the very house in which St. Paul lodged when he was in 
 
 26 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 Rome. In this church is a little chapel, where legend 
 says that St. Luke wrote his Gospel and painted the 
 effigy of the Mother of God. 
 
 It was the first day of March when they reached Rome, 
 and found all the Papal Court, as well as His Holiness 
 Pope Clement VII. himself, in a state of the greatest 
 excitement at the news of the Imperial victory at Pavia. 
 The Marchesa had to mourn the death of many friends, 
 but at the same time she was very proud of the important 
 part which her nephew, Charles, Duke of Bourbon, had 
 taken on the side of the Emperor. He was the son of 
 her sister-in-law, Chiara Gonzaga, who married the gallant 
 Duke of Montpensier. The Pope had been so strongly 
 on the side of the French that he felt alarmed at this 
 great success of the Imperial party, and possibly this 
 made him more anxious to secure the support of Mantua, 
 for he showed himself most friendly to Madonna Isabella, 
 who received a warm welcome from him, although recent 
 events had left him in a state of painful excitement. 
 
 It was a wonderful experience for the young girl to find 
 herself indeed in Rome, the city of her dreams. How 
 wonderful must have been the strange, mysterious glamour 
 of that ancient city to an eager child who had been taught 
 to look upon it, not only as the Sacred Throne of Holy 
 Church, but as the true home and centre of classic story ! 
 She could stray back into the past, and feel that the 
 heroes of old were rising in stately procession before her, 
 and, above all, in the hours of solitude and silence would 
 the magic vision be vouchsafed to her. As she looked 
 down from a high window in that great palace upon the 
 Via Lata* below, flooded with silvery moonlight, she could 
 imagine that Csesar was on his way from the Forum 
 * Now called the Via del Corso. 
 27 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 yonder, with all the gorgeous pageant of an Imperial 
 triumph over the barbarians. And surely that white-robed 
 company, passing onward with noiseless steps, could be 
 none other than the solemn procession of the Vestal 
 Virgins on their way to the Temple of Vesta, whose 
 Abbess — the Virgo Vestalis Maxima — had but this moment 
 saved from death the trembling criminal she met, with a 
 single word and uplifted hand! But I must not dwell 
 longer upon classic Rome the beloved, and her deathless 
 fame, but will go back to the story of Giulia, whose 
 unspoken enthusiasm would be little shared, for the 
 Marchesa, her ladies-in-waiting, and all the friends she 
 met, seemed to be entirely engrossed in the present. 
 
 The recent Battle of Pavia, with the crushing defeat 
 and captivity of the French King and the triumph of the 
 Emperor, was the one topic of conversation. Madonna 
 Isabella more especially had to mourn the loss of many 
 friends, stricken down by the scythe of Death on that 
 fatal field. A kinsman of Gonzaga descent, Charles, Duke 
 of Bourbon, was in high command of the Imperial troops, 
 and won the highest honours of the day. The Spanish 
 soldiers sang his praises in one of their camp ballads : 
 
 " Calla, calla, Julio Cesar, Annibal y Scipion 
 Viva la fama di Borbon !" 
 
 A cousin of Giulia, Federico da Bozzolo, who had been 
 taken prisoner, bribed his guards and made his escape, 
 and there was a rumour that his uncle Pirro had done the 
 same. Lodovico Gonzaga wrote from Sabbioneta to his 
 son Luigi, who had missed this chance of war and dis- 
 tinction, being at the Court of Spain, desiring him to 
 congratulate the Emperor on the success of his arms, and 
 to pray for a continuance of his favour. 
 
 28 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 As soon as the Marchesa was settled in Rome, she lost 
 no time in advancing the cause for which she had travelled 
 so far. In reply to her earnest request, His Holiness 
 Pope Clement invited her to a private audience in his 
 palace at the Vatican. This was arranged for March 9, 
 a week after her arrival, and such prompt courtesy gave 
 her every reason to hope for success. 
 
 When the eventful day arrived, Isabella d' Este set forth 
 with as much state as possible in her fine chariot — a 
 novelty in Rome — and drove up the Via Lata, through 
 the crowded streets westward, and across the Tiber, 
 leaving the sombre mass of Sant' Angelo to the right, 
 until the magnificent basilica of San Pietro rose in majesty 
 before her, and she reached the palace of the Vatican. 
 Here she alighted before the colonnade, and was ushered 
 through long corridors and up more than one splendid 
 staircase, until she finally arrived in the private audience- 
 chamber and the presence of His Holiness. 
 
 The Marchesa knelt before the successor of San Pietro, 
 and kissed his signet-ring ; then, as she raised her eyes to 
 the august being before her, she saw a handsome man of 
 middle age, with a fine intellectual countenance and hair 
 slightly tinged with grey. The only doubtful feature was 
 the mouth, which lacked firmness and decision, and there 
 was a curious shifty look about the dark eyes. A most 
 characteristic conversation was carried on between the 
 Pope Clement VII. and the Marchesa of Mantua, both 
 experienced and astute in diplomacy. He was most 
 gracious and full of tact, asked the right questions con- 
 cerning her family, inquired about the incidents of her 
 journey from Lombardy, and all the time managed to 
 express his immense interest in his visitor personally. 
 Madonna Isabella kept up the ball of conversation with 
 
 29 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 admirable skill, and at last found an opening to convey 
 delicately to His Holiness the object of her journey. He 
 knew her son Ercole, who had been a Bishop since he 
 was fifteen, and had been so popular at Bologna as 
 coadjutor to his uncle, Cardinal Sigismondo Gonzaga. 
 Medici and Gonzaga had ever been such warm friends, 
 would not His Holiness take this early opportunity after 
 his election to the Chair of San Pietro,* to bestow a 
 Cardinal's hat upon her most pious and distinguished son 
 Ercole ?t There was a pause which with less talented 
 speakers might have been awkward. But the Pope had 
 so charming a way of assenting to everything up to a 
 certain point, and then gently changing the subject, that his 
 practical refusal was more graceful than a mere consent 
 of most men. He was profuse in his expressions of 
 delight in the coming of the Marchesa and her ladies 
 to Rome; he graciously offered boundless hospitality; 
 Madonna Isabella must consider herself and her house- 
 hold to be his guests. He would send ample supplies of 
 all the necessaries of life and most of the luxuries — meat 
 and game and fish, corn and milk and fruit, from his own 
 farms, and the choicest wines from his cellar. What 
 could the Marchesa do but express her profound gratitude 
 for the Pope's bounty, and inwardly resolve to bide her 
 time, for in the end her persistence was certain to meet 
 with its reward ? 
 
 The indomitable Marchesa was not at all disappointed 
 with the result of the interview, for she felt sure of 
 ultimately obtaining her desire. Madonna Isabella cer- 
 tainly was the most wonderful person to gain everything 
 she set her heart upon, as she soon had another oppor- 
 
 * Clement VII. was elected Pope in October, 1523. 
 t Ercole Gonzaga was now eighteen. 
 3° 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 tunity of proving. She had a quiet time during Lent, 
 and attended all the services during Holy Week, when 
 she and her ladies had plenary indulgence bestowed upon 
 them all, as it happened to be the year of Jubilee, 
 although there were few visitors to the Eternal City on 
 account of the war raging in Italy. But immediately 
 after Easter, everybody of note came to call upon the 
 Marchesa, who had been so extremely popular on the 
 occasion of her first visit to Rome in 1514, when the 
 pleasure-loving Pope Leo did the honours for her in the 
 most splendid style, as she was never weary of telling her 
 companions. Of course there were changes after eleven 
 years, and many of her friends were no longer there, but 
 Cardinals and great nobles all vied with each other 
 in providing for her the most delightful entertainments. 
 On May Day, for instance, she went to a magnificent 
 banquet at the great palace of Cardinal Pompeo Colonna, 
 where she had the honour of meeting His Holiness, who 
 attended Mass at the Church of the SS. Apostoli close by. 
 In the afternoon the company was much amused at seeing 
 the May-Day revels and sports held within the sacred 
 precincts, and they had little time to notice the beautiful 
 view from the lovely gardens which are high up on the 
 Quirinal Hill. Madonna Isabella was most enthusiastic 
 in their praise, and added with a sigh : " Ah, my Lord 
 Cardinal, had I the good fortune to dwell in this Para- 
 dise, nothing should tear me away from Rome before the 
 end of the summer !" 
 
 " Madonna, you have only to speak the word, and my 
 palace with its gardens is entirely at your disposal," was 
 the urbane prelate's courteous reply. " It was built in 
 the days of boundless hospitality, and is far too enormous 
 for my humble needs. You will be doing me a true 
 
 3 1 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 service if you will deign to take up your abode here." 
 We may imagine the Marchesa's air of startled surprise, 
 followed by expressions of the most profuse gratitude for 
 the princely offer which she was so perfectly ready to 
 accept. She was delighted to move from the somewhat 
 noisy Via Lata to the magnificent palace, which had once 
 been the dwelling of the Popes, and was almost as 
 spacious as the Vatican, with its great courts and endless 
 succession of halls and chambers, one more stately than 
 the other. But the gardens were the crowning joy of all 
 to Giulia Gonzaga, for was there ever anything to equal 
 the loveliness of the grounds behind the Colonna palace ? 
 
 Through the long years surely that fair scene would rise 
 in beauty before the young girl. She would see the 
 golden sunlight pouring down upon classic temples, 
 forsaken altars, and broken columns, through shadowed 
 paths and dark groves of ilex and cypress ; she would 
 tread again the stately walks with lichen-covered statues 
 and rare antique vases on either side, while here and 
 there an empty carved sarcophagus lies half hidden by 
 a tangle of myrtle and climbing roses. The winding path 
 leads to some sunny yard set forth with lemon jars, and 
 stone pots of carnations, and in the centre a sparkling 
 fountain guarded by Neptune and his trident, surrounded 
 by attendant mermaids and Cupids riding on dolphins. 
 Beyond is a fair terrace shadowed by majestic stone 
 pines, where stands a pillared loggia, and from the balus- 
 trade of this wonderful Belvedere, there lies outspread a 
 glorious view indeed. Through the shimmering mist, the 
 hillocks and dells of the Roman Campagna stretch out 
 until they seem to reach the pale blue distant slopes of 
 the Alban and Sabine hills. 
 
 It was in the midst of these enchanting scenes that 
 
 32 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 Giulia was destined to spend some of the happiest hours 
 of her life ; for here it was that, during her first summer 
 in Rome, Madonna Isabella received all the most brilliant 
 and learned of her friends — poets, philosophers, artists, 
 Cardinals, and Princes. They came to make merry in 
 their hours of leisure, in gala mood and gala dress : they 
 were splendid in scarlet, silk, and ermine ; in satin and 
 brocade ; in plumed hats and jewelled ornaments and 
 priceless lace which far outshone even the rich costumes 
 of the Marchesa and her ladies. 
 
 Apologia. — A t this point of the history of Giulia, I must 
 ask the indulgence of all the serious students of scientific history, 
 if I pass for a time into the realms of " Historical Romance," 
 in my earnest endeavour to recreate the atmosphere of this most 
 interesting period of the Renaissance. May I be forgiven for 
 devoting all my historical and philosophical study to the task 
 of realizing and reproducing the actual life and surroundings 
 of the young girl in that eventful year of her stay in Rome. 
 
 Under the semblance of her diary, I would seek to call up a 
 living picture of those bygone dwellers in the Colonna Palace, 
 with their pageantry and their prejudices, their outlook upon 
 life, their thoughts and their aspirations. 
 
 33 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 Pages from the Day-Book of Giulia Gonzaga : Her life in Rome, at 
 the Colonna Palace, June, 1525 — Literary gatherings of dis- 
 tinguished men : the Bishops Chiericati, Sadoleto, and others ; 
 Pietro Bembo, Paolo Giovio, the poet Molza, etc. — Discussions 
 on many subjects — Visit to the Salviati — Maria, wife of Giovanni 
 delle Bande Nere — Luigi Rodomonte is enthusiastic about 
 Ariosto, and tells the story of the " Orlando Furioso " — Other 
 events in that winter of 1525-26. 
 
 Day-Book of Giulia Gonzaga. 
 
 At the Colonna Palace in Rome, 
 
 This seventh day of June, 1525. 
 
 In this new and wonderful life of mine, I think that the 
 least I can do is to set down, day by day, that which most 
 delights me, of exciting news, of learned discussion in 
 poetry, or art, or more serious philosophy. Thus I would 
 keep a record of this marvellous experience for the sake of 
 my dear ones at home in our quiet Sabbioneta — above all, 
 in the hope that it will rejoice the heart of my well- 
 beloved Madonna Antonia. 
 
 In the shady groves of these once famous gardens of 
 Caesar, I could almost have imagined to-day that, after a 
 sleep of a thousand years, the spirits of Lucullus and 
 Sallust, and other classic spirits of the past, had returned 
 to their ancient haunts. For in very truth they seemed 
 to live again in the illustrious guests who have come here 
 
 34 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 together at the bidding of the Most Excellent Madonna 
 Isabella, Marchesa of Mantua. 
 
 With such a galaxy of talent as I have this day seen, I 
 scarcely know where to begin my record. But honour to 
 whom honour is due : I will give first place to the Church. 
 There was present Monsignor Chiericati, Bishop and 
 Nuncio, high in the favour of His Holiness, a man of fine 
 presence and sonorous voice. Messer Paolo Giovio says 
 of him, that " he is the sweetest of all his friends." It 
 was most interesting to hear him pour out his pious 
 anxiety about the teaching of that arch-heretic Luther, 
 " whose doctrine has so many roots in the earth already 
 that a thousand persons could not pull them up." He 
 preaches that the Sacrament of the Altar is not to be 
 worshipped, but only celebrated in memory of Christ. 
 Another dignitary of the Church was warmly welcomed 
 by the Marchesa, Monsignor Jacopo Sadoleto, Bishop of 
 Carpentras, whose post as Papal Secretary keeps him in 
 Rome, to his great content. He was full of wise and 
 witty talk, and, I am told, is also a poet ; but it seems to 
 me that everyone of any culture writes poetry more or 
 less. Monsignor is a great friend of the Colonna family 
 and a devoted admirer of that accomplished lady, Madonna 
 Vittoria Colonna, who married the Marchese di Pescara, 
 a favourite General of the Emperor, and about whom I 
 have often heard from my brother Luigi. Another friend 
 of his was here to-day, Signor Domenico Venier, the 
 Venetian Ambassador, who, hearing my name, asked to 
 be presented to me, and was most kind in his enthusiasm 
 for the splendid valour of my dear brother. 
 
 Monsignor Tommaso Inghirami, the librarian of the 
 Vatican, a learned scholar, chanced to sit by my side, and 
 he told me much concerning the marvellous antiquities 
 
 35 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 recently discovered, and also promised to show me the 
 treasure of books and manuscripts under his care. These 
 were some of the more serious and important members of 
 our company, but there were others who brought exciting 
 news, or charmed us with their sparkling wit and brilliant 
 talk until the echoes rang with our merry laughter. . . . 
 First I must set down the Venetian lord, Monsignor Pietro 
 Bembo, who has written such lively dialogues, and whose 
 talk is as charming as his book. He was long a faithful 
 and devoted cavalier at Asola, where Caterina Cornara, 
 late Queen of Cyprus, held her mimic Court, and was 
 strangely happy in her dream of greatness, after the sub- 
 stance had departed.* In her honour, Monsignor Pietro 
 Bembo has named his vivid sketches the " Asolani." 
 
 Last, but not least, I must tell of Messer Paolo Giovio, 
 a great friend of Madonna Isabella, and the very life of 
 our company. I wish that I could remember the half of 
 his witty sayings. To-day the Marchesa asked him to 
 suggest a new motto for her, as she loves to have some 
 striking and appropriate words in her rooms and on her 
 ornaments, even sometimes embroidered on her gowns. 
 After a little thought, Messer Paolo was ready with : 
 
 " Sufficit unum in tenebris." 
 
 This was greatly applauded after he had most courteously 
 explained the meaning of it to the uninitiated. When the 
 great candelabra with many branches is used in the solemn 
 services of Holy Week, one candle after another is rever- 
 ently extinguished, until at length only one solitary light 
 is left burning. This signifies " Faith shining forth in the 
 surrounding darkness." In the discussion which followed, 
 
 , * Caterina Cornara died at Asola, July 10, 1510. See " Ladies of 
 Italian Renaissance," Christopher Hare. (Harper and Brothers.) 
 
 36 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 Monsignor Inghirami suggested that the motto recalled 
 that line qf Virgil, " Unum pro multis." 
 
 The art of Apollo was represented for us by the poet 
 Molza, who had recently come to Rome from Bologna, 
 bringing letters to Madonna Isabella from her son Ercole, 
 the budding Cardinal* He had written : " Knowing, dear 
 mother, how you love the company of learned men, I ask 
 you for my sake to receive Molza most kindly, and I am 
 sure that he will soon make you and all your ladies love 
 him for his own sake." The poet was persuaded to read 
 us a new sonnet of his own, and with charming grace and 
 courtesy to me, the youngest of the party, he chose some 
 lines in which the gallant audacity of my brother Luigi in 
 the chase was celebrated under the name of Alceo : 
 
 " Altro non fu, che de 1' unghiute branche 
 Non temesse dell' Orso, e che agli assalti 
 Del setoso Cinghiar non desse loco. 
 Ovunque Alceo volgeasi era sicuro 
 Per tutto intorno da nojose Fiere. 
 Perche con tal valor, con si bell' arti 
 Alto sorgea fra gli altri, come suole 
 Fra 1' umile vermene eccelso abete." 
 
 My cousin Camilla Gonzaga di Novellara was much 
 delighted with this and other praise of the Gonzaga, and 
 her congratulations were the warmest of any, by which 
 the poet was so moved that he devoted himself entirely to 
 the fair Camilla for the rest of the afternoon. As I watched 
 them, a curious train of thought was started in my 
 mind. Why is it that some women have such an extra- 
 ordinary power of fascination over all the men who 
 approach them ? Of course, in a certain way, Madonna 
 
 * The object of Isabella d' Este's visit to Rome was to obtain a 
 Cardinal's hat for this boy Ercole. 
 
 37 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 Isabella, even at her present advanced age,* attracts men 
 of letters and talent by her own bright intelligence and 
 appreciation, her unfailing tact and courtesy, so that as a 
 charming hostess she is always the centre of an interesting 
 circle. But it is something apart from this which I mean. 
 For instance, amongst Madonna's ladies-in-waiting there 
 is La Brognina, who is no longer young or really beauti- 
 ful — and I do not think she is even clever ; but whenever 
 she appears, the men flock round her like flies. There 
 must be something alluring about her, and such women, 
 which I do not in the least understand, although I can 
 see clearly that she has a gift of such insidious flattery, of 
 such lowly, adoring deference, that she can make any man 
 believe himself to be the wisest and noblest of human 
 beings ! I know that strange tales are whispered about 
 La Brognina, and it is even said that Madonna had to 
 dismiss her . . . but after the death of the Marchese 
 Francesco she was recalled by her mistress, who could not 
 live without her. To me La Brognina is always kind, 
 although she laughs at me in a good-natured way as a 
 " young frozen Diana, who will thaw and wake up some 
 day!" 
 
 It would be useless to pretend that I am not aware of 
 my pleasing appearance,! but I would far rather be admired 
 for my mind than for my face. Indeed, good looks are so 
 common in our family, both with brothers and sisters, 
 that we take the admiration of strangers as a matter of 
 course. I notice here that people eagerly ask to be pre- 
 sented to me ; they look at me with interest, perhaps 
 hazard a veiled compliment ; but the conversation usually 
 
 * Isabella d' Este was fifty-one, having been born in February, 1474. 
 t Even at this early age, the fame of Giulia's surpassing beauty 
 had spread through Italy. 
 
 3* 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 flags, and my admirers mostly slip away to join the merry 
 
 group round La Brognina, or turn to Camilla and the 
 
 other ladies. I am afraid that I am not a social success, 
 
 but in truth I do not know where my fault lies. This 
 
 very afternoon Madonna Isabella, who had been most 
 
 kind in selecting and arranging my costume, sending her 
 
 own waiting-maid to dress my golden curls in some new 
 
 fashion, was evidently disappointed, and, turning to me 
 
 with an impatient movement, bade me sing a ballad of 
 
 Lombardy^ - Taken by surprise at this sudden request, 
 
 a desperate fit of shyness came over me at the thought of 
 
 singing before this august assembly ; all eyes seemed to be 
 
 fixed upon my burning cheeks, and I could not utter a note. 
 
 The Marchesa quickly turned towards Camilla Gonzaga, 
 
 who happened to have brought her viol, and was quite 
 
 prepared. She at once sang a most charming canzone 
 
 of Monsignor Pietro Bembo, to her own accompaniment, 
 
 and was warmly applauded. Her voice is much more 
 
 powerful than mine, and better suited to outdoor singing. 
 
 For the moment I had been overwhelmed with confusion, 
 
 but everyone was so kind, especially my cousin Camilla 
 
 herself, that I soon recovered my courage, and resolved 
 
 that I would never again be taken unawares. 
 
 Meantime, refreshments were served to us in the shady 
 loggia and under the trees, by noiseless attendants in 
 woodland dress. They brought marzipan and sweetmeats, 
 chestnut cakes and other dainties, wafers, sugared almonds, 
 and pine-seeds. Nor were cooling drinks wanting, for they 
 were served in great stone jars, and iced wines — Malvoisy, 
 Trebbiano, and Falernian. These were poured out into 
 silver goblets, and handed round to the company. When 
 this light repast was over, it seemed to me that the talk 
 became more intimate and personal. 
 
 39 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 Just below us, on the slope of the hill, amid a tangle 
 of wild roses, a carved antique sarcophagus was lying half 
 buried and forgotten. It suddenly caught the eye of 
 Madonna Isabella, who called attention to it with warm 
 admiration, and expressed an eager desire to have it for 
 her own tomb. But the Bishop of Carpentras pointed out 
 that the splendour of the monument had been disastrous 
 to its first owner, whose ashes had probably been cast to 
 the winds. " For my part," he added, " I would rather 
 choose a more simple memorial, and thus be left in peace, 
 by offering no temptation to the spoiler." 
 
 " Nay," exclaimed the Marchesa, " I would never content 
 myself with less than the best and most splendid. And 
 as for a monument, give me a fame so great that it shall 
 outlive the decay and destruction of time." 
 
 "Ah, Madonna, what is fame ?" asked Monsignor Pietro 
 Bembo. " A mere empty breath which profits us nothing. 
 What care I how men may speak of me when mine ears 
 are sealed in dust ? Give me a merry time, with wealth 
 and honour and many friends, while I dwell in the land 
 of the living, and I am well content." 
 
 After some further discussion, Messer Paolo Giovio 
 suggested that each one of the company should choose 
 that past character whose fame was most to be envied. 
 This met with warm approval, and the Marchesa was 
 called upon to lead the way. She made smiling reply : 
 
 " If I am to be the earliest sacrifice, my good friend, at 
 least you will select some resplendent name whose reflected 
 glory would make me worthy of that sarcophagus ?" 
 
 " You have set me a hard task, Madonna," said Messer 
 Paolo, with a deep obeisance. " Your own fame is so 
 transcendent that not amongst women of mortal birth 
 may I hope to find your peer. For that I must needs 
 
 40 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 travel to Olympus, and there, amid the immortals, I would 
 make choice of the Lady Minerva, Goddess of Wisdom, as 
 alone worthy of Madonna's envy." 
 
 This delicate compliment was welcomed by an outburst 
 of applause, followed by a somewhat embarrassed silence, 
 for after that flight of rhetoric and flattery there seemed 
 little more to be said. It was La Brognina who gallantly 
 came to the rescue. 
 
 " As the ladies are expected to choose first, I will 
 venture to tell you my choice," she exclaimed in her high, 
 ringing notes. " There is no one whose renown I envy as 
 I do that of the fair Helen of Troy, whose beauty was so 
 surpassing that for her sake men were willing to sin, to 
 betray their country, to fight, and to die." 
 
 Although one might blush for her sentiments, and 
 tremble at her audacity, it was easy to see that such out- 
 spoken insolence was one reason of this lady's undoubted 
 popularity. After this, Camilla Gonzaga followed suit, 
 declaring in her soft, sweet voice that, as the Siege of 
 Troy had been alluded to, she had always deeply admired 
 the devotion of Andromache and the constancy of Penelope, 
 and would like to claim them both. It was the kind of 
 choice which might have been expected from my cousin's 
 gentle nature. As she turned to look at me with an 
 encouraging smile, I resolved to assert my presence of 
 mind. I was about to claim Iphigenia as the supreme 
 object of my envy and admiration, when I was startled by 
 the voice of Bishop Francesco Chiericati, a great friend of 
 Madonna Isabella, who had arrived late, and had taken a 
 place by my side : 
 
 " May I, as one of the oldest present, be permitted to 
 suggest the name of a lady whose character would be a fit 
 subject for the admiration of this fair maiden, the youngest 
 
 41 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 of our company ?" He paused, and then continued, amid 
 murmurs of assent : " To my mind, Signora Giulia is a 
 living symbol of that mysterious Beatrice, beloved of the 
 great poet Dante, yet ever unconscious of his adoration. 
 And for my own choice, as the sunflower unchidden may 
 worship the orb of day, so may I in all humility proclaim 
 that in my eyes the fame of Dante far surpasses that of 
 any mortal king or conqueror, saint or hero, whatsoever." 
 The dear old Bishop had always shown me much 
 kindness, but never before had his charming courtesy 
 proved a more welcome shield for my shy inexperience. 
 Madonna Isabella seemed pleased at the high compliment 
 paid me, and I had to endure some light raillery from her 
 ladies. Of the conversation which followed I remember 
 little, although I think that Homer and Virgil, Caesar and 
 Marcus Aurelius, all had special devotees of their fame. 
 We sat out in the delicious coolness, listening to the song 
 of nightingales, watching the dancing fireflies, and enjoy- 
 ing the scented dusk, until the shades of evening began to 
 close in around us, and we were summoned to the stately 
 banquet which closed the pleasures of the day. 
 
 In Rome, this fifteenth day of June, 1525. 
 
 I have this day had a most interesting experience, 
 which I will set down at once, lest I forget it. During 
 the great summer heat of this last week we have scarcely 
 passed beyond the precincts of the shady Colonna gardens. 
 But the Marchesa grew weary of such seclusion, and this 
 afternoon she announced her intention of paying some 
 state visits to friends in the city. I had the privilege of 
 joining her, with two other ladies, and we set forth after 
 our siesta for a drive in the" gorgeous chariot which 
 Madonna has had built for her, and which always excites 
 
 42 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 so much sensation. Attended with suitable pomp, we 
 drove slowly, in a kind of triumphal progress, up the busy 
 Via Lata, then westward towards the Borgo, across the 
 Tiber, and through the Porta Santo Spirito into the long 
 Via Lungara, which lies between the river and the Janiculan 
 Hill. Here we soon reached the gates of the fine Palazzo 
 Salviati, the present abode of the illustrious Signor Jacopo 
 Salviati, Papal Secretary, whose wife, Madonna Lucrezia 
 dei Medici, was a daughter of the great Lorenzo the 
 Magnificent, and sister of Pope Leo X. They are in 
 high favour with their kinsman Pope Clement, and the 
 Marchesa told us that their son, Cardinal Giovanni Salviati, 
 had immense influence with His Holiness. 
 
 We were courteously welcomed by the Salviati, delight- 
 ful and cultivated people, very handsome and distinguished 
 looking. While the host devoted himself to the service 
 of the Marchesa, Madonna Lucrezia talked to me with 
 the greatest kindness, asking how I enjoyed my life at 
 Rome, and inquiring eagerly about my grandmother 
 Madonna Antonia, for whom she has the warmest admira- 
 tion. Then she led me across the splendid camera to a 
 window, where sat apart her daughter Maria, the wife of 
 the famous Giovanni dei Medici, leader of the Black 
 Bands, to whom she introduced me with a few friendly 
 words. I was much attracted by this lady, who was tall 
 and slight, and very handsome, although no longer quite 
 young,* with great, dark sad eyes which seemed to be the 
 home of a tragedy. We had had a long, quiet conversa- 
 tion together, for I had often heard my brother Luigi 
 Rodomonte speak with admiration of this Medici warrior, 
 and I was deeply interested in hearing about him from the 
 lips of his wife. Madonna Maria told me how he was 
 * Maria Salviati was then barely twenty-si?;. 
 43 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 unfortunately wounded by an arquebuse just before the 
 Battle of Pavia, and was in such serious danger that, by 
 the Pope's special command, the surgeons removed him 
 by boat to Piacenza. He was now slowly recovering from 
 his wound, but had been advised to complete his cure by 
 going to the mud-baths of Abana, near Padua. 
 
 "There is no one like my Giovanni !" she exclaimed. 
 " None can equal him in courage and audacity. Have 
 you heard how the French King vowed that if the leader 
 of the Black Bands had fought by his side on that fatal 
 day of Pavia, he would never have been taken captive, and 
 the fortunes of Europe might have been changed?" 
 
 There was a note of passionate pride in her words, and 
 I could not refrain from adding : " At least, for so gallant 
 a soldier, it would have been victory or death." 
 
 " You are right, dear Signora," was the sad reply. 
 " My husband's indomitable spirit places him constantly 
 in such deadly peril, that whenever I see a messenger 
 coming from the seat of war, I tremble, and feel as 
 though a sword were about to pierce my heart." 
 
 At this moment we were interrupted by the coming of a 
 little boy, the only son of Maria and Giovanni, who had 
 been sent for at the request of Madonna Isabella. He was 
 a handsome child, but not in the least like his beautiful 
 mother, and it seemed to me that for his age, barely live, 
 he was strangely confident and self-possessed, and he 
 made his obeisance to the visitors in silence, with the 
 most sedate and dignified courtesy. The Marchesa was 
 delighted with little Cosimo, but when we took our leave 
 shortly after, I could think of nothing but that momentary 
 poignant self-revelation of Madonna Maria. What a 
 terribly anxious time it must be for the loving wife of a 
 soldier, always away in distant wars, in constant deadly 
 
 44 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 peril ! It is true that I had been accustomed from my 
 earliest childhood to know that my brothers and most of 
 my kinsmen were soldiers engaged in frequent wars ; but 
 the thought was so familiar that it seemed only natural 
 for the women to live at home, in uncertain hope from 
 day to day. But this passionate, absorbing love for one 
 implacable warrior, doomed by his own recklessness, was 
 quite another matter. Would not poor Maria Salviati 
 have been happier if her lot had placed her in some quiet 
 convent where such passion was unknown ? Such were 
 some of my dim questionings ; but there was no answer to 
 them. The common lot of woman seemed so far from me. 
 I lived in hopes of meeting Madonna Maria again, but 
 before long I was told that she had left the palace of her 
 parents at Rome, where in hot weather there was always 
 much sickness in the lower part of the city, and she was in 
 constant anxiety about the health of her precious little 
 Cosimo : she had taken him to one of the Medici castles 
 in the Mugnone, Giovanni's favourite mountain-home at 
 Trebbio, where the boy would grow strong in the fresh 
 bracing air and country life. 
 
 This second day of July, 1525. 
 
 I have had the great happiness these last few days of a 
 passing visit from my dear brother Luigi, on his way back 
 from the Court of the Emperor in Spain. How much 
 we had to hear and to tell each other of all that had taken 
 place since last we met ! I need not say how proud I am 
 of his brave deeds and of the admiration which he 
 receives on all sides, with his gallant carriage and brilliant 
 talk, his handsome sunny face and splendid stature. But 
 in the happy distraction of my thoughts I must not 
 forget to give some account of a delightful entertainment 
 
 45 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 in the Colonna gardens, given by the Marchesa in honour 
 of Luigi Rodomonte Gonzaga. 
 
 Most of the former guests whom I have already 
 described were present, and to them were added the 
 young Cardinal Salviati and his mother Madonna Lu- 
 crezia, who told me that she remembered the like pleasant 
 meetings with her father, the Magnificent Lorenzo dei 
 Medici, in the Careggi gardens. On this special occasion 
 Luigi, as a rare and honoured visitor, was to select the 
 subject of our conversation, and his choice of the poet 
 Ariosto was warmly welcomed. It so happens that this 
 famous writer is the centre of interest at the moment, for 
 his play of the " Cassaria " has just been printed and 
 published in Rome. I am told that this work is not quite 
 suitable for my reading, but that it is a comedy in imita- 
 tion of Plautus, in the plot and characters, full of comical 
 intrigues and cross purposes, with farcical episodes of 
 mistaken identity. The scene is laid at " Sybaris " 
 (Ferrara, where it was first acted in 1508). 
 
 But I must return to Ariosto himself, and all that was 
 said about him on that heavenly afternoon in the Colonna 
 gardens. The Marchesa herself was graciously pleased to 
 open the discussion by relating the story of her close 
 friendship with the poet. She told how, when she was 
 recovering from illness at Mantua, after the birth of her 
 son Ferrante,* Ariosto had been sent by the Cardinal 
 d' Este to congratulate her. 
 
 " I had been interested with regard to the great poem 
 which he was then writing, the ' Orlando Furioso,' " con- 
 tinued Madonna, " the more so because I heard that it 
 carried on the story of the ' Orlando Innamorato,' by 
 Matteo Boiardo, and contained the same characters. 
 * In 1507. 
 46 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 You, my young friends, will begin to think that I was in 
 the Ark with Noah, when I tell you that in 1491, twenty- 
 four years ago, that delightful poet Boiardo presented me 
 with the manuscript of his poem, which I possess to this 
 day. Imagine my joy when I found that Ariosto had 
 brought his ' Orlando Furioso ' with him, and, at my 
 urgent summons, he came to my bedside, and read it 
 aloud to me during the three precious days of his stay in 
 Mantua." 
 
 At these words there was a murmur of interest and 
 delight not unmixed with envy. 
 
 My brother Luigi gave voice to the general feeling when 
 he exclaimed : 
 
 " Madonna Illustrissima, there is no one like you ! 
 Artists and poets and all famous men vie with each other 
 in claiming you as the source of their inspiration and in 
 laying their treasures at your feet." 
 
 This was a compliment which went straight to the 
 Marchesa's heart, and she responded by holding out in her 
 hands a superb volume of white vellum, embossed with 
 gold, announcing that this was one of the first copies of 
 the " Orlando Furioso," printed at Ferrera in 1516, which 
 the poet himself had brought to Mantua to present to her. 
 Then, in her sweet musical voice, she read aloud those 
 famous opening lines : 
 
 " Le donne, i cavalieri, 1' arme, gli amori, 
 Le cortesie, V audacie imprese io canto. . . ."* 
 
 " How goodly and beautiful does he make that chivalrous 
 world of knights and ladies ! Does he, indeed, hold it to be 
 a glorified mirror of our own times ?" she asked. " I love 
 
 * " I sing of ladies and knights, of arms and iQves, 
 Of courtesies and daring deeds. . . ," 
 47 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 to think of that peerless Angelica, who has set the world 
 on fire by her beauty, and who so mysteriously finds her 
 way to the camp of Charlemagne. How fascinating is the 
 story of Orlando's love for her, and how tragic his sudden 
 madness when he discovers her devotion to Medoro ! In 
 truth, if Boiardo gives the outline of the story, it is our 
 Ariosto who clothes it with life and beauty." 
 
 Madonna paused for a moment, overcome with her 
 enthusiasm, then she turned with a smile to my brother : 
 " Signor Luigi, I will leave you to continue the tale, for 
 are you not yourself ' Rodomonte,' the type of that defiant 
 and untamable King of Sarza, Rodomonte, the Champion 
 of Islam, the hero of many a gallant deed ?" 
 
 Applause and laughter greeted this touch of humour, 
 and my brother gaily rose to the occasion. I would not 
 wish to seem prejudiced, but never have I heard so 
 splendid a tribute of devoted love and admiration as my 
 dear Luigi paid to his friend. My only regret was that 
 Ariosto himself could not hear it ! But, as we were 
 reminded, the sensitive poet had been sent to the wilds of 
 the Garfagnana, with the uncongenial task of ruling a 
 rebellious province. As he himself wrote : " This is a 
 deep trench in which I dwell, whence I move not a foot 
 without climbing the steep sides of the woody Apennines." 
 Luigi told a delightful story of how, when Ariosto was 
 reluctantly trying to put down the brigands, they became 
 the hunters and took him prisoner. But when they 
 discovered that he was the famous poet, they took him to 
 a courtly dwelling-place, and feasted him with a sumptu- 
 ous banquet, showing him all love and reverence, and 
 finally setting him free without any ransom. 
 
 Other charming anecdotes were told of him — how he 
 delighted in long walks alone, when he would become so 
 
 4 8 
 
LODOVICO ARIOSTO (reputed). 
 
 National Gallery. 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 absorbed in his thoughts that he took no note of time. 
 One summer day when he was at Carpi, he set forth on a 
 morning stroll in light velvet slippers, and quite uncon- 
 scious of the world around him, he walked on all day 
 until at eventide he found himself at Ferrara. These may 
 seem trivial matters, although they show us the man as he 
 is in his daily life. 
 
 Most striking was Luigi's profound knowledge and keen 
 appreciation of his friend's great poem. We followed 
 with breathless interest the whole career of his Orlando ; 
 his friends and his foes whom we learnt to love or hate, 
 while the main story was lightened with wars and loves of 
 all time and glowing romance. There rises before us that 
 magic castle where each approaching traveller sees his 
 beloved at a window, hears the familiar voice . . . but 
 day and night pursues in vain a fruitless search, for all is 
 witchcraft and delusion. So again with the magic garden 
 of Alcida, another form of the Circe myth. And those 
 adventures of the fair Angelica : how she is saved at the 
 critical moment by the coming of that most lovable and 
 perfect maiden warrior, Bradamante, in her snow-white 
 armour. And again, when Angelica is carried off to the 
 Hebrides and exposed on a barren rock in her naked 
 beauty to a devouring sea-monster, we tremble with fear 
 until she is duly rescued. We have a delicious touch of 
 the poet's humour when, months afterwards, the heroine 
 of this adventure, wishing to reward a shepherd, gives him 
 a precious coronet which she has brought from her 
 father's Court in China, and always kept with her in her 
 wanderings. " But where she kept it when she was 
 chained naked to the rock, I cannot tell," says Ariosto. 
 
 Perhaps the most charming episode of all was Astolfo's 
 flight, by way of Ethiopia, through the Earthly Paradise, 
 
 49 4 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 situated on a mountain near the equator, even as far as 
 the sphere of the moon, in a chariot of fire, under the 
 guidance of St. John. Here in a secluded valley, are all 
 the things lost on earth — fame which is being devoured 
 by Time, unaccepted prayers or vows, and the tears and 
 sighs of lovers. The vast empires of old are there, as a 
 heap of blown-out bladders, still full of the echoes of past 
 war and tumult. Astolfo finds that the flattering verses 
 written in praise of princes look like burst cicalas, and the 
 alms left to be given after death are but a heap of worth- 
 less refuse. Most strange of all, there is a row of bottles 
 of all sizes, containing the lost wits of every man on 
 earth who cannot take charge of them himself. Astolfo 
 is startled to find his own bottle, and also the larger one 
 of Orlando's, which he carries back to earth with him, 
 and is thus able to restore the famous hero to reason. 
 
 Here we reach the climax of our story, the " Orlando 
 Furioso," which is so well known throughout the world 
 that I will say no more about it. When Luigi had ended 
 his discourse there was a storm of applause, and some 
 interesting discussion followed. Monsignor Bembo cour- 
 teously prayed my brother to recite one of his beautiful 
 poems, which he modestly declined, to my great dis- 
 appointment, " not having it with him." I longed to 
 quote one from memory. 
 
 After this all too brief visit of my brother Luigi, I seem 
 to find little of interest to record in my youthful day- 
 book for some months. The great heat of that early 
 autumn brought sickness and anxiety, and early in 
 October, Madonna Isabella received news of the death of 
 her brother-in-law, Cardinal Sigismondo Gonzaga, at 
 Mantua. She lost not a moment in vain regrets, but 
 ordered her chariot and drove at once to the Vatican to 
 
 5° 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 implore that the Pope would bestow on her son Ercole 
 the vacant dignity. But His Holiness was never to be 
 taken by surprise ; he temporized in the most courteous 
 manner, and only when pressed to extremity, did he write 
 a vague promise to give Ercole the Cardinal's hat on the 
 first opportunity. The death of Cardinal Sigismondo 
 was a great blow to his sister, Madonna Elisabetta, 
 Dowager- Duchess of Urbino, and this most beloved lady, 
 who was in delicate health, never recovered from the 
 shock. She passed away in January, 1526, to the great 
 sorrow of her many friends. I had seen her once as a 
 child, and her sweet gentleness won my heart. Perhaps 
 the most touching memorial of her is contained in the 
 charming book of Baldassare Castiglione, the " Corti- 
 giano," where the noble Duchess figures as the hostess 
 and the inspiration of that unrivalled coterie. 
 
 The Marchesa had always been her intimate friend, and 
 I am sure that she felt the loss, but she never gives way 
 to her feelings in a manner to disturb her placid equa- 
 nimity or imperil her carefully-guarded health. 
 
 Si 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 The Day-Book of Giulia Gonzaga (continued) : Vittoria Colonna in 
 Rome, after the death of her husband, the Marchese di Pescara 
 — Her story and her sonnets — The great lord, Vespasiano 
 Colonna, son of Prospero Colonna, is a suitor for the hand of 
 Giulia Gonzaga — The splendid wedding takes place on June 26, 
 1526 — Account of the journey across the Campagna to the 
 Castello of Pagliano. 
 
 This fourteenth day of December, 1525. 
 
 I must not omit to set down an incident which has given 
 me the greatest pleasure. There has been much excite- 
 ment lately in Rome from the coming of Madonna 
 Vittoria Colonna, the widowed Marchesa di Pescara, who 
 has so recently lost her husband. She has been lately 
 a constant subject of conversation with her kinsman, the 
 Cardinal Colonna, and his brother, the Lord Vespasiano 
 Colonna, who has paid several visits to Rome, sometimes 
 to this Colonna palace, but more often to the splendid 
 Palazzo Cancellaria in the Piazza Paradiso, close to the 
 Campo de' Fiori, that delightful market-place. I must 
 mention that the Cardinal's brother is a most interesting 
 and accomplished gentleman ; he seems to like my 
 society, and has always shown me as much courtesy and 
 respectful attention as though I were really a grown-up 
 signora. 
 
 ! This is the story of Madonna Vittoria as I have heard it. 
 
 52 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 She was the daughter of Fabrizio Colonna, Grand Con- 
 stable of Naples, and was betrothed as a child to Ferrante 
 Francesco d' Avalos. She was brought up in the Island of 
 Ischia by the accomplished Costanza d' Avalos, and 
 married the young Marchese di Pescara in 1509, 
 when they were both nineteen. She was absolutely 
 devoted to her young husband, who, like Giovanni dei 
 Medici, was constantly engaged in distant wars, and had 
 other matters to occupy his thoughts. Brognina one day 
 inadvertently told the story of the infatuation of Pescara 
 for our Marchesa's beautiful lady-in-waiting, Delia, which 
 his loving wife never suspected, but she was hushed at 
 once. The influence of Vittoria over her husband seems 
 to have restrained him in a moment of temptation, when 
 he seems to have listened to hints of secret treachery, 
 when she wrote : 
 
 " Consider well what you are doing. ... I care not to 
 be the wife of a King,* but rather of a faithful and loyal 
 man ; for it is not riches, titles, and kingdoms, which can 
 give true glory, infinite praise, and perpetual renown to 
 noble spirits desirous of eternal fame, but faith, sincerity, 
 and other virtues of the soul. . . ." The Marchese di 
 Pescara fought with distinction at the Battle of Pavia 
 last February, but has been ill since, and was taken worse 
 lately at Milan. On receiving the news, Madonna Vittoria 
 set forth in anxious haste from Naples, but on reaching 
 Viterbo, she was met with the fatal news of his death. 
 In the sudden despair of her broken heart, the poor lady 
 had not the courage to continue her sad journey, and her 
 first thought was to escape from the world and take 
 refuge in a convent, and she remembered that in Rome, 
 close by, was the Religious House of Santa Chiara. 
 
 * The Kingdom of Naples had been offered to Pescara as a bribe. 
 
 53 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 This is connected with the Church of San Silvestro in 
 Capite, where the Baptist's head is a treasured relic. 
 
 Overwhelmed and crushed with grief, the widowed lady 
 made her way to this convent, where so many noble 
 ladies of the Colonna family have taken their vows in 
 past days. But now comes the curious part, which I 
 heard from the lips of Monsignor Jacopo Sadoleto, the 
 Bishop of Carpentras. He is an intimate friend of 
 Madonna Vittoria, for whom he has the greatest admira- 
 tion, and he felt that it would be a disaster to the whole 
 civilized world if this accomplished poetess were suffered 
 to bury herself in the monastic life. He at once hastened 
 to Pope Clement, whose secretary he then was, and laid 
 the matter before him, imploring his assistance to prevent 
 the withdrawal from society of one who was its greatest 
 ornament. The Pope quite agreed with Sadoleto, and 
 caused a Brief to be prepared without delay and sent to 
 the Abbess and nuns of San Silvestro, in which His 
 Holiness permitted them to receive into their home and 
 to console " omnibus spiritualibus et temporalibus consola- 
 tionibus " the Most Excellent Marchesa di Pescara, but in 
 which it was expressly forbidden to them, " under pain of 
 the greater excommunication," to permit the noble lady 
 to take the veil " impetu potius sui dolores, quam maturo 
 consilio circa mutationem vestium vidualium in monas- 
 ticas." This Brief, of which a copy was shown to us by 
 Monsignor Sadoleto, was dated on December 7, just a 
 week ago. 
 
 Madonna was so keenly interested in the story that she 
 expressed a strong desire to pay a visit of sympathy and 
 condolence to the unfortunate Lady Vittoria. " It would 
 only be a fitting return for the kindness shown to me by 
 
 54 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 the Colonna family," she said. With the Marchesa, to 
 form a desire was to take steps at once to realize it. The 
 chariot was ordered for that afternoon, and as no one 
 expressed a strong desire to go on so sad a mission, to my 
 great contentment Madonna took me with her. We had 
 not far to drive — up the Via Lata, and then, turning to 
 the right, down the Via delle Convertite, until we came to 
 the fine Church of San Silvestro in Capite, adjoining the 
 convent. The portress admitted us into a little waiting- 
 chamber with a barred lattice on one side, but when she 
 heard the inquiry for the Signora Vittoria Colonna she 
 assured us that the widowed lady saw no one. However, 
 Madonna Isabella was not to be so easily discouraged. 
 She requested to be taken at once to the presence of the 
 Lady Abbess, and, on hearing her name and dignity, the 
 timid lay-sister hastily obeyed, and I was left behind, 
 forgotten by them both. Through a narrow window of 
 the gloomy cell, I had caught a glimpse of a sunny garden 
 beyond, and when the portress returned I begged to be 
 allowed to wait there until my lady's return. The good 
 woman kindly consented, only imploring' me not to walk 
 beyond the secluded corner or to pass in sight of the 
 convent windows. 
 
 This was a delightful adventure for me, and I tried to 
 fancy myself a cloistered nun, as I paced slowly up and 
 down in the sunshine between the orange-trees in Etruscan 
 pots, and the snowy hyacinths, which filled the air with 
 sweetness. I had reached my boundary at the corner, 
 when of a sudden, a shadow crossed my path, and I found 
 myself looking into the startled blue eyes of a tall woman 
 draped in heavy mourning, who had noiselessly approached, 
 wrapped in the deepest thought. She drew back at the 
 
 55 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 sight of an intruder, but almost unconsciously continued 
 the low words which she was repeating to herself : 
 
 " I only write to vent that inward pain 
 On which my heart doth feed itself, nor needs 
 Aught other nourishment. . . ."* 
 
 As I listened I felt certain that my first surmise was right 
 — surely this was the dear Lady Vittoria pouring forth her 
 impassioned lay of regret. But for the intense sympathy 
 reflected in my face, I must have looked like a Niobe 
 turned to marble silence. I did not move; I made no 
 futile excuse for my intrusion . . . and at length the 
 vision spoke to me. 
 
 " Who are you, my beautiful child ? Do you dwell 
 here ?" she asked in a sweet, thrilling voice. 
 
 My reply seemed to come from far off, constrained by a 
 will beyond my own : 
 
 " My name is Giulia Gonzaga, of Sabbioneta, of the 
 house of Madonna Antonia del Balzo. I am but a stranger 
 in Rome, a guest of Madonna Isabel of Mantua, in the 
 Colonna Palace." 
 
 " Ah, I remember ; I have heard of you," she began ; 
 then, after a pause, added : " The sun of my life has 
 set while it is still early dawn for you. Farewell, dear 
 child, and never forget that Love must be our master- 
 spirit. Such is my perfect trust — ay, and though he slay 
 me, yet will I kiss his naming sword." 
 
 A shadowy smile, a parting wave of the hand, and the 
 lady of my dreams was gone ... to haunt me evermore 
 with her stately presence and the heavenly music of her 
 words. . . . 
 
 * Beginning of the first of her sonnets to her husband's memory, 
 which Vittoria Colonna wrote in the Convent of San Silvestro. 
 
 56 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 Hitherto, in all the gay and courtly entertainments, 
 which I enjoyed to the full, and in which I received all 
 the attention and admiration which a grown-up lady 
 might expect, I was in truth, with all my quick intelli- 
 gence, only a child at heart. My life had been like a 
 rippling stream, gaily dancing over smooth pebbles through 
 flowery meadows in the sunshine. But now the scene was 
 about to change : there were ravines to cross, unseen perils 
 to meet, and the broad flowing river could never return 
 to the free, careless grace of the mountain stream from 
 whence it rose. 
 
 For me, the awakening to womanhood came with a 
 sudden shock. I have already alluded to the frequent 
 visits paid by the Lord Vespasiano Colonna to his brother 
 the Cardinal in Rome. His invalid wife, the Lady Bianca 
 Appiano, had died the previous summer, and he possibly 
 found it a lonely life in that grim fortress-castle of the 
 Campagna, where his only daughter Isabella had been 
 placed with a kinswoman for her education. In any case, 
 Madonna Isabella welcomed him with eager hospitality, 
 and it so chanced that, during the spring months of the 
 year 1526, my Lord Colonna was a frequent and honoured 
 guest, a most devoted and generous friend. The Marchesa 
 could not express a wish that was not gratified at once. 
 It might be a visit to newly-discovered antiquities, when 
 some priceless marble or mosaic would be offered for her 
 acceptance ; or, again, if she suggested a pilgrimage to 
 some famous sanctuary or ancient palace of the Eternal 
 City, all its treasures would be spread out before us and 
 explained with learning and eloquence. Another day it 
 might be a select hunting or hawking party at La Magliana 
 or some other splendid demesne near Rome, and the 
 beautiful wild creatures would give us matchless sport. 
 
 57 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 But I found most delightful of all, those long sunny days 
 when we set forth on a gay ride in the early morning, 
 along the Appian Way and through the fair stretches of 
 the Campagna until, as we reached the border of some 
 wooded dale, a magic banquet would suddenly appear 
 beneath the shady trees, where we would spend the noon- 
 tide hour in feasting and song. 
 
 By some curious chance — or was it a deep-laid plot of 
 La Brognina and Camilla my cousin ? — there seemed to 
 be always a vacant place by my side, where the Lord 
 Vespasiano was wont to ride and beguile the way with 
 interesting talk. He told me many stories of the past in 
 those classic scenes ; he was an authority upon beasts and 
 birds and all things connected with the country ; and he 
 ever spoke with such charming deference, not as though 
 teaching me, but merely recalling to my memory facts 
 which I already knew. So the time glided smoothly by, 
 in one round of pleasant festivities, until one summer day 
 I was bidden to attend the Marchesa in her private 
 reception-room. How well I remember every detail as 
 if it were but yesterday, in that fair chamber, rich with 
 the treasures which my cousin had already collected in 
 Rome or received as presents, with long windows opening 
 towards the beautiful gardens, and a splendid view of the 
 city below. Madonna rose from her couch as I entered, 
 and came forward to meet me with outstretched hands. 
 
 " My dear cousin, I offer you my warmest congratula- 
 tions ! You have made a great conquest," she exclaimed, 
 in a tone of triumph. 
 
 I drew back in vague alarm, and asked faintly : 
 
 " What do you mean, Madonna mia ?" 
 
 " Do you act the part of ignorance, my pretty Giulia ?" 
 she laughed. " Am I to look upon you as a child in sim- 
 
 58 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 plicity? Surely, after playing your fish with so much 
 
 discretion, you cannot be greatly surprised that you have 
 
 landed him at last?" 
 
 I stood mute with dismay, for, alas ! I understood her 
 
 meaning, although I was absolutely innocent of the design 
 
 she suspected. 
 
 " Your face is too transparent for deceit, my dear child ; 
 
 your blushes have betrayed you," said the Marchesa calmly. 
 
 " Yes, this very day, the Lord Vespasiano Colonna, head 
 
 of that great house, Duke of Traetto, Count of Fondi, the 
 Lord of Gennazzano, Pagliano, and many other stately 
 castles and rich possessions — he has asked for your hand 
 in marriage, and I have sent a messenger to Sabbioneta to 
 make known this high honour to your father, the Signor 
 Lodovico Gonzaga." 
 
 The blow had fallen. As in a flash of insight, I realized 
 that I had only been a counter in the Marchesa's game of 
 ambition. Why had this great lady seen fit to take me in 
 her train and set me off to the best advantage, save in the 
 hope that she might have the reflected glory of arranging 
 a splendid match for me ? This was the sword of Damocles 
 which had hung over me from my earliest days ; the 
 common lot of woman was upon me, and I must go the 
 way my sisters had gone before me. My case was hope- 
 less. Who would take my side, or even listen to my 
 protest ? With what consummate skill had Madonna 
 passed off her responsibility to my own people ! Her 
 message to Sabbioneta was no mere asking their consent ; 
 it was the proclaiming of her own triumphant success. 
 I could not even turn to my brother Luigi for help ; I 
 remembered too vividly his calm decree that for a girl the 
 only choice lay between marriage and the cloister. 
 
 I knew that my case was hopeless, but some wildness 
 
 59 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 in my blood drove me to futile rebellion, and I breathed 
 one desperate prayer that I might be inspired with words 
 which would appeal to the arbiter of my fate. Half falling 
 on my knees before her, I clasped her hands with an 
 imploring cry : 
 
 " Madonna mia, have pity on me ! Indeed, I have no 
 vocation for marriage. ... I know that all my kinsfolk 
 will be against me, that the world will call me mad to 
 refuse so magnificent a position ; but ... I would sooner 
 die ! . . . You alone can help me, Madonna, for you have 
 the wisdom to understand, even if you cannot sympathize 
 with me. Say that you cannot spare me," I urged 
 impetuously; "let me stay in your service as your 
 faithful lady-in-waiting for ever and ever . . . like La 
 Brognina . . ." 
 
 " No, no, not like her," was the whispered interruption, 
 as my cousin raised me in her arms and drew me to a 
 seat by her side. " This is tragic indeed," she continued. 
 " I never dreamed that my little Giulia could be in such 
 deadly earnest — a rebel against the very foundations of 
 society ! You know how it is my way to collect all that is 
 rare and unique, and perhaps I ought to secure you for 
 my museum ! But I dimly perceive a better way. Tell 
 me, Giulia : you have no fault to find with my Lord 
 Vespasiano, for you have been most friendly with him ?" 
 
 " Indeed, Madonna," I hastily replied, " there is no one 
 in whose society I take greater pleasure ; he is a most 
 courteous and accomplished gentleman. But ..." 
 
 " But of course that is not love, you would say. Then 
 why not continue on those terms ?" she asked quietly. 
 " At the present day there is nothing more usual than 
 those political ' marriages only in name ' for the future, 
 when either bride or bridegroom are very young ; and 
 
 60 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 you are barely thirteen yet. The Colonna Prince, as you 
 know, is nearly eight lustres older than yourself — beyond 
 the period of violent passion — while you have not reached 
 the age of its awakening. Why not meet upon that neutral 
 ground of a platonic affection ? Vespasiano Colonna is 
 the soul of chivalry, and will await the day when Galatea 
 shall step down from her cold marble pedestal and be 
 transformed into a living woman of flesh and blood." 
 
 Then she went on to mention the name of her beloved 
 Elisabeth Gonzaga, Duchess of Urbino, " whose blessed 
 soul may the Lord have in His keeping," and other noble 
 ladies who were in like case, and famed in history. 
 
 But at this last remark my heart rebelled ; for of the 
 world one asked, not fame, but silence and oblivion. 
 
 When once my consent had been obtained, all befell as 
 I expected. My relations far and near were delighted 
 with this great alliance, which would add to the glory and 
 honour of our family. I already seemed to have won 
 golden opinions from the House of Colonna, and was 
 most courteously welcomed into their august circle, while 
 Madonna Isabella treated me with the utmost kindness 
 and affection, as a personal triumph of her successful 
 diplomacy. 
 
 Of the crowded days which followed I seem to retain 
 only the dim memory of a flamboyant and distracting 
 dream. Costly wedding gifts were lavished upon me by 
 the Colonna and Gonzaga family, and I recollect my 
 naive delight in the beautiful jewels, and above all in an 
 exquisite rope of pearls specially selected for me by the 
 Lord Vespasiano. My cousin Camilla, La Brognina, and 
 the other Court ladies were most friendly and considerate ; 
 but as I kept much apart, and had no girlish confidences 
 
 61 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 to bestow, I fear they thought me proud and elated by 
 my prospects. When the marriage contract was drawn 
 up, in which I was treated with princely generosity, my 
 dowry being 70,000 ducats, a special messenger was sent 
 with full particulars by the Mantuan Ambassador at Rome 
 to the Duke Federico Gonzaga of Mantua as head of our 
 house. In the midst of all this excitement my letters of 
 congratulation from home were my greatest comfort and 
 support. My mother, full of anxious pride, gave me 
 advice on the due ordering of a great household, warning 
 me against extravagance, and bidding me study my hus- 
 band's tastes and wishes in all things, thus making his 
 will and pleasure the rule of my life. My father, who was 
 more at home with the sword than the pen, wrote a letter 
 in which pride at my elevation and sorrow for my loss 
 contended for the mastery. He deeply regretted that the 
 unfortunate contest and family dissensions about the lord- 
 ship of Casalmaggiore would prevent his coming to Rome 
 for my wedding, but that my uncle Pirro Gonzaga would 
 take his place and give me away. . . . 
 
 The most precious greeting of all was that from my 
 beloved avola* Madonna Antonia. She gave no good 
 advice, no sermon on my duties ; she did not even allude 
 to my personal feelings. The dear lady simply expressed 
 her perfect trust that in my new life I should show myself 
 worthy of my name and lineage ; that the strong character 
 and many talents which were my heritage would enable 
 me to take a high place amongst those noble ladies, 
 already so renowned, of the Colonna family. Of Madama's 
 devoted love for me I was so well assured that many 
 words were not needed to express it. 
 
 I must not omit to mention one touching little gift 
 * Grandmother. 
 62 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 which I received with much gratitude. The Lady Vittoria 
 Colonna had not forgotten our meeting, and she sent me 
 a copy of the last poem she had written, beginning thus : 
 
 " Amor, tu sai, che mai non torsi il piede 
 Dal career tuo soave, ne disciolsi 
 Dal dolce giogo il collo, ne ti tolsi 
 Quanto dal primo di 1' alma ti diede. ..." * 
 
 The eventful wedding-day, which had been fixed for 
 June 26, t rises before me as a strange exotic scene of 
 gorgeous magnificence, of which I was the shining centre, 
 and where I played my part as in some bewildered dream. 
 At the last moment an unlooked-for joy awaited me — the 
 arrival of my dear brother Luigi, who had ridden night 
 and day across the plains of Italy that he might do honour 
 to his favourite sister. His coming was the one touch of 
 simple home affection which I needed to give me courage 
 for my adventure, and his satisfaction was so complete 
 and outspoken that it seemed to disperse all the mists of 
 doubt and fear. 
 
 What a splendid figure he was, standing head and 
 shoulders taller than most men, with rich chestnut curls 
 clustering round his noble brow, his smiling blue eyes full 
 of genial merriment — an Apollo and Hercules in one ! 
 It was small wonder that Isabella Colonna, my step- 
 daughter-to-be, who then saw him for the first time, 
 watched him with admiring eyes, and henceforth looked 
 upon Luigi as her ideal of manhood. He took leave of 
 
 * " Thou knowest, Love, I never sought to flee 
 From thy sweet prison, nor impatient threw 
 Thy dear yoke from my neck ; nor e'er withdrew 
 What, that first day, my soul bestowed on thee. . . ." 
 t Of the year 1526. 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 us soon after the stately ceremony was over, and before 
 the sumptuous festivities were at an end. 
 
 I look back upon our wedding journey to my future 
 home at Pagliano as an adventure of delight, for the first 
 shyness of my new position had soon worn off in the calm 
 atmosphere of affection and unfailing courtesy with which 
 my Lord Vespasiano surrounded me. Our three days' 
 travel through that marvellous Campagna was like a royal 
 progress, for we were passing chiefly through the hereditary 
 domains of the great Colonna family. Each day we started 
 at dawn to avoid the great heat, and in that fresh, balmy 
 air of early morn, all the world was full of strange glamour. 
 With what interest I listened to the thrilling story of 
 olden days, told by my lord with familiar knowledge and 
 keen personal pride in the deeds of his ancestors ! Thus 
 we passed down the Appian Way, by those ancient tombs 
 so pathetic in their mute reminder of the forgotten dead, 
 and onward towards Castel Gondolfo, where the midday 
 siesta was arranged in a woody glade. Here tents had 
 been already pitched by the attendants, and a banquet 
 was spread for us in the shade. Not until the sun was 
 sinking towards the west did we continue our ride, turning 
 abruptly upward in the direction of Marino, where we 
 spent the night in one of the Colonna palaces. It was a 
 delightful holiday excursion, not alone for me, but for 
 Isabella, who was our constant companion, and enjoyed 
 the novelty of seeing her stately father unbend for our 
 amusement. 
 
 Fortunately, the young girl had taken a strong liking 
 for me as a friend of her own age, and from the first, 
 I was most careful not to arouse her jealousy in any way 
 by asserting my precedence as the Princess Colonna. 
 For, in very truth, was it not all make-believe, and was 
 
 64 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 not my married dignity only a myth and a delusion in 
 this "wedding for the future," as the Marchesa had 
 rightly called it ? When we were alone together, Isabella 
 was never weary of asking questions about my brother 
 Luigi, and it is possible that the glamour which sur- 
 rounded him in her girlish fancy, cast some reflected 
 charm upon me, his sister. In any case, we were the best 
 of friends, and it was with deep regret that we found this 
 pleasant journey drawing to a close when we made our 
 last halt at Genazzano, only six miles from Pagliano. 
 Here was another fine Colonna castle, but my chief 
 interest was in the famous pilgrim shrine of the Madonna 
 del Buon Officio. We were guided by an Augustine monk 
 into the chapel, where the lights were kept ever burning 
 in honour of the Sacred Image, which he told me had 
 come down from heaven and had performed many 
 miracles. He prayed me to come again on the Festa 
 Day, September 8, when I might see the marvellous con- 
 course of pilgrims from all parts of the world, and I might 
 possibly be so blest as to witness some amazing miracle. 
 When I turned to ask the Lord Vespasiano's consent, 
 I was struck by the coldness of his manner and his want 
 of interest in the whole miraculous story. This was my 
 first hint of a new phase in his character — a freedom of 
 thought and absence of superstition which both startled 
 and interested me. I took so keen an interest in all new 
 and advanced opinions that, in days to come, this became 
 a fresh bond between us. 
 
 At length we were approaching Pagliano, the mountain 
 home where I was to reign as a queen. I could scarcely 
 control my excitement as there rose before me, in the 
 ruddy glow of sunset light, a rocky summit crowned by 
 the impregnable Colonna fortress. Overshadowed on the 
 
 6 S 5 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 left by the great peak of the Serrone, standing forth like 
 a mighty pyramid from its mountain chain, Pagliano 
 seemed to be perched like an eagle's nest on an isolated 
 hill rising steeply from the broad plain of the Sacco, and 
 commanding all the country round. Clothed almost to 
 the heights with a primeval forest of oaks and chestnuts, 
 all the lower slopes were rich with vineyards and silvery 
 olives, through which we made our slow ascent after 
 fording the swift torrent which came foaming down from 
 the mountain. At the entrance of the scattered town, 
 a warm reception awaited us from my lord's vassals ; but 
 as we rode upwards, my eager gaze was fixed on the 
 splendid palace, built of dark tufa, in a great square quad- 
 rangle, standing grandly on the edge of the wild hillside, 
 with a marvellous view over the misty Campagna. 
 
 As I was lifted across the threshhold, according to the 
 bridal custom, the Lord Vespasiano, in most courteous 
 language, welcomed me as lady and mistress of his 
 stately home. There were only two floors, but they were 
 of vast extent, and the many chambers were furnished 
 with rich treasures of art, hung with rare tapestries from 
 Flanders, and the ceilings were painted in fresco with 
 gold and azure. In the lofty entrance-hall there were 
 trophies of war and of the chase — old armour and flags 
 which had figured in many a battle, heads of wild beasts 
 and splendid antlers. Then an ancient kinswoman who 
 was in charge of that great household, conducted me to 
 the beautiful southern suite of rooms where Madonna 
 Beatrice had lived for years in seclusion, and which were 
 henceforth to be at my absolute disposal. She pointed 
 out how they had been entirely renewed and beautified 
 with richly embroidered hangings for the windows and the 
 carved bedstead, with priceless caskets of Venetian work, 
 
 66 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 wonderful carved chests painted by skilled artists, finely 
 sculptured woodwork panelling on the walls, and chairs 
 inlaid with ivory. 
 
 But that which delighted me most was the choice 
 musical instruments — an organ from Cremona, a viol, and 
 a silver lyre — while in painted recesses in the walls, were 
 illuminated manuscripts and precious vellum-bound books 
 from the printing-press of Aldo Manuzio at Venice and 
 the monastery of Subiaco. Everything that heart could 
 desire had been made ready for me, and not a wish that I 
 could express was left ungratified by my peerless, chival- 
 rous husband. 
 
 I love to dwell upon those happy days of peaceful 
 enjoyment ; all too brief — a lull before the coming storm 
 of war. It was my special privilege to be the constant 
 companion of the Lord Vespasiano in the early morning 
 rides, so fresh and delicious on that wooded mountain- 
 side, when together we visited the nearer farms and 
 vineyards on his great estate, or he would take a pride in 
 pointing out to me every nook and corner of the mighty 
 citadel, and seemed ever to have some fresh thrilling 
 story of the past. My lord would tell me how this 
 tower or bastion was attacked and gallantly defended; 
 how the enemy's artillery had been dragged up the high, 
 steep rock in the darkness of the night, only to be 
 discovered and hurled down into the ravine below, before 
 even a breach had been made in the walls. As I listened 
 to him, I learned to look with respect and almost awe 
 upon this gallant Colonna Prince who, past middle life 
 and of uncertain health, had still the heart of a warrior 
 and a hero. Perhaps too much so for my peace of mind, 
 for this mirage of happiness was all too short. 
 
 The end of Giulids Day -Book. 
 67 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 The political situation of Italy in the year 1526 — The Colonna Raid 
 upon Rome — The Pope, Clement VII., takes his revenge — 
 Rivalry between Spain and France — The Pope's double-dealing 
 — Overwhelming invasion of Italy and sack of Rome, May, 
 1527 — A time of unspeakable horror — Luigi Rodomonte Gon- 
 zaga protects Isabella d' Este, and helps the Pope to escape 
 from Rome — Death of Giulia's husband, Vespasiano Colonna, 
 March, 1527 — His will, Pagliano defended by Luigi, who be- 
 comes betrothed to Isabella Colonna. 
 
 In those troubled days for Italy it was not probable that 
 the most warlike of the Colonna, the son of the famous 
 Prospero, the modern " Quintus Fabius Maximus," would 
 long remain in the peaceful seclusion of his mountain 
 castle of Pagliano. A few words will be useful to explain 
 the political situation at that moment. 
 
 When Charles V. had released the King of France from 
 captivity in March, 1526, after signing the Treaty of 
 Madrid, Francois I. was no sooner free than he broke all 
 his promises, and formed a League against the Emperor, 
 in which he was joined by the time-serving Pope, by 
 Venice, Milan, and other States. Charles was furious at 
 this breach of faith, and more enraged with Clement VII. ,' 
 who had professed to be close friend and ally. He sent 
 to Italy a special agent, Don Ugo de Moncado, with secret 
 directions to detach the Pope from the League by any 
 means in his power, and the first result of this mission 
 
 68 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 was the arrival at Pagliano of a dark, stern-looking 
 Spaniard on some mysterious mission. An atmosphere 
 of gloom and unrest seemed to fill the palace, and there 
 were many private gatherings of Colonna kinsmen, until, 
 on the fatal morning of September 18, an armed company 
 of vassals set forth from the castle, and soon after arrived 
 the astounding news that Moncada had drawn the 
 Colonna brothers and the Cardinal himself * into an 
 armed invasion of Rome to bring the Pope to his 
 senses. They had met with scarcely any opposition, and 
 Clement VII., in mortal terror, had fled to the fortress of 
 Sant' Angelo, leaving the Vatican to be sacked by the 
 soldiers. It seems that the Pope was hated in Rome by 
 the populace for his cruel extortion ; he had recently put 
 taxes on the wine and fruit, on all things sold in the 
 market, and even " on the poor women who washed their 
 clothes in the Tiber !" When the Lord Vespasiano 
 returned to Pagliano in triumph, he was able to announce 
 that the Pope had promised to renounce the League, and 
 to call back his troops from Milan as well as the galleys 
 he had sent to Genoa. As security for his good faith, he 
 had given as hostages a young Salviati, and Filippo 
 Strozzi, " a most unfriendly deed," as his wife Madonna 
 Clarice had good cause to complain, for, in the light 
 of after events, she vowed that " Strozzi was basely and 
 foully sent like an innocent lamb to the slaughter." The 
 lady had " great power of tongue," but her words were 
 true, for as soon as Pope Clement was out of danger, 
 he broke every pledge, and so risked the lives of his 
 hostages. 
 
 In spite of his sworn amnesty, the Pope sent a strong 
 force into the territory of the House of Colonna to 
 * Cardinal Pompeo, cousin of Vespasiano Colonna. 
 69 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 ravage it with fire and sword, destroying fourteen castles 
 and villages, with a base and terrible massacre of the 
 unfortunate vassals — men, women, and children. Every- 
 where was ruin and desolation, and this atrocious cruelty, 
 " worse than the Turks in Hungary," was by order of the 
 Holy Father of the Church ! Faith was shaken to its 
 very foundations. How was it possible to honour the 
 " Vicar of Christ," or to believe him infallible who could 
 commit such barbarous crimes ? Surely there was deep 
 cause for that new spirit of reform, concerning which so 
 much was heard in Germany and other lands ! 
 
 But even in this present world such treachery was 
 destined to meet with due punishment, and a terrible 
 Nemesis was at hand for the Pontiff who had so shamed 
 his sacred office. It would be too long to set down the 
 tangled politics of those anxious months which followed ; 
 the fierce struggle and rivalry between the young Emperor 
 and the young King of France — the wars and counter- 
 wars — and the fatal deceit and vacillation of the Pope, 
 who continued to make treaties only to break them. 
 Luigi Rodomonte fought bravely in the service of 
 Charles V. ;] but on one occasion, near the Pieve di San 
 Jacopo, he was suddenly attacked by an overwhelming 
 force of the enemy. He made a gallant defence, prepared 
 to die rather than yield ; but the opposing commander, 
 Marcantonio Martinengo, in admiration of his valour, 
 appealed to Luigi to consider the inequality of the con- 
 test, and to spare the lives of his brave followers. Thus 
 abjured, Luigi gave up his sword,^and was conducted with 
 all honour to the Castle of Soncino, but was promptly set 
 at liberty. Such friendly deeds of chivalry were by no 
 means unusual in this war of Italian against Italian, to 
 serve a foreign cause. There often seemed to be some- 
 
 70 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 thing unreal about it all ; an encounter was at times so 
 like a glorified tournament. The opposing captains 
 might be real friends and kindred spirits, writing stanzas 
 in praise of each other, rivals in splendour and in magna- 
 nimity. 
 
 Luigi was not to blame in this adventure, for as Bocca- 
 lini wisely says : " He yielded to adverse fortune, believing, 
 like many Captains, ancient and modern, that in this is 
 more honour and glory than to sacrifice his people and 
 himself. . . . To avoid adversity is prudence, and the 
 leader who has this gift will seldom or never fail. For 
 with prudence and the ' Signor Dio ' for his guide, he will 
 always on all occasions be superior to others. . . ."* 
 
 It was in December, 1526, that there came to Giulia 
 sad news of the death of that dauntless Giovanni delle 
 Bande Nere, who, in the service of his kinsman, Pope 
 Clement, was fighting on the French side. The young 
 Condottiere was defending with reckless valour the cross- 
 ing of the Po, when he was wounded by one of those 
 modern falconets which he despised, borne through the 
 snow to Mantua, where, with heroic courage, he died 
 a hero's death in the house of Lodovico Gonzaga. Giulia 
 felt the deepest pity for his devoted young wife, Maria 
 Salviati, whom she had met in Rome. Poor lady ! Her 
 forecasts of fear had indeed been realized, and the sword 
 had pierced her heart. 
 
 It was a sad and anxious winter for the country ; yet 
 when the glamour of early spring dawned over the heights 
 of Pagliano, Giulia could look back upon many joyous 
 sunny days. She was again the Lord Vespasiano's con- 
 stant companion in his morning rides through that wild, 
 
 * Letter of Francesco Boccalini from Sabbioneta, written Novem- 
 ber 15, 1526. 
 
 7i 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 beautiful land, where the lark sang his cento novelle 
 antiche, where the almond-tree burst forth into blossom, 
 and the shivering grey leaves of the olive gleamed like 
 silver in the changing light. Then in quick succession 
 came the flowering season of the peach, the apple, the 
 pear, the fig-tree, and the red pomegranate ; while the 
 earth smiled back upon man with her rich treasures — the 
 white mountain heath, the yellow broom, the gum cistus, 
 the caper-flowers, narcissus, lilies and asphodel, foxgloves 
 and roses. If the Colonna lord smiled at his bride's 
 girlish enthusiasm for all this beauty, he too loved it, for 
 he was a son of the soil, and his native hills were very 
 dear to him. 
 
 Yet this brief halcyon time was but the lull before the 
 storm which was gathering around, and was to bring such 
 a terrible awakening. In her letters from home, Giulia 
 had learned that her brother Luigi was in command of an 
 Italian company in the Imperial army led by Charles 
 Duke of Bourbon, who had joined the motley horde of 
 barbarians brought from Germany by Frundsberg. Luigi 
 and the other leaders were in a most painful position, as 
 there was no money forthcoming from the Emperor to 
 pay all these rough soldiers, who loudly demanded " pay 
 or pillage," and who were, in fact, masters of the 
 situation. The Pope, terror-stricken, played fast and 
 loose with both sides, and did nothing but make treaties 
 and break them. His duplicity caused the final catastrophe, 
 when the army, maddened by false hopes, starving and 
 demoralized, insisted upon marching against Rome. We 
 are all familiar with that awful tragedy, when Charles de 
 Bourbon was struck down at the first assault, and upon 
 Luigi Gonzaga fell the task of leading the way through 
 the walls of Rome, by the Porta Aurelia and the Setti- 
 
 72 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 mania, until he took possession of the Borgo San Pietro. 
 Pope Clement fled in terror to the Castel Sant' Angelo, 
 and was accompanied by the Cardinals and other prelates, 
 amongst whom was Luigi's brother, Pirro Gonzaga. The 
 soldiers, mad with triumph after all their sufferings, were 
 beyond all control ; and then followed that fearful sack of 
 the Eternal City, of which the very thought fills one with 
 shuddering horror. A later account from her cousin 
 Camilla told Giulia how they fared at the Colonna 
 palace, which was full of refugees. The Marchesa was in 
 no serious alarm for herself, as the leader, Charles de 
 Bourbon, was her nephew, while her son Ferrante and 
 Luigi Gonzaga were also in the Imperial army. But it 
 was a time of terrible uncertainty until late on that fatal 
 Sunday, May 5, when Camilla saw her brother Alessandro 
 crossing the Piazza, and he first brought news of Bourbon's 
 death. Then Ferrante Gonzaga arrived, to the great joy 
 of his mother, who had not seen him for three years. 
 Her friends secured the safety of the Marchesa, but those 
 who had taken shelter under her roof were compelled to 
 pay a heavy ransom. 
 
 It was a great comfort to the young Colonna Princess 
 to hear that her brother utterly refused any share of the 
 spoils ; indeed, he spent all that he possessed in paying 
 ransom for his friends and those whom he pitied. As the 
 Venetian envoy wrote : " The generous conduct of Signor 
 Luigi is beyond all praise."* Gandolfo Porrino wrote a 
 poem on the subject. 
 
 A week later the Marchesa and her household made 
 
 their escape ; she had attained the object of her visit to 
 
 Rome, having won by her indomitable perseverance a 
 
 Cardinal's hat for her son Ercole, at the price of 40,000 
 
 * M. Sanuto, " Diarii," xlv. 207. 
 
 73 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 ducats ! It was Giulia's brother Pirro who was sent with 
 it by the Pope ; and Madonna also contrived to carry 
 away many spoils from the pillage of the city — she did so 
 love beautiful things. 
 
 It was a sad time for her old friends. The poet Molza 
 lost everything in the great disaster, and barely escaped 
 with his life. Paolo Giovio was in like sad case, and 
 never recovered from the loss of his precious manuscripts. 
 He welcomed the coming of Cardinal Colonna, on May 10, 
 as that " of an angel from heaven." For at this crisis the 
 Lord Vespasiano, full of the deepest sympathy, had offered 
 most generous help, and had implored the Cardinal to 
 spare neither money nor influence in rescuing the hapless 
 victims of the barbarian soldiery, and to do his best to 
 put a stop to bloodshed and pillage. The Colonna prince 
 was indeed so full of pity and horror that he forgot his own 
 wrongs, and devoted himself to the rescue of the unfortu- 
 nate Pope. He took a leading part in the Conference held 
 at Orvieto for that purpose, and the Emperor, startled at 
 the overwhelming triumph of his arms and the reprobation 
 of the Christian world, was eager to make terms. 
 
 It was at this time that, in order to make some amends 
 for that ill-judged and deeply-regretted raid upon the 
 Pope, it occurred to Vespasiano Colonna to select the 
 young Signor Ippolito dei Medici, son of Giuliano, and 
 favourite nephew of Clement VII., as a possible husband for 
 his daughter and heiress Isabella. He had met the young 
 prince in Rome, and had been much attracted by him. 
 Now, also, the Sack ot Rome had been fatal to Ippolito's 
 prospect of being Lord of Florence, which had expelled 
 the Medici. However this scheme was first thought of* 
 it remained a fixed idea with the Lord Vespasiano until 
 his death. 
 
 7+ 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 This terrible Sack of Rome had, indeed, far-reaching 
 effects. The Gonzaga's friend, Signor Baldassare Cas- 
 tiglione, who had gone to Spain as the Pope's Nuncio, 
 was so horrified at this event, which came upon him like 
 a thunder-clap, that he never recovered the shock, and 
 died some months later of a broken heart. In the words 
 of the Emperor himself : " I tell you that one of the 
 finest gentlemen in the world is dead." In this sad story 
 I can but dwell upon that which touches the kinsmen and 
 friends of Giulia, who was indeed thankful to know that 
 her dear Lady Vittoria Colonna was safe in her beautiful 
 Island of Ischia, whither her brother Ascanio had taken 
 her before the troubles began. 
 
 Giulia had taken up her abode with Isabella in their 
 southern domain of Trajetto for the winter months, 
 when she heard from her brother Pirro, recently made 
 Cardinal and Bishop of Modena,* that Luigi Rodomonte 
 had been ill with the fever which raged in Rome, and had 
 scarcely recovered, when he was entrusted with the task 
 of conducting the Pope from Sant' Angelo to a place of 
 safety. Her brother arrived in the dead of night at the 
 gate of the Castello, on November 21, 1527, accompanied 
 by thirty horsemen and many arquebusiers ; and when 
 Pope Clement appeared, Luigi met him with the deepest 
 respect, and made him a present of a splendid horse 
 which he was induced to ride. Thus guided and pro- 
 tected, they left the city by the Porta del Popolo, crossed 
 over the Ponte Molle, and onward by Ronciglione and 
 Viterbo to Montefiascione, where he rested for a while, 
 and at length reached Orvieto in safety on December 8. 
 The delicate courtesy and devoted kindness of Luigi 
 
 * See letter of Giulia to Boccalini, written November 4, 1537, from 
 Trajetto. 
 
 75 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 Gonzaga made a great impression upon the Pope, and 
 was destined to have important results in the future. 
 
 The army of the League had attacked the Kingdom 
 of Naples by sea and land, so that it behoved all friends 
 of the Emperor to fight on his behalf. Giulia's husband, 
 the Lord Vespasiano Colonna, had taken part in this 
 campaign, and came home to her early in March, 1528, 
 stricken unto death. On the twelfth of the month he 
 made his will, in which he formally gave his consent to 
 the marriage of his daughter Isabella to the Signor 
 Ippolito dei Medici, nephew of the Pope, on condition 
 that any sons born should take the name of Colonna. 
 He appointed Giulia a dowry of 30,000 ducats, and the 
 ultimate inheritance of his realm, and property which he 
 left to her during her life and widowhood. . . . 
 
 Strengthened by the last rites of the Church, and full 
 of tender love and thoughtful kindness for his wife and 
 daughter, he passed away. With deep sorrow Giulia 
 grieved for the loss of a dear friend, a charming and 
 devoted companion, who had raised her on a pinnacle of 
 greatness and fulfilled her every desire. But in truth she 
 blamed herself that she could not mourn for her lord as 
 he deserved. It may be urged on her behalf that she was 
 still so young, not quite sixteen, but many a woman has 
 known love, and passion, and despair before that age. . . . 
 Henceforth she adopted for her emblem the flower of the 
 amaranth, with the motto " Non moritura." 
 
 As it befell, she had but little time for mourning, for 
 scarcely had the last solemn funeral ceremonies come to 
 an end, and the Lord Vespasiano Colonna been laid to rest 
 with his ancestors in the Church of St. Andreas, before all 
 the young widow's courage was needed to defend her home, 
 which was claimed by Colonna kinsmen and attacked 
 
 76 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 by her foes the Orsini. The first to arrive was Sciarra 
 Colonna, who, although nominally an adherent of the 
 Pope, yet had a strong desire to obtain Pagliano for him- 
 self; and Ascanio also asserted his right as the nearest 
 male heir. Isabella and Giulia had retreated to the 
 Castello, which was well fortified and gallantly defended ; 
 so that before Sciarra had begun his attack, Napoleone 
 Orsini, the Abbate of Farfa, marched against Pagliano 
 with a strong force of men-at-arms, and took Sciarra 
 Colonna prisoner by surprise. Now, this Napoleone 
 Orsini was an enemy both of the Emperor and the Pope, 
 who, on hearing of the ladies' dangerous position, decided 
 to send them help. He had always declared that he owed 
 his life and safety to the courteous and gallant Luigi, and 
 in this moment of danger to his sister, he chose Luigi as 
 leader of the relieving force. 
 
 The Gonzaga captain gladly accepted the command, 
 and with splendid skill and valour came to the rescue ; 
 but it was only after hard fighting that he at length 
 defeated the Orsini, reconquered the lands, and rescued 
 Sciarra, who promptly saw the error of his ways. As for 
 Luigi Rodomonte, he was the hero of the hour, and it 
 was natural that Isabella Colonna should see in him 
 another Orlando, a Paladin of romance. Luigi was from 
 the first flattered and attracted by her evident admiration, 
 and he soon yielded to the charm of her fresh young girl- 
 hood, and became deeply devoted to her. Giulia felt it 
 her duty to remind Isabella that by her father's will, she 
 was destined to marry Signor Ippolito dei Medici, but she 
 indignantly rejoined : 
 
 " Can there be any question between him and your 
 brother ? Surely, if my father had lived he would have 
 decided that the hero who saved our lives and our 
 
 77 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 dominions had the greater claim upon my hand. And, 
 moreover, Giulia," she continued, with a mischievous 
 smile, " you must remember that when the Lord Ippolito 
 came here as my father's guest he had no eyes for anyone 
 but you, and that he talked poetry — Virgil, Ariosto, and 
 I know not what — with you the whole evening." 
 
 Giulia could have pointed out that some courtesy was 
 due to her as the hostess, but she did not contest the 
 matter, for she could not offend her sister-in-law by reply- 
 ing that she had no literary tastes whatever, and that it 
 would have been impossible for an accomplished scholar 
 to carry on a conversation with her. However, Luigi 
 loved Isabella as she was, with her merry laugh, her 
 talent for practical matters, and her skill in all games and 
 outdoor pursuits — riding, hunting, and hawking. Giulia 
 was quite ready to help him in every way with his suit, 
 and when their intimacy became a matter of talk and 
 remark, she advised Luigi that they should send for their 
 brother, Cardinal Pirro, and learn from him whether he 
 could obtain the Pope's consent to the marriage. Pirro 
 eagerly accepted the invitation, and his coming was a 
 great comfort to them all ; he brought most friendly 
 letters from the Pope, who expressed in general terms his 
 confidence in Luigi and affection for him. He was also 
 the bearer of information which gave great satisfaction to 
 Giulia. The Signor Ippolito, who was an intimate friend 
 of his, had assured him that nothing would induce him to 
 carry out the project of marriage with Isabella Colonna, 
 as " he had set his devotion upon a noble lady of surpass- 
 ing beauty and talent, who so far excelled all other as the 
 sun's clear rays surpass those of the twinkling stars." 
 
 Luigi was already in no doubt as to the young Prince's 
 feeling towards Isabella ; had it been otherwise, he was 
 
 78 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 far too generous and loyal-hearted to steal away the girl's 
 love. Thus it became only a question of policy, and the 
 two young lovers agreed to be content for the present 
 with a solemn engagement and marriage contract- This 
 proved to be of so much importance that I will copy the 
 exact words : 
 
 " I, Isabella Colonna, declare, confess, and swear by 
 the Omnipotent God that I have taken for my legitimate 
 spouse the Illus. Sig. Luigi de Gonzaga ; and thus I have 
 given my vow to take no other husband while his Lord- 
 ship lives, as Holy Mother Church commands. And this 
 I have done and promised in my Palace of Pagliano, in 
 the Salvarobba, espousing his Lordship with the ring. In 
 the presence of witnesses ... on this sixteenth day of 
 April, 1528. 
 
 " I, Isabella Colonna, with my own hand. 
 
 " I, Francesco Boccalini, of Mantua. 
 
 " I, Paris Biondi, of Mantua. 
 
 " I, Giachetto Favisino, of Alessandria." 
 
 It is doubtful how far the Pope knew of this secret 
 agreement ; but when Cardinal Pirro returned to him at 
 Orvieto, he lost no opportunity of keeping His Holiness 
 in friendly disposition towards Luigi. Both Jacopo 
 Salviati and Fabio Petrucci wrote him the most encour- 
 aging letters at this time, and also sent him orders from 
 the Pope to defend Pagliano against Sciarra Colonna, 
 who was collecting troops to attack the citadel. This 
 was a task after his own heart, satisfying at once his love 
 and his duty; but obedience was more trying when he 
 heard from Fabio Petrucci that he was "to waste no 
 more time at Pagliano, but was wanted for active service 
 
 79 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 elsewhere." With such a command no delay was possible, 
 but it was a sad parting for them all ; the future was 
 uncertain, if not threatening, and the two young girls 
 felt helpless and unprotected, although the Pope had been 
 persuaded to send a company of 800 foot-soldiers, unde r 
 Girolamo Matteo, to protect the Colonna dominions. 
 
 80 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 1529-1532 
 
 Luigi Rodomonte wounded at Viterbo— Death of Giulia's mother, 
 Francesca Fieschi Gonzaga — Death of Giulia's brother, Cardinal 
 Pirro Gonzaga — Her father takes orders, and is known as the 
 "Abate" Lodovico — Luigi attends the coronation of the 
 Emperor Charles V. at Bologna — Marriage of Luigi Rodomonte 
 and Isabella Colonna — Birth of Vespasiano Colonna — Death of 
 Luigi Rodomonte Gonzaga, wounded at Vicovaro — His will. 
 
 Luigi Rodomonte, having fortified Pagliano to the best 
 of his ability, appears to have been engaged in a skirmish 
 at Viterbo, where he was taken ill with inflammation and 
 fever in consequence of a neglected wound. The friends 
 who were with him, amongst whom was the Cardinal 
 Ippolito dei Medici, sent at once to Rome for the famous 
 surgeon, Messer Tommaso Cademosto, but unfortunately 
 he was unable to obey the summons, as he was in close 
 attendance upon a great lord.* However, he sent full 
 directions for the treatment of the sick man, who soon 
 made progress towards recovery. Some weeks later we 
 find that Luigi was able to travel as far as Fontanellato, 
 a place in Lombardy, to the north-west of Parma, on the 
 way towards the little village of Soragna, where he was 
 tenderly cared for by his sister Paola, the wife of Galeazzo 
 Sanvitale. He had scarcely recovered before he went to 
 * Letter of Cademosto, from Rome, on August 19, 1529. 
 81 6 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 the help of a kinsman, Uberto Pallavicini, Marchese di 
 Gibello, who was attacked by Lodovico Rangone, and 
 there followed a hopeless tangle of conflicting interests, 
 rendered more deadly by being amongst kinsmen and 
 neighbours. In this petty warfare Luigi could gain neither 
 honour nor reputation. 
 
 At the beginning of the next year (1530) Giulia had the 
 misfortune to lose her mother, and soon afterwards her 
 second brother, the Cardinal Pirro Gonzaga, who returned 
 to his home at Sabbioneta, only to die there, struck down 
 in his splendid and promising youth. He passed away on 
 January 28 of that fatal winter, and Giulia's heart yearned 
 for home, with the solace of her own people. But dis- 
 turbing events made this impossible. When it had become 
 known that Ippolito dei Medici was made a Cardinal, and 
 thus renounced his claim to the hand of Isabella, the 
 Colonna family loudly clamoured that she must take a 
 husband from amongst her own kinsmen, lest her vast 
 inheritance should go to some alien house. They even 
 sent an appeal to the Emperor to enforce this. But 
 meanwhile strange events took place. 
 
 Lodovico Gonzaga, Giulia's father, in his first grief for 
 the loss of his wife, had taken priestly orders, and was 
 already known as the Abate Lodovico. On the death of 
 the young Cardinal Pirro, it seemed to him natural that 
 he should claim all the benefices held by his son — the 
 Abbey of Acquanegra, the living of Sospiro, and others — 
 for at that moment Clement VII. was believed to be 
 dying. But the Pope, who had in fact cheated Death 
 of his prey and was rapidly recovering, lost no time in 
 bestowing all the endowments of Pirro upon the Cardinal 
 Ippolito. 
 
 The sad tale of mortality in the Gonzaga family was 
 
 82 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 not yet complete. A few months later, in March, 1529, 
 Giulia's uncle, the elder Pirro Gonzaga, passed away at 
 Gazzuolo. He was the beloved youngest son of Madonna 
 Antonia, and his loss was a terrible blow to her, who had 
 already suffered so much. He had, unfortunately, taken 
 part against the Emperor, who confiscated his estates and 
 bestowed them upon Luigi Rodomonte. But this young 
 prince, the very soul of generosity, at once declared that 
 he simply held them as a sacred charge for the sons of 
 Pirro, to whom he proved a most watchful and devoted 
 guardian when their mother, Emilia Bentivoglio, was 
 taken from them before the end of the year. Carlo, the 
 eldest son, was a special favourite of Luigi, whom he 
 strongly resembled in many ways. A splendid youth, of 
 magnificent stature and strength, he, like Rodomonte, was 
 without a rival in every game ; and wonderful tales are 
 told of his childish prowess — as when he parted two fierce 
 sheep-dogs who were fighting, grasping them by the jaws, 
 and tearing them asunder by force. As Tasso has said 
 of these two cousins : " In our days, like unto the early 
 Heroes, were Luigi and Carlo Gonzaga."* 
 
 Besides Carlo, his brother Federico, and his two 
 charming little sisters Isabella and Lucrezia, were under 
 the special care and guardianship of their cousin Luigi. 
 He had taken advantage of a new league between the 
 Emperor and the Pope, to make his peace with this latter, 
 
 * In his Sonnet cxxxvii. Tasso says : 
 
 " Luigi, e Carlo, incontro il ciel le fronti 
 Ben potevate alzar, qual Capaneo, 
 Che 1' alte mura scosse, onde cadeo 
 Quandi i f ulmini di Giove ebbe si 
 E potevate monti imporre a monti 
 D' Encelado non meno, e di Tifeo ; . . ." 
 (" Works of Tasso," printed in folio in Florence, vol. ii., p. 428.) 
 
 83 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 and to persuade His Holiness to forgive the Pallavicini 
 who had taken arms against him. 
 
 The next great event was the coming of Charles V. to 
 Italy for his long-deferred coronation. He landed, on 
 August 12, 1529, at Genoa, where Luigi met him, and 
 was received with great favour, being in his company as 
 far as Piacenza, with Cardinal Ippolito dei Medici, his 
 cousin Alessandro, and many other great nobles. Mean- 
 while great preparations were being made at Bologna, 
 which had been chosen for the important ceremony, and 
 Luigi returned to his new home at Rivarolo. 
 
 In the midst of all his arduous warfare and many 
 engrossing duties, Luigi found leisure to show his devo- 
 tion to the Muses. At this very time, a letter was written 
 to him by the learned Ambrogio Fiandino, in which he 
 hails him as a Mecasnas, and professes the greatest admira- 
 tion for a sonnet of Rodomonte, composed in honour of 
 Giovanni delle Bande Nere. Fiandino also sends to his 
 patron an edition of Phaedrus, which he has recently 
 annotated. But the most delightful and valuable of 
 Luigi's poetical works was the sonnet which he sent to 
 Isabella, his beloved and true wife, a little later, when she 
 was persecuted on every side by suitors.* 
 
 In this he tenderly comforts and applauds her, com- 
 paring her life to a voyage in a tempest-tossed barque, 
 which, beset by storms, will reach a beautiful shore and a 
 safe haven in due time. He compares her to Ippodamia 
 (or Briseis) who, taken prisoner by Achilles, becomes his 
 bride, as in the days when he himself took Pagliano by force 
 of arms and wedded his dear lady. Then he exhorts her to 
 continue in her constancy and to imitate Penelope, who, 
 
 * Appendix, note 2, Sonnet VII. (The marriage of Luigi and 
 Isabella was still a secret.) 
 
 84 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 surrounded by many suitors, never gave up her hope of 
 Ulysses' return, and undid at night the web which she 
 had spun by day. 
 
 Isabella Colonna was greatly pleased and flattered by 
 this charming homage ; she was quite willing to look upon 
 herself as another Penelope. In truth, this encourage- 
 ment came at a fortunate moment, when a fresh suitor 
 had appeared for her hand, more formidable than all the 
 others. This was Ferrante Gonzaga, the son of Isabella 
 Marchesa of Mantua ; he had left the army before 
 Florence — where he and Luigi were in command under 
 the Prince of Orange — and had gone to Bologna to make 
 a direct appeal for the hand of the heiress to the Emperor, 
 who received him favourably. This news soon reached 
 Luigi, who at once sent his brother Cagnino* with the 
 authentic documents of his marriage contract, which he 
 was immediately to make known to all the great people 
 assembled at Bologna. A sharp contest ensued, for Don 
 Ferrante disputed the legality of the marriage, and the 
 case had to be tried before the Emperor and the Pope. 
 Luigi himself obtained, permission to leave his company, 
 and hastened to Bologna, where he was present at the 
 splendid ceremony of the solemn coronation of Charles V. 
 on February 24, 1530. This day had been chosen as 
 the Emperor's birthday and the day of the victory at 
 Pavia. By all accounts it must have been a magnificent 
 pageant. 
 
 The ancient city was gaily decorated with triumphal 
 arches and garlands of flowers, laurel, and myrtle, while 
 the windows were hung with tapestry and brocades. The 
 streets were guarded by soldiers, amongst whom the 
 Burgundian companies were resplendent in white armour 
 * Gianfrancesco Gonzaga. 
 85 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 over velvet doublets of red, green, and yellow. The 
 procession from the Palazzo to the Church of San 
 Petronio was led by the rector and doctors of the 
 famous University in their purple robes, fur collars, and 
 gold chains, followed by all the Bishops in violet copes 
 and mitres ; then came the Cardinals in scarlet silk and 
 lace, in attendance on the Pope, who was carried in his 
 golden chair of state by his guard in red liveries. 
 
 The coming of the Emperor was proclaimed by a 
 resounding flourish of trumpets, and he was preceded by 
 heralds from all parts of his world-wide dominions on 
 which the sun never sets, and from all other countries. 
 The orb of the world, the regal sceptre, the sword of 
 state, and the Imperial crown on a golden cushion, were 
 borne before His Majesty by dukes and princes in 
 gorgeous array; and he himself followed, wearing his 
 stately robes of empire and a flowing mantle of gold 
 brocade, while on his head was the iron crown of Lom- 
 bardy. As for the ceremony itself, it was impressive 
 beyond all words, as the young Emperor was solemnly 
 invested by the Pope with the Imperial insignia. He 
 then kissed the feet of His Holiness, and a mighty shout 
 rent the air as the heralds proclaimed him " Emperor of 
 the Romans and lord of the whole world." Trumpets, 
 bells, and guns announced the completion of the great 
 event to the waiting crowds, and the whole city rang 
 with acclamations — " Evviva Carlo Cesare, Imperator 
 Gloriossissimo !" 
 
 When all the ensuing festivities were at an end, the 
 Emperor went on to Mantua, where he had promised to 
 bestow the title of Duke on Federico Gonzaga, the son 
 of Madonna Isabella. By his special request Luigi 
 accompanied him, and he wrote to Isabella that " on the 
 
 86 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 25th day of March, when he entered the city, he wore a 
 sopraveste of azure blue satin, made in squares of 
 alternate colours, one showing a Scorpion embroidered, 
 and the other an inscription : ' qui vivens l^edit morte 
 medetur.' " It was supposed to be the property of the 
 scorpion to heal the poison, when it is killed and placed 
 upon the wound. He wished it to be understood that he 
 would kill anyone who offended him,* a defiance of those 
 who would dispute his marriage. 
 
 It was very soon after this that, by command of the 
 Pope, and at the instance of Don Ferrante, Isabella 
 Colonna was summoned to a formal examination at 
 Civita-Castellana,t in the presence of Giambatista Mente- 
 buona and Don Diego de Sota. She was most closely 
 questioned, but remained constant in her declaration that 
 she would have no other husband than Luigi. All the 
 particulars were taken down, written in the Spanish 
 language, and signed on March 28, 1530 ; but Isabella 
 was left to return home in suspense. Cardinal Ippolito 
 sent a kind letter by his secretary, Claudio Tolomei, to 
 Luigi, promising all the help he could give, t Meantime 
 Don Ferrante had evidently given up all hope of press- 
 ing his own suit, for we hear later that he had found 
 another heiress, Isabella of Capua, daughter of the Duke 
 of Termoli, whom he married secretly. 
 
 Luigi had returned to his duties in the camp before 
 Florence, and it was here that he found time to write that 
 
 * Paolo Giovio thought this a little bombastic, but quite pardon- 
 able, considering all the circumstances (" Dell' Imprese Militari," 
 p. 122). 
 
 f A hill-town near Borghetto and Monte Soracte, about forty miles 
 from Rome. 
 
 4 Letter of Claudio Tolomei, lib. vi., carte 225. 
 
 87 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 beautiful poem in sixteen stanzas, " In Praise of his Lady," 
 which was so much admired throughout all Italy. In a 
 beautiful allegory, the poet describes himself as a weary 
 pilgrim wandering in the dark and lonely forest by night, 
 and hopelessly lost until a bright distant star appears to 
 him and guides him on his way. " Ma bella Stella," on 
 whom his life depends, and who awakens in his soul so 
 many beautiful thoughts, is the emblem under which he 
 pays all homage to his Isabella. What maiden would not 
 find it in her heart to envy such devotion, expressed with 
 so much beauty and harmony ? 
 
 It was not until the early days of the year 1531 that at 
 length the marriage of Luigi and Isabella was made abso- 
 lutely secure and placed beyond all doubt, by the signature 
 of both the Emperor and the Pope in token of its validity. 
 Luigi was then duly proclaimed Duke of Trajetto and 
 Count of Fondi, and it was a strange irony of fate which 
 made Giulia a dowager-duchess at the age of eighteen. 
 Now that the desire of her heart was attained in the 
 successful issue of her brother's marriage, she felt free to 
 carry out her long-deferred visit to the dear home of her 
 childhood, for she could now be spared for a while by the 
 married lovers at Pagliano. 
 
 Notwithstanding all the sad changes which had taken 
 place amongst her own people, it was a great joy to find 
 herself once more with her beloved grandmother, Madonna 
 Antonia, to whom the years had been most kind ; for now 
 at the age of ninety, she was but little changed since the 
 child Giulia left her, and she welcomed her beloved 
 granddaughter with the same keen interest and loving 
 sympathy. She was living at Gazzuolo, where she had so 
 often stayed with her youngest son Pirro, and after his 
 lamented death she had adopted his little daughters. 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 The charming Lucrezia, not quite nine years old, must 
 have vividly recalled to Giulia all the bright freshness and 
 eager tastes of her own happy childhood. Her education 
 was being carried out under the watchful care of Madonna 
 Antonia, and Giulia had the pleasure of meeting an old 
 friend, Messer Matteo Bandello, established in the house- 
 hold as tutor in Latin, eloquence, and philosophy. This 
 pleasing writer was at that time engaged in preparing 
 some of his novelle for the printing-press. This is a 
 copy of the letter, in which he dedicated one of his elegant 
 stories to his young pupil Lucrezia.* It is too long to 
 quote in full, but the following is a summary : 
 
 " To the Most Illustrious Signora, Lucrezia Gonzaga, 
 of Gazzuolo. 
 
 " Salutation. . . . 
 
 " Being moved to set down these tales of ancients days, 
 . . . once when I was with Madama Isabella of Mantua, 
 sister of your grandmother, t she commanded me to take 
 up Livy and read to her the story of Tarquin and 
 Lucrezia with her death ; which, to obey her, I did, for 
 she, Lucrezia Bentivoglio (as you know), is well acquainted 
 with Roman history. When I had read it . . . the subject 
 was discussed . . . M. Capilupi gave great praise to 
 Lucrezia, but M. Equicola said that she was mad to kill 
 herself. They were still disputing, when the noble and 
 learned cavalier, Count Baldassare Castiglione arrived, to 
 whom Madama told what I had read, and the subject of 
 their discussion. . . . She thought I would go to the 
 
 * Part II., No. XXL, Novelle di Matteo Bandello. 
 
 t This was Isabella d' Este's half-sister, Lucrezia Bentivoglio, 
 whose daughter Emilia married Pirro Gonzaga, the father of little 
 Lucrezia. See Genealogy, No. 2. 
 
 89 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 Sacristy and point out what St. Augustine had said on the 
 subject in his learned book of ' The City of God,' but 
 as Castiglione had come, she prayed him to give his 
 opinion. . . ." 
 
 In short, he was persuaded to tell the story, adding 
 descriptive and light touches, and deciding in favour of 
 Lucrezia's deed. Bandello assures us that he has simply 
 written down what the eloquent and learned Castiglione 
 said. Then he adds that he has also composed " stanzas " 
 in praise of his pupil Lucrezia, but if they are never 
 published, at least she will be made immortal by the 
 dedication to her of this novella. 
 
 It added much to the pleasure of Giulia's visit to meet 
 Messer Bandello and to have long talks with him about 
 their family, to whom he was devoted, especially her 
 uncle Pirro and her brother Luigi, to both of whom he 
 has dedicated some of his novelle* — the highest com- 
 pliment he can pay, for in all this changing world he 
 had the assured confidence that his works would live for 
 ever. 
 
 It was a disappointment to Giulia that she saw but 
 little of her father, who remained at Sabbioneta. Since 
 he entered the profession of the Church so late in life, he 
 had become the most priestly of priests, and in his devo- 
 tion to his sacred office he seemed almost to have forgotten 
 that he ever had the cares of a family. Still, as the Abate 
 Lodovico he retained his pride in the house of Gonzaga, 
 and was ever a faithful and true friend. 
 
 Summoned home by an urgent request from her brother, 
 
 Giulia returned at once by the shortest route to Pagliano, 
 
 deferring until some future time her hoped-for visit to 
 
 * Novelle, Bandello. 
 
 90 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 Madonna Ren6e of France, now Duchess of Ferrara, 
 who had expressed an earnest wish to make her acquaint- 
 ance. In that beautiful April weather they were able to 
 ride for many hours in the day, taking only a noontide 
 rest ; they were all well mounted, and Giulia had a strong 
 escort, on account of the disturbed state of the country ; 
 on this her brother Luigi had insisted, with the jesting 
 remark that " she would need armed protection in passing 
 through the dominions of so many of her suitors, lest they 
 should kidnap her."* 
 
 However, the journey was safely accomplished, and 
 Giulia was warmly welcomed by Isabella and Luigi, who, 
 to obey the Pope's summons, had already made his pre- 
 parations for departure, and shortly set forth, having first 
 tenderly committed his wife to his sister's loving care. 
 At the last moment of farewell, while his horsemen waited 
 in the courtyard, Isabella presented him with a wonderful 
 golden ring, on which two eyes were carved by a master- 
 hand ; and this mystic design was so much admired that 
 various epigrams were later composed in its honour by 
 three well-known poets — six in Latin by Angelo Colocci,t 
 seven in Italian by Molza,! and one by Aonio Paleario.§ 
 
 It was during this summer of 1531 that Giulia and 
 Isabella took up their abode at Fondi, their favourite 
 home henceforth — a Colonna dominion, beautifully situated 
 on the Appian Way, half-way between Rome and Naples. 
 They had but rare news of Luigi, who had been sent on 
 outpost duty by the Pope, and had found much trouble in 
 
 * In that year, 1531, Giulia was only eighteen, in the prime of her 
 youth and that marvellous beauty famous throughout Europe. 
 + " Poesie, Italiane e Latine di Monsignor Angelo Colocci." 
 + "Opera del Molza," t. iii., p. 316. 
 § " Aonii Palearii Opera," p. 711. 
 
 9i 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 quelling the petty quarrels amongst his captains after their 
 brief period of idleness. 
 
 Meantime, Isabella was in delicate health ; but at length 
 the long months of waiting and anxiety came to an end, 
 and on December 6, 1531, a son was born to her, who 
 received the name of Vespasiano Colonna, after his grand- 
 father. The baptism of his heir was a splendid function 
 for Luigi Rodomonte, and one of the sponsors was his 
 sister Giulia, who was destined to play so important a 
 part in the child's future life. 
 
 But the ladies did not long enjoy the presence of Luigi, 
 who, before the end of December, was sent by the Pope on 
 an embassy to the Court of Charles V. in connection with 
 the proposed war against the Turks. 
 
 ". . . . all' alta impresa 
 Italia, Francia e la Romana Chiesa." 
 
 Unfortunately, this great enterprise came to nothing, as 
 these States only sought their own interests. In April 
 Luigi had returned to Italy, and wrote home from Rivalta, 
 near Mantua, where his cousin Carlo had joined him. He 
 was next heard of at Ferrara, where he had stayed on his 
 journey to Rome, and had a few days of delightful con- 
 verse with that excellent poet, Messer Ariosto, who was 
 preparing his great poem, " Orlando Furioso," for the 
 printing. Luigi was specially charmed with Canto XXVI., 
 in which Malagigi explains the prophetic figures carved on 
 the tomb of Merlin, and points out the symbols of the 
 most distinguished nobles of the coming time. Amongst 
 these, the highest praise is given to Luigi Rodomonte, as 
 warrior and poet, in the lines : 
 
 " Luigi da Gazolo il ferro caldo 
 Fatto nel collo gli ha d' una ferita, 
 92 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 Che con 1' arco gli die Febo, quand' anco 
 Marte la spada sua gli raise al fianco." 
 
 But this was not all, for in Canto XXXVII. he pays the 
 most charming homage to the splendid valour, the rare 
 gifts, the fidelity in love, of Luigi, whose " fame rings 
 through Parnassus." Isabella, his wife, also comes in for 
 her share of warm appreciation, and Luigi was so full of 
 gratitude and heartfelt admiration that he took up his pen 
 and wrote that famous poem in praise of the great Ariosto, 
 which has since been printed as an introduction to the 
 "Orlando Furioso."* In this he protests, with true 
 humility, that as yet he has done no deeds worthy of 
 such praise, and looks forwafd to better times : 
 
 " Servare queste rime, e questo onore 
 A miglior tempo : or troppo il merto eccede, 
 Che d' uopo sia, chio troppo in alto saglia, 
 Se debbo far, che un vostro verso vaglia." 
 
 He hopes there will soon be an opportunity for a glorious 
 death or a splendid triumph over the proud Turk, for he 
 trusts that he will be placed in command of a company to 
 fight against the fierce infidel. 
 
 In August he was sent with a body of 400 Papal 
 infantry to enlarge and strengthen the fortifications of 
 Ancona, which was looked upon as the strongest outpost 
 of Christendom against the Turks.f Luigi was to see 
 that the walls of the city were made good at all points, 
 and that strong bastions were built to make the place 
 impregnable. The citizens had rendered willing help, but 
 they were unpleasantly surprised on September 20 by the 
 
 * There is a fine edition with this poem, bound in vellum, at 
 Parma, in possession of the Conte Garimbecti. 
 
 t " Notizie Istoriche della Citta d' Ancona," Saracini, bk. xi., 
 P- 338- 
 
 93 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 coming of a hostile army under the command of Monsignor 
 Bernadino dalla Barba, also by command of the Pope, 
 who, with his usual crooked policy, now proposed to take 
 possession of Ancona for himself. Rodomonte was quite 
 unprepared for this act of duplicity, as the last letter he 
 had received from the Papal Secretary had only given 
 orders to prepare for defence of the city against the Turks, 
 who were said to have already advanced as far as Gallipoli 
 with 150 ships.* 
 
 Taken thus by surprise, Luigi had no choice but to 
 obey the fresh orders of His Holiness ; and he went with 
 the Governor to meet the elders of the city, and had the 
 painful task of proving to them that resistance was use- 
 less, while he could only seek to soften the blow by 
 persuading them that their city would be safer under 
 the Pope's protection. Thus was Ancona added to the 
 dominions of the Church, and Monsignor dalla Barba left 
 there as Governor. 
 
 It was on a stormy December day that a courier arrived 
 at the palace with news that the Lord Luigi Gonzaga, in 
 the moment of victory, when he was entering the con- 
 quered city of Vicovaro, had been wounded by an arquebus 
 in the left shoulder, and was in serious danger. Then, 
 coming quickly on the heels of the first, who had been 
 delayed on the way, another messenger arrived with the 
 fatal tidings that all was over. How terrible in their cruel 
 simplicity were those words, which rang like the trump 
 of doom ! — " Our great Captain, the Most Noble Lord 
 Gonzaga, was borne to the Palazzo Pubblico of the city, 
 and there, having dictated his last testament and taken 
 farewell of his friends, he died of his wounds, fortified by 
 
 * See Letter of Gio. Battisto Sango to Luigi Gonzaga (" Lettere 
 di Principi," vol. i.). 
 
 94 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 the sacred rites of Holy Church, on the third day of 
 December of this year of grace, 1532." 
 
 Giulia had to weep not only for her own irreparable 
 loss, but for the ruined hopes of her father Lodovico, and 
 this last bereavement of her beloved Madonna Antonia, to 
 whom her gallant grandson Luigi was as the apple of her 
 eye. 
 
 The dead warrior was borne to Fondi, where the funeral 
 procession passed through the streets and reached the 
 Cathedral porch, with banners of conquered foes trailing 
 in the dust and all the pomp of stately woe. Giulia knelt 
 by the side of Isabella, her widowed sister-in-law, during 
 the last sad rites, and together they rode to the Palazzo, 
 where the loving sister heard from the lips of Isabella the 
 whole sad story, as she clasped the orphan babe Vespasiano 
 in her arms. More fortunate than Luigi's sister, his wife 
 had been near enough to be summoned at the first alarm 
 of danger, and hers was the rare privilege of being with 
 their hero to the last. In death, as in life, he thought 
 only of others, and his sole anxiety was for the happiness 
 of those he left behind. Most pathetic was the earnest 
 care which he had devoted to his will, in the framing of 
 which he overcame the agonizing pain of his wound and 
 forgot himself with heroic valour, to think only of the 
 welfare of those who depended upon him. By a supreme 
 effort he recalled all who had shown him loving service, 
 leaving special bequests to all his captains, his humble 
 friends, and his servants, mentioning them all by name, 
 and taking into account their deserts and their need. In 
 the codicil, with touching affection, he warmly recom- 
 mended Isabella to the love of his sister, and Giulia to 
 hers. His widow was to be guardian to the Illustrissimo 
 Signor Vespasiano, his infant son, unless she married 
 
 95 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 again, in which case his father the Signor Abate Lodovico 
 was to have sole charge of the boy his heir. 
 
 " Thus, on the third day of December of the year 1532, 
 was my beloved brother Luigi Gonzaga, detto (called) 
 Rodomonte, taken, at the age of thirty-three." Words can 
 tell but a small part of the honour and reverence, the 
 devotion and love, in which he was held by all men. 
 Amongst the many who have made the world resound 
 with his praise, we have the loving testimony borne by his 
 friend Matteo Bandello in the introduction to one of his 
 novelle (the story of Philip of Burgundy),* and those 
 beautiful lines of the poet Torquato Tasso, in which he 
 speaks of Luigi as " the great glory of Italy, the terror to 
 the foe . . ." " he of the strong heart and the wise counsel 
 . . . who feared no danger and welcomed a noble death." 
 Marco Guazzo joins in his praise : " Con grandissimo 
 duolo di tutti gli nomini segnalati, e di tutti gli uomini 
 quai alia virtu sono amici 1' alma al suo fattore divotissima- 
 mente rese . . ."t 
 
 * Novella, xxxix. 
 
 t " Istorie di Marco Guazzo," fogl. 104. 
 
 96 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 I532-I533- 
 
 Description of Fondi, where Giulia Gonzaga Colonna held her Court 
 — Unique literary and artistic centre — The friendship with 
 Vittoria Colonna — Poets and historians unite in praise of Giulia 
 — Quotations from Ariosto, Tasso, Flaminio, Molza, and others — 
 A "Golden Age" — Her portrait painted by Sebastiano del 
 Piombo — The friendship of Giulia with Ippolito dei Medici — 
 The story of his life — He is made Cardinal — He is present at 
 the marriage of Catherine dei Medici with the son of Francois I. 
 
 The picturesque medieval city of Fondi is so intimately 
 connected with the history of Giulia Gonzaga during the 
 most flamboyant years of her life that we cannot pass on 
 without a brief description. It was in the summer of 1531 
 that the young Countess made her home in this ancient 
 city, so beautifully situated in the fertile Terra di Lavoro, 
 at the foot of the forest-clad Monte Passignano, and near 
 enough to the sea to enjoy its life-giving breezes. The 
 whole neighbourhood is rich in classical memories, which 
 centre in this "Fundi" of the Romans, placed on the 
 Appian Way, and guarded by its massive cyclopean walls. 
 Here was born the Empress Galleria, wife of Vitellius, 
 and the famous Vitruvius, whose fountain stands beyond 
 the Eastern Gate. The site of the Villa of Varro is 
 pointed out on a rising hill near by, and Horace once 
 
 97 7 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 jested about the Praetor.* The family of Livia, the wife 
 of Augustus, came from here ; the Emperor Galba was 
 born in the neighbourhood ; and the low, hilly tract be- 
 tween Fondi and the sea at Sperlonga was the Ccecubus 
 ager, one of the most celebrated wine districts of the 
 Romans. These are but a few of the earlier legends, 
 which are not only of classic fame. The old Cathedral 
 is said to date from soon after the journey of St. Paul 
 from Pozzuoli to Rome, when he rested here. St. Thomas 
 Aquinas taught theology in the Dominican Convent, where 
 his cell is untouched, and in the garden still flourishes 
 the orange-tree believed to have been planted by him. 
 This ancient Church of San Pietro, built on the site 01 
 a temple to Jupiter by Nicolo di Roma in 1180, glories in 
 a marvellous pulpit of mosaic, with columns supported on 
 the backs of two lions and two rams, and with four eagles 
 on the capitals above. There were other interesting 
 churches — San Bartolommeo and San Nicolo Pellegrino — 
 and convents, of which the most noted was the Olivetan 
 Monastery of San Magno, outside the walls, built by 
 Prospero Colonna. 
 
 Situated half-way between Rome and Naples, fourteen 
 miles from the port of Terracina, and about two miles 
 from the coast at Sperlonga, Fondi was most convenient 
 of access, and was greatly beloved by Giulia, not only for 
 its legends, its ancient story, and its beautiful surround- 
 ings, but, above all, that it was her own domain, and there 
 she dwelt in the midst of her subjects. After a most 
 eventful history, the State had been bestowed by Ferdinand 
 
 * " Fundus, Aufidio Lusco prastore libenter 
 Linquimus, insani ridentes praemia scribae, 
 Praetextam, et latum clavum, prunasque batillum." 
 
 Sat. I., v. 34. 
 98 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 of Spain, in 1504, with the title of Count of Fondi, upon 
 Prospero Colonna, the father of Vespasiano, who had left 
 it to his young widow. Here it was that during the next 
 few years Giulia held her splendid Court, so famous in 
 the history of the Renaissance. The presence of this 
 beautiful and cultured lady made it an almost unique 
 literary and artistic centre. Many came hither with the 
 sole intention of paying homage to the Countess herself ; 
 others who were travelling from Rome to Naples, or 
 onwards to Calabria, rested on the way to make her 
 acquaintance and enjoy the gracious hospitality of her 
 palace. All were courteously received and introduced to 
 the presence of the great lady by her secretary, Gandolfo 
 Porrino, a native of Modena, who had himself no small 
 fame as a man of letters. 
 
 Amongst her most interesting visitors was the Marchesa 
 di Pescara, Vittoria Colonna, who in later years had so 
 much in common with Giulia in religious matters. A 
 charming letter has been preserved in which Vittoria 
 writes to recall with delight her first visit to Fondi, and 
 the marvellous courtesy which she met with from her 
 illustrious and beloved Signora, whose affection and kind- 
 ness were beyond all praise. This was written at Viterbo 
 on December 8 (probably of 1546), just before Giulia's 
 visit to Lombardy : " It will be well for my Signora to 
 visit her native land — she who is so well informed con- 
 cerning her heavenly country." Then she is grateful to 
 Giulia for sending her the ' Exposition concerning St. 
 Paul ' (by Vald^s), which she much desired and so greatly 
 needs, and for which she thanks the Signora again and 
 again when she receives it. 
 
 There is also a letter from Juan Vald6s himself, 
 written [on September 18, 1535, to the Cardinal Ercole 
 
 99 
 
A PRrNCESS OF THE 
 
 Gonzaga, in which he says : " I remained one day in 
 Fondi with that Signora, of whom I can but say that it 
 is a great pity that she should not be queen of all the 
 world, although I believe that God has thus provided, in 
 order that we poor creatures should enjoy her divine 
 conversation and courtesy, which is not inferior to her 
 beauty." 
 
 But these allusions point to the more serious side of 
 the brilliant company which gathered around and sought 
 to honour her in every way with their concert of praise 
 and admiration. We find the poets Bernardo Tasso, 
 Marcantonio Flaminio, Francesco Maria Molza, Francesco 
 Berni, Gandolfo Porrino, Claudio Tolomei, and many 
 others, writing odes, sonnets, and long poems to the glory 
 of this surpassing lady ; while others, like the Bishop 
 Vittorio Soranzo, Francesco Berni, Paolo Giovio (who 
 stayed at Fondi on his way to Urbino), Matteo Bandello 
 (the novelist), Falco, Signora Margherita Pelletta (who 
 also wrote madrigals), and Ippolito dei Medici, pour out 
 their adulation in prose. Besides these, we have the 
 testimony of Ariosto : 
 
 " Behold her whose fame to-day spreads throughout the 
 world . . . for her unsurpassed grace and beauty, Giulia 
 Gonzaga, who, wherever her feet may tread, and whatever 
 her serene eyes may behold . . . yields to none other in 
 loveliness, but, as though she descended from heaven, is 
 proclaimed with rapture as a goddess !"* 
 
 In his " Bellezze del Furioso di L' Ariosto," Orazio 
 Toscanella is no less enthusiastic. " If it may appear to 
 some that this praise of Ariosto is too hyperbolical, I 
 would point out how the Magnifico M. Antonio Magno 
 declares that in all his travels, and amongst all the most 
 
 * " Orlando Furioso," Canto LXVI. 
 ioo 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 beautiful ladies in the world whom he has seen in Italy, 
 in France, in Germany, and in Spain, indeed he affirms 
 and vows that he has never beheld any one who could 
 approach Giulia in beauty and grace. . . ."* 
 
 And Messer Giovanni Betussi, in his edition of Boc- 
 caccio's " Donne Illustre," says that " the fame of Giulia's 
 divine beauty was like unto that of Helen in the days of 
 Greece. She was a paragon of such infinite loveliness 
 . . . that neither picture nor words could ever reproduce 
 the vivacity of her eyes, her charming speech, the nobility 
 of her heart, nor the greatness of her soul ; these and all 
 other qualities being combined in Her."t 
 
 Falco, in his dedication of the " Rimario," speaks in 
 stronger language, dazzled by his lady's divine and mar- 
 vellous beauty, but still more by her wisdom, her accom- 
 plishments and her infinite courtesy. Matteo Bandello, 
 the delightful writer of novelle, cannot say enough in her 
 praise himself, but is greatly impressed by the passionate 
 admiration of another lady, Margherita Pelletta, whose 
 madrigals set the Countess Giulia upon a pinnacle of 
 charm, and beauty, and virtue, above all women in her 
 own age or any other. 
 
 This is only a very brief selection from the literature of 
 the day, which we cannot close without a quotation from 
 Tasso, who has a whole chapter in praise and admiration 
 of Giulia Gonzaga.f He sings of "her fair curly hair, 
 lightly waving in wandering curls . . . above the high 
 serene forehead . . . the two clear and luminous windows 
 which open beneath the dark and tranquil eyebrows, and in 
 
 * Libro di M. Giovanni Boccaccio delle Donne Illustre, ecc. In 
 Vinegia MDLVIII. 
 t Bandello, Novelle, Parte iii. a , p. 61. Lucca : Busdrago. 1554. 
 J For Tasso's poem in Italian, see Appendix, note 3. 
 
 101 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 this dark terrestrial prison can discern the marvels of God 
 . . . the mouth which surpasses rubies and pearls in colour 
 and beauty . . . the delicate neck white as snow. . . ." 
 Then rising to a higher strain of fancy, Tasso exclaims : 
 " As her feet pass over the grass, flowers spring up, and 
 those who see her declare that she is of Spring the sister or 
 the daughter " (reminding us of Botticelli's Primavera). 
 " Blessed spirits rejoice in her radiance . . . and he 
 who listens to her angelic voice will hear no such divine 
 words amongst other mortals. . . ." " The glorious name 
 of Giulia will live so long as the sun spreads forth 
 his golden rays." I will end this chorus of praise with 
 the words of Porrino : " Her gentle ways and her smiles 
 revealed a garden of roses and violets — a terrestrial and 
 celestial paradise. . . . That was indeed the true Golden 
 Age . . . and happy were they of Fondi and Trajetto !" 
 
 After the lapse of centuries, even such eloquent testi- 
 mony as this may leave us a little unconvinced as to the 
 lady's surpassing beauty — like to another Helen of Troy. 
 But at least we cannot doubt that beyond the cold 
 perfection of a classic statue, our Countess of Fondi 
 possessed the elusive gift of charm. The tender sympathy, 
 the keen insight, the quick responsive glance, the delicate 
 courtesy, and natural unconscious grace, so well expressed 
 in the " Cortegiano " as sprezzatura — all these were hers in 
 a supreme degree. 
 
 But amongst the throng of votaries who laid their 
 homage at the feet of Giulia, there was one who was far 
 more welcome than all the others. This was Ippolito dei 
 Medici, the nephew of Pope Clement VII., whom we 
 have*already heard of as a suggested suitor for Isabella 
 Colonna, the daughter of Vespasiano. This young prince 
 is so intimately associated with Giulia Gonzaga, that her 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 story would be incomplete without his. He was the son 
 of Giuliano dei Medici and a noble lady of Urbino, born 
 about 1510. He was taken to Rome at the age of three, 
 when Pope Leo X., another uncle, was so delighted with 
 his beauty and spirit, that he commissioned Raphael to 
 paint the child playing at his feet, on the wall of a sala 
 in the Vatican palace. When Ippolito lost his father, on 
 March 17, 1516, the Medici family appear to have warmly 
 adopted him and educated him with the greatest care, " not 
 only in Letters, but as the son of a prince, in riding, the use 
 of arms, and the art of music for which he showed great 
 facility, learning to play upon various instruments and 
 accompanying them with a charming voice, being dowered 
 by Fortune with supernatural talent so that he was the 
 admiration of all his teachers." 
 
 Concerning his musical talent, Giovio writes thus : 
 " He became a delightful performer on the lute, greatly 
 skilled with the violin, excellent on the flute, and un- 
 equalled with the cornet ; he had an excellent touch for 
 the monocord ... in fact, there was no instrument from 
 whence he could not bring forth delicious harmony and 
 touch the hearts of his hearers, whether the music were 
 joyful and pleasing, or whether it were sad and terrible."* 
 
 He was equally successful in his other studies, becom- 
 ing a very good classical scholar, while his Italian poetry 
 rivalled that of any writer of his day. 
 
 At the age of fourteen, Ippolito and his cousin Ales- 
 sandro were sent by Clement VII. to Florence, in order 
 that under the guidance of Cardinal Passerini they might 
 govern the city. Then it was that Ippolito began to show 
 his lofty and ambitious character, for he wished to appeal 
 to the imagination of his compatriots as the successor of 
 * Paolo Giovio. 
 103 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 the great Lorenzo, and to bear the title of II Magnified. 
 He only remained three years at Florence, and after 
 the revolution of 1527, retired for a time to Lucca, where 
 he eagerly pursued his studies until he was recalled to 
 Rome the following year by Clement VII., who was 
 devotedly attached to him. It was now the Pope's 
 ambition to arrange some great marriage for this youth of 
 eighteen, and, after various higher flights, he at last 
 entered into negotiations with his former foe, Vespasiano 
 Colonna, for the hand of his daughter Isabella. Mean- 
 while, Ippolito himself held aloof from all these projects ; 
 he had so many delightful pursuits, and life was alto- 
 gether so splendid and interesting to him, that he had no 
 wish for any change which marriage might bring. It has 
 been suggested by some of his biographers that he had 
 already seen the beautiful Giulia, the wife of Vespasiano 
 Colonna, in all the radiance of her early girlhood, and 
 that, worshipping her from afar, he had made her his 
 ideal. 
 
 So it came about that when, on January 10, 1529, 
 Clement VII. felt himself to be seriously ill and in danger 
 of death, with no provision made for his beloved nephew, 
 he resolved to raise him to the dignity of a Cardinal, with 
 the title of San Prassede ; and at the same time made him 
 Legate of Umbria and Vice-Chancellor of the Church. 
 Later he was appointed administrator of the Bishoprics 
 of Casale and Lecco, and there were bestowed upon him 
 the rich Abbeys of Tre Fontane in the Campagna, of 
 Santa Sabba, and of Grottoferrata near Frascati, once a 
 Greek monastery. 
 
 Now Vespasiano Colonna had died in the preceding 
 March, so that at this time Giulia, at fifteen, was a widow. 
 It would be very interesting to know whether Ippolito 
 
 104 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 fully realized, that by accepting these ecclesiastical honours, 
 he was raising an impossible barrier between them — 
 whether high position and great wealth had too much 
 attraction for him, or whether he unwillingly yielded 
 from affection to his uncle ? 
 
 Of his passionate affection for Giulia, unchanged till 
 the day of his death, and of his bitter regret for their 
 parted lives, we can have no doubt. We have a touching 
 illustration of this in the young Cardinal's letter in 
 dedication of his great work, the " Translation of the 
 Second Book of the Mnead into Italian Blank Verse,"* to 
 the Most Illustrious Signora Giulia Gonzaga ; he compares 
 his sorrow to the woes endured at the destruction of 
 Troy: 
 
 " As to one oppressed by sore grief, the example of a 
 greater sorrow may bring alleviation, so it has been with 
 me. Finding no other remedy in my suffering, I turned 
 my mind towards the Burning of Troy, and weighing 
 that disaster against mine, I felt assured, without doubt, 
 that no greater evils befell within those walls than those 
 which I endured in my inmost heart. Seeking in a 
 measure to lighten these, while I lamented the woes of 
 Troy I have revealed mine own. There I send this to 
 you because it shows you a true image of my despair, 
 when neither sighs, nor tears, nor my deep sorrow have 
 ever revealed it to you."t 
 
 We have many instances of Ippolito's loyal and loving 
 service to his lady. He had a most earnest desire to 
 possess a portrait of her, and in the summer of 1532 he 
 obtained Giulia's permission to send the famous painter, 
 Sebastiano del Piombo, to Fondi, that he might paint a 
 
 * See Appendix for original Italian, note 4. 
 
 t First published in Rome, 1538, signed only II Cavaliere Errante. 
 
 105 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 picture in oils of her. We can fix the time exactly, as 
 there exists a letter of Sebastiano, dated June 8, 1532,* in 
 which he says : " I believe I am starting to-morrow, and 
 am going as far as Fondi, to paint a lady, and I think I 
 shall stay there fifteen days ; do not trouble to write to 
 me or send me anything until my return. . . ." 
 
 And in another letter, of July 15, 1532, he writes : " On 
 returning from Fondi I found that our poor Benvenuto 
 had died " (Benvenuto dalla Volpaia, a celebrated artistic 
 clockmaker). 
 
 In his " Life of Sebastiano," Vasari says : " In the 
 course of one month he painted this portrait, which, on 
 account of the celebrated beauty of the lady and the talent 
 of the artist, came forth as a divine picture."! We have 
 various poems in honour of this event, by Molza, Porrino, 
 and others. Ippolito was greatly pleased with the result, 
 and this portrait of Giulia was his most precious treasure. 
 He was an excellent judge of art and a most devoted 
 patron of artists. At the coronation of Charles V. in 
 1530, at Bologna, where the young Cardinal was such a 
 splendid figure, he sent for Titian and obtained for him a 
 commission to paint the Emperor in complete armour ; 
 and the picture gave His Imperial Majesty so much 
 pleasure that he paid 1,000 scudi for it, and ordered 
 another portrait from the great painter on his return from 
 Hungary. 
 
 During his short and brilliant life, the Cardinal dei 
 Medici showed himself to be indeed a worthy descendant 
 of Lorenzo the Magnificent, as a splendid patron of art — 
 another Mecaenas. All contemporary historians unite in 
 
 * " Les Correspondants de Michel Ange Sebastiano del Piombo." 
 Paris : Librairie de l'Art. 1890. 
 t See remarks on the portraits of Guilia, p. 274. 
 
 106 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 his praise. Ammirato tells us that he dwelt in a magnifi- 
 cent palace in the Campo Marzio, where he held a Court 
 which was believed to consist of three hundred people of 
 all countries. Here he entertained with princely gener- 
 osity a great company of artists, musicians, poets, and 
 men of letters, and he was not only their patron but their 
 rival in all the arts. " Here were also Moors from Bar- 
 bary, chieftains in their own land, who, in their mastery 
 of horsemanship . . . and all other Moorish exercises, 
 were marvellous to behold. Here you might see Tartars 
 who could draw the bow and strike the lance with 
 unrivalled skill ; and here were Indians who, partly by 
 the vigour of their limbs, and partly by the dexterity and 
 agility of the whole body, surpassed all other men in 
 games of wrestling and fencing. These were also excel- 
 lent swimmers, and could remain so long under the water 
 that no one believed they would ever rise again. He had 
 selected a bodyguard of Turks as men prompt and skilful 
 in the handling of arms." 
 
 Adjoining the palace in the Campo Marzio was a great 
 garden, in which plants and trees from all lands were 
 collected, and in which there was a menagerie of wild 
 animals and rare birds such as had never before been seen 
 in Italy. Amongst these was a tame lion, given to him 
 by Francois I., and an immense bear, presented by 
 Caterina Cibo, Duchess of Camerino. Added to this, 
 Sansovino tells us that Ippolito had a magnificent show 
 of precious horses and dogs, that he gave wonderful 
 theatrical entertainments and sumptuous tournaments — in 
 short, that " through the splendour of his life he acquired 
 an illustrious name throughout Italy." He also insisted 
 that the medical teaching of Hippocrates should be made 
 use of in time of war, and so keen was his enthusiasm for 
 
 107 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 architecture that he founded a club for the study of 
 Vitruvius, which met twice a week in Rome and was 
 called " La Virtu." 
 
 Even his uncle, Pope Clement, was somewhat dismayed 
 at his munificence, and desired Ippolito's Maestro di Casa 
 to remonstrate with him and ask him to dismiss some 
 of his attendants, only to receive this reply : " Let His 
 Holiness be told that I do not keep them at my Court 
 because I require their services, but for the reason that 
 they have need of mine." Paolo Giovio, who relates this, 
 adds that he cannot give enough praise to the generosity 
 of the Cardinal, his nobility of spirit, and charming 
 manners — indeed, he sums up his character as " royal- 
 minded." 
 
 Clement VII., who had soon recovered from his serious 
 illness of January, 1529, remained greatly devoted to the 
 splendid young Cardinal, and sent him as his Legate 
 on every important mission where magnificence was 
 desirable. When the Emperor came to Italy in 1530, it 
 was Ippolito who had the honour of receiving him, and 
 who spent four weeks in his company during the State 
 festivities at Mantua. Here, on Sunday, March 27, an 
 accident occurred out hunting "which might have caused 
 the death of an Emperor and a Cardinal," as the Venetian 
 Ambassador wrote. Charles V. had already killed a wild 
 boar, and was chasing a wounded stag, when his horse 
 rushed so violently against that of Ippolito as to throw 
 both riders to the ground. Happily, neither of them were 
 much hurt, and after this incident they were more friendly 
 than ever. We have already seen the important position 
 which the young Cardinal had taken at the coronation 
 ceremonies at Bologna. Two years later he was again 
 sent by the Pope as Legate to Germany, with a magnificent 
 
 108 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 retinue " suitable to a great king,"* and he was received 
 with the highest honour both by the Emperor and by his 
 brother Ferdinand, King of the Romans. Lintz was at 
 this time threatened by the Turks, and the Cardinal dei 
 Medici, with princely munificence, raised and paid a 
 company of 8,000 Hungarians, riding at their head in 
 Hungarian costume. 
 
 It was in this dress that he was subsequently painted 
 by Titian ; he was always most unwilling to appear in 
 Cardinal's robes. 
 
 On his return from Hungary, he was summoned by his 
 uncle, Pope Clement VII., to accompany him to France 
 for the marriage which he had arranged, of Caterina dei 
 Medici with young Henri, the second son of King 
 Francois I. We have a very full and entertaining account 
 of the journey, which the Pope would fain have avoided 
 on the " plea of his age."f However, when he understood 
 that his presence was a diplomatic necessity, he made up 
 his mind to it, and was most genial and pleasant to his 
 travelling companions, amongst whom was Madonna 
 Maria Salviati, the widow of Giovanni delle Bande Nere, 
 in whose care Caterina had been placed. 
 
 The Papal company was welcomed with princely state 
 at Marseilles by military honours and salvoes of artillery 
 which made the city shake. The wedding took place 
 on the Feast of SS. Simon and Jude (October 28) in 
 the presence of a splendid assembly; and after a Low 
 Mass, the boy and girl (the bridal pair) stood hand in 
 hand on a carpet of gold brocade, and listened to a long 
 oration from Hymen and nuptial songs in their honour, 
 delivered by classical nymphs. The wedding supper was 
 held in the sala of the Consistory, where three tables 
 * Ammirato Opuscoli. + Clement VII. was then fifty-four. 
 
 109 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 were placed for the chief guests, the Queen of France 
 entering on the arm of Admiral Chabot. At the first 
 table sat Pope Clement, the Queen, and the young bride. 
 The second was for the King, the Duke of Angouleme 
 (the bridegroom), and the Cardinals, amongst whom were 
 the Reverendissimo Ippolito dei Medici and his friends 
 Salviati and Ridolfo. At the third table were placed the 
 Dauphin,* with Bourbon, Lorena, and other barons of 
 France.f The rest of the company were entertained in 
 another chamber at many tables. 
 
 His Holiness appears to have been the life of the party; 
 he spoke excellent French, and jested loudly with King 
 Francois, who was also in high spirits, and made splendid 
 presents to many of the guests. Cardinal Ippolito refused 
 to accept anything except one splendid tame lion, which 
 he could not resist the joy of adding to his menagerie. 
 
 The dowry of Caterina was to be 30,000 gold ducats,J 
 besides magnificent clothes and precious jewels. In 
 November of the same year, 1533, Cardinal Ippolito was 
 sent to represent his uncle, the Pope, as sponsor to the 
 infant son of the Duke of Ferrara and his wife, Renee of 
 France. The later story of Ippolito's life, adventures, 
 and death will be told in the course of Giulia Gonzaga's 
 history. 
 
 * Francois, who died in 1536. 
 
 See Memoir of Antonio Sacco. 
 
 J Very little of this was ever paid by Clement VII. 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 1534 
 
 The Barbary Corsairs raid the Mediterranean coasts — Attempt of 
 Kheyr-ed-dln, better known as Barbarossa, to carry off the 
 beautiful Countess of Fondi to the Sultan, Suleyman II. — He 
 lands at Sperlonga with his corsairs, and reaches Fondi at night 
 — The hair-breadth escape of Giulia Gonzaga, and her flight 
 through the darkness— Her city and palace sacked, and many 
 of her people massacred — Cardinal Ippolito dei Medici heads 
 the avenging army— Expedition of the Emperor Charles V. 
 against Tunis and the Corsairs. 
 
 It was in the year 1534 that befell the most amazing and 
 striking incident in the life of Giulia Gonzaga, Countess 
 of Fondi, and widow of Vespasiano Colonna. It is 
 probable that by many people she is only remembered 
 as the heroine of this almost incredible adventure. The 
 fame of this great lady's wonderful beauty appears to 
 have spread beyond the confines of Europe, and even 
 to have reached the storied cities of Asia and the deserts 
 of Africa, kindling the imagination of Mohammedan 
 chieftains. 
 
 At this period the Ottoman Empire was ruled by the 
 Sultan Suleyman II., whose position and boundless self- 
 conceit are best described in his own words, written in 
 reply to a craven appeal from Francois I. when a prisoner 
 in Spain : 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 " I, who am the Sultan of Sultans, the Sovereign of 
 Sovereigns, the distributor of crowns to the monarchs 
 of the surface of the globe ; I, the shadow of God on the 
 earth, the Sultan of Padishah, of the White Sea, the 
 Black Sea, Rumelia, Anatolia, Caramania, Rum, Sulkadr, 
 Diarbekr, Kurdistan, Azerbijan, Persia, Damascus, Aleppo, 
 Cairo, Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem, all Arabia, Yemen, and 
 other countries, which my noble ancestors conquered, and 
 which my august Majesty has likewise conquered with 
 my flaming sword ; I, Sultan Suleyman Khan, son of 
 Sultan Selim Khan, son of Sultan Bayazid : you who are 
 Francis, King of France, you have sent a letter to my 
 Porte, the refuge of Sovereigns. . . . Night and day our 
 horse is saddled and our sword girt on . . ." * 
 
 This magnificent potentate, the terror of Christendom, 
 whose outposts he had recently defeated at the fatal 
 Battle of Mohacs, in Hungary, while his pirate galleys 
 ravaged the coasts of the Mediterranean, had taken into 
 his service the great Barbary Corsair of Algiers, Kheyr-ed- 
 din, better known in Europe as Barbarossa.t No name 
 ever struck such terror into the heart of dwellers on the 
 shores of Spain and Italy. Many a gallant ship had fallen 
 a prey to his devouring galleys, and many a Christian 
 slave pulled at his oars or languished in the prisons 
 of Barbary. Everything prospered with this invincible 
 Kheyr-ed-din, the most daring of pirates ; his fleet in- 
 creased until he had a large number of galiots cruising 
 perpetually through the summer season, harassing the 
 coast and taking innumerable prizes, while the number of 
 his fighting men was largely increased by the Moors whom 
 he rescued from persecution in Spain. 
 
 * J. B. Bury, L.S.D. + See Appendix, note 5. 
 
CARDINAL IPPOLITO DEI MEDICI AND THE ARTIST. 
 
 Sebastiano del Piombo. National Gallery. 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 This was the famous Corsair who, having entered the 
 service of the Sultan and devoted the previous winter to 
 reconstructing the Turkish navy, set forth on his work 
 of destruction in July, 1534, with his fleet, said to carry 
 2,000 men, in eighty-four galleys. Starting from the 
 Golden Horn, he first attacked Messina and burnt some 
 ships ; then, passing on to the coast of Calabria, he 
 surprised Reggio, and carried off ships and slaves; then 
 he sacked San Lucido, taking 800 prisoners, and putting 
 to the sword most of the inhabitants. The Corsairs next 
 reached Cetraro de Monaci, to which they set fire, burning 
 seven galleys recently built by the Imperial Viceroy, 
 Senor Toledo, and taking rich spoil of wives and maidens. 
 The pirate ships passed boldly in sight of Naples, causing 
 great terror, and disembarked at the little island of 
 Procida,* which they laid utterly desolate. This new 
 " Attila" soon after reached Sperlonga, the fishing village, 
 eight miles distant from Fondi, where he killed the com- 
 mander of the fort, and enslaved or massacred most of 
 the inhabitants. 
 
 If rumour speaks truly, Giulia Gonzaga was the prey he 
 aimed at. He had formed the base, unthinkable scheme 
 of carrying her off as a unique present for the seraglio of 
 the Sultan, Suleyman II. ,t and the plot would have been 
 successful had it not been for the watchful devotion of 
 a faithful servant. At Sperlonga, on that fatal night, 
 Barbarossa found a traitor who showed him the way 
 through the wood, and by a stealthy night march, a strong 
 body of armed men, under the command of their leader, 
 
 * Three miles in length. 
 
 + The fame of Giulia's surpassing beauty had spread not only 
 through Europe, but as far as Asia. She was called the " Nuova 
 Elena." 
 
 113 8 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 reached the Via Appia some hours before dawn. The 
 inhabitants of Fondi were all in peaceful security, for no 
 one suspected the neighbourhood of the pirates, and the 
 bridges were down when Barbarossa and his host broke 
 through the gate towards the Levant, and so entered the 
 city. He met with no opposition ; the Podesta of Fondi, 
 Messer Steccacio, had not the courage to make any resist- 
 ance, and basely fled to secure his own safety. The Bishop, 
 the Reverendissimo Giacomo Pellegrino, also heard the 
 alarm; and made good his flight. Swiftly and silently the 
 Corsair made his way straight to the palace, and when he 
 found that his prey had escaped, he vented his fury upon 
 Giulia's unprotected household and her unfortunate people. 
 The looting went on during four terrible hours, and, as 
 elsewhere, many of those who were spared from the 
 sword were bound together and driven to Sperlonga to 
 be shipped as slaves. To add to the horrors of the scene, 
 there was a conflagration in the streets when pillage had 
 done its work. Even the Cathedral of San Pietro, so 
 rich in memories and treasures, did not escape the pro- 
 faning hand of the spoiler : tombs were robbed, and the 
 ashes of the dead were scattered, amongst these being the 
 remains of Prospero and Marc Antonio Colonna. 
 
 Most heartrending of all was the awful disaster which 
 befell the nuns in the little Benedictine Convent near 
 by, on a hill above the Strada Appia Nuova.* In his 
 hot pursuit, Barbarossa believed that Giulia had taken 
 refuge there, and the Turks broke into that sacred home 
 of religion, and, enraged at not finding their expected 
 prey, they massacred most of the helpless Sisters. 
 
 And, meantime, where was Giulia ? Whither had she 
 
 * Built on the ruins of a Pagan temple, and enclosing the site of 
 the Villa of Varro. 
 
 114 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 fled from the deadly peril which threatened her ? Sud- 
 denly aroused from sleep at the dead of night by a faithful 
 servant, her pursuers already within the palace, prompt 
 and desperate action was her only chance. Clad as she 
 was in her night attire, with only time to snatch up a 
 silken coverlet, she is believed to have escaped through 
 the window, from whence she reached a secret draw- 
 bridge which could be raised or lowered at will, and 
 which led to the maschio (a part of the fortification) of 
 the citadel adjoining. Here was a dark passage which 
 brought her to the courtyard, where, by good fortune, 
 horses were obtained, and she and her companion reached 
 the open country. It appears most probable that Giulia 
 sought a refuge in her Castello of Campomidele, about 
 four miles distant, built high up on a hill, and strongly 
 fortified with solid walls and towers. Moreover, the way 
 thither lay through thick forests, where there was more 
 shelter for hiding from pursuit. 
 
 Vallecosa, where the Colonna princess had another 
 feudal castle, has a local tradition that here was her 
 hiding-place, but Campomidele has the stronger claim. 
 In a charming poem by Muzio Giustinopolitano, called 
 " La Ninfa Fugitiva," we have a vivid description of the 
 fears and emotions aroused by that fearful night-ride 
 in the heart of the fugitive lady. It is dedicated to 
 " Monsignor Hyppolito Cardinal de' Medici."* Here the 
 picture rises before us of the beautiful nymph, who so far 
 excelled other beauties in loveliness, fleeing for more than 
 her life, half-clad, barefoot, with her long tresses unbound 
 and waving in the breeze, as she urged her horse upward 
 through the steep forest-way. We watch her hurrying 
 through the darkness of that fearful night, starting at the 
 * Appendix, " La Ninfa Fugitiva," note 6. 
 115 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 murmur of whispering leaves, and trembling with icy 
 horror as the rustle of a crackling branch sounded in her 
 ears like the tramp of pursuing feet. What strange visions 
 would rise before her in the dim, mysterious darkness — 
 visions so far removed from her peaceful, sheltered life 
 that they would ever haunt her in the days to come ! 
 
 Amongst the wild legends which have clustered round 
 this terrible night adventure, there is one which no serious 
 biographer of Giulia Gonzaga can pass over in silence, 
 for it has been repeated at the present day* by writers 
 who must be entirely ignorant of this noble lady's spotless 
 life and gentle character. It was actually supposed that, 
 as a recompense for the devotion of her old retainer, his 
 mistress caused him to be stabbed ! This fable no doubt 
 had its origin in the fact that the beautiful Giulia was set 
 up as the world's ideal of perfect modesty and chastity 
 (to which subject her latest biographer has devoted a whole 
 chapter). Thus to the popular mind she was another 
 Artemis, and the luckless mortal who chanced to look 
 upon her beauty, justly merited the fate of Actean. 
 
 The Countess of Fondi, overwhelmed with grief and 
 horror at the cruel events of that fatal night, lost no 
 time in seeking to deliver her unfortunate subjects, and 
 her thoughts naturally turned to Cardinal Ippolito as 
 their champion. Although the hope of her capture can 
 only have been a secondary object, we find another poet 
 writing : 
 
 " Giulia, piii che mortal cosa divina, 
 Credasi cagion fu che Solimano 
 Mandasse a depredar nostra marina." t 
 
 * See Appendix, note 7. 
 t II Paterno, in his " Trionfo della Castita." 
 116 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 After leaving Fondi, Barbarossa sought to surprise the 
 hill-town of Itri, about seven miles distant, another feudal 
 possession of Giulia's, but the inhabitants made so gallant 
 a defence that the Corsairs were compelled to retreat. 
 They were more successful at Terracina, which they 
 reached without encountering any resistance, and the 
 ancient hill-city, so famous for its splendid situation and 
 for the ruined Palace of Theodoric, met with the usual 
 fate of pillage and massacre. In this case, also, the 
 Bishop, Alessandro Argoli, was fortunate enough to make 
 his escape. 
 
 We can scarcely believe that this terrible raid on the 
 coast of Italy, so far exceeding in its widespread disaster 
 any preceding attack, should have had for its main object 
 the capture of the beautiful Countess of Fondi. Yet this 
 is the positive statement of the most trustworthy historians 
 of the period.* There is also an interesting letter preserved 
 in the Archives of Modena, dated from Rome, August 10, 
 I 534> by Francesco Saraceno to Ercole d' Este, in which, 
 as news of the day, he says that Barbarossa had attempted 
 to seize Donna Giulia, " donarli al Turco," and that she 
 barely escaped on horseback to a distant rocky fortress. 
 "These men of Barbarossa then destroyed and burnt 
 Fondi." 
 
 When Giulia's messenger reached Rome, His Holiness 
 Pope Clement VII. was dying* — almost in extremis. 
 It was Cardinal Ippolito who aroused the other Cardinals 
 
 * Summonte, " Dell' istoria dclla citta e regno di Napoli," vol. iv., 
 p. 146. Napoli, 1675. Sansovino, " Ritratto delle, piu nobili e 
 famose citta d' Italia," p. 31. Venezia, 1555. Segni, " Storia Fioren- 
 tina," vol. ii., p. 36. Milano, 1805. (These are only a few of the 
 authorities.) 
 
 t Clement VII. died on September 25, 1534. 
 
 117 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 to fierce indignation and moved them to immediate action. 
 A strong company was hastily collected from the Papal 
 army, and under the command of the Lord Ippolito him- 
 self, set forth at once to avenge these cruel wrongs. 
 Unfortunately, it was too late for immediate action, as 
 the Corsairs had lost no time in setting sail from 
 Sperlonga with all their plunder and a cargo of slaves, 
 to the number of a thousand, collected from Fondi and 
 the other towns and villages on the coast. These pirate 
 raids had long been the terror of those Southern shores, 
 but never before had ravage and destruction been carried 
 out on so vast a scale. All Italy was now aroused to 
 fierce wrath, and the people of Naples alone, made a 
 donation of 250,000 ducats to the Emperor Charles, solely 
 that he might rid the land of these hateful infidels and 
 destroy their power for ever. 
 
 Cardinal Ippolito did all in the power of devotion and 
 princely generosity to relieve the misery of the unfortunate 
 people, and himself saw to the defences of Fondi: the 
 fortifications were strengthened, trusty guardians were 
 appointed to every post of importance, and fresh measures 
 were taken for the public safety. Not until then did he 
 give back the keys of the city to Giulia. 
 
 Meantime, the Corsair leader, elated and triumphant 
 with success, set forth on a bolder expedition — nothing 
 less than the conquest of the King of Tunis. During 
 three centuries, since the ruin of the African Empire of 
 the Almohades, this old Carthaginian domain had been 
 ruled by kings of the dynasty of the Beni Hafs (1228-1534). 
 They had been recognized by the kingdoms of Europe, 
 and merchants from Genoa, Pisa, and Venice had traded 
 in their port. But the present ruler, Muley Hassan, 
 twenty-second of his line, had waded to the throne through 
 
 118 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 the blood of his kinsmen, was cowardly as well as cruel, 
 and fled from his city at the mere approach of the terrible 
 Barbarossa. When he attempted a feeble attack with 
 the help of some Arab tribes, the Turkish guns were too 
 much for him, and Tunis was added to the Ottoman 
 Empire. 
 
 Muley Hassan appealed to the Emperor Charles V., who 
 was already pledged to avenge the wrongs of Italy, and 
 who clearly saw that if Tunis became a nest of pirates, 
 his realm of Sicily would be in constant danger. Already 
 the coast of Algiers was in the power of the Corsairs, 
 but the harbour of Tunis was the key of the situation, 
 and he was only too glad to take up the cause of the 
 exiled king. All that winter, great preparations were 
 made for the coming expedition. Toledo, Viceroy of 
 Naples, caused a galley to be built at his own expense, 
 and a number of great lords, more especially in Southern 
 Italy, followed his example. The attempted outrage upon 
 the Countess of Fondi appears to have been the match 
 which set aflame the widespread enthusiasm. The great 
 Andrea Doria, Doge of Genoa, already the rival of Kheyr- 
 ed-din, for each held a supreme position on his own side 
 of the water, was grimly ready to meet his old foe again. 
 The new Pope, Paul III., sent twenty-two galleys under 
 Virginio Orsini, which joined with those of Genoa and 
 the rest of the Italian fleet at Naples in May. The 
 Emperor joined them at Palermo on June n with a great 
 company of Imperial troops from Spain and Germany, 
 and the powerful armada of more than 300 ships set sail 
 for Africa, arriving after a prosperous voyage of three 
 days. The supreme command was given to the Marchese 
 del Vasto, and the first attack was on the Goletta, the 
 twin towers which guarded the channel of Tunis. The 
 
 »9 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 post of danger was always claimed by the Knights of 
 Malta and their great carack S. Anna (which they had 
 sent with four other galleys) was moored close to the 
 fortress in which their heavy cannon soon made a breach, 
 and they gallantly rushed through to plant their banner 
 on the battlements. In spite of desperate sallies by the 
 besieged, in which the flower of Italy's nobles were slain, 
 the defenders were driven back into the city, and Goletta 
 was taken by the Christians, with its forty guns and stores 
 of ammunion and weapons. 
 
 Barbarossa came out with a great army to face the foe, 
 but his Berbers refused to fight, and the thousands of 
 Christian slaves in the Citadel broke their chains and 
 turned against their tyrants with desperate courage. 
 Placed thus between two fires, the Corsair chief was 
 compelled to retreat, and with great difficulty made his 
 way to Bona, where he had left many of his ships. The 
 unfortunate city of Tunis suffered the usual terrible 
 penalty of defeat, and for three whole days was given up 
 to barbarous plunder and massacre. 
 
 Before Charles V. left in August, he had concluded 
 a treaty with Muley Hassan, which they both duly swore 
 to on Cross and sword. Goletta was to belong to Spain ; 
 the ruler of Tunis was to pay tribute, to free all Christian 
 slaves, to renounce piracy, and to offer annual homage 
 of six Moorish horses and twelve falcons. All this looked 
 well on the signed parchment, but in point of fact it was 
 absolutely without value ; for even if the renegade king 
 should wish to keep his word, the fierce Moslems would 
 never yield allegiance to him or to an " infidel " Emperor. 
 
 But the Christian world was elated by this transitory 
 success, and Charles V. was hailed with enthusiasm as 
 having conquered the invincible Barbarossa, set free 
 
 120 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 thousands of Christian slaves, and saved Europe from 
 the dominion of the dreaded Turk. 
 
 We cannot wonder that Giulia Gonzaga should have 
 watched the progress of this expedition with intense 
 interest, and several letters written to her from Tunis 
 during the siege have been preserved. One of these, 
 which is now at Rome in the Biblioteca Vallicellana, was 
 addressed to her secretary; while another, sent direct to 
 her, was written at Tunis on August 7, 1535, by Francesco 
 Miranda, Chancellor of the Prince of Sulmona. This is 
 the precise title : 
 
 " Copy of a letter sent to the Illustriss ma Sign™ Giulia 
 Gonzaga Colonna, containing : the taking of the Goletta 
 with full particulars ; the taking and sack of Tunis with 
 full particulars, executed by His Cassarean Majesty; the 
 method and order of His Majesty's encampment in Tunis; 
 the night Parliament held in Tunis by Barbarossa with 
 the Arabs, Moors, Janissaries, and renegade Christians ; 
 18,000 Christian slaves set free by order of His Caesarean 
 Majesty ; entrance of His Majesty into Tunis and flight 
 of Barbarossa ; the prayers of the Moors to the Emperor 
 and to the King of Tunis for their salvation ; offer of the 
 King of Tunis to Csesar to save Tunis ; amount of money 
 found in Tunis by means of a renegade Christian and 
 given by His Majesty to the Marchese of Vasto ; promises 
 of Arabs and Moors concerning the taking and death of 
 Barbarossa." 
 
 The Countess of Fondi was indeed avenged on the 
 terrible Corsair chief. 
 
 121 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 Trouble between Giulia Gonzaga and Isabella Colonna concerning 
 the will of Vespasiano Colonna — Isabella is at strife with her 
 husband's relations— Cardinal Ippolito dei Medici is sent from 
 Florence on an embassy to the Emperor at Tunis — He pays a 
 visit to Giulia at Fondi, and passes on to Itri — Here he is 
 poisoned by the treachery of Duke Alessandro of Florence — 
 Giulia is with him in his last hours till his death, on August 10, 
 1535 — Her bereavement an undying sorrow to Giulia — Deeply 
 mourned by all, he is borne to Rome and buried with stately 
 funeral honours. 
 
 A sad home-coming indeed had it been for Giulia Gonzaga 
 Colonna, to find her beautiful Fondi ravaged and her 
 beloved people mourning for their lost ones ! But with 
 a brave heart she set herself gallantly to the task of 
 restoration, showing princely generosity in her gifts, and 
 bearing everywhere hope and comfort to the bereaved 
 as she told the story of the mighty armada sent forth 
 to conquer the pirate host and redeem the captives of 
 Barbary. 
 
 The Countess of Fondi had other troubles of her own 
 at this time, for ever since the death of her brother Luigi 
 Rodomonte there had been constant irritating domestic 
 strife with his widow. Regardless of her husband's dying 
 legacy of peace and love when, in the codicil to his will, 
 he so tenderly " recommended his sister to the affection 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 of his wife," Isabella had never ceased to maintain 
 a hostile attitude towards Giulia. Her grievance really 
 dated from the death of her father, Vespasiano Colonna, 
 when he left " mia mogliera donna et patrona in tutto 
 lo stato predetto et ancor del Regno, sua via durante, 
 servando lo habito de vidua. . . ." That her father's 
 young widow should be left in so splendid a position 
 was intolerable to the daughter — ultimate heiress of a girl 
 about her own age, who showed no disposition to marry 
 again — and she made desperate efforts to have the will 
 set aside. Meantime she gave as much trouble as possible, 
 was always in money difficulties through her extravagance, 
 neglected to pay the income due to Giulia from various 
 estates, and carried on a worrying course of ceaseless 
 litigation. 
 
 Isabella appears to have quarrelled with all her Colonna 
 relations. She was certainly of a grasping disposition, 
 for she had been barely six months a widow when she 
 determined to visit the dominions of her husband in 
 Lombardy and assert her right to them. On June 9, 
 I 533> sne se * forth from Fondi, with a train of thirteen 
 ladies and a strong escort, and had a prosperous journey 
 to Gazzuolo, where she was most kindly welcomed by 
 Luigi's aged grandmother, Madonna Antonia del Balzo. 
 The whole family seem to have shown her every honour 
 and attention, but from all accounts she was by no means 
 popular amongst her husband's relations. Her manner 
 was proud and overbearing ; as a Colonna princess, she 
 looked down upon the House of Gonzaga, and she was 
 also strangely obstinate in various eccentric ways. Thus, 
 instead of following the usual custom of Christendom by 
 keeping Friday as a fast, she gave much trouble by her 
 peculiar devotion of fasting with Lenten fare, in the 
 
 123 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 company of her ladies, on Tuesdays.* This in itself 
 might be a small matter, but the Lady Isabella showed 
 utter disregard for all counsel. 
 
 She soon left Gazzuolo, and insisted upon setting up 
 her Court at Sabbioneta, where she attempted to rule the 
 State as supreme mistress, although in point of fact she 
 had no legal rights there, the father of Luigi, the Abate 
 Lodovico Gonzaga, being still alive. The only person to 
 whom she appears not to have been wanting in courtesy 
 was Federico, Duke of Mantua, who paid her a state 
 visit with great pomp at Sabbioneta. She certainly left 
 no good impression behind amongst her husband's kins- 
 folk when she at length returned to Fondi, where Giulia 
 appears to have been ever ready to receive her sister-in- 
 law, and to welcome with the warmest affection her little 
 nephew Vespasiano. He was not yet four years old, but 
 was a splendid child for his age, and already the like- 
 ness to his father, Luigi Rodomonte Gonzaga, was quite 
 striking, with his golden hair, his fair complexion, and 
 his beautiful blue eyes. In this little boy, who was 
 destined in the coming years to be the delight and interest 
 of her life, Giulia Gonzaga already loved to trace farther 
 resemblance to her dearly-loved brother in the precocious 
 intelligence and bright, happy temper. 
 
 On the other hand, his mother Isabella seems to have 
 come home in a disappointed, fretful mood, and to have 
 been more aggressive and trying than usual. An inter- 
 esting letter of this period throws some light upon the 
 complicated subject of the dispute between the sisters- 
 in-law. It is dated from Fondi, June 3, 1535, and is 
 addressed to Don Ferrante Gonzaga, a favourite cousin 
 
 * "Vita di Luigi Gonzaga," Affo, Irenio. (Isabella did not return 
 to Fondi until May, 1534.) 
 
 124 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 of the Countess of Fondi. He was made Viceroy of 
 Sicily. 
 
 In this Giulia alludes to the difficulties raised with 
 respect to her husband Vespasiano's will : " They say 
 that the feudal possessions could not be left to me with- 
 out the consent of the vassals before the death of Signor 
 Vespasiano, or else that Donna Isabella had ' redeemed ' 
 that consent. ... I believe — indeed, I am certain — that 
 my Lord did not hold this view, because I see clearly 
 that he wished to leave me all. But if it were otherwise, 
 as he left five thousand ducats da vivere to his daughter, 
 as accepted by the Signor Luigi my brother, and that the 
 rest was mine, it follows that the rest of the income would 
 belong to me. If Donna Isabella demanded some con- 
 firmation from His Majesty I cannot show it, because the 
 documents of Fondi are lost and that notary is dead. A 
 Procuration was found which was made in Gaeta, but not 
 this one. But I know that when my brother went to 
 Court he took a Procuration from Donna Isabella. But 
 in any case I do not desire to take her State, but only 
 a means of living for myself; and my lawyers can bear 
 me witness that, when they told me I could claim a great 
 deal, I always said that I was willing to be content with 
 less than my rights, as your Lordship can see in the 
 division which, amongst others, I was willing to make 
 with Donna Isabella. Hearing now that your Lordship 
 is coming to Naples, I am very pleased, having seen what 
 kind interest you have always taken in my affairs . . . 
 and I pray that you will try to arrange matters for me in 
 some way, for I shall be content with anything you do ; 
 and if there is need of His Majesty's help, I hope to 
 obtain it through your Lordship and the ' Illustrissimo ed 
 Eccellentissimo nostro. . . .' " 
 
 125 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 This last allusion is no doubt to the Cardinal Ippolito, 
 who would have so little opportunity of serving his 
 beloved lady any more, as his tragic story was so soon 
 drawing to an end. 
 
 Meantime a temporary arrangement had already been 
 made between these two ladies, and an agreement had 
 been signed by them both on May 24, 1535, by which 
 Isabella promised to pay 2,500 ducats a year, in three 
 divisions, to her sister-in-law while the matter was being 
 tried, and without prejudice to her rights. On the other 
 hand, Giulia agreed to this arrangement also without 
 prejudice to her claims. This was to hold good during 
 the absence of Isabella from May to September in the 
 Abruzzi, and until the lawsuit was decided one way or 
 the other. 
 
 In the absence of her sister-in-law during those three 
 summer months, Donna Giulia probably looked forward 
 to a peaceful, happy time, and no foreboding warned her 
 of the coming tragedy which would overshadow her out- 
 look upon life, and make her regardless henceforth of 
 worldly honour and of all that wealth and greatness can 
 bestow. 
 
 We are told that the devotion of the young Cardinal 
 Ippolito for the Countess of Fondi had become stronger 
 than ever after the anxieties and perils of her escape from 
 Barbarossa. This was shown in many ways, but perhaps 
 more especially in his anxiety to show favour to anyone 
 who»was brought to his notice or recommended by Donna 
 Giulia. Thus, when the poet Molza feared that he was 
 in disgrace with the Cardinal, it only needed a word of 
 intercession from Giulia to obtain his forgiveness. The 
 eagerness and haste with which Ippolito had collected 
 the Papal troops and led them against the Corsairs, his 
 
 126 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 generous help in her time of trouble when Fondi was left 
 wasted and despairing, and his chivalrous sympathy, had 
 touched her heart more deeply than ever. We may 
 imagine how gladly the Countess welcomed her dear 
 friend as a passing guest at Fondi when he arrived from 
 Tivoli, passing through Albano, with a large retinue, 
 towards the end of June, on his way to Tunis with a 
 special embassy to the Emperor Charles V. 
 
 It would take too long to describe the tangled web of 
 politics at Florence, the whole story of Duke Alessandro 
 dei Medici, and the hatred and indignation with which 
 he was looked upon by his subjects. We gather that the 
 Cardinal was the bearer of an appeal against the evil 
 doings of his cousin, and was also probably excited by 
 the ambition of taking part in the crusade against the 
 Turks. In any case, after a brief stay at Fondi, where 
 his gallant youth and brilliant talent made him the life 
 and spirit of the whole Court, he took leave of the 
 Countess and passed on to her neighbouring city of Itri, 
 beautifully situated on a mountain-side, taking up his 
 abode in the Monastery of San Francesco. Here he pro- 
 posed to await the coming to Gaeta of a galley bound for 
 Tunis, as it was urgent that he should have audience with 
 the Emperor before he again set sail for Europe. 
 
 We have various conflicting accounts of all that happened 
 during that stay at Itri, but there is no doubt that it was a 
 troubled and anxious time for the young Cardinal. The 
 death of the Medici Pope, Clement VII., and the election 
 of Alessandro Farnese, Paul III., had made a great differ- 
 ence in the position of Ippolito. He was no longer the 
 privileged nephew to whom all things were permitted and 
 who could do no wrong. A few months before this, one of 
 his favourite adherents, Conte Ottavio della Genga, had 
 
 127 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 been suddenly arrested by the Papal authorities on some 
 trifling pretence, and Ippolito had shown his indignation 
 by moving with all his Court to a villa outside Rome. 
 When the Pope had made amends and sent apologetic 
 messages by the Emperor's Ambassador, the Medici 
 Cardinal condescended to return to his palace, and, as 
 Varchi tells us, " so great was the affection and respect in 
 which the Cardinal Ippolito was held by all the Roman 
 nobility, that on the day when he rode back to Rome with 
 all his stately retinue, there was no gentleman of any rank 
 who did not go forth to meet him outside the city, in order 
 to accompany him first to the presence of the Pope and 
 then to his own palace." * 
 
 We are told that the political exiles from Florence 
 (known as the fuorusciti) had selected seven leading men of 
 their number to send to Itri in order that they might 
 accompany the Cardinal to the presence of the Emperor. 
 It is believed that the Duke of Florence, hearing of this, 
 determined to lose no time in getting rid of this dangerous 
 cousin, whose very existence was a menace to him. We 
 have the fullest and most circumstantial accounts of the 
 manner in which a deadly poison was conveyed to Itri, 
 how the house-steward Giovanni Andrea was bribed to 
 administer it, and how he bided his time for a convenient 
 moment to carry out his fatal design. 
 
 Meantime the Cardinal was eagerly hastening on his 
 preparations for departure, but still found time to pay 
 frequent visits to Giulia at Fondi. The poet Molza, who 
 was at the Court there, writes at this time : " Our Cardinal 
 is now at Itri, with a greater desire to pass into Africa than 
 ever Rodomonte had to come to Italy. And I have offered 
 myself to him to do the same. But possibly His Illus- 
 * Varchi, "Storia Fiorentia," bk. xiv. 
 128 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 trious Lordship has need of men who will carry swords and 
 lances rather than the pen, and thinks that young Soranzo 
 and I had better stay at home this time. Keep well and 
 love your Molza." 
 
 The poet had just received a sonnet from Ippolito full of 
 enthusiasm for his expedition to Africa, and the " true and 
 glorious honour which he hoped to find as the price of his 
 valour on that ancient storied shore." But a more distant 
 journey awaited the gallant young prince. 
 
 Ippolito appears to have been taken ill on August 2, and 
 although there seemed no great cause for anxiety, various 
 friends hastened from Rome to join him. To one of these, 
 Bernardino Salviati, the Prior of Rome, he confided that 
 he believed he was poisoned by Giovanni Andrea. This 
 was on August 6, immediately after he had taken a small 
 bowl of chicken-broth for his dinner, which immediately 
 caused violent pain. The steward was at once arrested 
 and imprisoned in the Citadel of Itri by order of the town 
 notary. He took the matter lightly at first, remarking 
 that he hoped the doctors would not treat his master for 
 poison, but " give him soothing and canonical drugs." 
 Varchi says that later he made a full confession. Every- 
 thing was done that was possible, and a messenger was 
 sent to Rome in order to obtain from the Pope a certain 
 olio da caravita which was believed to be a powerful 
 remedy against poison. But it was remembered afterwards 
 that this was not sent. 
 
 The news of the Cardinal's illness reached Giulia when 
 she was at Mass in the Cathedral of Fondi, and without a 
 moment's delay, she at once rode forth in such breathless 
 haste, that it was long before Molza and other members of 
 her suite could overtake her, on the long, straight road 
 towards Itri. We can dimly imagine the turmoil of her 
 
 129 9 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 feelings. In those bygone days of pomp and prosperity, 
 the young Countess* had upheld her pride and had striven 
 to regard the Lord Ippolito as merely her courteous friend, 
 her brilliant companion, her gallant champion and defender. 
 But now the veil was torn aside, and the touchstone of 
 peril and disaster had revealed to herself the deep, undying 
 love which was the master-key of all her being. But this 
 was the time for action, not for thought; and as she 
 breasted the steep hill on which Itri stands, she nerved 
 herself to courage and endurance, for all her horizon was 
 bounded by the sick-chamber within those grey walls of 
 San Francesco. 
 
 There we cannot follow her ; the sweet and intimate 
 converse held in those last lingering days between the two 
 fine natures " whose love had known no earthly close," is 
 not for us to intrude upon. It would ever remain a 
 precious memory to the one left behind ... for whom 
 henceforth the pomps and vanities of this world would be 
 no more than a passing show. With delicate sympathy 
 the historian Paolo Giovio, who was then at Itri, says: 
 " To the Lord Ippolito, death was less bitter in that he 
 was near to Donna Giulia, who ministered to him with all 
 virtuous tenderness." 
 
 The young Cardinal, tormented by a " piccolissima e 
 lenta febbre " but unconquered by pain or weakness to the 
 last, fortified by the rites of the Church, passed away about 
 noon on Monday, August 10, 1535. Suddenly called from 
 the joyous, splendid life which had been his — brightened 
 by all that high estate, and friends, and letters, and learn- 
 ing, and warlike energy, could add to its glory — Ippolito 
 met death with the gallant fortitude of a hero on the 
 battlefield. Once more it was the immemorial tragedy 
 * Giulia was only twenty-two at this time. 
 130 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 whose sad lament echoes through the ages— of beautiful 
 youth cut off in its splendid prime. Many a bereavement 
 had Giulia endured before, but this was indeed her crown 
 of sorrow. 
 
 Great was the lamentation throughout all Italy for the 
 death of the young Cardinal dei Medici, and especially in 
 Rome, where he had been so striking and splendid a 
 personality, beloved by all men for his chivalrous courtesy 
 and his princely generosity. The deepest sorrow for his 
 loss was felt, not only by his personal friends — the great 
 nobles, the men of letters, poets, and artists — but it was 
 shared by the populace of the Eternal City. Never had 
 such a demonstration of universal mourning been seen as 
 on the arrival of the Cardinal's funeral procession in Rome.* 
 In solemn pomp his body had been borne on the shoulders 
 of his Moorish household servants, in the midst of a great 
 company of mourners, courtiers, friends, men of letters, his 
 chief captains and soldiers with trailing banners, along the 
 ancient Appian Way, through the Porta San Giovanni, to 
 the Cardinal's own palace. Here the bier was joined by 
 the nobles, Cardinals, and great dignitaries of Rome, 
 who, followed by a multitude weeping and tearing their 
 clothes, passed on to the Church of San Lorenzo and San 
 Damaso, near the Campo de' Fiori, and here was laid to 
 rest all that was mortal of the great Cardinal Ippolito dei 
 Medici. An epitaph was placed on the left side of the 
 sepulchral chapel, enumerating his virtues and marvellous 
 talents. f But we find his greatest monument in the chorus 
 of praise and grief which arose on all sides. Here we find 
 him spoken of as the new Mecsenas, whose loss to art and 
 
 * Ammirato, "Opuscoli," vol. iii. 
 
 + Forcella, " Iscrizione delle chiese ed altre edifizi di Roma" 
 vol. v., p. 174. 
 
 131 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 letters is irreparable as the example of all virtues, the rival 
 as well as the patron of poets and musicians, of such 
 infinite charm that he was beloved as much as he was 
 admired, a most gallant soldier, a skilled diplomatist — 
 and all this when he had but reached his twenty-fourth 
 year. 
 
 Had his life been prolonged, it was believed by his friends 
 that he would have attained to the Papal throne, and dis- 
 played to the world a splendid successor of Leo X., with 
 the warlike vigour of a Julius II. Or, after the death of 
 his cousin Alessandro, he might have proved such a Duke 
 of Florence as would rival and excel the glories of Lorenzo 
 the Magnificent. The position of Cardinal Ippolito was 
 already too exalted for safety, as was proved by his sudden 
 death. The honours bestowed upon the poisoner, Giovanni 
 Andrea, by Duke Alessandro, appear to have left no doubt 
 of his complicity, and, before long, both the instigator and 
 his tool met with a violent death. Alessandro was 
 murdered by his cousin, and Andrea was put to death by 
 his fellow-citizens of Borgo San Sepulcro in horror of his 
 crime. As for Pope Paul III., he reaped the success of the 
 fatal event which he did not greatly mourn, for he lost no 
 time in bestowing all the wealth and episcopal endowments 
 of Cardinal Ippolito upon his own nephews. 
 
 Meantime, there was one true mourner whose undying 
 love had changed for her the aspect of all worldly things. 
 Giulia Gonzaga returned to her palace and took up once 
 more the burden of her daily life, but she devoted most 
 of her time to prayer and meditation. In this great 
 sorrow her heart and affections were utterly detached 
 from the world of state and pomp to which she was 
 so soon to be summoned back. 
 
 132 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 The Emperor Charles V., after taking possession of Tunis, appoints 
 Ferrante Gonzaga, Governor of Sicily — He travels on to Naples, 
 and invites the Countess of Fondi to his Court — The Emperor 
 finds a husband for the rich young widow, Isabella Colonna, in 
 the son of his General at Pavia, Charles de Lannoy, Prince of 
 Sulmona, February, 1536 — Giulia Gonzaga takes up her abode 
 in the Convent of San Francesco delle Monache, in Naples — 
 She listens to the preaching of Ochino, and becomes an earnest 
 pupil of the Reformer, Juan Valdes — At her suggestion he writes 
 his famous " Alfabeto Cristiano " — Other works of Valdes — 
 His religious assemblies at Chiaja — Letter of George Herbert on 
 the writings of Valdes. 
 
 We have already followed the victorious course of 
 Charles V. until he had completely taken possession of 
 the city of Tunis, and avenged the wrongs of the 
 Christians upon the unfortunate Turks. He remained in 
 Africa for some time to enjoy his triumph and strengthen 
 his position before he set sail for Sicily, an island in which 
 he was always greatly interested. Here he arrived on 
 August 17, and remained for ten weeks, resting after 
 his arduous labours, and seeing to the general government 
 as well as strengthening the fortifications of the harbours. 
 When he took his departure early in November he 
 appointed Signor Ferrante Gonzaga,* son of Francesco 
 and Isabella d' Este of Mantua, as Viceroy of the Kingdom 
 of Sicily. The Emperor arrived on November 25 at 
 * See Genealogy of Gonzaga family, No. 2. 
 133 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 Naples, where he made a triumphant entry, and was 
 hailed as conqueror of the terrible Barbarossa, and pro- 
 claimed champion of Christendom. On November 25, 
 1535, Charles V. made a solemn entry into Naples, pass- 
 ing under the arch of the Porta Capuana, " artistically 
 transformed with symbols, commemorating the glory of 
 the conqueror, lord of a mighty realm on which the sun 
 never sets." Wonderful indeed were the preparations, 
 consisting of statues and pictures by the finest sculptors 
 and artists of the day, as well as Latin verses by at least 
 two poets.* In a letter written by Paolo Giovio, who was 
 then at Naples, we have a very interesting appreciation of 
 the Emperor, who was now thirty-five years of age and 
 still unmarried : " His Majesty has given judgment against 
 certain barons who have ill-treated the people, amongst 
 whom are Carafi, Caraccioli, and others. And not to 
 appear melancholy he has (fatto maschero) worn a mask, 
 and paid a visit to Lucrezia Scaglione, who is more 
 beautiful than ever, and has two beautiful daughters, 
 married. There are also three beautiful maidens, amongst 
 whom he might choose a bride — Diana di Cardona, 
 Govella Coscia, and Cornelia Gennara. . . . But the 
 truth is that His Majesty is as cold as the tramontana 
 (north wind), and flies from all occasion of sinning even 
 in thought."! 
 
 It was a wonderful galaxy of fair ladies, besides all the 
 great nobles, which was gathered together at Naples to do 
 honour to their feudal lord. But His Majesty's first and 
 most pressing desire appears to have been to meet the 
 far-famed Countess of Fondi, who had so narrowly 
 escaped the Corsair raid. 
 
 * Miccio, " Vita di Pedro de Toledo." 
 t Letter to Monsignor di Carpi, December 28, 1535. 
 134 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 A most gracious invitation was at once sent, praying 
 that the Signora Giulia Gonzaga Colonna would vouch- 
 safe to visit the Emperor at Naples. From so high 
 a prince, her feudal lord, this was, in fact, a command 
 which the lady had no choice but to obey. Isabella, who, 
 since her return from the Abruzzi, had found the Court 
 at Fondi terribly dull, was delighted to accompany her 
 sister-in-law, and with a retinue suitable to their rank, 
 the two ladies travelled to Naples about the middle of 
 December. Here they were received with great honour, 
 and at the splendid Court held by the Viceroy, Don Pedro 
 de Toledo, for the glory of his prince, Isabella Colonna 
 was quite in her element. Giulia had the pleasure of 
 meeting many of her old acquaintances, amongst whom 
 were the charming sisters, Maria d' Aragona, married to 
 the Marchese del Vasto, Vittoria Colonna's adopted son 
 (her husband's nephew), and the bright and high-spirited 
 Giovanna d' Aragona, the wife of Vittoria's brother, 
 Ascanio Colonna. 
 
 Neither of their husbands were very satisfactory ; Maria 
 had a rival whom Alfonso d' Avalos preferred, but his 
 wife was too proud to make any complaint. She simply 
 replied to her indignant friends : " I have no doubt that 
 time and my love and the voice of duty will bring my 
 husband back to me. . . ." Her constancy was justified, 
 and after three years his eyes were opened, and he returned 
 to his wife and became once more her devoted lover. 
 Indeed, his jealousy caused quite an unpleasant scene at 
 an entertainment given by the Viceroy Toledo. As for 
 the other sister, Giovanni, her husband Ascanio had 
 given himself up entirely to the study of astrology and 
 alchemy, in which he wasted his whole fortune. 
 
 Another friend of Giulia deserves special notice — the 
 
 »35 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 poetess Veronica Gambara, who had recently shown her 
 strong admiration for the young Cardinal Ippolito and 
 her tender sympathy for his loss, both in prose and verse. 
 This lady belonged to the older group of noble ladies, 
 remarkable for their well-preserved beauty and culture, 
 who had formed part of the literary society of Isabella 
 d' Este. Veronica had lost her husband, Gilberto I., Lord 
 of Correggio, in 1518, and ever since had worn "the 
 garments of mourning, while in her stable she kept four 
 horses blacker than night as a suitable emblem of her 
 undying grief." But more welcome still to the young 
 Countess of Fondi would be the meeting with her trusted 
 adviser and devoted cousin, Ferrante Gonzaga, recently 
 made Viceroy of Sicily, who had accompanied the 
 Emperor to Naples, bringing with him his wife, Isabella 
 da Capua, the heiress he had married when disappointed 
 about Isabella Colonna. 
 
 Amongst the great ladies who added brilliance to the 
 Court of Naples at this time, we find the Princess of 
 Salerno, the Princess of Stigliano, the poetess Maria 
 Cardona, wife of Ferrante d' Este, Dionora Sanseverino, 
 Isabella Brisegna, and many others, all of them worthy 
 of note, and some of whom we shall meet again in the 
 coming most interesting phase of Giulia's life. As for the 
 Emperor, he might be " cold as the tramontana " so far 
 as he was personally concerned with all these fair ladies, 
 but he was keenly alive to their value as an asset in the 
 payment of his debts. Thus, how could he better 
 recompense one of his valiant generals than with the 
 hand of some rich young widow, who would feel it an 
 honour to have her matrimonial affairs arranged with 
 great magnificence by His Supreme Majesty himself? 
 Amongst the gallant company of young nobles who had 
 
 136 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 accompanied him to Naples, there was no one to whom 
 Charles V. owed more than to Philippe de Lannoy, the 
 son of that Charles de Lannoy who had fought so valiantly 
 at Pavia, and to whom Francois I. had yielded up his 
 sword. As Viceroy of Naples, the elder Lannoy had 
 rendered the most important services to the Imperial 
 cause, and had ultimately died of the plague in Rome, 
 after that terrible Sack of the Eternal City, of which 
 he had striven to mitigate the horrors. His son Philippe 
 had also distinguished himself as a general of cavalry, 
 having fought in Germany against the Duke of Saxony 
 with courage and ability. He had already been made 
 Prince of Sulmona, a district lying between Aquila and 
 Naples, whose chief town is famous as the birthplace 
 of Ovid, in the midst of the picturesque scenery which 
 he describes in such glowing terms. Near Sulmona is 
 the famous hermitage from which the holy man San 
 Pietro da Morrone was taken by force to be made Pope 
 under the name of San Celestino. 
 
 The lady selected as a bride for this fortunate young 
 soldier was the sister-in-law of Giulia, Isabella Colonna, 
 daughter of Vespasiano Colonna, and widow of Luigi 
 Rodomonte Gonzaga. We have no reason to suppose 
 that the young lady was not perfectly satisfied with this 
 arrangement, for she certainly had no desire for perpetual 
 widowhood, and always sought to grasp all the worldly 
 pleasure and position within her reach. But there are a 
 few words on the subject preserved in the Archives of 
 Modena which may tend to show that she had not much 
 choice in the matter.* "The Signora Isabella, being 
 unable to contradict the will of her superiors, has yielded 
 
 * Letter from Matteo Casale to Alessandro Guarino, Ducal Coun- 
 cillor, February 19, 1536. 
 
 137 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 to their desire, and will marry the Signor, Prince of 
 Sulmona." 
 
 This wedding took place on February 27, 1536, and in 
 a letter written to the Duke of Ferrara, we have a full 
 account of the splendid banquet given on the occasion, in 
 the palace of the Lord Sanseverino, Prince of Bisignano, 
 to which the Emperor and all his Court were invited. 
 The ceremony itself was performed in the presence of 
 Charles V. with all magnificence. He gave the bride as 
 a dowry the picturesque castle and estate of Caramanico 
 in the Abruzzi, not far from her husband's Principality of 
 Sulmona. Amongst the guests who were present, we 
 must notice Persio Crescensi, whom we shall meet again 
 as Isabella's secretary. 
 
 Unfortunately the difficulties concerning the rights of 
 Giulia and her sister-in-law were not settled, and con- 
 tinued for years to be a source of trouble and anxiety. 
 One immediate result of this marriage was that the clause 
 in the will of Luigi Gonzaga with regard to his son now 
 took effect, and the five-year-old Vespasiano was placed 
 under the guardianship of his grandfather, the Abate 
 Lodovico Gonzaga, who came forth from his religious 
 retreat to accept the solemn charge, and took up his 
 abode once more with his aged mother, Antonio del 
 Balzo, in the palace of Gazzuolo. 
 
 Having satisfactorily arranged a suitable marriage for 
 Isabella Colonna, it would have greatly pleased the 
 Emperor if he had been able to do the same for the 
 beautiful Countess of Fondi, who was at this time still in 
 the very prime of life, although so much had happened to 
 her in her twenty-three years. But Giulia had already 
 given a practical form to her earnest desire that she might 
 forsake the pomps and vanities of this world. Before the 
 
 138 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 end of December, 1535, she had applied to Pope Paul III. 
 for a Brief, permitting her, " as a secular person," to live 
 henceforth in the Convent of San Francesco delle 
 Monache,* close to the church of the same name (founded 
 by King Robert in the year 1325, "where dwelt certain 
 nuns, not cloistered, who distributed daily the King's 
 alms ")• 
 
 Charles V. had such strong religious feelings of his 
 own, that he had every respect for those of others, and 
 appears to have shown his kindness and sympathy in 
 every way, until the young widowed princess obtained 
 the permission to take up a life of uncloistered prayer 
 and meditation in the Convent of San Francesco. It is 
 interesting to know that the Emperor and Giulia con- 
 stantly met in the Cathedral, where at this time Fra 
 Bernardino Ochino was preaching those wonderful ser- 
 mons which His Majesty was wont to say, " would draw 
 tears from stones." In Lent of the previous year, when 
 the friar had been giving a course of sermons in Rome, 
 the Cardinal Ippolito had been amongst those who were 
 deeply impressed by them. In a letter from Agostino 
 Gonzaga we read : " This preacher is a man of most holy 
 life, and his teaching is devoted to making plain the 
 Gospels. His one desire is to teach men how to walk in 
 the footsteps of Christ, and he teaches with the deepest 
 sincerity, and the most moving voice. He never fears to 
 speak hard truths to his hearers for their good, while his 
 words of rebuke are chiefly aimed at those in high 
 position, so that all Rome flocks to hear him. The 
 Reverendissimo Medici never misses one of his sermons 
 at which many of the Sacred College are always present. 
 
 * Now called the Rotunda. See Arch. St. Nap., "Catalogi degli 
 edifizi sacri delle citte de Napoli," 1883, p. 293, Series XIII. 
 
 139 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 . . . We are all delighted beyond measure with his teach- 
 ing. . . . The Signora Vittoria Colonna is a constant 
 disciple of this friar, in whose words she recognizes a 
 revival of the true and holy life of San Francesco." 
 
 This Bernardino Ochino was a Franciscan friar of 
 Siena, and for three years was general of his order ; he is 
 described as " fiery, proud, austere," with a large pale face, 
 and long shaggy beard. Wherever he preached, his 
 sermons created the greatest enthusiasm, and Cardinal 
 Bembo wrote from Venice : " I am prayed by divers 
 gentle souls in this city that you would be pleased to 
 persuade your Padre Fra Bernardino of Siena to come 
 hither next Lent and preach in the Church of the Holy 
 Apostles, to the reverence and honour of our Lord God ; 
 which thing they greatly desire to obtain his reverence. 
 Nor they alone, but all the citizens are in infinite expecta- 
 tion of hearing him." After his request had been granted, 
 the Cardinal expresses his admiration of the friar's 
 eloquence and piety, adding " that he had never heard 
 such preaching." 
 
 It was after hearing a sermon of Ochino that the 
 Signora Giulia Gonzaga was so moved one day that she 
 could not control her emotion, and came weeping out of 
 the Church of San Giovanni Maggiore. It so happened 
 that she was observed by a friend of hers, a certain 
 Spanish gentleman of great learning and piety, Sefior 
 Juan de Valdds, formerly Papal chamberlain, who had 
 occasionally been one of her guests at Fondi, and who 
 was now secretary to the Viceroy.* Seeing the lady's 
 trouble and agitation, Valdes accompanied her to her 
 home, where she earnestly questioned him with regard to 
 the teaching which they had just heard. In the light of 
 
 * See Appendix, note 8. 
 140 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 after-events, it is very interesting to remember that this 
 religious conversation is believed to have been the origin 
 of that beautiful work which had so great an influence on 
 the early disciples of the Italian Reformation, and which 
 is known by the name of the " Alfabeto Cristiano." 
 Of this work and its devout author we shall have more 
 to say later. At this time Juan de Valdes was chiefly 
 known by a curious " Dialogue," published some years 
 before with the famous "Lactancio" of his brother 
 Alfonso. 
 
 In this " Dialogo de Mercurio y Caron" there was an 
 attack upon the abuses of the Church, Mercury and 
 Charon being made to discuss with the souls of the 
 departed their religious life and the affairs of the world.* 
 But to return to the meeting of the princess with Valdes, 
 a brief account will be necessary to show the deep 
 impression made upon Giulia by the words which she had 
 just heard. She found relief in taking counsel with one 
 whom she already revered for his piety and learning. 
 She spoke of her hopes and her endeavours. " Within 
 me there is a battle. . . . Ochino's words fill me with the 
 love of Paradise, but at the same time I feel the love of 
 this world and of its glory. How shall I escape from this 
 conflict, and to which shall I yield ? Should I make both 
 inclinations agree, or must I give up one ?" 
 
 Valdds comforts her with the assurance that this turmoil 
 of the spirit is the first sign of the growth of grace within 
 her. He does not hope to lead her to perfection at once, 
 but wishes her to arrive there by degrees, neither weakened 
 by haste nor kept back by negligence. 
 
 " The Law has wounded you, the Gospel will heal you. 
 My only fear is that you will try to regulate your Christian 
 
 * See Appendix, note g. 
 141 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 life in such a manner that those around you will not per- 
 ceive the change. . . ." 
 
 Giulia confesses that she still loves certain idle 
 pastimes, to lay aside which would, she fears, lead to 
 melancholy. . . . 
 
 Valdes replies : " You must lay aside these gradually, 
 and the more you learn of Divine things, the less you will 
 be drawn towards those of passing shows. But you must 
 make your choice between God and the world. This is 
 the way of perfection : Love God above all things and 
 your neighbour as yourself." 
 
 Then follows a brief discussion on the value of monas- 
 tic life, which Valdes asserts is only of use when adopted 
 from the pure love of God. " As fire is needed to give 
 heat, so living faith can alone produce charity. Faith is 
 the tree, charity is the fruit. . . ." 
 
 Giulia asks concerning the way of salvation, and re- 
 ceives the reply : " Three ways lead to that heavenly 
 knowledge : the light of Nature, which teaches us the 
 omnipotence of God; the Old Testament, which shows 
 us the Creator as the hater of iniquity ; and, last and 
 greatest, the way of light — the master-way — the love of 
 Christ. ...""' 
 
 Giulia asks concerning alms, and is told : " There is no 
 other rule than that of charity ; love God, and you will 
 know how to give your alms." Then, about prayer, he 
 says that " spoken prayer often kindles and elevates the 
 mind to earnest prayer of the soul. ..." 
 
 Giulia : " One word more. You speak of Christian 
 liberty. How am I to use it ?" 
 
 Valdes : " The true Christian is free from the tyranny 
 of the law, from sin and death, and is absolute master of 
 his affections and desires. He is free as regards the spirit, 
 
 142 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 acknowledging no other superior than God ; while, as to 
 the body, he is the servant of all for Christ's sake." 
 
 This is only a very slight sketch of the conversation 
 between Giulia and Valdes, which was the foundation of 
 that book of Christian teaching, the " Alfabeto Cristiano," 
 so valuable in spreading the principles of reform in Italy. 
 We are especially struck with the almost heroic humility 
 of the great lady, Giulia Gonzaga, who was willing — nay, 
 eager — to cast aside all the pomp and glory of her high 
 estate, and appear before the world as a lowly pupil 
 hanging upon the words of her Christian teacher. Like 
 her visionary ancestor, the Magi- King Balthazar, Giulia 
 was willing to brave every peril in search of the Truth, 
 and when the guiding star had led her to the manger- 
 throne of Bethlehem, she adored the Christ in simple 
 faith. 
 
 Her stirring life of romance and adventure, of varied 
 study, and intellectual intercourse with the finest spirits 
 of the day, had mellowed and enriched her mind ; while 
 through loss and sorrow she had early* won a rare 
 fortitude, which was in time to come to be put to the 
 proof by cruel persecution. Eager and strenuous in all 
 things, hers was the spirit of that early mystic who saw 
 in a vision an angel bearing in one hand a flaming torch, 
 and in the other a vase of water — with the first to burn 
 down the bowers of Paradise, and with the other to extin- 
 guish the flames of Hell, that henceforth men be not 
 guided by hope or fear, but solely by the love of God. 
 
 From this time forth Giulia Gonzaga devoted her life 
 
 to active works of charity. She passed her days in visiting 
 
 the sick in hospitals, tending them with her own hands ; 
 
 in relieving the poor, and especially caring for the little 
 
 * In this year, 1536, Giulia was barely twenty-three. 
 
 143 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 children. "Avoiding the acquaintance of mere worldly 
 persons, she took part in the meetings of a select society, 
 mostly under the influence of Vald6s, who considered 
 religious subjects and made a constant study of the Holy 
 Scriptures — that volume of heavenly refreshment, the 
 aliment of the perfect." As Ariosto's biographer says: 
 " Hora spende tutto il tempo in pensier santi, rivolgendole 
 Scritture sacre con puro e sincero petto."* 
 
 Juan de Valdes took up his abode in the quarter of 
 Chiaja, which was then completely in the country, although 
 so near Naples ; and here it was his custom to receive on 
 Sundays a certain number of his most intimate friends, 
 on that lovely shore overlooking the Bay of Naples, 
 perhaps the most beautiful spot in the world — at least, 
 so it seemed to the loving memory of those who were 
 privileged to meet there. The day began with a simple 
 breakfast, after which the friends walked in the garden 
 and enjoyed the exquisite scenery. They then returned 
 to the house, where Valdes read aloud some " Divine 
 Consideration " which he had been thinking of during 
 the week, and concerning which he trusted that he had 
 a clearer illumination of heavenly truth. After dinner, 
 when the servants were dismissed for the afternoon, 
 religious subjects were suggested by one of the company, 
 and discussed with him. 
 
 From these conversations sprang that wonderful book, 
 " Le cento et dieci divine consideratione." It was first 
 written in Spanish, then translated into Italian, and for 
 some time was circulated amongst his followers in manu- 
 script. It was published at Basle in 1550, and it is very 
 interesting to find that it was translated into English by 
 
 * Simon Fornari in " La spositione sopra 1' Orlando Furioso." In 
 Firenze, 1549. 
 
 144 
 
GIULIA GONZAGA (reputed). 
 
 Sebastiano del Piombo. 
 
 In the Longford Castle Gallery 
 
 By kind permission of Lord Radnor. 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 Nicholas Ferrar, and published at Oxford in 1638, en- 
 riched with full notes by George Herbert. Ferrar had 
 met with the book while travelling in Spain, and sent it 
 to his friend, who thus writes from — 
 
 " Bemberton, near Salisbury, 
 
 "September 29, 1632. 
 
 "... I wish you by all means to publish it [" The 
 Divine Considerations"], for these three eminent things 
 observable therein : First, that God, in the midst of 
 Popery, should open the eyes of one to understand and 
 express so clearly and excellently the intent of the Gospel 
 in the acceptation of Christ's righteousness (as he showeth 
 throughout all his considerations)— a thing strangely 
 buried and darkened by the Adversaries and their great 
 stumbling-block. 
 
 " Secondly, the great honour and reverence which he 
 everywhere bears towards our dear Master and Lord, con- 
 cluding every ' Consideration ' almost with His holy name 
 and setting forth His merit so piously; for the which I do 
 so love him, that were there nothing else I would print it, 
 that with it the honour of my Lord might be published. 
 
 " Thirdly, the many pious rules of ordering our life, 
 about mortification and observation of God's kingdom 
 within us, and the working thereof, of which he was a 
 very diligent observer. . . . 
 
 " George Herbert." 
 
 It will give some idea of the sincerity and earnestness 
 of the teaching of Vald£s to quote one of the many letters 
 which he wrote to the Signora Giulia Gonzaga, sending 
 her, as was his custom, his last work in manuscript — 
 those Epistles of St. Paul translated from the Hebrew 
 into Spanish, with his own illuminating notes : 
 
 MS I0 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 " To the Most Illustrious Lady Giulia Gonzaga. 
 
 " Being persuaded, Illustrious Lady, that the continual 
 reading of the Psalms of David, which I sent you last 
 year, translated from Hebrew into Spanish, has formed 
 your mind to so pious and confident a trust in God that 
 you can leave everything in His hands as David did ; 
 desiring that you may go forward, and that there should 
 be formed in you a mind as firm, perfect, and constant 
 as that of St. Paul in the things belonging to the Gospel, 
 I now send you these Epistles of St. Paul translated from 
 Greek into Spanish, the continual reading of which will, 
 I feel sure, contribute greatly to your progress in spiritual 
 edification, provided however, you do not read from 
 curiosity or vanity, as men do who are without piety, 
 thinking thereby to serve God : setting themselves to read 
 St. Paul as a Spaniard would do to speak Greek, with the 
 view of pleasing a Greek Emperor . . . you should imitate 
 St. Paul inasmuch as you see that he imitates Christ. 
 Strive to be more like Christ and like God, and thus 
 recover the image and likeness of God in which the first 
 man was created. ... I only wish you to hold up David 
 and St. Paul as patterns, so long as your mind is not able 
 to take as your patterns Christ and God." 
 
 146 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 Desire for reform of the Church in Italy, but not for separation from 
 Rome — Earnest awakening of religious zeal, in which great 
 ladies take part : Giulia Gonzaga, Vittoria Colonna, Renee of 
 Ferrara, Costanza d' Avalos, Isabella Brisegna of Manrique, and 
 others — Wonderful results of the teaching of Valdes at Naples — 
 Effect of his religious works (no Considerations, etc.) upon 
 Giulia Gonzaga, Cardinal Pole, Pietro Carnesecchi, Sadoleto, 
 Contarini, Morone, Bernardino Ochino, Peter Martyr, and the 
 whole circle of Vittoria Colonna at Viterbo — Death of Juan 
 Valdes, in 1541, at Naples. 
 
 The burning need of religious reform was no new feeling 
 in Italy in the days of Giulia Gonzaga. In the fourteenth 
 century another brave and pious woman, St. Catherine of 
 Siena, had dared to write : " You turn the Ten Command- 
 ments into one — ' Bring us money !' Rome is a gulf of 
 hell, where the Devil presides and sells the benefits which 
 Christ acquired by His Passion, whence comes the 
 proverb : 
 
 " ' Curia romana non petit ovem sine lana ; 
 Dantes exaudit ; non dantibus ostia claudit.' " 
 
 And a preacher, ending his sermon with the usual appeal 
 for " abundant alms," made the finest involuntary satire : 
 " You ask me, dearest brethren, the way to Paradise ? 
 The monastery bells teach it you with their ringing cry, 
 ' Give ! give ! give !' " (or in the more rhythmical Italian, 
 "Dan-do! dan-do! dan-do!"). 
 
 147 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 As Addington Symonds * well states the point : " Italian 
 reformers became convinced of the necessity of a return 
 to the simple elements of Christianity in creed and con- 
 duct. They considered a thoroughgoing reform of the 
 hierarchy of all Catholic institutions to be indispensable. 
 They leaned, moreover, with partiality to some of the 
 essential tenets of the Reformation — notably the doctrine 
 of justification by faith and salvation by the merits of 
 Christ, and also to the doctrine that Scripture is the sole 
 authority in matters of belief and discipline. Thus both 
 the Cardinals Morone, Contarini, and others . . . who 
 imbibed the teaching of Valdes in Naples, fell under the 
 suspicion of heterodoxy on these points. But it was 
 characteristic of the members of this school that they 
 had no will to withhold allegiance from the Pope as Chief 
 of Christendom. They shrank with horror from the 
 thought of encouraging a schism, or of severing themselves 
 from the communion of Catholics." 
 
 Most memorable in the early days of the Italian 
 Reformation were those soul-stirring meetings for reli- 
 gious study and discussion held by Valdes in his beautiful 
 retreat at Chiaja. Here were gathered together all the 
 most cultured, the most devout, and the noblest char- 
 acters of the day : great ladies — Giulia Gonzaga ; Vittoria 
 Colonna, an occasional visitor, and ever in constant touch 
 with all the writings of Valdes ; Costanza d' Avalos, 
 Duchess of Amain ; her kinswoman, Caterina Cibo, 
 Duchess of Camerino, niece of three Popes (Innocent 
 VIII., Leo X., and Clement VII.) ; Isabella Brisegna 
 Manrique, wife of Garzia Manrique, Governor of Piacenza, 
 and sister-in-law of the famous Inquisitor Manrique, and 
 others. Amongst the goodly company of men, we find 
 * " Renaissance in Italy." 
 148 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 Pietrantonio di Capua, Archbishop of Otranto ; Pietro 
 Paolo Vergerio, Bishop of Capo d' Istria ; Bartolommeo 
 Spadaforo of Messina, a friend of Vittoria Colonna ; 
 Marcantonio Flaminio, the well-known poet, who trans- 
 lated various books of Valdes into Italian ; his friend, 
 Gian Francesco d' Alois (II Caserta) ; Giangaleazzo 
 Caracciolo, nephew of Paul IV. ; Donato Rullo, a friend 
 of Cardinal Pole ; Mario Galeotto, an Academician ; Don 
 Placido de Sanguine, Principal of the Academy of Sereni ; 
 Pietro Martire Vermigli, and many others, amongst whom 
 not the least important was Pietro Carnesecchi, who paid 
 a visit to Giulia Gonzaga in 1540, and was by her intro- 
 duced to Valdes. D. Germano Minadois and Sigismondo 
 Mignoz, Governors of the Hospital for Incurables, Giulia's 
 most-beloved charity, must also be mentioned as earnest 
 disciples of Valdes. 
 
 With what loving affection those who were privileged to 
 join these peaceful reunions of his looked back upon them 
 in after days, may be gathered from a letter of Giacomo 
 Bonfadio, the historian, written to the Protonotary 
 Carnesecchi who was then at Florence, after the death of 
 Valdes : 
 
 "To Monsignor Carnesecchi. 
 
 " Lago di Gakda. 
 
 "... I hear that you have been ill. . . . May God 
 preserve your life as the Romans took care of that statue 
 which fell from heaven, and He will do it for the benefit of 
 many, so that one of the brightest lights of Tuscan virtue 
 may not be extinguished. I beseech you, therefore, my 
 lord, with God's help, attend to your recovery and enjoy 
 your wonted cheerfulness, as in the days when we were at 
 Naples. Would that we were now in that happy com- 
 pany ! I know your ardent longing for that fair country, 
 
 149 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 and how often Chiaja and the beautiful Posilipo are in 
 your thoughts. I cannot deny that Florence is beautiful, 
 but the charm of Naples, with its lovely shore and eternal 
 Spring, far excels. There Nature rules with more en- 
 trancing sway, filling the land with joy and gladness. If 
 you were now at the windows of that lonely tower, so often 
 praised by us, looking round upon those sunny gardens and 
 beyond on the spacious bosom of that smiling sea, a 
 thousand vital spirits would refresh your heart. I remem- 
 ber when you left, how you promised to return and prayed 
 me also to do so. 
 
 " Would to God that we could recall those happy days ! 
 But where should we go now that Signor Vald6s is dead ? 
 This has been a great loss for us and for the world ; for 
 Signor Valdes was one of the rare men of Europe. The 
 writings which he has left us give full proof of this. He 
 was, without doubt, both in words and actions and in all 
 his counsels, a most perfect man. He devoted an atom 
 only of his mind to the care of his feeble, emaciated body ; 
 the greater part of his most pure intellect was always 
 raised to the contemplation of truth and of divine 
 things. . . . 
 
 "GlACOMO BONFADIO." 
 
 There was one of Valdes' disciples who perhaps spread 
 his doctrines more than any other. This was the Friar 
 Bernardino Ochino, whose sermons had such marvellous 
 influence, as we have already seen, and who was the 
 special guide and teacher of Vittoria Colonna. Three 
 years after the Emperor had listened to him with so much 
 veneration in the Advent of 1536, he was invited to return 
 to Naples in 1539 to preach during Lent in the Cathedral 
 dedicated to San Gennaro, and his saintly reputation drew 
 
 150 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 crowds to hear him, until the stately building was filled 
 almost to suffocation. He had now waxed bolder in his 
 preaching, thundering in strong, impassioned language 
 against luxury and vice, and then with soft, persuasive 
 eloquence dwelling on the truths of the Gospel, and the 
 joy and happiness of walking in the love of God and in the 
 ways of holiness. He touched upon points which had 
 hitherto been considered too sacred for outspoken words — 
 of justification, faith, works, the power of the Pope, pur- 
 gatory. Men began to see that in the Gospel all were 
 invited to share its blessings. "Then the unlearned 
 artisan, and even the women, ventured to converse upon 
 the words of the Bible and to compare one text with 
 another. . . .* This spiritual awakening spread so much 
 that numbers began to consult the Scriptures as the sole 
 authority in matters of faith." 
 
 This was remarkable freedom of speech for one who had 
 been elected Vice- General of his Franciscan Order the 
 previous year. The Viceroy of Naples, Toledo, was much 
 disturbed, and he caused a number of books which he sus- 
 pected of evangelical and heretical tendencies to be 
 collected in bundles and burnt publicly before the gate of 
 the Archbishop's palace. In order to crush all liberty of 
 conscience, he also issued a decree forbidding all religious 
 books published within the last twenty-five years to be 
 reprinted. But these repressive acts were only distant 
 threatenings of the coming storm of persecution. 
 
 Meantime the abode of Valdes at Chiaja was a haven of 
 peace, and a meeting-place for many kindred spirits to hold 
 religious converse together. Here Giulia Gonzaga came 
 for those intervals of rest so soothing after her stirring life, 
 
 * " Storia di Antonino Castaldo," apud Giannone, " Storia di 
 Napoli," lib. xxxii., p. 179. 
 
 151 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 to which she thus alludes in one of her letters to Juan de 
 Valdes : " Many years have I lived in the manner I 
 describe . . . and during this time, as you know, various 
 things have befallen me, enough to disturb a tranquil 
 spirit, and more especially a soul so disquieted as mine." 
 To this same source of refreshment she never failed to 
 bring all her friends who came to visit her at Naples, and 
 here many earnest men drew their inspiration for the 
 Reformed doctrines, which they preached not in Italy 
 alone, but when driven thence by persecution throughout 
 all Europe. We have seen how Pietro Carnesecchi, 
 destined in the end to suffer a martyr's death for his faith, 
 was here introduced to Valdes, and took him henceforth for 
 his spiritual teacher. It was the same with Fra Bernar- 
 dino Ochino, and also with a great friend of his, whose 
 name is most familiar to us in England. 
 
 Pietro Martire Vermigli, of Lucca, better known as 
 " Peter Martyr," so called by his parents, as before his 
 birth he was consecrated to St. Peter Martyr (put to death 
 by the Arians). He early joined the Austin Canons at 
 Fiesole, and became well versed in the Scriptures ; then he 
 was made Abbot of Spoleto, and afterwards Prior of the 
 great house of San Pietro ad aram at Naples. Here it was 
 that he met Valdes, and was greatly influenced by him. 
 He was a marvellous preacher, and the people thronged to 
 hear him ; but when he explained the First Epistle of 
 the Corinthians, on which the doctrine of Purgatory was 
 supposed to be founded, as simply a figurative allusion to 
 the entire consumption of all merit outside Christ, the 
 Viceroy took alarm, and he was forbidden to preach. But 
 Pietro appealed to Rome, and had such powerful friends 
 that the prohibition was removed, and he was made Vicar- 
 General of his Order. After Valdes' death, Pietro Martire 
 was taken seriously ill with fever, of which his friend 
 
 152 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 Benedetto Casano died, and he left Naples to become 
 Prior of San Frediano at Lucca. In later years, when 
 threatened with cruel persecution, he joined in the flight of 
 Fra Bernardino Ochino, and ultimately came to England, 
 where, in the reign of Edward VI., he was made Regius 
 Professor of Divinity at Oxford. 
 
 Knowing Pedro de Toledo's strong feeling against all 
 Reformed doctrine, we are not surprised to hear that 
 through his brother, Fra Gia de Toledo, the Archbishop, 
 those devout gatherings at Chiaja were at length put an end 
 to. Not long afterwards, in 1541, the great teacher Valdes 
 himself was taken ill with fever, which his delicate frame 
 could not resist, and to the deepest sorrow of his friends 
 and disciples, he passed away to his rest. Pietrantonio di 
 Capua, Archbishop of Otranto, attended him on his death- 
 bed with loving reverence and affection. 
 
 It will be convenient to mention here in order the works 
 of Valdes, upon which rests his great reputation as a leader 
 of the Reformation in Italy. He was first known by a 
 curious " Dialogue " written in 1521, when he was in Spain, 
 and published with the famous " Lactantio " of his twin- 
 brother, Alfonzo de Valdes, which was so bitterly opposed 
 by Baldassare Castiglione, as champion of the Church and 
 her rulers. In this " Dialogo de Mercurio y Caron " there 
 was an attack upon abuses, political and religious, Mer- 
 cury and Charon being made to discuss with the souls of 
 the departed their religious life and the affairs of the 
 world which they had just left. A strange procession we 
 watch advancing towards the banks of the Styx : Bishops, 
 cardinals, kings, theologians, all still full of their earthly 
 pomp, and each one quite unconsciously being brought 
 into an atmosphere of truth, reveals the whole of the 
 motives and desires of his life, and a terrible revelation it 
 usually is ! On the other hand, there are some few, mostly 
 
 i53 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 women, whose works on earth are worthy of all praise. 
 But the last who comes by, a nun, would have been 
 questioned by Mercury had not Charon hastily checked 
 him. " Do you not see it is a woman and a nun ? If she 
 once begins, there will be no end to it !" 
 
 It was not long after this book was published that we 
 find Juan de Valdes glad to make his escape from Spain, 
 where more severity to any idea of reform was shown 
 than in any other country, the Inquisition having been 
 established there as early as 1477, chiefly then with regard 
 to Moors and Jews. Valdes was still in favour with the 
 Emperor, who obtained his appointment as secretary to 
 Pietro de Toledo when he was made Imperial Viceroy of 
 Naples. He was a man of great learning and literary 
 facility, and for several years — between- April, 1534, and 
 September, 1536 — he devoted himself to a scientific study 
 of the Spanish language, under the title of " Dialogo de 
 la lengua." It was at this time that the society of Giulia 
 Gonzaga and her friends encouraged him to more definite 
 religious teaching, and he wrote the " Alfabeto Cristiano," 
 in the form of question and answer between Giulia and 
 himself, which has already been alluded to, and which 
 was circulated in manuscript amongst his friends as a 
 precious gem of Christian teaching. It was translated 
 from Spanish into Italian by Marcantonio Magno, who 
 managed '. the business affairs of Giulia Gonzaga. This 
 was the full title : 
 
 " Alfabeto Cristiano, 
 
 che insegna la vera 
 
 via d' acquiscare 
 
 il lume dello Spi- 
 
 rito Santo." 
 
 " Stampata. 1' anno MDXLVI." 
 
 154 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 We know very little about this Marcantonio Magno, 
 but he had two sons, Celio and Alessandro, who were 
 both fair poets. He was himself a man of literary tastes, 
 and some of his letters are preserved. 
 
 As for the great work of Valdes, the " Cento e dieci 
 divine consideratione," this also was passed from one 
 hand to another in manuscript copies, and was not pub- 
 lished until about twenty years later, when Pietro Paolo 
 Vergerio, Bishop of Capodistria, carried the precious manu- 
 script safely to Hamburg in 1558. As we have seen, it 
 was translated into English by Nicholas Ferrar. " In 
 this beautiful work Valdes preaches such purity of 
 intention and thought, such sacrifice of mere distinction 
 of rank and honour, such quiet suffering of injury, such a 
 manner of beholding Christ in God, and again God in 
 Christ, as clearly to show that the religion of Valdes — his 
 religion of the heart — was indeed the religion of the New 
 Testament. It was so in its spiritual meaning, and this 
 brought him to receive the doctrine of Justification by 
 Faith alone, in a deeper and more intimate manner than 
 that of Luther. . . . This Valdes taught to others in the 
 name of his Divine Master, in the dwelling-house, or 
 walking by the way, and often for those who had an ear 
 to hear, by parable. ..." 
 
 Other works of Valdes were translations of the Psalms 
 from the original Hebrew, the Gospel of St. Matthew, and 
 the Epistles to the Romans from the Greek. Of this last, 
 it is interesting to know that Michelangelo loved to hear 
 it read aloud in the company of Vittoria Colonna in the 
 Convent of San Silvestro at Monte Cavallo. Almost all 
 these writings of Valdes were dedicated to the Lady 
 Giulia Gonzaga, to whom he owed so much for her 
 unfailing interest and keen sympathy. To this devout 
 
 i55 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 evangelical mystic, " Justification by Faith " was the 
 expression of the fact that only by self-abnegation could 
 men receive the Divine illumination, and thus conform to 
 the image of God in which they were made. 
 
 We find one of the most startling illustrations of the 
 enthusiasm aroused by the teaching of V aides in the 
 immense success of a book written by one of his disciples, 
 " II Beneficio della morte di Cristo." This is believed to 
 have been the work of a Benedictine monk — Benedetto of 
 Mantua — who dwelt in his monastery at the foot of Mount 
 Etna.* At the monk's request, Marcantonio Flaminio, 
 the distinguished poet, revised the " little golden book," 
 as Vergerio called it, which was first given to friends in 
 manuscript in 1540, and printed later at Venice and at 
 Rome in 1544, to the number of 40,000 copies, and 
 spread broadcast throughout Italy. " Nothing was ever 
 printed so simply pious and simple, or so adapted to teach 
 the weak and ignorant, especially in the matter of ' Justi- 
 fication by Faith.' "t 
 
 The book consists of six chapters, and begins with 
 man's state before he sinned, describes his condition after- 
 wards, points out the purpose of the Jewish dispensation, 
 and asserts that " Justification, remission of sins, and our 
 entire salvation depend upon Christ alone." Origen, 
 Basil, Ambrose, Hilary, Augustine, and Bernard are 
 quoted, to show their works contain the same joyful truth 
 of a free salvation without the works of the Law. The 
 "Beneficio" was put upon the Index in 1549 by Mon- 
 signor della Cosa, Nuncio at Venice. A bookseller at 
 
 * The authorship has been disputed, for some writers maintain 
 that " Trattato utilissimo del Beneficio di Cristo crucifisso . . ." by 
 Aonio Paleario, is the same book. 
 
 f Vergerio. 
 
 156 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 Venice, Antonio Gadaldino, was treated as a "thorough 
 heretic, for he sold many copies of this most pernicious 
 book which taught Justification by Faith alone, imputed 
 through the merits of Christ in the Lutheran style . . . 
 so precious to the heretics that they printed it many 
 times, and the said Gadaldino not only sold, but also 
 reprinted it." 
 
 It has been called the " Credo " of the Italian Reforma- 
 tion, and the Inquisition made such a determined effort 
 to stamp it out, that for some time it was believed that 
 every copy had been destroyed.* If this was the dealing 
 of that dread tribunal against the written and printed 
 word, far more terrible was its sentence against the brave 
 men and women who dared to proclaim their faith. 
 Deeply as the loss of Vald^s was felt by his friends, they 
 cannot fail to have realized later that he had been taken 
 from the evil to come, and the dark days of approaching 
 persecution, for only the next year, 1542, the Inquisition 
 was started in Rome. 
 
 One immediate result of the death of Vald^s was that 
 many of his disciples joined for a time the famous reunion 
 at Viterbo, carried on much in the same manner as the 
 earlier Oratorio of Divine Love which had been started 
 before at Rome, under the very eyes of the Pope. At 
 this time Vittoria Colonna had taken up her abode in 
 the picturesque hill-town, only thirty miles from Rome ; a 
 healthy change from the closer air of the Eternal City, 
 and noteworthy for its high battlemented towers, but, 
 above all, for the Benedictine Convent of St. Catherine of 
 Alexandria, which Vittoria made her home for the next 
 three years, 1541-1544. Here she found herself in the 
 
 * A most precious original copy was discovered in the Library of 
 St. John's College, Cambridge, and several others are in existence. 
 
 157 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 midst of a circle of earnest thinkers who were deeply 
 interested in Church reform and the new influences of the 
 teaching of Vald6s and others, without ceasing to be, in 
 many cases, loyal sons of the Church. Her most intimate 
 friend at this time was Cardinal Pole, whom the Pope had 
 made Legate, and Governor of Viterbo, including the 
 province of ancient Etruria, which had been bequeathed 
 to the Papal See by Matilda, Countess of Tuscany, in 
 1115. Their friendship was already of some years' dura- 
 tion, for when Reginald Pole went to Rome in 1536, he 
 saw that the Lady Vittoria was injuring her health by too 
 much fasting and mortification of the flesh, and he 
 reminded her of St. Paul's admonition to Timothy — 
 " Corporalis exercitatio admodum valet ad pietatum " — 
 and that "the Christian is bound to take care of the 
 tabernacle of his body until it pleases God to release him 
 from it." 
 
 " So that lady began to mitigate the austerity of her 
 life, and brought it little by little, to a reasonable and 
 honest moderation." As Vittoria wrote later to Giulia 
 Gonzaga about the Cardinal : " I, therefore, who owe the 
 health of my soul and that of my body to his Illustrissimo 
 Reverendissimo, for the one through superstition and the 
 other through ill-government stood in peril, I could not but 
 wish, as your Excellence may imagine, to be able to serve 
 him. . . ." — Dated December 8, 1542. (The service 
 proved to be the adoption of Pole as her son.)* 
 
 It was at the palace of the Cardinal that were held the 
 daily gatherings of a most distinguished company for 
 the study of religious doctrine, and one of the books 
 which they discussed with interest and delight was the 
 
 * Miller, " Carteggio di' Vittoria Colonna," Appendix I., p. 239. 
 Ferrara. 
 
 158 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 " Beneficio," which set forth so clearly the teaching 
 of Vald6s. As the Cardinal himself says : " The rest of 
 the day I spend in the good and useful company of 
 Signor Carnesecchi, and our Messer Marcantonio Flaminio 
 . . . who gives me a portion of that food which does not 
 perish, in such a manner that I do not remember ever 
 having received greater consolation and edification. . . ." 
 Pole once said to Vittoria : " Believe as firmly as if your 
 salvation depended on Faith alone ; act as if good works 
 were all-sufficient." 
 
 Pietro Carnesecchi was born in 1508 of a noble 
 Florentine family. He was educated in Rome in the 
 house of Cardinal Dovizzi, and entered the Papal service. 
 Under Clement VII. he was made " Protonotary Apostolic," 
 and his influence was so great that it was commonly said 
 that " he was Pope rather than Clement." As we have 
 seen, a visit to Giulia Gonzaga in 1540 brought him into 
 the society of V aides, whom he had known at Rome. In 
 later days, Carnesecchi plays so large a part in the life 
 of the Countess of Fondi, that we shall meet him again. 
 Much of the information we have with regard to the 
 Reformed movement is taken from the archives of the 
 great trial of Carnesecchi before the Inquisition of Rome, 
 for most of his companions at Naples and Viterbo were 
 condemned by that stern tribunal, whether they were 
 living or dead. 
 
 Marcantonio Flaminio, mentioned above in Pole's letter 
 with such warm praise, was born in 1498 at Imola. He 
 was educated with great care by his learned father, 
 Giannantonio, to whom we are indebted for twelve 
 volumes of Letters, the Lives of many saints of the preach- 
 ing order, a " Dialogue on the Education of Children," a 
 " Treatise on the Origin of Philosophy," a Latin Grammar, 
 
 i59 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 and other works. Under such a teacher, Marcantonio 
 was early distinguished for his learning, and at an early 
 age his Latin poems attracted the attention of Leo X., 
 who was anxious to keep him at his Court. The young 
 poet made the acquaintance of Castiglione at Urbino in 
 1515; he continued his studies at Bologna, and returned 
 in 1 5 19 to Rome, where he became an intimate friend 
 of Molza, and served under the " Datario " Giberti, with 
 whom he travelled through Italy. Being obliged to leave 
 Rome on account of his health, he went to Naples in 
 1539, where he numbered amongst his friends Giulia 
 Gonzaga, Ochino, Vergerio, Carnesecchi, and the other 
 disciples of Valdfe. He soon devoted himself to active 
 propagation of the Reformed doctrines, and when he went 
 to Viterbo, after the death of Valdds, he kept up an 
 interesting correspondence with Giulia, to whom he 
 dedicated his translations of their master's works. 
 Flaminio's friend, the poet Francesco Caserta, famous 
 alike for his goodness and his talent, also joined the band 
 of religious students, and remained faithful to the end, 
 sealing his faith by martyrdom in 1564. 
 
 One of the most important members of the reunion 
 at Viterbo was Cardinal Contarini, a great friend of 
 Vittoria Colonna, who wrote many letters to him. He 
 was a man of such high distinction that Paul III. made 
 him a Cardinal at his first creation in 1534, and he also 
 had formed one of the Company of Divine Love in Rome. 
 This was never forgotten by Caraffa, who soon began 
 to suspect his former associates of heresy, and when he 
 became Pope under the name of Paul IV., he turned 
 upon them all the terrors of the Inquisition. Gasparo 
 Contarini was one of that band of prelates who laboured 
 with all his energies to reform the Church from within. 
 
 160 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 He tried to stir up Paul III. to this work by assuring 
 him that " the Papacy was a monarchy, not a tyranny." 
 In the summer of 1536 the Pope was induced to appoint 
 a commission of nine to report on needful reforms. One 
 of these was Giovanni Morone, who, as Nuncio in 
 Germany, had declared that if the Church was to be saved 
 in that country, reform was absolutely necessary. Con- 
 tarini, Sadoleto, Pole, and Federigo Fregoso were amongst 
 the number, and it has been well said that " such a union 
 of scholarship and holiness of life, with zeal for practical 
 reform, was most rare in any Church congress." Un- 
 fortunately, this work met with no success. 
 
 In November, 1538, Contarini, who was Papal Secre- 
 tary, travelled to Ostia with the Pope, and wrote to Pole : 
 " Our good old man made me sit by his side, and talked 
 about reform, so as to raise our hopes. . . ." But they 
 were never realized, although Cardinal Contarini was sent 
 to the Colloquy ; for no concord was possible between 
 Rome and evangelical Germany, and Contarini, who was 
 the real soul of the movement, left with despair in his 
 heart at this failure of his efforts at conciliation. He was 
 rewarded with the government of Bologna, but he had 
 become suspect to the Catholic party, and he died the 
 next year, August 24, 1542 — " one of the noblest figures 
 in an age of great men, and the blessing of the peace- 
 maker was his." On hearing of his death, Paul III. 
 remarked with deep feeling : " We have lost a great 
 Cardinal — -pazienza !" 
 
 Cardinal Sadoleto, Bishop of Carpentras, a native of 
 Modena, had been one of the literary stars at the Court 
 of Leo X. His broad-minded views expressed in his 
 Commentary on the Romans, and his friendship with 
 Erasmus, but, above all, the part he took in these meet- 
 
 161 11 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 ings at Viterbo with Vittoria Colonna, brought him under 
 the sentence of the Inquisition, but, fortunately for him 
 and many of his friends, merciful Death spared them the 
 shame and agony of a heretic's punishment. 
 
 Of Cardinal Federigo Fregoso, Archbishop of Salerno, 
 
 we have a most delightful account in the " Cortegiano " 
 
 of Baldassare Castiglione, in which he is one of the 
 
 wisest and most pleasing speakers, full of the ardent 
 
 hopes and the chivalry of gallant youth. He was one 
 
 of that famous council of nine to consider the reform 
 
 of the Church, and we find his name given in the Trial 
 
 of Carnesecchi, amongst the roll-call of "heretics," the 
 
 accusation being that he " visited the Marchesa Pescara " 
 
 (Vittoria Colonna). There were others whom we have 
 
 not space to mention, but those selected were the leading 
 
 spirits, and will give a good idea of the peaceful Platonic 
 
 assembly at Viterbo, as compared with the militant action 
 
 of the Reformers on the other side of the Alps. 
 
 162 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 Concerning the Reformation in Italy — Renee Duchess of Ferrara, 
 Olympia Morata, and others — Life of Caterina Cibo, who died 
 1557 at Florence — Persecution and flight of Bernardino Ochino, 
 Peter Martyr, and others — Giulia Gonzaga, a guiding spirit of 
 the cause at Naples — Death of Madonna Antonia del Balzo, 1538, 
 and the Abate Lodovico, father of Giulia — She then becomes 
 the guardian of her nephew Vespasiano, son of her brother 
 Luigi Rodomonte Gonzaga. 
 
 In the early history of the Reformation in Italy there 
 is one point deserving of more notice than it usually 
 receives. We may almost say that wherever a company 
 of earnest seekers after truth were gathered together, 
 there we shall find that they centred round some pious 
 woman of high birth and character. Take the well-known 
 instance of Ferrara ; there Renee of France, wife of the 
 Duke Ercole, gave her protection and hospitality to her 
 own countrymen and others who were driven from their 
 homes by the violence of religious persecution. Before 
 leaving France she had taken great interest in these new 
 doctrines, and had made the acquaintance of various 
 teachers, but especially of Calvin, who visited her at 
 Ferrara and gave her a taste of stronger Protestant teach- 
 ing than was heard elsewhere in Italy. But her husband 
 soon showed himself in nervous dread of these dangerous 
 visitors, for he was a fervent Italian and a firm ally of the 
 Pope, and his opposition was a constant trial to the 
 
 163 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 Duchess. She became a great friend of Vittoria Colonna, 
 who more than once brought the friar, Bernardino 
 Ochino, to preach in the Duomo of Ferrara, where every- 
 one crowded to hear him. Renee always remained his 
 friend, even after his flight, when the Lady Vittoria and 
 so many others abjured all acquaintance with him. In 
 alluding to the Court of Ferrara at this time, we cannot 
 avoid mentioning Olympia Morata, that accomplished and 
 devoted young girl, who, as a companion to the young 
 Princess Anna, first acquired that knowledge of the Gospel 
 which supported her through all the hardships and suffer- 
 ings which she was called upon later to endure. 
 
 But more interesting to us as a friend of Giulia Gonzaga, 
 and a disciple of Valdes, was Caterina Cibo, the niece of 
 three-Popes, Innocent VIII., (and, by her mother, of) Leo X., 
 and Clement VII. She was also the sister of a Cardinal 
 and a Bishop. She was born in 1501 in the Villa of 
 Panzani, near Florence, but was educated for some years 
 in Rome, the very seat of Catholicism ; was taught Greek, 
 Latin, and Hebrew, and at the age of twelve was betrothed 
 to Giovanni Maria Varano, afterwards Duke of Camerino. 
 
 Caterina's troubles began in the first year of her 
 marriage, when Camerino * was attacked by Sigismondo, a 
 nephew of her husband, and a long and troublesome war 
 followed. After the birth of her daughter Giulia in 1523, 
 the Duchess went to Rome, where she was well received 
 by her uncle Clement VII. who had just become Pope. 
 Here she first began to take an interest in the subject of 
 Reform, and used all her influence to save various advanced 
 thinkers from persecution. She was at Camerino after her 
 husband's death, when " one July day, in 1528, there came a 
 
 * About forty miles south-west of Ancona, on the way to 
 Foligno. 
 
 164 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 Capuchin friar, who went through the city with a crowd 
 of children, crying with a loud voice, ' Misericordia' !" 
 The preacher took up his abode in the palace of the 
 Duchess Caterina, and from that time she declared herself 
 openly on the side of the reform of the Church, and 
 became one of the most advanced leaders of the Protestant 
 movement of that time. 
 
 The Duchy of Camerino had been settled on her after 
 the death of the Duke, but here in the Castello she was 
 attacked by her husband's nephew, who succeeded in 
 taking it by surprise. When the Duchess was in his 
 power, he used every persuasion to induce her to give him 
 her daughter in marriage. But this Caterina absolutely 
 refused, as Giulia was betrothed to Guidobaldo, the son of 
 the Duke of Urbino. As persuasion had failed, young 
 Varano tried force, and threatened to kill her at once if she 
 persisted in her refusal. But she, " with a strong heart 
 and courage worthy of eternal fame, not only remained 
 firm, but seeing that he stood over her with a drawn sword 
 in his upraised arm, she fell on her knees, raised her veil, 
 and leaning her neck towards her assailant, she recom- 
 mended her soul to God." Meantime the city had been 
 roused, Varano thought better of his plan, and retired from 
 the city, taking Caterina with him. However, he had gone 
 scarcely two miles when he was overtaken, the Duchess 
 was rescued, and he barely succeeded in making his 
 escape. In a letter to her brother the Cardinal, Caterina 
 Cibo says that " it seems like a dream . . . that sixty 
 persons should attack Camerino and take me prisoner 
 without any interference, should set me free without say- 
 ing a word to me, and escape without being caught by any- 
 one . . . and for this I render thanks to God that all has 
 ended so well." 
 
 165 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 This gallant lady kept her word and carried out her 
 promise, for in 1534 her daughter was married to Guido- 
 baldo della Rovere, the grandson of Isabella d' Este, of 
 whom we are told, as a child, when his parents the Duke 
 and Duchess of Urbino were exiles at Mantua: "Their 
 little son ... is the cleverest and most charming child in 
 the world. He talks boldly of all the great things he will 
 do, and says, ' If Pope Leo had come by himself, he could 
 never have taken my father's State !' and says other 
 things which make us all marvel, since he is only just two 
 years old." * 
 
 We are told that " Caterina Cibo was not only adorned 
 by her outward beauty . . . which did not count as com- 
 pared with her marvellous goodness and brilliant talent. 
 She knew four languages — Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and our 
 Tuscan — and understood them thoroughly, and was not 
 only a student of letters and humanities, but also of sacred 
 theology, as for this purpose she acquired the Hebrew lan- 
 guage that she might study the sacred Bible in Hebrew, 
 and she made use of the commentaries of the doctors in 
 Greek, besides applying herself to philosophy, so that she 
 was a mirror of learning and religion." t She gave up 
 Camerino to her daughter- and son-in-law,J and spent the 
 the rest of her life at Florence, where she continued to 
 enjoy the society of learned and religious men. Marcan- 
 tonio Flaminio was a great friend of hers, and from his 
 correspondence we gather that the Duchess had adopted 
 the teaching of Valdes, held by Giulia Gonzaga and 
 Vittoria Colonna on the subject of "Justification by 
 Faith," and she asked Carnesecchi to recommend evange- 
 lists to her. 
 
 * Letter of Ippolito Calandra to Francesco Gonzaga. 
 t Serdonata in his " Life of Caterina Cibo." 
 % Paul III. soon took possession of Camerino. 
 166 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 In the Trials of the Inquisition a special accusation 
 was made against Caterina Cibo — " Ducissa Camerini 
 hasretica sectatrix hsereticorum et doctrix monialium 
 hsereticorum," the nuns whom she thus led astray being 
 those of St. Martha outside Florence. Other charges 
 against her were that Ochino dedicated to her certain 
 religious dialogues, in four of which she is made to take 
 part. It was in her house, as we shall see, that Ochino 
 renounced the cowl, and wrote the famous letter to 
 Vittoria Colonna. Fortunately for the brave lady, she died 
 before the darkest hour of the Inquisition, in 1557, at 
 Florence. 
 
 We have already seen the religious activity of Vittoria 
 Colonna, Marchesa of Pescara, alike at Rome and at 
 Viterbo. Yet earnest and devoted as she was, this great 
 lady shrank from any action or expression which would 
 place her outside the pale of the Roman Church, and she 
 at once gave up any friends who, by flight or otherwise, 
 became suspect ; there is, therefore, somewhat of the irony 
 of fate in her condemnation for heresy, in the Trials of 
 the Inquisition, held after her death. The unorthodoxy 
 of all her religious friends is brought up against her ; the 
 views held by her brother Ascanio, by the Cardinals Pole, 
 Morone, Bembo, Contarini, and other less exalted persons, 
 are used as evidence against her, until the mere fact of 
 " having visited the Marchesa di Pescara " is almost 
 enough to warrant a charge of heresy, so that even the 
 poor nuns of St. Catherine of Viterbo did not escape. Of 
 her true piety and deep religious feeling we have many 
 records in her letters, her sonnets, and perhaps, above all, 
 in a beautiful Latin prayer — a touching petition for peace 
 and happiness which is too characteristic to forget. 
 
 We now return to Naples, where Giulia Gonzaga was so 
 
 167 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 long the leading spirit of the religious movement, and was 
 well supported by other pious and devoted women. 
 Amongst these was Costanza d' Avalos, a cousin of Vittoria 
 Colonna, and wife of Alfonso Piccolimini, Duke of Amain 
 — spoken of as "a lady of great piety and a disciple of 
 Valdes at Naples." Her life had not been a happy one. 
 Her husband was a man wanting in firmness and strength 
 of character, who found himself unable to do justice to the 
 important position of Captain-General of Siena, and he 
 was dismissed in 1541. His career was now at an end, 
 and he spent his remaining years in stately exile, making 
 his home in the island of Nisida, near Naples. This was 
 the " Nesis " of Strabo, an ancient volcanic crater, and 
 Cicero gives us a touching account of the retirement in a 
 villa here of Brutus, after the assassination of Caesar,* and of 
 the parting of Brutus and Portia. Here Costanza dwelt 
 with her young children Inigo and Vittoria, and wrote 
 poetry, " rich in noble sentiments and in Christian piety " ; 
 while she was able to join the religious meetings of Giulia 
 Gonzaga in the city. After the example of her more 
 famous cousin, she spent her later years of widowhood in 
 the Convent of Santa Chiara at Naples, so rich in memories 
 of many noble families. 
 
 We have already made acquaintance with Giulia's 
 dearest friend, Isabella of Brisegna, the wife of Garzia 
 Manrique, the Spanish Governor of Piacenza, who was so 
 cruelly persecuted by her husband. Of Giulia's loving 
 care and provision for her and of her despairing flight we 
 shall hear later. Not only were the great ladies attacked 
 for their religious views, but there was no escape for even 
 the humblest friends of the Countess of Fondi. In the 
 
 * " Phil." x. 4. 
 168 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 Trial before the Inquisition at Rome of Lorenzo Tizzano, 
 who was for a time Cappellano pvocuratore of the Con- 
 vent of Santa Francesco, the habitual residence of Giulia, 
 we find him compelled to confess that a certain Lucrezia 
 Poggiola, a servant of the Signora, had " often and in 
 many places held converse with him on matters of religion, 
 showing her Lutheran views, and the same did Sister 
 Caterina of the said monastery, and other women. . . ." 
 From other sources we find suspected of heresy, Sister 
 Camilla Caracciolo, who was " compelled to formally 
 make abjuration, and suffer salutary penitence ; and also 
 Sister Isabella Loffreda, aged nineteen, accused of serious 
 heresy, against whom sentence was pronounced ... of 
 cruel torture . . . and other salutary penitence, and she 
 made full abjuration, at the little door of the Chancel of 
 the said Monastery. . . ." 
 
 Worthy of mention is the Countess Lucrezia Pico, 
 widow of Claudio Rangone, who, at Modena as early as 
 1537, was discovered to have in her possession " an 
 heretical book, without any name of author or publisher, 
 treating on the Christian faith." This was seized, and as 
 the lady had influential friends and could not be punished 
 openly, her enemies spread cruel and malignant reports 
 about her. 
 
 It was in the year 1542 that Fra Bernardino Ochino 
 and Peter Martyr took the despairing step of flight from 
 their native land and the scene of their labours, to the 
 dismay and grief of their followers. Ochino had been 
 preaching in Venice, where the Papal Nuncio had orders 
 to watch him closely ; but when his friend Giulio 
 Terenziano, a teacher of theology and a pupil of Vald6s, 
 was thrown into prison on account of his religious opinions, 
 the friar could no longer restrain himself. In a sermon 
 
 169 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 before the Senate and chief men of Venice he cried aloud 
 in anguish : " Oh, sirs, what remains for us to do ? To 
 what end do we waste and consume our lives ? If in thee, 
 O most noble City of Venice, Queen of the Adriatic— if 
 in thee, I say, those who announce to you the truth are 
 here imprisoned, shut up in houses of torture, loaded with 
 chains and fetters, what place then remains to us, what 
 other field is free for the truth ? Would to God we might 
 but preach the truth freely ! How many blind eyes would 
 be opened, and how many stumbling in the dark would be 
 illuminated !" 
 
 From that moment Ochino knew that a sword hung 
 over his head. He went to Verona, and there, as General 
 of his Order, he assembled all those whose office it was to 
 preach, and began a course of lectures on the Epistles of 
 St. Paul. But he was at once cited to Rome to give an 
 account of his doctrine. He knew too well what this 
 meant ; but he made an effort to obey, travelling via 
 Bologna, where he had a few words with the good 
 Cardinal Contarini on his deathbed, and then sadly passed 
 on to Florence. Here he met Peter Martyr, who strongly 
 advised flight as his only hope of safety, reminding him 
 of those words : " When they persecute you in one city, 
 flee to another." * With great anguish of soul, they both 
 resolved to leave Italy ; and, interesting as were the 
 friar's adventures, I can only briefly touch upon them. 
 He was well received at Ferrara by the Duchess Ren6e, 
 but was not safe there. She strongly advised him to 
 escape, and he travelled to Geneva — the refuge of the 
 persecuted — where he preached with great success, and 
 later visited England for a time. The day before he left 
 Florence, Ochino wrote a most pathetic letter to his great 
 * St. Matt. x. 23. 
 170 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 friend, Vittoria Colonna, which shows his character in its 
 weakness and its strength : 
 
 "AugUSi 22, 1542. 
 
 " Illustrious Lady, 
 
 " I am now in the outskirts of Florence, in no 
 small anxiety of mind. I have been cited to Rome, and, 
 against all persuasion, I set forth with the intention of 
 going there. But, hearing every day fresh accounts of 
 their mode of proceeding [the Inquisition], I have been 
 prevailed upon, by Peter Martyr and others, not to go, 
 lest I should be obliged either to deny Christ or be 
 crucified. The first I will not do ; for the last I am 
 willing, through the grace of Christ, but in His own good 
 time. To go willingly to die I have not courage ; God, 
 when He chooses, can find me wherever I am. . . . 
 Besides, what can I do in Italy ? Preach as a suspected 
 person, and preach Christ obscurely, under a mask ! . . . 
 For this and other reasons I am compelled to go away ; 
 for I see that they would examine me by torture, to make 
 me deny Christ, or else put me to death. If St. Paul were 
 in my place, I think he would act in the same way. . . . 
 
 " Your Ladyship knows what I am, and my doctrine 
 may be known from those who have heard me. ... It 
 would have been extremely grateful to me to have your 
 opinion and that of the Rev mo Monsignor Pole, or a letter 
 from you. . . . Pray to God for me ; I desire more than 
 ever to serve Him by the help of His grace. I salute you 
 all. ..." 
 
 But Vittoria Colonna and Cardinal Pole had no pity 
 for a ruined man, and, horrified by the scandal of Ochino's 
 flight, they only thought of saving themselves by hurrying 
 back into the fold of orthodoxy. The great lady, who had 
 
 171 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 looked upon the friar as a saint, wrote thus a little later 
 to Cardinal Cervini : " It grieves me to think that the 
 more he seeks to excuse, the more he accuses himself; 
 and when he thinks he is saving others from shipwreck, 
 he is only exposing them the more to the deluge, he being 
 out of the Ark which saves and secures."* The Pope was 
 furious, and many friends, who considered forsaking Rome 
 to be a mortal sin, mourned for Ochino as a fallen angel. 
 He himself was broken-hearted. At the age of fifty-five, 
 in failing health from his ascetic life and constant labours, 
 losing all that he loved and desired, exile was to him far 
 more bitter than death. 
 
 The loss of her trusted friends by death and exile was a 
 terrible blow to the Signora Giulia Gonzaga, but with 
 gallant courage she rose to the occasion. With unfailing 
 love and charity, she was ever ready to help the fugitives 
 for their faith, with her money and influence, and was 
 henceforth looked upon as the guiding spirit in this centre 
 of the Italian Reformation. 
 
 But another and a most welcome duty was to be laid 
 upon her, which would prevent her from entirely giving 
 up all worldly duties and greatness for many years to 
 come. This was nothing less than the guardianship of 
 her beloved nephew, Vespasiano Colonna. 
 
 As we have seen, on the marriage of his mother with 
 the Prince of Sulmona, the child was removed to the care 
 of his grandfather, the Abate Lodovico Gonzaga. This 
 was early in 1536, and no one rejoiced more than Madonna 
 Antonia del Balzo, the mother of Lodovico, then in her 
 ninety-fifth year. The coming of this precious child, the 
 last and most beloved of her numerous descendants, was 
 
 * December 4, 1542. From Santa Caterina, Viterbo (Postscript 
 of Vittoria's letter). 
 
 172 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 a final joy to this wonderful old lady, who retained all 
 her faculties and enjoyment of life to the last. She lived 
 two years afterwards, and passed away, full of years and 
 honours, in 1538. Her granddaughter Giulia, who re- 
 sembled her in so many ways, felt her loss very bitterly ; 
 one more link with the past was gone from her, who had 
 already known so many losses. 
 
 Madonna Antonia was laid to rest in the Church of 
 San Pietro, where her sepulchral inscription may still be 
 seen.* Two years later she was followed to the tomb by 
 her son Lodovico, on June 14, 1540. In his will the Abate 
 Lodovico Gonzaga left the guardianship of the young 
 Vespasiano to his daughter, Giulia Gonzaga Colonna, 
 as by her second marriage Isabella, Princess of Sulmona, 
 had lost all right to the care of him. But she was not a 
 woman to submit, without a bitter contest, to a decree 
 which would give the charge of her son to Giulia, her 
 rival. The long and irritating lawsuit between the two 
 ladies had ultimately been decided in favour of Giulia 
 Gonzaga, who was willing to make great concessions. 
 But the dispute had left ill-will behind, and Isabella now 
 made a furious fight for the guardianship of her son. 
 Pope Paul III. was appealed to by both sides, and he 
 wrote a diplomatic letter, saying how " greatly I desire 
 peace both for your own repose and for the good memory 
 of the boy's father, who deserved so well of His Holiness 
 Clement VII. and of the Sede Apostolica. " 
 
 The case was ultimately decided in the Court of Justice, 
 and the verdict of the magistrate was in favour of the 
 Countess of Fondi. This result was due in great measure 
 to the devoted influence and assistance of Don Ferrante 
 Gonzaga, who had secured the best legal pleading, placing 
 * See Appendix, note 10. 
 J 73 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 the claim of Giulia beyond all doubt. As for Isabella, 
 this was not her only lawsuit, for she appears to have 
 lived in a constant state of disquiet and litigation. As 
 early as June 28, 1533, a letter to the Duke of Ferrara 
 remarks : " Nothing else is talked of but the case of these 
 Lords Colonna of Rome against the Signora Isabella 
 Gonzaga. . . ." The Pope seems to have interfered, and 
 Signor Ascanio gave some security. But there was no 
 settled peace between the Princess of Sulmona and her 
 father's kinsmen ; for again, on March 7 of the year 1566, 
 we read in a letter from Rome : " Signora Isabella leaves 
 at once, with all her family, for Rome, where she comes 
 to plead against Signor Marcantonio Colonna concern- 
 ing certain castles which are in the Campagna of Rome, 
 and which have been for many years consigned to the 
 Papal Envoy ; for she has licence from the King, and a 
 promise from the Pope that she shall receive justice." 
 
 As for her husband's relations in Lombardy, Isabella 
 offended them so deeply by her ill-advised attempt to 
 assert her rights, almost immediately after Luigi Rodo- 
 monte's death, that they prayed her never to return. 
 
 It was with great delight and satisfaction that Signora 
 Giulia undertook the charge of her dearly^beloved nephew, 
 upon whom, having no children of her own, she bestowed 
 more than a mother's love. It was her hope and ambition 
 to bring him up with so noble a training and education as 
 to be worthy of his father and of the House of Gonzaga. 
 When the case had been decided in her favour, Giulia 
 lost no time in sending her Procurator, Messer Marcan- 
 tonio Magno, to the Court of the Emperor, to obtain for 
 Vespasiano the investiture of his States in Lombardy, 
 appointing as Surrogates Cardinal Ercole Gonzaga and 
 
 174 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 his brother, Don Ferrante Gonzaga, then Viceroy of 
 Sicily. This investitute was granted by Charles V., duly 
 signed and sealed on September 6, 1541, and the heir's 
 succession to all the dominions of his father Luigi and his 
 grandfather Lodovico was proclaimed. 
 
 175 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 1541 — Giulia Gonzaga at Naples, devotes herself to the education of 
 Vespasiano, her nephew and her ward — She is painted by Titian 
 — Giulia writes to Charles V. on behalf of Vespasiano — He is 
 appointed page to the Archduke Philip — Marriage schemes for 
 him — Giulia visits her home in Lombardy, 1546 — Her stay at 
 Gazzuolo ; many changes — Madonna Antonia, Lodovico Abate, 
 Cagnino, and other relations, are dead ; also her friend Isabella 
 d' Este — Letter from Vittoria Colonna ; her death, 1546 — An 
 attempt to establish the Inquisition at Naples is met with 
 insurrection of the people. 
 
 When, in the spring of 1541, Giulia Gonzaga Colonna 
 had obtained the assured possession of her nephew, she 
 left her rooms in the Convent of San Francesco, where 
 she had dwelt for nearly five years, ever since her coming 
 to Naples in the winter of 1535, and took up her abode 
 in a spacious palace of the Borgo delle Vergine, which 
 she had taken on her coming to Naples, and where she 
 kept up her establishment for the sake of her many friends 
 and her servants. She felt that in the freedom of her own 
 home she could devote herself with more enthusiasm to 
 the education of the young Vespasiano. At this time he 
 was a very handsome, clever boy, of splendid stature and 
 strength for his age ; he was not yet ten years old.'having 
 been born in December, 1531. He resembled his father 
 in many ways, especially in his taste for literature and 
 
 176 
 
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 GIULIA GONZAGA— Countess of Fondi. 
 
 Painter unknown. Hof Museum, Vienna. 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 languages. Thus we find Gondolfo Porrino writing this 
 eulogy of the boy : 
 
 " So che con voi non bisogna esser Iosco 
 Che secondo che qui gli avvisi e hanno 
 Siete buon Greco, buon Latino e Tosco." 
 
 He is also highly praised in the writings of Giammichele 
 Bruto, who says of the young prince that " he distin- 
 guished himself in poetry, oratory, philosophy, mathe- 
 matics, horsemanship, and the use of arms." Another 
 high testimony to the growing proficiency of the youth is 
 given by Bernardino Rota, who says : " He appears to me 
 at the present day a type of antique excellence, combining 
 military science with that of letters, so that we foresee he 
 will be no less brave and ardent a captain in war than 
 wise and gentle a prince in time of peace." Then Rota 
 continues : " We do not wonder that such fruit springs 
 from such a root, more especially brought up and 
 nourished under the care of Giulia Gonzaga, of whose 
 high praise I may not speak, but can only pass it by in 
 silence ; for if I were to say little, it would not do justice 
 to her merit, and if I were to say all that she deserves, it 
 is beyond my power, and I must leave it to more eloquent 
 pens than mine." 
 
 It was for the sake of her dearly-loved nephew that 
 Signora Giulia had left the peaceful seclusion of the 
 Convent, and returned to the brilliant world of art and 
 literature which welcomed her with enthusiasm. Once 
 more she held a stately Court, and in her Neapolitan 
 palace there gathered around her a company of poets, 
 artists, musicians, and philosophers, who revived the 
 golden days described in the " Cortegiano " by Castiglione 
 at the Court of Urbino, but with a large proportion of 
 religious thinkers. Amongst the members of this splendid 
 
 177 12 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 literary society, who all vied with each other in proclaim- 
 ing in verse or prose the honour and glory of their beautiful 
 hostess, were the most famous men of the day. Amongst 
 these I will only name Annibale Caro, a friend of Molza, 
 introduced by a madrigal ; Claudio Tolomei, who paid his 
 tribute in abstruse metaphysical verse ; the Platonist, 
 Dionigi Atanagi ; and II Tansillo, a devoted friend and 
 adherent of Giulia, who granted him the unique favour of 
 paying him a visit of a few days in his ancient city of 
 Nola. This he commemorated in a delightful sonnet. 
 Another friend who must not be omitted was Camillo 
 Capilupi, son of the famous Benedetto, and Podesta of 
 Viadana, Ambassador of Charles V., Governor of Monfer- 
 rato and Castellan of the Citadel of Casale. He, too, 
 was a poet as well as a diplomatist, and some lines of his 
 to Giulia are worthy of quotation. It was at this time 
 that Titian appears to have painted the portrait of the 
 Countess of Fondi. 
 
 There is a charming letter from Giulia to a very old 
 friend, Ippolito Capilupi, later Bishop of Fano, dated, 
 " Naples, April 25, 1542," in which she says : 
 
 " I received yours of the 10th, with the more pleasure 
 as I had been expecting and hoping for it; I tried to 
 believe that you loved and remembered me in silence, but 
 I was glad to receive a proof of it. . . . With regard to 
 my portrait, I do not know whether I ought to rejoice, 
 because if it is as beautiful as you say, it cannot be 
 natural ; for it seems as though M. Titiano had wished 
 to show the power of his talent in painting a lady 
 completely beautiful, and as I ought to be, not as I really 
 am. Yet I am pleased that the picture is in the hands of 
 Your Lordship, as I can easily suppose that by means 
 
 178 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 of the picture you remember the real person, and that in 
 future you will be more generous with your letters. In 
 the meantime I present and recommend myself to you 
 with all my soul, and pray God that all your desires may 
 be fulfilled." * 
 
 This picture had been painted by Titian and given as a 
 present to Ippolito Capilupi, when he was Legate at 
 Venice. In 1542 Giulia Gonzaga was but twenty-nine 
 years of age, although her romantic and eventful story 
 gives the impression of a long lifetime of adventure. 
 
 In this circle of interesting people, the youth Vespa- 
 siano was warmly welcomed and encouraged to take part 
 in their lively discussions and conversations, in which he 
 delighted them all with his precocious talent and intelli- 
 gence. But these peaceful years of happy study and 
 development passed away all too quickly, and the time 
 came when his aunt Giulia had to take him from the 
 care of his tutors and send him forth into the world. 
 
 There was only one career open to this young prince, 
 that of arms, and Giulia decided to send him if possible 
 to the Court of the Emperor, if she could obtain his first 
 introduction, for he was now thirteen years of age. For 
 this purpose she wrote the following letter, in which we 
 also see how carefully she watched over the interest of her 
 ward, Vespasiano : 
 
 " To the Emperor Charles V. 
 
 " Naples, 
 
 " November 5, 1544. t 
 
 " It is now some days since I sent Your Majesty the 
 account and decision of Don Lopes de Doria in the 
 
 * Arch. Capilupi de Mantova. The picture has completely dis- 
 appeared. 
 •f Race, " Marcobruno," p. 58. 
 
 179 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 matter of Casalmaggiore ; and concerning this, I most 
 humbly entreat that Your Majesty will deign to take 
 notice of the many wrongs which, on this account, Lodo- 
 vico Gonzaga, my father, has suffered, and which, in 
 consequence, Vespasiano Gonzaga, my ward and the heir 
 of my said father, has also endured . . . and I implore 
 Your Majesty that by reason of our services, and in 
 common justice, the said land should be given to my poor 
 ward, your slave and vassal. And not to weary Your 
 Majesty ... to whom I appeal, that with his usual 
 liberality he will take this poor boy into his favour, that 
 he may gladly and willingly spend his life in the service 
 of Your Majesty and the Prince, whom he will serve in 
 life and death, not less faithfully than Lodovico my 
 father, and Luigi my brother — grandfather and father to 
 the said Vespasiano — who will serve you for the sake of 
 their blessed memory ... as is the earnest hope of the 
 present writer. And thus I conclude, humbly kissing the 
 hands and feet of Your Majesty." 
 
 This letter was evidently graciously received, and 
 Vespasiano was offered the coveted position of page of 
 honour to the Prince Philip, son and heir of the Emperor. 
 Giulia has evidently once more sought the help of her 
 devoted friend and cousin, Don Ferrante Gonzaga, for a 
 few months later we find him writing to make arrange- 
 ments for the journey to Prince Doria, Captain-General 
 of the Imperial navy : 
 
 " Mantua, 
 
 "April, 2, 1545. 
 
 " The Signor Vespasiano Gonzaga, my .nephew, is 
 received into the service of the Prince by His Csesarean 
 Majesty, and, therefore, towards the end of next May we 
 
 180 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 desire to send him to Barcelona ; hoping that V. S. will 
 be able to provide one or two galleys, with which he may 
 cross over. 
 
 " If it is possible at this time, and you are able to grant 
 to the Signora Giulia Gonzaga, to Vespasiano, and to 
 myself, this favour, we shall remain always your most 
 obliged servants. . . . And with all reverence I kiss 
 your hands." 
 
 The Emperor had not lost sight of this young son of 
 his faithful Luigi, concerning whom glowing reports had 
 reached, through his Ambassador Capilupi, and this 
 appointment as page was looked upon as a high honour, 
 which was eagerly accepted by his aunt Giulia. She 
 made great preparation in order that he might be nobly 
 equipped in arms, horses, and a suitable wardrobe for his 
 new position. The youth was naturally all eagerness 
 and excitement at the prospect of thus taking his part in 
 real life, but we cannot wonder that Giulia, whose love 
 for him was that of a devoted mother, felt the parting 
 acutely. She gave him much good counsel, as is the way 
 of mothers, " bidding him faithfully serve his God and his 
 Prince, holding honour above all things. He must never 
 forget to be modest in speech and brave in action ; he 
 must be true and generous, avoiding alike flattery and 
 conceit, and showing knightly courtesy to all men."* 
 
 The gallant deeds of his father, Luigi Rodomonte, had 
 long been household words to Vespasiano, and he was 
 eager to show himself worthy of his name and race. 
 With these excellent intentions, he set forth on his 
 journey to the Court of Spain, and it is interesting to 
 find that in after years he looked back upon this period 
 
 * Amante, "Vita di Giulia Gonzaga." 
 181 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 as a splendid school of manners and discipline. He there 
 continued his studies in company with Prince Philip's 
 other pages, and distinguished himself in scholarship and 
 literature, while his great stature and wonderful strength 
 for his age gave him great advantages in the trials of 
 horsemanship and arms. The Emperor was a very strict 
 censor of conduct, and in no other Court of Europe would 
 the young Gonzaga have had such careful and exemplary 
 training, great attention being also paid to all religious 
 observances. 
 
 Meantime his friends at home had already begun to 
 consider the question of a suitable marriage for this young 
 prince, with his vast inheritance and still greater expecta- 
 tions. The first bride suggested appears to have been Ippo- 
 lita, the third daughter of Don Ferrante Gonzaga, born in 
 Palermo in the year 1535, brought to Naples as a baby, 
 and cared for with devoted affection by the Signora Giulia. 
 In a letter of April 4, 1537, we find her writing to Don 
 Ferrante : " I have greatly enjoyed seeing these last few 
 days the Princess and that delicious Nini (a little son 
 of Don Ferrante), and, above all, my darling Donna 
 Ippolita, whom I am never satisfied with seeing and 
 kissing." And a week later, Giulia writes in another 
 letter : " Kiss the Nini a thousand times for me, and ten 
 thousand times Donna Ippolita, my bellissima e sapori- 
 tissima," which is weakened by translation into "my 
 most beautiful and most delicious." 
 
 Incidentally, this love for children throws a charming 
 sidelight upon the character of Giulia. Her little favourite, 
 Ippolita, grew up to be a beautiful, charming, and highly- 
 cultured girl, receiving the most advanced education, both 
 at Mantua, under the care of her uncle, Cardinal Ercole 
 Gonzaga, and at Milan, to which city her father was 
 
 182 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 appointed Governor in 1546. A marriage with Vespasiano 
 would probably have been arranged, had it not been for 
 the match-making propensities of Charles V. When Don 
 Ferrante suggested, by his secretary Nuti to the 
 Emperor at Brussels, the name of Giulia's nephew as 
 a bridegroom for his daughter Ippolita, the Emperor 
 informed him that Fabrizio Colonna, Duke of Taglia- 
 cozza, had already proposed for the young lady's hand. 
 This marriage was, in fact, carried out in 1548, as we 
 shall hear later. 
 
 It was but of short duration, for at the ill-fated siege 
 of Parma, Fabrizio, who was fighting there in the company 
 of Don Ferrante, was seized with malignant fever, and 
 died on August 24, 1551, after barely three years of happy 
 married life. On the later sorrows of the fascinating 
 Ippolita we have no space to dwell at present ; but we 
 shall meet her again, for Giulia continued her devoted 
 friend until the end. Vespasiano would, indeed, have 
 been fortunate had he won her for his wife. 
 
 There was another lady suggested by his mother, 
 Isabella, who, although she had other children since her 
 marriage with the Prince of Sulmona, still took great 
 interest in her eldest son. She thought that a rich bride 
 would add much to the position of Vespasiano, and had 
 her eyes upon Vittoria Farnese, daughter of Pier Luigi 
 Farnese, and niece of Pope Paul III. Giulia does not 
 appear to have regarded this alliance with much favour ; 
 but, in any case, Vittoria herself, with her immense 
 dowry, had more ambitious views, and, after refusing 
 at least one other suitor, she ultimately married Guido- 
 baldo, Duke of Urbino, entering that city as a bride 
 in the early days of 1548, soon after her father had been 
 assassinated. And of her we read that " she had a long 
 
 183 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 and peaceful life." After this, the subject of the youth's 
 marriage remained in abeyance for a time, as he was still 
 so young that there was no immediate urgency. 
 
 Meantime, while Vespasiano was away at the Spanish 
 Court, in great favour with the Emperor and Prince 
 Philip, Giulia Gonzaga was persuaded to pay a visit 
 to Lombardy in 1546. One old chronicler remarks that 
 she wished to see her own people " before going down 
 to the tomb," but as the lady — born in 15 13 — was barely 
 thirty-three at this date, his melancholy forebodings seem 
 somewhat premature. Giulia travelled to Gazzuolo, which 
 her brother Luigi had generously left in possession of his 
 young cousin, Carlo Gonzaga, the son of Pirro, who 
 married Emilia Bentivoglio, the half-sister of Isabella 
 d' Este.* It must have been a sad visit in some respects, 
 for there had been so many changes since Giulia Gonzaga 
 had last seen the old Castello. Her dear grandmother, 
 Madonna Antonio del Balzo, had passed away, her brother 
 Cagnino had also died, and her father, the Abate Lodovico, 
 had soon followed him, all within three years. Giulia 
 was received with the greatest enthusiasm, and splendid 
 festivities were given in her honour. Carlo Gonzaga, 
 who, in person and valour, much resembled her brother 
 Luigi, had always been a great favourite of hers, as well 
 as his two charming sisters, Lucrezia and Isabella, made 
 famous by the praises of Matteo Bandello. During her 
 visit, a son was born to Carlo, and on the eighth day, at 
 the baptismal ceremony, the Countess of Fondi held the 
 infant at the font, and gave him the name of Annibale. 
 
 As we shall not have occasion to meet this infant again, 
 it may be interesting to observe that he took Orders, 
 * See Genealogy, Table II. 
 184 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 became the forty-ninth Bishop of Mantua, was called 
 " Venerabile," and was sent as Nuncio to France by Pope 
 Clement VIII., to arrange a peace between Henri IV. 
 and Philip II. of Spain. He finally entered the Order of 
 Minori Osservanti, received the name of Francesco, and 
 died in the odour of sanctity. 
 
 Since Giulia's last visit to Lombardy much had 
 happened, not only in her own family, but amongst her 
 other relations at Mantua. Federico, who had always 
 been a great friend of hers, and with whom she constantly 
 corresponded, had been promoted to the title of Duke 
 of Mantua by the Emperor, and had married a charming 
 young princess and great heiress, Margherita Paleologa, 
 of Monferrato. But there was one dear and familiar face 
 which Giulia sadly missed : her beloved lady, the Marchesa 
 of Mantua, to whose kindness she owed so much in those 
 far-off days at Rome, had passed away on February 13, 
 1539, full of years and honours, a most noble and accom- 
 plished patron of art, whose loss could never be replaced. 
 Giulia had never ceased to regard this noble lady with 
 special affection, as is proved in her letters, of which I 
 will give one as an example, written less than three years 
 before the death of Isabella d' Este : 
 
 " A lla Marchesa di Mantova. 
 
 " NAPOLI, DAL MONASTERO, 
 
 " 5 0//., I S3 6* 
 
 " I have so much faith in Your Excellence and in the 
 esteem and affection which you bear to me and mine, that 
 I turn to you without misgiving in any affair where your 
 kindness can help me . . . having complete trust in the 
 
 * Arch. St. Mantova. 
 185 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 gracious devotion which you have always shown to me. 
 In this certainty, I commend myself and my affairs as 
 much as possible to Your Excellence, in that which I 
 desire to obtain from the Signor, my father; and if, 
 as I have no doubt, you consider this just and honest, 
 I pray that Your Excellence will undertake this mission 
 . . . which my Messer Gondolfo (her secretary) will fully 
 explain to you. By this you will do me a singular favour. 
 And in this hope, I kiss the hands of Your Excellence, 
 to whom may our Lord God grant every desire." 
 
 When Giulia Gonzaga returned to Naples, she was 
 much distressed to hear of the ill-health of another dear 
 friend, Signora Vittoria Colonna, who had felt such deep 
 sympathy with the religious studies carried on under the 
 guidance of that holy man, Juan de Valdes, by the noble 
 ladies of Southern Italy. Vittoria has always had the 
 reputation of leading the Reformed movement, but in point 
 of fact she never committed herself to anything which 
 could be condemned as heresy, as we have seen in her 
 behaviour to Ochino after his flight, and did not, like 
 Giulia, pour out her wealth and devotion upon the many 
 members of their circle who had to flee to Germany 
 or Switzerland to escape the terrors of the Inquisition. 
 Amongst the Marchese de Pescara's letters, there is a very 
 charming one written to Giulia before the visit to Lom- 
 bardy,* and dated " Viterbo, December 8 " : 
 
 " Illustrissima Signora Mia, — V. S. (Vostra Sig- 
 noria) is always so good to me ; from the first time that I 
 visited you at Fondi, I have never met with such courtesy 
 
 * Archivio Vaticano. 
 1 86 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 as yours . . . and your kindness has been the greatest 
 consolation to me . . . receiving from you so much affec- 
 tion and charity. If I, Signora mia, who am so much 
 obliged to your most reverent Ladyship . . . could 
 possibly serve you, it would give me great joy. ... If 
 the Signora, being absent, can do so much with her 
 Christian courtesy, what would it be if by the grace of 
 God she could possibly be here ? That I might have the 
 great consolation of conversing with her . . . for Mon- 
 signor is greatly occupied, also M. Flaminio[; and if it 
 were not for Messer Luigi Priuli and the Signor Carne- 
 secchi, I should fare badly. And certainly it seems suit- 
 able that the Signora should revisit her own country of 
 Lombardy — she who is so well-informed concerning the 
 true and Heavenly Country . . . also that it may give 
 her pleasure and that passing by here she might stay for 
 a month or two . . . But this letter is already too long, 
 for the pleasure of writing to you has transported me too 
 much, and I kiss your hands. 
 
 " I hear that V. S. has sent me the ' Exposition con- 
 cerning St. Paul,'* which was desired so much, and most 
 of all by me, who have such great need of it ; for which I 
 thank you indeed, and still more when I shall see it, 
 please God." 
 
 We do not know if this last meeting so much longed 
 for ever took place. In 1546 Vittoria, feeling her end 
 approaching, moved from the Convent of the Benedictines, 
 St. Anna, to the house of her relation, Giulia Colonna, in 
 Rome, and she passed away at the end of February, 1547, 
 at the age of fifty-seven. Towards the last days of her 
 
 * Written by Juan Valdds. 
 
 l8 7 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 life she wrote these lines, which beautifully express her 
 faith and hope : 
 
 " Anima, il Signor viene ; omai disgombra 
 Le folte nebbie intorno del tuo core, 
 Accio che 1' ugge del terreno amore 
 All' alta luce non faccian ombra." * 
 
 Amongst the many letters of Giulia Gonzaga, there are 
 several written at this time to Don Ferrante Gonzaga — 
 who in 1546 had been appointed Governor of Milan by 
 the Emperor — showing her keen interest in the troubled 
 condition of Italy. She felt deep sympathy for Siena, 
 where the citizens were making desperate efforts to pre- 
 serve their liberty, and she was much disturbed about the 
 insurrection in Genoa. But the general unrest was soon 
 to touch her far more nearly — in Naples itself. 
 
 The death of Henry VIII. on January 28, 1547, and 
 that of Francois I. on March 31 of the same year, had 
 left England and France in weaker hands, and encouraged 
 both the Emperor and the Pope to more independent 
 assertion. The Inquisition had already been established 
 in Rome since 1542, and Paul III. thought that now 
 would be a good opportunity for extending its powers to 
 Naples. In May of this year (1547) he sent a Brief to 
 that city, " commanding that all cases of heresy be judged 
 by the tribunal of the Inquisition." The Viceroy, Don 
 Pedro de Toledo, knowing the temper of the people with 
 regard to the Inquisition, did not dare to publish the 
 Brief as usual, by sound of trumpet, but he had it quietly 
 put up on the door of the Archbishop's palace, and then 
 
 * " My soul, the Lord appears ; disperse 
 The clouds that gather round thy heart, 
 And clear thee from the mist of earthly love, 
 Lest it o'ershade thy heavenly light." 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 retreated to his castle at Pozzuoli, at the foot of the 
 Monte Nuovo,* to await the result. This was more 
 alarming than he had feared, for the Brief was at once 
 torn down by the people, who refused to give up the 
 ringleaders, and sent a deputation to the Viceroy, care- 
 fully chosen by the popular magistrates (the Eletti). 
 Antonio Grisone was the spokesman, and with great spirit 
 he pointed out how hateful the very name of the Inqui- 
 sition was to the people, and he implored the Viceroy 
 not to place upon them this intolerable oppression. Toledo 
 made a most courteous and diplomatic reply, assuring the 
 people that neither the Emperor nor the Pope would 
 oppose their wishes, and finally the deputation returned 
 joyfully to Naples. 
 
 But this security did not last long. Some months later 
 another edict, using much stronger language with regard 
 to the Inquisition, was found posted on the gates of the 
 Archbishop's palace. The whole city rose in tumult, and 
 with cries of " To arms ! to arms !" rushed to tear down 
 the Pope's Brief. The nobles joined with the multitude 
 in their hatred of the Inquisition, and urged that they 
 should all resist its setting-up to the death, at the same 
 time declaring their faithful allegiance to the Emperor. 
 The Viceroy was furious at this rebellion, and returned to 
 Naples determined to put it down with a strong hand. A 
 certain Tommaso Aniello.t a native of Sorrento, who had 
 
 * This Monte Nuovo, 440 feet high, had been thrown up after a 
 great volcanic eruption on Sunday, September 29, 1538. The 
 Viceroy had caused his castle to be built close by after this, in 
 order to encourage the terrified inhabitants to return to Pozzuoli and 
 rebuild their homes. 
 
 + A descendant of his, then called " Massaniello," took part in the 
 great tumult in Naples a hundred years later (1647). The family still 
 exists in Sorrento. 
 
 189 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 been foremost in tearing down the edict, was arrested, 
 but the people assumed so threatening an attitude that 
 the magistrates thought it prudent to release him. 
 
 Pedro de Toledo then sent secretly to Genoa for 
 Spanish troops to occupy the fortress of Castel Nuovo, 
 from whence they entered Naples, fired on the inhabitants, 
 and sacked the city, killing men, women, and children. 
 The Neapolitans rang the great bell of San Lorenzo as a 
 summons to arms, and all was tumult and confusion until 
 the night closed in. The magistrates decided to send an 
 embassy to appeal to the Emperor ; but meantime, during 
 the next fifteen days, deadly skirmishes continued between 
 the soldiers and the people, who, however, to show that 
 this was no mere seditious rising, hoisted a banner on 
 the belfry of San Lorenzo with the Emperor's arms, and 
 took the same watchword as their foes — " Spain and the 
 Emperor." It was an unspeakable relief when at last 
 the envoys returned from the Court at Madrid, and the 
 Viceroy was able to assure the excited people that " it 
 was not the intention of His Imperial Majesty to insist 
 on the establishment of the Inquisition, and that he 
 was willing to forget the past on account of their 
 loyalty." 
 
 It is interesting to find that Signora Giulia Gonzaga, 
 with many ladies amongst her friends and all her house- 
 hold, was persuaded by those who loved her to take refuge 
 in the island of Ischia during the disturbances in Naples. 
 She writes to Don Ferrante Gonzaga (Ischia, August 13, 
 1547), expressing her regret that the Signora Duchessa 
 had been ill, and hoping for her recovery : 
 
 "... I have been in Ischia for the last twenty days, 
 having been induced to come here by all those who love 
 
 190 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 me ; and, indeed, we were in a most perilous condition in 
 Naples ... in the convent where I was staying. I could 
 not remain in San Ermo, and the country round was very 
 unhealthy . . . and it was not safe on account of the 
 number of strangers who crowded there. The great 
 danger for the city was the sacking and pillage, but the 
 people behaved wonderfully. . . . Your Lordship may 
 think otherwise, but to me it seems that the rigour of 
 justice is not good at all times . . . and this time of 
 violence cannot last. I and many ladies are in the 
 Castello, and the rest of my people in another house on 
 the estate ; and the ' Signora Marquesa ' shows me the 
 greatest kindness, and does all that is possible for me. 
 I hope to leave as soon as the city has returned to its 
 obedience, as it has always offered to do on hearing the 
 command of His Majesty, thus having conceded much, 
 and I hope all will end well. . . . Having written to you 
 in the past, and perhaps having been too importunate 
 about the establishment of the Donna Ippolita, I will 
 only say that this young girl gives me supreme delight in 
 all things, and more so every day. If the matter is not 
 settled, may the Lord God order all for the best ! . . . I 
 have heard nothing certain yet.* I do not write to the 
 Duchess, as she has not yet replied to my last, and 
 I kiss your hands and hers, and all your sons and 
 daughters, whom may Our Lord satisfy according to your 
 desires.t 
 
 * Ippolita Gonzaga was married to Fabrizio Colonna the following 
 year. 
 
 t Modena Estense Archivio. Autograph letters written by Giulia 
 herself were hastily, impulsively scribbled. The secretary com- 
 plained that she did much of his work. 
 
 191 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 " P.S. — . . . Matters in Naples are more troubled than 
 ever, and I do not know what will happen. I hope to 
 return there in ten days." 
 
 [Autograph.] 
 
 As we already know, all ended well, and Charles V. 
 made no further attempt during his life to establish the 
 Inquisition in Naples. 
 
 192 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 Vespasiano Gonzaga Colonna in Spain, 1548 — He comes to Italy in 
 the train of the Archduke 1 Philip ; is present at the marriage of 
 Ippolita Gonzaga — He visits Mantua — Duchess Margherita 
 Paleologa, a friend of his aunt Giulia, is Regent of Mantua for 
 two of her sons, Francesco and Guglielmo — Vespasiano first 
 meets Donna Diana di Cardona— The Council of Trent (1549) 
 and the famous compromise, the " Interim " — Private marriage 
 of Vespasiano with Diana di Cardona — Death of Pope Paul III. 
 — War of Parma, in which Vespasiano takes part ; he is 
 wounded, and visits Giulia at Naples, 1553 — He fights in 
 Picardy — Giulia's letters to Diana di Cardona — Vespasiano 
 prisoner in Flanders. 
 
 During these years which had been so eventful for Giulia 
 Gonzaga in Naples, her nephew Vespasiano had remained 
 in Spain at the Emperor's Court. But towards the end 
 of the year 1548, Prince Philip had been summoned to 
 Italy by his father, and took young Colonna, who was 
 high in his favour, with him. After a prosperous voyage, 
 they landed at Genoa, and then proceeded to Milan, 
 where, by a curious coincidence, the heir of Spain had 
 promised to attend the wedding of the Lord Fabrizio 
 Colonna with the charming young girl, daughter of Don 
 Ferrante (who was made Governor of Milan in 1546), 
 Ippolita Gonzaga, whom we have already seen suggested 
 as a bride for Vespasiano. However, this marriage appears 
 to have been most satisfactory. Fabrizio was a gallant 
 
 i93 13 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 young prince, the nephew of Vittoria Colonna, and Duke 
 of Tagliacozzo, the most important town in a wild, 
 romantic district north of Rome, which is famous for the 
 fatal battle in which the young Prince Conradin was 
 taken prisoner and the flower of Ghibelin chivalry was 
 defeated by Charles I. of Anjou on August 28, 1268. 
 Dante thus alludes to the help given then by Alard, a 
 French soldier returning from the Holy Land : 
 
 " . . . E la da Tagliacozzo 
 Ove senz' arme vinse il vecchio Alardo." 
 
 Inf. xxviii. 17. 
 
 The young bride Ippolita wrote to her father, Don 
 Ferrante Gonzaga, a few days after the wedding : " The 
 obligation which I feel, in the first place towards the 
 Lord God, and then to your Excellence, is such that 
 human language cannot express it, for having given me 
 so handsome and good a husband." Poor Ippolita ! It 
 is sad to remember how very brief was her married happi- 
 ness. We are told that Girolamo Muzio Giustinopoli- 
 tano, who was present at the nuptial festivities, hastened 
 to entertain the young married couple with his treatise 
 concerning the institution, the utility, and the duties of 
 matrimony. Amongst the wedding guests present on this 
 occasion was Ippolita's brother Cesare, who later suc- 
 ceeded his father in the Duchy of Guastello, a small town 
 and estate on the banks of the Po, about nineteen miles 
 from Parma, where a bronze statue of Don Ferrante 
 Gonzaga may still be seen in the market-place. Cesare 
 married the sister of San Carlo Borromeo, Archbishop of 
 Milan ; he was a great friend of Giulia Gonzaga, who 
 wrote to him very frequently after his father's death in 
 1557. This was the dear little " Nino," to whom she used 
 to send " her love and a thousand kisses." Cesare was 
 
 194 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 also one of the chief characters in Torquato Tasso's well- 
 known Dialogue, " II Gonzaga o del piacere onesto," in 
 which he is spoken of with such high praise as a prince 
 of " great talent and mature judgment, of a profound 
 acquaintance with letters, a lover of learned men and 
 poets, whom he provided not only with a subject, but also 
 with the means to continue their writing and poetry." 
 
 To return to Vespasiano Colonna. After the wedding 
 festivities were over, he obtained permission from the 
 Archduke Philip to visit his dominions in Lombardy, and 
 set forth with the gentlemen of his suite to the old 
 Castello of Sabbioneta, which he had always looked upon 
 as the home of his family. It was dear to him from early 
 memories, and those happy days of his childhood spent 
 under the care of his grandfather, the Abate Lodovico. 
 Here he was received with all honour and respect by 
 Messer Pietro Antonio Masserotto, the agent and general 
 manager of all his property. The young lord was only 
 seventeen, but he had been so carefully trained for his 
 high position that he was able to go into all the details of 
 his large revenue, and take a complete survey of all his 
 palaces and estates. 
 
 The property had been admirably managed under the 
 constant, watchful superintendence of the Signora Giulia 
 Gonzaga Colonna, who had kept up a constant corre- 
 spondence with Masserotto as guardian to her nephew. 
 Between the years 1542 and 1552, twenty-five of her 
 letters to the agent have been preserved, in which it is 
 most interesting to notice her scrupulous demand for 
 accuracy in the accounts, and at the same time the liberal 
 and generous conduct which she required towards the 
 vassals and tenants. The replies which she receives 
 evidently keep her in touch with all that happens, not 
 
 i95 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 only in the dominion itself, but in all the neighbourhood ; 
 and her commands are given with so much kindness and 
 courtesy that we feel she is writing to a trusted friend. 
 
 During Vespasiano's seven years of absence from 
 Lombardy there had been so many changes, as various 
 kinsmen and friends had died, that we do not wonder 
 at his making only a brief stay at Sabbioneta, and gladly 
 accepting an invitation to Mantua from the young Duke 
 Francesco II., who had succeeded his father Federico 
 in 1540. In a letter of his grandmother, Isabella d'Este, 
 to the father of Francesco, dated 1538, we have an 
 interesting allusion to this prince of sixteen : 
 
 " I went yesterday to the Castello [of Mantua] and paid 
 a visit to the Illustrious Duchess [Margherita], your wife 
 . . . whom I found in excellent health. All that I beheld 
 was most pleasing to me. The Marchese [Francesco], 
 who is growing up in beauty like a flower, repeated to 
 me many lines of Virgil, in the presence of the Duchess, 
 his mother, with so much grace and distinctness that it 
 was wonderful. I also saw Signor Guglielmo [born 1538], 
 with his fat baby face, innocent and joyous, and both he 
 and his sweet sister, Donna Isabella [born 1537], are a 
 delightful picture. . . ."* 
 
 As for Duke Francesco II., in this very year of his 
 cousin Vespasiano's visit (1549), he married the Arch- 
 duchess Catherine of Austria, niece of Charles V., but 
 only survived a few months, having, unfortunately, met 
 with an accident, falling into the lake while he was 
 shooting wildfowl from a boat, and the chill brought on 
 a fever. He was succeeded in the Dukedom of Mantua 
 by his younger brother Guglielmo, who had a long and 
 * Luzio e Renier, "Giorn. Stor.," p. 36. 
 106 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 prosperous reign of forty years. His mother, the Duchess 
 Margherita Paleologa, was thus destined to be Regent 
 for two of her sons, who became Lords of Mantua in 
 succession at so early an age. She was a great friend 
 of Giulia Gonzaga, and carried on a correspondence with 
 her for many years. Giulia's father, the Abate Lodovico, 
 and her brother Cagnino had both been present at the 
 wedding of the Princess Margherita with Duke Federico 
 in September, 1531, of which we have a very full descrip- 
 tion. The bride wore a wedding dress of white satin 
 embroidered with silver, a high collar and sleeves sewn 
 with pearls, a jewelled girdle round her waist, and a white 
 satin cap studded with diamonds. We are assured by 
 one who knew her well that " she was beautiful, gracious, 
 kind, wise, and virtuous." This charming lady had not 
 a very happy married life (which only lasted till 1540), 
 as her young husband was for some years still under the 
 influence of his former mistress, Isabella Boschetti. Of 
 Margherita's later life we shall hear more from the letters 
 of Giulia. 
 
 It was during this visit of 1549 to Mantua, that the 
 youth Vespasiano made an acquaintance which was 
 destined to have a baneful influence upon his future life. 
 Don Ferrante Gonzaga, Governor of Milan, was then 
 staying in the lake-girdled city on the banks of the 
 Mincio ; he had brought his family with him, and in their 
 company a beautiful girl who was the destined bride of 
 his young son Cesare. Donna Diana di Cardona was 
 a native of Sicily, the daughter of Don Antonio di Cardona 
 and Signora Beatrice di Luna e Aragona. She appears 
 to have been greatly attracted by the handsome young 
 Colonna, so splendid in stature and bearing, the most 
 courtly and delightful of companions, and last, not least, 
 
 197 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 a wealthy prince, already lord of his dominions. Her 
 affections had certainly not been touched by the mere 
 boy, Cesare, to whom she was promised, and we may 
 readily believe that she was not slow to welcome the 
 admiration and attentions of Vespasiano Gonzaga. His 
 first love-affair appears to have made such progress that 
 it was with great regret that he tore himself away from the 
 fascinating Lady Diana, to obey the summons of the Arch- 
 duke Philip who was about to join the Emperor in Flanders. 
 In this year (1549) Charles V. had attained the very 
 height of his power and greatness, such as no Emperor 
 since Frederick II. had achieved, and looked upon himself 
 as Dictator of Germany. He had sent for his son Philip, 
 who was now twenty-two, in order that he might receive 
 the oath of allegiance from his future subjects, while the 
 private desire of Charles was to secure also his son's 
 succession to the Empire. Like his father Maximilian, 
 Charles was at heart a visionary, and his dream had long 
 been to assemble a General Council with powers to turn 
 the Lutherans back to the old Faith, and to reform the 
 Pope and the Church. Then he looked forward to the 
 day when united Christendom would march under his 
 banners against the Infidel, whom he would utterly conquer, 
 and would himself be crowned in Jerusalem. But, alas ! 
 for the dreamer. The glorious vision was never to be 
 realized; his apparent triumph was deceptive, and the 
 future would overwhelm him with a sea of troubles. 
 Many a time had he been warned already that he was 
 fighting against the tendencies of the age. In vain he 
 hoped for Protestant submission to the Council of Trent ; 
 the famous compromise, the "Interim," which he had 
 fondly hoped would reconcile Protestant and Pope, left 
 them both unsatisfied. True it conceded clerical marriage, 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 the use of the cup by the laity, and a modification of the 
 doctrine of "Justification by Faith"; but, on the other 
 hand, it retained all the seven Sacraments, the worship 
 of the Virgin and Saints, fasts, processions, and other 
 Catholic ceremonies, and reaffirmed the dogma of Tran- 
 substantiation. When after years of labour it was pro- 
 claimed as an Edict on May 15, 1548, we have a vivid 
 account of the result at Augsburg by an English Ambas- 
 sador at the Court of Charles V. The ministers of the 
 city refused to say Mass in their churches ; " they would 
 rather offend man than God, and were compelled to leave 
 the city, which remained disconsolate. In most of the 
 shops, people were seen in tears; a hundred women 
 besieged the Emperor's gates, howling and asking in 
 their outcries where they should christen their children 
 and where they should marry ? For the churches where 
 the Protestants did by thousands at once communicate 
 are locked up, and the people, being robbed of all their 
 godly exercises, sit weeping and wailing at home. . . ." 
 
 While the Emperor was thus losing his popularity in 
 Germany, his prestige abroad was departing. France and 
 England had made peace, and would next turn to war 
 upon him ; the naval warfare in the Mediterranean against 
 Dragut the Corsair was going against him, and it was but 
 small advantage that before his death in November, 1549, 
 Paul III. dissolved the rival Council at Bologna, and 
 recognized the " Interim." The Emperor returned to 
 Spain with his son Philip, a wiser and a sadder man, 
 while young Vespasiano was free to continue his love 
 affairs in Italy. 
 
 We have now reached a very mysterious part of our 
 story. We know not what had passed during the absence 
 of the young Gonzaga prince ; but when he returned from 
 
 199 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 Flanders, no difficulty appears to have been placed in the 
 way of his courting Donna Diana, and the next we learn 
 about the young people is that they eloped to Piacenza, 
 and were there secretly married. Had Don Ferrante 
 Gonzaga seen reason to change his mind about the young 
 lady, and did he no longer desire her as a bride for his 
 son Cesare ? We are left absolutely in the dark on this 
 interesting subject, and can only form our own conclusions 
 in the light of subsequent events, that Don Ferrante may 
 have had private reasons for his tacit acquiescence in this 
 change of bridegrooms. One thing, at least, is certain : 
 the parents of Signora Diana remained in ignorance of 
 the important event until many months afterwards, for a 
 a letter exists, dated March 20, 1550, in which the mother, 
 Donna Beatrice di Luna e Aragona, writes from Palermo 
 to her daughter " that she has heard of the marriage only 
 a few days before." 
 
 Why this strange secrecy ? And no one seems to be 
 surprised or to complain of it. On the contrary, there is 
 a most friendly letter preserved, the first, apparently, 
 which Giulia Gonzaga wrote to her new niece, about the 
 same time as that from Diana's mother : 
 
 "To Donna Diana Car dona Gonzaga. [Autograph.] 
 
 " MODENA, 
 
 " March 29, 1550. 
 
 " Ill ma S ra , my Dearest and Most Honoured 
 Daughter, — From your letter and from that which I have 
 received from the Captain Chiapino, I have taken great con- 
 solation in knowing that Your Highness is well and that you 
 are contented with your husband ; and know for certain that 
 one of the greatest desires which I have in this life is to 
 learn that you and Vespasiano love each other, and I shall 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 always be satisfied that all the affection which Vespasiano 
 owes, and desires to bear me, is added to that which he 
 should give you ; because, my dear daughter, in this con- 
 sists the true happiness of all things in this world, when 
 husband and wife love each other and are of one mind, 
 because with this all things will go well, and they will live 
 in peace and content. 
 
 " Concerning the Signora Donna Isabella [Brisegna, 
 wife of Garcia Manrique, Governor of Piacenza], I do not 
 know what to say, except that I believe you love her so 
 much that there is no need of my persuasion ; all the 
 same, you must know that she is my very soul, and that 
 what you do for her I will put down to my account. I 
 must also tell you that you should show great courtesy to 
 Messer Joanni Vincencio, who, besides being my most 
 trusted friend, is a person who knows, and is most worthy, 
 faithful, and devoted to you and Vespasiano. ... I have 
 written to Messer Jo. Vincencio, who will speak to you and 
 you can trust him, and also to S a Donna Isabella. ... I 
 can think of nothing else, but I pray you to tell me how 
 you are . . . and let me know . . . and I pray to God that 
 He will grant your heart's desire, and make and keep you 
 happy for many years with your husband." 
 
 The Donna Isabella referred to in this letter is Isabella 
 Brisegna, a lady living at Naples, who was Giulia Gonzaga's 
 dearest friend. She married Garcia Manrique, Governor of 
 Piacenza, brother of the Spanish Inquisitor-General, whose 
 views on the subject of the Reformers he shared. Isabella 
 had been an earnest and devoted pupil of Valdes, and she 
 incurred such cruel persecution, that she was compelled 
 later to take refuge at Ravenna, and from thence escaped 
 to Zurich and Chiavenna. Giulia always watched over her 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 from afar with the tenderest love, and provided her with a 
 settled income, as she did with so many other refugees for 
 their Faith. When Carnesecchi, in his Trial by the 
 Inquisition, was asked why he called Isabella la divina, 
 he replied, " that she was so beautiful and so gracious." 
 
 As for Vespasiano, he appears to have been quite un- 
 troubled by the idea of anything unusual about his secret 
 marriage, for he next suggests taking his wife to visit her 
 parents in Sicily. He wrote to ask permission of the 
 Emperor, who granted it in a letter from Brussels, dated 
 "April ii, MDL." But this journey was never accom- 
 plished, for the young lord was taken ill with a sudden attack 
 of intermittent fever, and was compelled to remain at Sab- 
 bioneta. When he recovered, he devoted himself once more 
 to his favourite studies, and, we may hope, also to the 
 entertainment of his wife, although the historians do not 
 mention this. We are not told whether he had any 
 sympathy with the Reformed views of his aunt Giulia, but 
 we may at least infer that her influence had given him a 
 broader tolerance than was usual in those days. For we 
 are interested to find that he received with favour an appli- 
 cation from the Jews, who were persecuted elsewhere, for 
 the privilege of establishing in Sabbioneta a printing-press 
 for the publication of Hebrew literature. In taking this 
 liberal and philosophical view, Vespasiano showed himself 
 much in advance of his age, and his generosity was 
 rewarded by the fact that it was always accounted an 
 honour to Sabbioneta to become thus a centre for the 
 diffusion of Oriental learning. 
 
 Meantime Pope Paul III. had been succeeded by the 
 Cardinal del Monte as Julius III. on February 7, 1550. 
 The English Cardinal, Reginald Pole, was so high in the 
 voting that at the second scrutiny he had twenty-six votes 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 (including his own) when only twenty-seven were required. 
 We are told that in the betting at the " Banker's shops " 
 he went up to eighty. But, in fact, his views on " Justifica- 
 tion " lost him the tiara. Julius loved ease and pleasure, 
 and expressed his views of life by writing over the palace 
 which he built : 
 
 " Let all honest men enjoy themselves decently, without scruple." 
 
 But this was no easy matter in those troublous days, and 
 he soon found himself involved in the famous war of 
 Parma. Duke Ottavio Farnese, feeling himself insecure 
 in his possessions, joined in alliance with the King of 
 France. Pope Julius could not permit this, and com- 
 manded him to yield Parma to the Papal troops, under pain 
 of excommunication. Ottavio naturally refused, and then 
 began that long and tedious war, in which Ferrante 
 Gonzaga took the lead on the side of the Emperor. Ves- 
 pasiano was • placed in command under him, and had the 
 misfortune to be wounded in an attack on the city with 
 Troito Rossi, by the gate of San Barnabo, when the 
 Cavaliere Goito, with ioo horsemen and as many arque- 
 busiers, opposed them. The wound did not seem very 
 serious at first, and when, soon after, Prince Philip was 
 returning from Flanders, nothing could prevent Vespasiano 
 from travelling to join the Archduke at Villafranco and 
 paying due homage to him. He was always a favourite 
 with the prince, who took him on to Mantua in his suite on 
 a brief visit to the Regent, Duchess Margherita. Young 
 Gonzaga continued in his lord's company as far as Genoa, 
 and from thence saw him set sail for Spain. Not until 
 then did Vespasiano trouble about his wound, which was 
 greatly inflamed, and at the urgent request of his aunt, he 
 journeyed by sea to Naples, where Madonna Giulia nursed 
 
 203 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 and tended him with devoted love. The previous year she 
 had decided to return to the peace and quiet of the con- 
 vent, and had obtained a Brief from Pope Julius III., 
 signed March 28, 1550, giving her permission " to dwell as 
 a secular person with the nuns of S. Francesco delle 
 Monache." But, as we have seen, she always kept her 
 palace in the Borgo delle Vergine, for the sake of her 
 many visitors and her servants, so she could readily return 
 there to take charge of her nephew. 
 
 He made a slow recovery, and seems to have remained at 
 Naples for some time ; but he was at home in Sabbioneta 
 before the winter, as we have an autograph letter written 
 by Giulia Gonzaga to Donna Diana on December 20 : 
 
 " Most Illustrious Lady, my Dearest and Most 
 Honoured Daughter, — However much I may say or 
 write, I cannot express sufficiently the love which I bear to 
 you, and, in consequence, the satisfaction which I have in 
 knowing that you are well. If it should please God to 
 make you know some day how much I love and desire to 
 serve you, and how by the first bond of friendship and 
 then by the closer link of kindred, we are knit together. 
 . . . When a letter of yours is late in coming, I say 
 that the Sabbath delays. ... I will add no more than 
 to say how glad I am that Vespasiano is better, and may 
 God grant that he will recover complete health, and be 
 permitted to live happily for many years, and suffer me 
 to see your mutual content. And with all my heart I 
 recommend myself to you, and pray you to remind 
 Vespasiano that he must be careful of himself." 
 
 In April, 1552, the war of Parma came to an end, after a 
 truce between the Emperor and France, by which Ottavio 
 Farnese was to hold the city unmolested for two years. 
 
 204 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 It was in July of this same year that Ferrante Gonzaga 
 was removed from the government of Milan, which he had 
 ruled since 1546, but without much success, for the city 
 had been a centre of disaffection. This was a great blow 
 to his relations, Giulia and Vespasiano, who were his 
 devoted friends. 
 
 Early in the year 1553 Vespasiano went to Innsbruck, 
 and offered his services to the Emperor in the war against 
 France on the frontier of Picardy. He was graciously 
 received, and obtained the command of 400 horsemen 
 under the banner of the Prince of Sulmona, his stepfather, 
 who had been appointed Captain-General of the expedi- 
 tion. The cavalry was commanded by Emmanuel Phili- 
 bert, who had just succeeded his father as Duke of Savoy, 
 the infantry being under the orders of Don Francesco 
 d' Este of Ferrara. They did not meet with much suc- 
 cess at first ; but Terouanne, which they had besieged in 
 April, was compelled to capitulate at the end of two 
 months, with its garrison of 3,000 men and the eldest son 
 of the Constable de Montmorency. Cambray was attacked 
 by the French King, Henri II., but it was gallantly 
 defended and the besiegers driven off. Amongst other 
 successes, Robert de la Marck was taken prisoner, while 
 Hesdin was taken and destroyed by the companies under 
 the command of Emmanuel Philibert. In this campaign 
 we are told that Vespasiano greatly distinguished himself 
 and won much honour. 
 
 At length he returned home to Sabbioneta and to his 
 wife Diana, who, with her pleasure-loving Southern 
 nature must have felt very lonely and deserted in that 
 quiet country place during the long and frequent absence 
 of her warrior- husband. We know so little about her life 
 at this time that we cannot omit anything connected with 
 
 205 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 her ; thus it is important to quote one more letter from 
 Giulia Gonzaga. 
 
 " To Donna Diana Cardona Gonzaga. 
 
 " Naples, 
 
 "August 6, 1552.* 
 
 " Illustrious Lady, my honoured Niece and 
 Daughter, — I was extremely pleased to receive your letter 
 of last month and to hear that you are well. I thank you for 
 your promise to forward those letters which I wrote before 
 to the Signora Isabella at Piacenza, for which I am very 
 grateful . . . and I pray you to remember to send them 
 by a faithful messenger and to take great care that they 
 are not opened. I am sorry to hear that there have been 
 certain disputes between private individuals of Mantua 
 and the Commune of Rodigo ; and if I knew all the 
 particulars and what had happened, I should be happy 
 to do anything to make peace between them. ... I 
 implore you to behave in this matter with your usual 
 prudence, and to seek in any way to smooth down the 
 matter and calm the minds of the disputants while the 
 controversy is fresh. I am writing also on the subject to 
 Madama di Mantua and to the Reverend Cardinal [who 
 were both Regents of Mantua], but as you have more 
 information and know better what to say, I am sure you 
 will gladly help. In the meantime, may God keep you in 
 health and grant all your desires." 
 
 This letter shows Giulia in the character of a wise ruler 
 who will take any trouble to maintain peace. We also 
 see in her anxiety about sending the letters to Isabella 
 Brisegna how very careful she is to avoid danger to the 
 
 * Written by the secretary ; not " autograph," like the two former 
 letters. 
 
 206 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 poor lady by having the loving words of religious hope 
 and comfort betrayed to her enemies. It was not long 
 after this that the persecution of Isabella by her Spanish 
 husband, Garcia Manrique, became more than she could 
 endure, and she was driven to flight. 
 
 His young wife was not destined to have Vespasiano 
 
 long at home with her, for in January, 1554, he was again 
 
 summoned by the Emperor to join his army in the war 
 
 of Flanders. Here he fought bravely, as usual, but was 
 
 unfortunate in an engagement, where he rode on in front 
 
 to lead his men, was surrounded by the enemy, and in the 
 
 melee his sword fell to the ground, and he was taken 
 
 prisoner. He was confined in the Castle of Namur, and 
 
 we have a letter of his, written on February 12, to request 
 
 that arrangements may be made to obtain his release. 
 
 He was soon set free, and, after his return home, received 
 
 a letter from his mother, Isabella Princess of Sulmona, 
 
 pressing him to pay her a visit at Fondi. This shows 
 
 that, notwithstanding his devotion to his aunt Giulia, he 
 
 kept on most friendly terms with his mother and stepfather. 
 
 Various letters from Giulia to her nephew of this 
 
 period are preserved, in which she expresses her great 
 
 affection for him, and sends kind messages to his wife. 
 
 Some are evidently written from the convent, as she 
 
 speaks of " having his two rooms prepared for him in the 
 
 palace, which she keeps in her possession." She always 
 
 addresses him as " Illustrissimo nepote et figlio carissimo." 
 
 207 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 The life and death of Ippolita Gonzaga ; Giulia's devotion to her— 
 Marriage of a daughter of Isabella Colonna — Story of Count 
 Galeazzo Caraccioli — Other friends of Giulia : Onerata Tancredi, 
 Cardinal Seripando, Pietro Carnesecchi, Margherita Paleologa, 
 etc. — Warlike adventures of her nephew Vespasiano ; he is 
 wounded at Ostia — Tragic death of his wife, Donna Diana di 
 Cardona, after his return to Sabbioneta. 
 
 Giulia Gonzaga, to whom had been denied the joy of 
 home life and the happiness of seeing her children grow 
 up around her, had a true genius for friendship; those 
 who were in trouble ever turned to her for help and 
 sympathy, as a flower unconsciously turns towards the 
 sun. Never was the proverb " A friend is born for 
 adversity " more justified than in her case. For instance, 
 in the universal outcry which followed upon the flight of 
 Fra Bernardino Ochino from persecution and death, when 
 his warmest supporters forsook him, she almost alone 
 found charitable excuses, and spoke warmly in his praise. 
 We see this in her letter to Don Ferrante Gonzaga, who 
 had reason to feel so deeply grateful to her for the loving 
 devotion with which she watched over his daughter 
 Ippolita. 
 
 Her wedding with Fabrizio Colonna, at which Vespasiano 
 was present, has already been mentioned, but her happy 
 married life came to an end all too soon. Fabrizio took 
 part under Don Ferrante in that ill-fated war of Parma, 
 
 208 
 
Sebastiano del Piombo. 
 
 GIULIA GONZAGA (reputed). 
 
 With Attributes of St. Catherine. 
 
 Formerly in the Bandini Palace, Rome. 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 where he fell ill of fever, was moved to Viadana, and there 
 all the tender care of his young wife could not save him 
 from death. Prostrated by the sudden blow, poor Ippolita 
 gave herself up to despair, and only the wise devotion of 
 Madonna Giulia saved her life and reason. Amongst the 
 letters of consolation which she received was one from 
 her cousin Lucrezia Gonzaga, which is worthy of quotation : 
 
 " Truly he was in the right who declared that all things 
 are good which are according to nature, and what is there 
 more natural to all men than death ? . . . This world, 
 Signora, is a very deep and dark vale of tears, full of 
 troubles, and it is a fortunate adventure to leave it happily, 
 as he has done. Ah, how many times have I smiled at 
 those who do not know that to lament for the irreparable 
 is rather a sign of folly than of true grief, and that death 
 is not death, but rather the beginning of life ! I conclude, 
 therefore, that he alone acts wisely who, being mortal, 
 expects nothing from this life of ours but mortal things." 
 
 We may wonder how much comfort poor Ippolita found 
 in this philosophical advice, or in the wonderful medal 
 engraved in her honour, wherein she is represented as 
 Diana escaping from Avernus towards the moon and stars ; 
 but as time passed on, she apparently recovered her peace 
 of mind, and another marriage was arranged for her. 
 This was the usual fate of a young and beautiful widow 
 who had no vocation for the convent. The chosen husband 
 was Antonio Caraffa, Duke of Mondragone, son of the 
 Prince of Stigliano, and for a time all went well. Ippolita 
 was able to carry out her passion for beauty and the fine 
 arts, in the decoration of a splendid new palace at Naples, 
 where the painter Bernardino Campi filled a great 
 gallery with beautiful copies of famous pictures, spoken of 
 
 209 14 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 with admiration by all her contemporaries. This palace 
 was near the Church of St. Ursula, on the way to Chiaja, 
 surrounded by a wonderful garden, described by Torquato 
 Tasso in his Dialogue, " II Gonzaga o del piacere onesto." 
 But once more trouble was in store for Ippolita, as 
 serious domestic dissensions arose. Her father-in-law had 
 married again, and his second wife, Lucrezia del Tufo, 
 refused to allow the young couple to remain with them, 
 and they were apparently turned out of the beautiful 
 palace with an insufficient income. Ippolita's husband 
 departed from Naples in disgust, leaving her behind, to 
 the great distress of her father, Don Ferrante, who was 
 already troubled at having lost the Emperor's favour, and 
 who died the same year (1557). 
 
 The whole story of Ippolita's troubles is too long to 
 tell ; but we learn from Giulia Gonzaga's many letters to 
 Don Ferrante how earnestly she laboured on behalf of her 
 dear Ippolita ; how, with infinite tact and patience, she 
 interviewed ihis unpleasant Princess of Stigliano and 
 tried to make peace. When at last the young wife would 
 have been turned adrift, she found a gallant champion 
 of her good name in the great Countess of Fondi, who 
 insisted upon proper precautions and a suitable chaperone, 
 etc., being provided, to silence any possible gossip. After 
 the death of her father and mother, Ippolita and her little 
 girl * found a peaceful home with Giulia until, a few years 
 later, we learn from a touching and remorseful letter of 
 the Duke of Mondragone, the story of Ippolita's death, at 
 the age of twenty-eight, "watched over and cared for 
 with all motherly affection by the devoted and sorrowing 
 Giulia." 
 
 It is interesting to find her playing a mother's part in 
 * Who married Caraffa, Duke of Nocera. 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 arranging the marriage of a daughter of her sister-in-law, 
 Isabella Colonna, now Princess of Sulmona. We have 
 the whole account in a letter of June 28, 1553, to Don 
 Ferrante Gonzaga, and it is curious to be thus behind the 
 scenes in the arrangement of a great marriage in the later 
 Renaissance. A son of the Prince of Stigliano is the 
 proposed bridegroom, and the father is very sharp in his 
 bargaining about the dowry required. The bride is to 
 have 43,000 ducats, and of this 3,000 are to be in jewellery 
 and " movable goods," the rest to be paid all at once, or 
 at least 30,000 ducats of it. Giulia speaks of the young 
 lady as " rather beautiful than otherwise," which is not 
 very enthusiastic praise. "It is unfortunate that Italy is 
 so poor in suitable matches, for the Prince only intends 
 to give his son 12,000 scudi a year, and the lady will not 
 hear of leaving her country." However, at last all is 
 settled, and in October of the same year Giulia writes to 
 the Ducal Secretary : " Praised be God that we have at 
 last seen the end of this marriage !" She hopes that now 
 Donna Isabella will be satisfied. 
 
 On another quite different occasion Giulia Gonzaga gave 
 her kindest help and sympathy. Amongst the disciples 
 of Valdes there was a young noble who was attracted to 
 the Reformed doctrine through the teaching of Pietro 
 Martire Vermigli. He was the son and heir of Colantonio 
 Caraccioli, the Marchese di Vico,* and nephew of Cardinal 
 Caraffa. This young Count Galeazzo Caraccioli was born 
 in Naples in 1517, and was a scholar of great promise and 
 high character, the pride of his father's heart. It was 
 a kinsman of his, Gian Francesco di Caserta, who first led 
 him to attend the discourses of Vermigli, and one day he 
 
 * This is a city four miles from Castellamare, built on ruins of an 
 ancient Gothic settlement. 
 
 211 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 was much struck by a quaint simile of the preacher : *' As 
 a traveller may see in the distance a dance taking place, 
 when he is too far to hear the sound of the music, he 
 must think the dancers are out of their mind ; but as he 
 draws nearer, and hears the harmony and spirit of the 
 tune, he takes great joy therein, and soon joins in the 
 dance himself. So is it when you observe the change in 
 life and manners of Christians : you think at first that 
 they have lost their reason ; but as you gradually learn 
 their thoughts and the power of God's Word, you too 
 will be drawn into the circle and join them." But 
 Galeazzo went even farther than his teachers ; for when 
 he had occasion to travel into Germany in the service 
 of the Emperor, he learned from Luther and Calvin that 
 it was not enough for him to accept " Justification by 
 Faith," but that he must also forsake " idolatry," and 
 therefore cast off all allegiance to the Papacy — all out- 
 ward conformance in superstitious customs. 
 
 This was a stern doctrine ; for, like the rich young man 
 in the Gospel, Galeazzo had " great possessions." He was 
 idolized by his father and mother ; he had married very 
 young, and was devoted to his charming wife Vittoria 
 and his small children ; while a peaceful life of culture 
 and happiness, with many congenial friends, seemed 
 temptingly outspread before him. Of all his family, he 
 was the only one disturbed by religious doubts or eager 
 in the search of truth, and every art of persuasion and 
 temptation was used to win him back. In Giulia Gonzaga 
 alone he found encouragement and sympathy, and as time 
 passed on and he found his life intolerable, at variance 
 with those he loved in a matter which to him was one of 
 life or death, it was from her support that he gathered 
 courage to make the final sacrifice and give up all for his 
 
 212 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 Faith. On March 26, 1551, he took an affectionate leave 
 of his family — for he could not even persuade his wife to 
 join him — and set forth on his lonely pilgrimage to a land 
 of freedom, where he could openly profess his Reformed 
 religion. He first went to Augsburg, where the Emperor 
 Charles V. was at that time, and then on to Geneva, 
 where he was well received by Calvin. He had left all 
 his wealth behind him, except 2,000 ducats which he 
 happened to have with him at the time, and he set to 
 work to earn his own living. 
 
 It was in vain that his despairing friends and family 
 implored him to return. He did, indeed, yield once to 
 the entreaty of his father to meet him at Verona, with a 
 safe-conduct from the Pope, and listen to his arguments ; 
 and many efforts were made to recall him, especially when 
 his uncle became Pope (Paul IV.), but they failed to dis- 
 turb the constancy of Galeazzo. In later years, when his 
 son Carlo had become a dignitary in the Roman Church, 
 a strong plea was made to him not to interfere, by his 
 heresy, with his son's promotion ; but nothing changed 
 Galeazzo 's purpose. He remained at Geneva, where he 
 became an earnest preacher, and the leader and pastor of 
 the Italian Reformed Church there, and died in 1586, 
 after half a lifetime of voluntary exile for his Faith. His 
 friend Caserta had many years before sealed his constancy 
 by his death, being beheaded and burned in the market- 
 place in 1564. 
 
 Amongst other friends of Giulia, of whom we shall hear 
 more in later years, for they remained devoted to her 
 until the end, was Onorata Tancredi, a Sienese lady of 
 great talent and high character, who had been chosen as 
 companion to Ippolita Gonzaga, and whose letters to 
 many noted people of the day are preserved. Cardinal 
 
 213 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 Seripando and Pietro Carnesecchi were fellow-disciples 
 of Valdds, and their friendship was also a source of great 
 comfort to her. 
 
 Amongst her constant correspondents were Don Ferrante 
 Gonzaga, whose death in 1557 was a great loss to her ; 
 and the Duchess of Mantua, Margherita Paleologa, to 
 whom she writes frequent and most affectionate letters, 
 taking a warm interest in all that happens at Mantua. 
 When Guglielmo, the young Duke of Mantua, marries 
 the Princess Eleonora of Austria, Giulia at once adopts 
 her as a new friend by inheritance. 
 
 Of her affection for Isabella di Brisegna we have already 
 spoken. But her nephew Vespasiano, her " more than 
 son," ever remained her dearest and best-beloved. We 
 see from her many letters the deep interest which she 
 takes in his career, and her delight when, between a battle 
 and a siege, he finds time to pay her a visit at Naples, in 
 the palace where "his two rooms are always ready for 
 him." Giulia also takes a most friendly interest in his 
 wife Diana, is always glad to have news of her, and sends 
 kind inquiries and messages ; but we cannot help coming 
 to the conclusion that there is not much sympathy, nor 
 are there many interests in common, between them. We 
 hear of the death of Diana di Cardona's mother, Donna 
 Beatrice, in 1553, and there seem to have been difficulties 
 about her will. But, from all we can gather, Vespasiano 
 left his wife to endure a very lonely time at Sabbioneta 
 during his absence fighting in the service of the Emperor. 
 
 After the unfortunate incident of his imprisonment in 
 the Castle of Namur, in 1554, we find him engaged the 
 next summer^n Piacenza, where, under the leadership of 
 the Duke of Alva, he has the title of Captain-General of 
 the Italian Infantry, he besieges Voliano, and is then sent 
 
 214 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 against Turin in order to draw the French away from the 
 siege of Parma. In 1556 he pays a brief visit to his home 
 at Sabbioneta, to look after his estates, and then goes to 
 the camp of the Duke of Alva, General of Philip II. of 
 Spain (his father, Charles V. having resigned the throne). 
 Here with a company of 8,000 infantry, he is sent to fight 
 against Colonna in the service of Pope Paul IV., who had 
 combined with France against Spain. Vespasiano gains 
 a victory and enters Agnani in triumph ; then con- 
 tinuing this war in the Campagna, he is sent to Vicovaro, 
 that castle of unfortunate memory, where his father, Luigi 
 Rodomonte Gonzaga, met with his death. The place was 
 guarded by Francesco Orsini, but Vespasiano was 
 successful in taking it, and thus avenging his father's 
 death. 
 
 He remains faithful to the service of Philip II., and we 
 next hear of him encamped at Monticelli, not very far 
 distant from Tivoli, and from thence is ordered to subdue 
 Palombara, about twenty miles from Rome, at the foot of 
 Mount Gennaro. It is interesting to learn that this young 
 Gonzaga captain, even while under the orders of the stern 
 Alva, showed mercy to the inhabitants, for " he had pity 
 on the women and children, and the old people." 
 
 The next expedition was a more important one — the siege 
 of Ostia, the ancient port of Rome, and here there was a 
 more determined resistance, for the siege lasted seven 
 days, and at length, as the besiegers came short of ammu- 
 nition, it was determined to take the Rocca by assault. 
 Vespasiano encouraged his soldiers to scale the walls, but 
 they were driven back with so much energy that the young 
 leader " found himself pbliged," as Faroldi says, " to 
 encourage his men by going at their head with sword and 
 shield, and being the first to leap the moat. He was on the 
 
 215 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 brink of this, when there came a shot from an arquebuse 
 which struck him on the upper lip above the mouth and 
 drove the flesh into the nostrils, which brought on such a 
 flow of blood that he was forced to retire." He soon 
 recovered and the wound healed up; indeed, one of his 
 admirers wrote that, " thanks to the admirable skill of the 
 surgeons, his features were not deformed, and this noble 
 cicatrice even increased the dignity of his countenance." 
 
 Torquato Tasso was one of those who joined in the 
 chorus of praise of the Gonzaga warrior, and in his dedica- 
 tion to the Dialogo " II Minturno" he writes : " Vespasiano 
 Gonzaga, after the end of the war between Pope Paul IV. 
 and King Philip II., left for awhile the military career in 
 which he had so highly distinguished himself . . . and 
 returned to Naples, in October of the year 1557, where he 
 stayed with his mother, the most Illustrious Signora 
 Isabella Colonna, Princess of Sulmona. Here he found 
 suitable recreation after the long anxiety of his military 
 labours, in this delightful city with its beautiful gardens 
 and palaces. . . ." In the previous May he had already 
 paid a visit to his home at Sabbioneta, where a medal was 
 struck to commemorate his warlike deeds, in which he was 
 thus addressed : " You alone remained as an example of 
 antique valour and spirit, and are held in immortal and 
 illustrious fame." We hear much of the splendid literary 
 society which gathered round the young prince at Naples, 
 and amongst others who gave brightness to his Court were 
 II Minturno, Bernardino Rota, Angelo di Costanza, and the 
 Bishop of Sessa, Galeazzo Florimonte. But we have no 
 allusion to his wife, and are left to wonder whether Diana 
 was still left in her lonely castle at Sabbioneta. 
 
 We are now drawing near to a terrible and mysterious 
 event relating to this lady — a most striking, and indeed 
 
 216 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 astounding incident in the life of so cultured and admirably 
 trained a personage as Vespasiano Gonzaga. There is a 
 curious note of warning from his aunt Giulia, in a letter 
 written at Naples on January 30, 1559 : 
 
 " Most Illustrious Nephew and my Dearest Son, 
 — I have received your last letter of December, and as it 
 was only to send me good wishes for the festival, I will 
 not write much on this occasion. I will only say that the 
 affection with which you have shown me this attention, 
 was very dear to me ; and I pray Our Lord . . . that He 
 may grant you all your desires. I also rejoice in the news 
 you give me of your well-being, and by the grace of God I 
 also am well. And no more but to pray for your happiness 
 and long life." [So far was written by the secretary, but 
 a postscript is added in Giulia's own hasty, nervous 
 characters] (Autograph) : 
 
 " I wish well to the Signora Donna Diana, and therefore 
 I pray you to take care that she controls herself . . . and 
 this will be for your credit as well as mine. The Signora 
 Donna Ippolita is with me now . . . and I pray you to give 
 me news of yourself soon. May God grant you many years 
 of happiness." 
 
 Evidently some cloud hangs over Donna Diana, and she 
 is the cause of anxiety ; but all that happened later was so 
 carefully hushed up at the time, that I can only give the 
 story in the words of the latest historian of Sabbioneta : * 
 
 " When Vespasiano returned home from a long expedition 
 late in the year 1559, he had already been warned that his 
 wife had broken faith with him and that her lover was his 
 secretary, Annibale Raineri. The unfortunate girl may be 
 
 * Chevalier G. B. Intra, " Monografia sopra Sabbioneta." 
 217 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 said to have been married only in name, for the prince, her 
 husband, was always away at the wars. Furious at this 
 infidelity which wounded him in his tenderest point, his 
 honour and glory, Vespasiano's only desire was absolute 
 secrecy. After having long thought as to how he could 
 avenge himself without making his dishonour public, he 
 confided in his faithful companion in arms, Pier Antonio 
 Messirotto, and promised to follow his advice in every way. 
 This friend understood what his lord desired, and one 
 evening, in a chamber on the ground floor of the ducal 
 palace, he fought with Annibale Raineri and killed him. 
 
 " Then Vespasiano took his wife, led her to the chamber 
 where Annibale was lying dead, and pointing to the body, 
 he gave her a phial containing a deadly poison. ' Drink,' 
 said the cruel husband ; ' I spare you a public and infamous 
 death, only for the honour of my family.' Then shutting 
 her up in the chamber, he departed. 
 
 " The wretched woman hesitated to swallow the 
 poisoned draught; for two days she remained in mortal 
 anguish, while from time to time, through the keyhole, she 
 heard a well-known voice which called upon her to 
 ' Drink ! drink !' On the third day, utterly worn out and 
 exhausted, she raised to her lips the fearful cup and 
 drank. 
 
 " Then the door was suddenly opened, and the Princess, 
 in the agony of death, was carried to her bed in the ducal 
 chamber, and the news was at once spread that she had 
 been suddenly seized by a fit of apoplexy, from which she 
 had not recovered. A solemn funeral was prepared, all the 
 Court was put in mourning, and Vespasiano himself 
 appeared in public, overcome with grief. 
 
 " But neither the pompous funeral ceremonies of the Prin- 
 cess nor the ostentatious mourning of the Prince deceived 
 
 218 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 the citizens ; they were silent from respect, from prudence, 
 from fear ; but the horrible tragedy was known by all, and 
 the tradition was handed down from father to son until 
 our days." 
 
 Vespasiano wrote to his aunt Giulia Gonzaga : 
 
 " Sabbioneta, 
 
 " November 9, 1559. 
 " It has pleased God to call my wife to Himself ; she died 
 suddenly of apoplexy, without being able to speak a 
 word." 
 
 Is it possible for us to believe in the traditional account 
 of this tragedy ? Does it not seem incredible that a prince 
 of the highest character, distinguished for his culture and 
 refinement, should act in such barbarous fashion ? When 
 we think of his aunt — the Lady Giulia Gonzaga, the saintly 
 leader of a group of pious enthusiasts, whose letters so 
 constantly reveal her tenderness and pity, not only for the 
 sad and suffering but for the sinful — the contrast seems 
 too great to be possible. And yet we have to remember 
 that it was an age of the strangest and most startling 
 contrasts, and that with Vespasiano his ruling passion was 
 the honour of his family. 
 
 Incredible as it may seem, a trustworthy and critical 
 historian * assures us that " it would be difficult to give 
 any adequate idea of the frequency of wife-murders in 
 the higher ranks of society at this epoch, the second half 
 of the sixteenth century." A long list of instances follows. 
 The code of honour or theory of morality, appeared to 
 make it necessary for a husband to punish immorality by 
 at once inflicting the penalty of death upon the erring 
 wife and her lover. Only thus could the stain upon his 
 * Addington Symonds. 
 219 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 escutcheon be washed away. There are even instances, 
 as in the case of Violante de Cardona, Duchess of Pag- 
 liano* which occurred this same year (1559), when the 
 husband sends for his wife's brother to assist in doing 
 judgment. 
 
 We cannot close the sad story of Diana di Cardona 
 without remembering that a mystery hangs about her 
 from the first. If she was the " Diana di Cardona " 
 mentioned among the beautiful girls at the Court of 
 Charles V. in Naples (1538), she must have been some 
 years older than the youth Vespasiano, who was not yet 
 eighteen t at the time of his unfortunate marriage. Diana 
 was already betrothed to Cesare, the son of Don Ferrante 
 Gonzaga, and her elopement and secret wedding at Pia- 
 cenza violated all the conventions of the time, when 
 young girls had no voice of their own in such matters. 
 Of her ten years of married life we have only a fleeting 
 glimpse in the three letters written to her by Giulia Gon- 
 zaga, already quoted. We know that she lost her mother, 
 Donna Beatrice de Luna e Aragona, in 1553, and we have 
 no record of any friendly visit from kinsfolk or friends, to 
 break the dreary monotony of years of solitude spent in 
 lonely Sabbioneta, while her husband was engaged in 
 distant wars or travel. If she were inclined to be 
 frivolous and light-minded, without engrossing pursuits 
 or occupation, her pleasure-loving Southern nature must 
 have found a constant temptation to grasp at doubtful 
 and dangerous pleasures. 
 
 When the terrible Nemesis came upon her like a 
 
 * Pope Paul IV. had taken Pagliano from the Colonna family and 
 given it to his Caraffa nephew. 
 t Vespasiano was born in December, 1531, and was married in 
 
 1549- 
 
 220 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 thunderbolt, she is not represented as making any 
 defence, any appeal for mercy to the stern judge who 
 carried out his own sentence ; and it seems to me that 
 no words can do justice to the overwhelming horror of 
 the prolonged agony which the unhappy woman endured 
 through the slow-creeping days and nights of her ordeal. 
 We seem to feel the awful presence of her dead lover— 
 " a sight to dream of, not to tell " — and we can only 
 marvel that life and reason endured, while that madden- 
 ing echo of " Beve ! beve /" * thrilled through every sensi- 
 tive nerve as the long hours of despair drove her onwards 
 to the fatal end. 
 
 With a sigh of pity we turn away from the unfortunate 
 lady who was too frail for her high and difficult position, 
 and for whom " the world went wrong." The whole 
 tragic incident appears to have been buried in oblivion ; 
 not a word of allusion is found in any contemporary 
 letters ; though, if such existed, it is of course possible 
 that everything incriminating was destroyed. Still, there 
 are various startling points to consider. Thus, how was 
 the sudden death by violence of Annibale Raineri ac- 
 counted for ? It is worthy of notice that a certain 
 Rinaldo Raineri (possibly a kinsman ?) is Vespasiano's 
 trusted agent at Sabbioneta for years to come, and many 
 friendly letters to him, from Giulia Gonzaga, prove that 
 he remained her intimate friend. 
 
 Meantime, the Lord Vespasiano Gonzaga remains 
 strangely untroubled and apparently free from remorse. 
 He has saved the honour of his name, which with him is 
 a ruling passion, for in his unbounded personal pride and 
 ambition, fame and glory are his watchwords. The pain- 
 ful episode is over, and his life is as flamboyant as ever ; 
 * " Drink ! drink !" 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 indeed, immediately after that fatal ninth of November 
 he begins to carry out a scheme of unrivalled magnificence 
 which has long been in his mind. It is nothing less than 
 the building of a splendid city, which shall carry his name 
 down to posterity, on the site of a straggling village, in 
 the midst of the low-lying marshes, where stood his here- 
 ditary Castello of Sabbioneta, the cradle of his race. 
 
 222 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 Vespasiano Gonzaga Colonna resolves to build a city at Sabbioneta, 
 1559 — How the great work was begun, according to the 
 teaching of Vitruvius — The most famous architects, sculptors, 
 carvers in wood, and artists of the day employed — Walls of red 
 brick, stone, and rare marbles for the palaces, colleges, churches, 
 city gates and triumphal arches — In three years the city rises 
 from the ground and is filled with inhabitants, at the command 
 of the Lord Vespasiano — He visits Spain and marries the 
 Princess Anna d' Aragona of the blood royal — Love and sym- 
 pathy of Giulia — There are born to him twin daughters, 
 Isabella and Giulia, and a son, Luigi. 
 
 Vespasiano Gonzaga Colonna is the typical prince of 
 his age and of his country. His ambition to build a 
 city of his own is but the same passionate craving shown 
 everywhere by his countrymen. We still see traces in 
 every little Italian town of the towers which they could 
 not be restrained from building, each one higher than that 
 of his neighbour. They are not only magnificent in their 
 language and their dreams, but in their works they show 
 a wild audacity. A poor noble begins a simple manor- 
 house with a colossal entrance only suitable for giants ; 
 he seeks to scale the heavens, and is ruined before he 
 reaches the first floor; while his descendants live in 
 misery within the basement of a palace which is never 
 finished. 
 
 But this was also the age of sumptuous building, for 
 
 223 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 the wealthy despots of great cities held their power at 
 the price of magnificence, and the just medium between 
 classic simplicity and medieval massiveness, is shown in 
 many a beautiful cathedral and palace of this date. 
 Vespasiano was doubly fortunate in not only having the 
 ambition to build a city, but also the needful wealth and 
 lavish generosity to carry out his purpose. 
 
 " Thinking that his fame would be more lasting if he 
 were to build a city than to destroy one with the force 
 of armies, he conceived the magnanimous idea of building 
 one on his hereditary domain, both beautiful and well 
 fortified." With him the love of letters and of art, above 
 all that of architecture, was a real passion, and " no prince 
 of his day had such a knowledge of civil and military 
 architecture, for he had not only ardently studied all 
 modern books, but was a devoted disciple of the works 
 of Vitruvius, which he always had in his hands during 
 most of his life." His aim was to build his new 
 Sabbioneta in a style worthy of the ancient Romans, and 
 he called in the most famous architects, sculptors, and 
 artists of the day to assist him in this great work. 
 
 Impatient to begin, he turned for help to that ancient 
 Lombard Guild of Builders, a branch of the great 
 Comacine Guild, whose members inherited their place and 
 carried on their knowledge from father to son. The 
 Comacine Masters were early recognized as members of 
 a worldwide Order of Freemasons. To this branch 
 belonged those famous trade-marks, or symbols, the 
 Solomon's Knot— endless, with neither beginning nor end 
 — and the Lion of Judah. Wherever we find these tokens 
 engraved on the stone we know that here is the work 
 of the Lombard Guild. The members were " taught to 
 direct every action to the glory of the Lord, to live faithful 
 
 224 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 to God and the Government, to lend themselves to the 
 public good and fraternal charity." There were set 
 statutes for everything, that there "might be no confusion," 
 and all the work undertaken by the Guild was done by 
 the brethren and the novices under them, while manual 
 labourers were employed for the rougher and unskilled 
 work. It is specially enacted that brickmakers and 
 quarrymen must abide by the rules of the Guild, and it 
 is interesting to notice the amount of pay received : thus, 
 a labourer has 3 soldi a day ; an ordinary mason, 1 J lire ; 
 a carpenter, 1 lira ; a " builder " has 15 ducats a 
 month, with supplies of corn, wood, and wine, and an 
 abode for his family — in one instance, this stands in an 
 orchard with quinces. The salary of the chief architect 
 was 10 imperial soldi a day, raised to 10 gold florins 
 a month. If a master does manual work with his men, 
 he is paid extra to his salary as architect. 
 
 The rules concerning a festa must be strictly kept, and 
 forty-nine of these are specially mentioned. There is a 
 fine of 5 soldi to be paid by any man who works on a 
 festa. On November 2, the Feast of the Dead, each 
 master has to offer a wax candle weighing half a pound. 
 
 A great workshop, the laborerum, is constructed, where 
 all the hewing of stone, the carving of columns, and the 
 cutting of woodwork, is to be done. There is a special 
 opera fabbrica (office for architects), where all orders are 
 given for materials, and where payment is made for the 
 work and for the goods. Of this council Vespasiano, the 
 master-builder, is president, and under him work the 
 treasurer, the secretary, and many others. We have an 
 account of many of these orders and the price paid ; 
 thus, sheets of parchment for making the designs cost 
 1 lira a sheet ; 104 pounds of linseed-oil are ordered 
 
 225 15 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 at 28 denari the pound. Then follows a long list, " ropes, 
 nails, polishers, water-levels, red paint," etc. 
 
 The utmost care is taken in securing the best building 
 materials ; a master is specially sent to Carrara to choose 
 the marble, which must be " very white, and without vein 
 or stain of colour." The granite is obtained from Elba, 
 and also some from Sardinia; a certain red stone was 
 brought from Bolsena, and in the quarries of Umbria 
 there was a white stone which could be cut with a saw, 
 and which was most valuable for carving. A stonecutter 
 could polish the slabs until they looked like marble. The 
 River Po, being close at hand, all heavy building materials 
 could easily be brought by water, while the blocks of 
 stone would be unladen from the barges into rough country 
 carts, drawn by strong white oxen. The great mass of the 
 building would consist of bricks, made in kilns near by, 
 thin in shape, somewhat like Roman tiles, and of excellent 
 clay, which baked smooth and hard and of a beautiful 
 deep red colour. 
 
 Meantime, the most important work was being done in 
 the opera fabbrica, where careful plans were drawn out by 
 the maestro del disegno, under the direction of Vespasiano, 
 who prided himself upon his mathematical skill, and who 
 referred in everything to the teaching of Vitruvius. Thus 
 he decided that his city should be built with long, straight, 
 wide streets, crossing each other at right angles, and that 
 the houses should be only of medium height, "to give 
 light and air to my people." For had not the great 
 Vitruvius explained that it was the want of ground 
 which had caused the inconvenient practice of raising the 
 houses to a great height in the air, which was the cause 
 of frequent accidents, so that Augustus and Nero had 
 passed laws against the height of private edifices ? The 
 
 226 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 new city was to be of hexagonal form, surrounded by 
 walls, with a moat outside, and with two gates and a 
 circuit of about 2,500 metres, the wall measurements 
 being taken with the usual iron yard-measure, made the 
 exact length of the Calimala canna,* and thus the great 
 work actually began. 
 
 We can vaguely picture to ourselves the busy scene 
 which followed — a whole army of labourers to dig out 
 the foundations; of bricklayers to build the walls, with 
 the red bricks carefully laid in place so as to " break 
 bond" (placed in alternate layers), and cemented together 
 with that wonderful mortar which seems to last for ever. 
 Then the carpenters set to work at their scaffoldings, 
 which make the whole place look like a great wood-yard, 
 for they are not here restricted by the stern rules, which, 
 in a city like Florence, compel them to remove all shavings, 
 sawdust, and litter without delay, and to leave no timber 
 more than a foot's width beyond the wall. Soon we hear 
 resounding the significant music of the trowel, the chisel, 
 the hammer, and the plane, and every nerve is strained 
 to make rapid progress under the eye of the princely 
 master-builder. The houses begin to rise on each side 
 of the broad street ; buildings of fine aspect, well-propor- 
 tioned, and mostly with porticoes. Great works are 
 planned for the vast rectangular Piazza Maggiore, where 
 the most important and beautiful edifices are to be 
 gathered together. Here the great ducal palace of the 
 Gonzaga prince will rise in all its splendour, the beautiful 
 Church of " the Assumption of the Virgin Mary," various 
 smaller palatial buildings, another church, and, later on, 
 a theatre. At the farther end of the city, near the 
 fortifications, we shall see in due time another great 
 * The measure of cloth, of the Calimala Guild. 
 227 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 piazza, close to the Via Giulia ; and beyond the great 
 gallery, raised on a portico of twenty-six round arcades 
 in red brick, another palace, " del Giardino," in the midst 
 of a garden, with a shady colonnade and fountained court, 
 where Vespasiano and his Court will be able to fancy 
 themselves in villagiatura. At the entrance of the city 
 there was to be first a stone bridge, with two marble 
 boundary stones, one on each side, then a great triumphal 
 arch, and one of the two magnificent city gates which 
 remain to this day — the Gate of Victory and the Imperial 
 Gate. 
 
 Meantime, Vespasiano remained at his post, full of 
 eager interest in the building of his city; still, as the 
 months passed on, there came over him a longing for 
 the stir and movement of war — that active military life 
 which he had enjoyed for years past. But the Treaty 
 of Cateau Cambresis, concluded in April, 1559, had given 
 peace to Europe, and at present there was no demand 
 for his services. There had been many changes during 
 the last few years; Mary of England, who had been 
 accepted as a wife by Philip II., from a sense of duty 
 to his religion and his country, had died in 1558, and 
 Queen Elizabeth had made peace with the French King, 
 who was to hold Calais for eight years. The Emperor 
 Charles V. had also died in 1558, in the Monastery of 
 Yuste, just too soon to see the seal set upon his labours 
 by the Treaty of Cateau Cambresis, which brought to an 
 end the contest of sixty years. Pope Paul IV., the fiery 
 supporter of the Inquisition, had been succeeded by a 
 man of very different character, Pius IV. (Giovanni Angelo 
 Medici, of a middle-class Milanese family), who was much 
 surprised at his own elevation. 
 
 Vespasiano Gonzaga first thought of going to Spain, 
 
 228 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 but, as there seemed no opening for him, he paid a visit 
 to Naples, where he was gladly welcomed by his aunt 
 Giulia, and by his mother, the Princess of Sulmona. 
 The next spring he went to Rome in the company of the 
 Duke of Alva, and did homage to Pope Pius IV., who 
 granted him certain favours which he desired for the 
 Church in his State. Then he returned to Sabbioneta, 
 and devoted himself with enthusiasm to the great work, 
 which was being carried out " without sparing pains or 
 expense, as beautiful and perfect as he could imagine." 
 
 The vast scheme of the master-builder had indeed 
 grown into reality with the most marvellous rapidity, 
 and seemed almost to rise from the ground like magic. 
 Vespasiano had commanded the city to appear, and 
 within less than three years we find it actually in exist- 
 ence, and his new palace in the Piazza Maggiore is ready 
 to be the scene of a magnificent wedding festival, on 
 the occasion of the marriage of his young half-sister, the 
 daughter of the Prince of Sulmona, with the Count of 
 Potenza. We can picture the wonder and admiration of 
 the guests at the splendid scene which met their eyes — 
 stately churches and porticoes rising in fair symmetry 
 against the blue sky, the richly carved portal and arcades, 
 the graceful columns and arched windows ; all the fine 
 arts so indispensable to architecture called into service — 
 painters, sculptors, wood-carvers and inlayers, metal- 
 workers, and artists in fresco and stucco. Thus the new 
 city rose, beautiful in the sunshine, with its massive 
 geranium-coloured walls, its bridges and triumphal gates. 
 
 The palace itself was a triumph of Vespasiano's taste 
 and magnificence, and as the glittering cavalcade rode 
 gaily through the broad paved streets into the spacious 
 courtyard, they could not restrain their enthusiasm at 
 
 229 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 the sight of the carved portals, the beautiful loggia with 
 its delicate bronze columns, and the magnificent facade 
 covered with frescoes from the base to the cornice. 
 These were admirably executed by Bernardino Campi,* 
 and represented, in the upper part, the Assumption of 
 the Madonna, on an immense scale ; and underneath the 
 loggia, between the two central windows, were great 
 angels holding the arms of Vespasiano, while his name 
 and titles were repeated everywhere on the lintels of 
 marble at all the windows. Within the palace there were 
 fresh surprises. A vast marble staircase led to the first 
 floor, full of treasures of art, with a series of splendid 
 chambers opening one out of each other ; the ceilings gilt 
 and inlaid, hung with rare tapestries, and adorned with 
 works of art, which Vespasiano and his father had been 
 collecting all their lives. 
 
 We have a very full account of the festivities with 
 which the wedding of the young princess was celebrated. 
 There were spectacles of all kinds ; comedies were acted, 
 and there was music, dancing, and feasting at sumptuous 
 banquets, for indoor amusements. In the open air, pallone 
 was played with unrivalled success through the wide 
 streets of the as yet uninhabited city. A splendid tourna- 
 ment was also set on foot, in which the Lord Vespasiano 
 and his Captain of the Guard, Bartolommeo Majocci, 
 maintained the proud position of defenders of the barrier. 
 That nothing might be wanting to the magnificence of 
 the noble master-builder, "he scattered amongst the 
 spectators great abundance of gold and silver from his 
 own Mint." This privilege of a sovereign was his by 
 hereditary right, and he was not one to forego the smallest 
 
 * A pupil of Giulio Romano, who had painted many frescoes in 
 the churches of Cremona. 
 
 230 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 of his claims which might add to the dignity of his 
 city, which was all the universe to him. The Mint of 
 Sabbioneta* was under the direction of Andrea Cavalli, 
 the Maestro della Zecca of the Calimala Guild, who was 
 also skilled in all metal-working, and had done splendid 
 work in the casting of statues and cannons ; and to him 
 also is due the base and capitals of bronze of the column 
 of Pallas on the great Piazza. 
 
 The months which followed his sister's wedding fes- 
 tivities were full of arduous labour alike for Vespasiano 
 and for all the army of skilled workmen in his service, 
 for he had set his mind upon completing his city and 
 rendering it habitable as soon as possible, although all 
 the rest of his life would scarcely be long enough to 
 beautify it and add to its treasures. Sabbioneta had risen 
 from the dust at his word, "a noble city adorned with 
 peace and wealth," and now it only remained for him to 
 fill it with inhabitants. This might have been a difficulty 
 to some people, but to this Gonzaga prince it was quite a 
 simple matter. Life was short in those days, and there 
 was no time to waste, so he made a formal proclamation 
 on September 27 in the year of grace 1562 : 
 
 " By order of the Most Illustrious and Most Excellent 
 Lord Vespasiano Gonzaga Colonna, Marchese of Sab- 
 bioneta, etc. ... It is his will and command that all the 
 people living under his dominion to whom it is suitable to 
 live the life of citizens — all bourgeois, artists and artisans, 
 men of trades, officials, and others — should leave the 
 country lands and find themselves, with all their families 
 . . . dwelling within our new city before the eighth day 
 
 * The coins of Sabbioneta are very rare and beautiful. Those of 
 gold have the arms of Vespasiano, with the " column," and this 
 motto on the reverse : " Fortitudo et laus mea Dominus." 
 
 231 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 of the coming month of October. . . . After that date 
 every loiterer shall pay a fine of ioo scudi, or, failing 
 that, shall receive ire tratti di cordia . . ." The com- 
 mand is signed by Vespasiano and his secretary, Muzio 
 Capilupi. 
 
 Thus it came to pass ; no sooner was the town built 
 than it was inhabited. The motto " Libertas," which this 
 prince was so fond of repeating everywhere on his walls, 
 really meant that he was free to do what he liked. But 
 this was not all, for the "Pericles of this New Athens" 
 was not satisfied with merely bringing his subjects within 
 his walls ; he also " now seeks to make of them rare and 
 admirable scholars," and that, too, without loss of time. 
 He therefore makes another proclamation on September 6, 
 two days before the people are required to be settled in 
 their new home : 
 
 " Nos, Vespasianus Gonzaga Colonna . . . having a 
 passionate desire to fill our city of Sabbioneta, recently 
 founded by us, with a considerable number of inhabitants, 
 and also, above all, to adorn and decorate it, not only 
 with the mechanical arts necessary to life, but also with 
 all the ' humanities ' and liberal teaching ' without which 
 it is not possible to live well ' ... we have founded a 
 new Literary Academy, where Greek, Latin, and omnem 
 humanitatem shall be taught free of expense, with open 
 doors to all comers ... to the people of Sabbioneta and 
 alieni. (By these strangers [alieni] is meant people from 
 the neighbouring towns and villages — Cremona, Mantua, 
 Gazzuolo, Casalmaggiore, etc.). ... A Professor has been 
 chosen amongst the most famous in Italy, to lecture upon 
 and explain Greek and Latin authors every day, except on 
 festivals. ... He is to receive a large fixed salary." 
 The chosen Professor was indeed a famous man, of 
 
 232 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 great knowledge and mature age — Mario Nizolio, who 
 had published, a few years before, a treatise against 
 " Philosophers so called," in which he announced that 
 he established the true principles of all the arts and 
 sciences. It was quite natural that the Professor should 
 inaugurate his teaching with a splendid Latin oration to 
 the honour and glory of his noble patron. This was 
 printed, and still exists, but it is too long to quote.* 
 Indeed, at this time everybody praised him, either in 
 prose or verse, and perhaps the most interesting speci- 
 men of the general laudation is a sonnet of Bernardino 
 Baldi : 
 
 " Da queste antiche, e celebrate carte, 
 
 Che del tempo vorace, e da gli incendi 
 
 Intatte usciro, invitto Duce, apprendi 
 
 Le legge di colei, cui serve ogni arte. 
 
 E mentre ammiran gli altri a terra sforte 
 
 De prischi 1' opre, tu con lor contendi : 
 
 Tu le sue meraviglie al mondo rendi, 
 
 Mentr' ergi appresso al Po gran moli a Marte 
 
 Or se si tenne il buon Romano a gloria 
 
 Sol de 1' aver le sue paterne mura, 
 
 Che di terra trovo, cinte di marmi : 
 
 Qual di te spieghera vivace istoria 
 
 Eterne todi ad ogni, eta. futura, 
 
 Se Citta fondi, e lui pareggi in armi 1" 
 
 At this time it seemed as though Vespasiano Gonzaga 
 had attained the very height of his pomp and glory, but he 
 was one of those favourites of Fortune to whom everything 
 succeeds, and higher honours still were in store for him. 
 He had always enjoyed the friendship of the King of 
 Spain, Philip II., since those long past days when he 
 served him as a noble page. On this King's accession to 
 * Delivered on the Feast of San Niccolo, December 6, 1562, 
 Vespasiano's birthday. 
 
 233 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 the throne, the Lord of Sabbioneta was raised to the rank 
 of a Grandee of Spain, with the privilege " of remaining 
 with his head covered in the presence of the Sovereign." 
 
 Early in 1564, Vespasiano paid a visit to the Court of 
 Spain, where he was received with great honour, and made 
 the acquaintance of the Princess Anna d' Aragona, the 
 younger sister of the Duke of Segovia, whose great grand- 
 father, Don Arrigo, was a brother of King Ferdinand the 
 Catholic. This lady was, therefore, of royal blood, and cousin 
 in the fourth degree of King Philip II. Her high position 
 was naturally a great attraction to the Gonzaga prince ; but 
 Donna Anna appears to have been also " very charming 
 and gentle," and a marriage was arranged between them, 
 which took place with great magnificence in the Cathedral 
 of Valencia on May 8, 1564. Soon afterwards Vespasiano 
 returned with his bride to Sabbioneta, where they were 
 welcomed with a splendid triumphal proceession, and were 
 received with enthusiasm on their entry into the city. 
 
 A peaceful and happy time followed for Vespasiano ; he 
 was devotedly attached to his wife, and together they 
 watched over the continued decoration and beautifying of 
 the wonderful city. Nothing was wanting for their com- 
 plete satisfaction, when the Princess Anna gave birth to 
 twin daughters. They received the names of Giulia, after 
 the beloved aunt to whom their father was so much 
 indebted, and Isabella, after his own mother. Giulia 
 Gonzaga wrote frequent affectionate letters to her nephew, 
 and took the greatest interest in his wife and the two baby- 
 girls. She was in failing health, and it had been a great 
 trial to her that she was unable to travel so far as Sabbio- 
 neta, to see the beautiful city, or make the acquaintance of 
 his wife and children. But in those days there was great 
 mortality amongst children, and little Giulia, her namesake, 
 
 234 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 had passed away after a few brief months of existence. 
 When Giulia wrote on November 3, 1565, to Vespasiano, 
 she says : 
 
 " I cannot tell you how thankful I am to hear that my 
 Signora Donna Anna and Donna Isabella are well ; you 
 know how dear they are to me, and I rejoice above all, that 
 you are in good health. May God preserve you all and 
 may He bestow upon my Signora Anna a beautiful boy 
 with every blessing." The Countess of Fondi takes the 
 greatest interest in all that concerns her nephew, and with 
 a broad view of the interests of her country she is much 
 troubled at the fresh incursions of the Turks near Malta. 
 As we shall see later, her chief thought and care is devoted 
 to her friends who are persecuted for their Faith, and 
 whom she helps with her influence and wealth, being most 
 generous with her money for the support of those who 
 have been compelled to flee from their country. 
 
 She constantly sends affectionate messages to Donna 
 Anna, and to the little "Donna Isabellica" as she lovingly 
 calls her ; but her days were drawing towards their close, 
 and she was never destined to see the child. However, 
 her hopes were gratified by the birth of a son to Donna 
 Anna on December 27, and she rejoiced to hear that he 
 was called Luigi, after her dearly loved brother, the babe's 
 grandfather, Luigi Rodomonte Gonzaga. There was a 
 magnificent christening feast, and congratulations poured 
 in from all sides, for was not this the attainment and 
 crown of all Vespasiano's hopes. He had a son and heir 
 to inherit his greatness and carry on his mighty works ; 
 years of happy married life spread out in a vista before 
 him, with a race of heroes growing up around his hearth, 
 destined to carry on to posterity the pomp and glory of 
 the Gonzaga family. Latin epigrams poured in upon the 
 
 235 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 proud father, and the fortunate poets received munificent 
 rewards. The Gonzaga prince took fresh interest in his 
 various possessions ; he paid a visit to Fondi in April, and 
 then went on to Rome to claim his grandfather's lands at 
 Pagliano, which had long been usurped by the Caraffa 
 family. The Pope received him well, and sent a band of 
 his cavaliers to escort the honoured guest back to Sabbio- 
 neta. On his way he met the Princess Maria of Portugal, 
 wife of Alessandro Farnese, entertained her for a night at 
 his own Castle of Rivarola, and then courteously accom- 
 panied her on to Parma. 
 
 Full of good-will to all men, he magnanimously settled 
 a dispute with his cousins regarding the possession of 
 Comessaggio, by giving up part of his rights, and dividing 
 the lands with them. He renewed his old friendship with 
 his kinsmen at Mantua, where the young Duke Guglielmo 
 had now come of age, and had married the Princess 
 Eleonora of Austria. On the death of the Emperor 
 Ferdinand, Vespasiano had hastened to pay homage to 
 Maximilian II. on his accession, and obtained the favour 
 that Sabbioneta should be held direct from the Holy 
 Roman Empire, and that he himself should have the right 
 of using the arms of Austria, which he had carved every- 
 where on his city — an eagle with two heads and the 
 motto, " Libertas." Surely Fortune had nothing more to 
 offer him ! 
 
 236 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 Persecution of the Reformers under the Caraffa Pope, Paul IV. — 
 Giulia and her friends in peril — The colony of Waldenses in 
 Calabria hunted down like wild beasts — Giulia refuses to seek 
 safety in flight — Her letters to Carnesecchi and others — Her 
 generous help to all — The death of Paul IV. (1559) a providence 
 for her — Failure of the Council of Trent — Death of the Cardinals 
 Seripando and Gonzaga (1563) — Milder rule of Pius IV. — He is 
 succeeded by Michele Ghislieri, Pope Pius V., a violent In- 
 quisitor, in January, 1566 — Urgent peril of Giulia Gonzaga ; her 
 death, in April, 1566, a merciful escape from the flames of the 
 Inquisition — Her noble character and inspiring letters. 
 
 It would be difficult to find any greater contrast than that 
 between the life and the interests of Vespasiano and his 
 aunt, Giulia Gonzaga. As we have seen, his heart was set 
 upon that worldly honour and greatness of which so large 
 a share was already his, while Giulia had learnt to realize 
 with almost saintly resignation that " here we have no 
 abiding city," and all her hopes were set upon that 
 heavenly shore to which she was drawing so near. But 
 although she now lived entirely in the convent of San Fran- 
 cesco delle Monache, it was from no wish to shelter herself 
 in peaceful seclusion from the troublous times around her. 
 With her keen sympathy and unshaken courage, Giulia 
 was ever in the midst of the battle, sharing all the dangers 
 and anxieties of her friends, ever strengthening them by 
 
 237 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 her words and her example, and supporting them in perse- 
 cution and exile by her worldly wealth. 
 
 The Pontificate of the Caraffa Pope, Paul IV., was a 
 cruel time, when all freedom of thought was stamped out 
 by the Inquisition. The words in which Peter Martyr 
 writes of Lucca might be applied to the persecution of 
 every other centre of Reform. " How can I refrain from 
 lamentations when I think that such a pleasant garden as 
 the Reformed Church at Lucca has been utterly laid waste 
 by cruel persecution ? . . ." Then he adds : " These tried 
 and brave soldiers of Christ will not fly, because they are 
 determined by their martyrdom and blood, to open a way 
 for the progress of the Gospel in their native country. . . . 
 Yet this awful catastrophe is to be deplored with tears 
 rather than words." 
 
 At Naples many were thrown into prison and not 
 a few were sent to Rome, where, nobly proclaiming their 
 Faith, they were exposed to the last fiery ordeal. Many, 
 as we have seen, were compelled to leave Italy, for it was 
 not given to all to be worthy of the martyr's crown. But 
 when the deadly work was supposed to be accomplished 
 in Naples, the Inquisitors went farther afield on their 
 mission of destruction. 
 
 More than two centuries before, certain colonies of the 
 Vaudois, or Waldenses, who had fled from their country 
 on account of religion, had settled in a barren part of 
 Calabria Citeriore, and there, leading peaceful and 
 laborious lives, had " made the desert to blossom like the 
 rose." They numbered about four thousand persons, and 
 their two chief cities were La Guarda and Santo Xisto, 
 on the coast. When rumours of the new reformed 
 doctrine reached them, they were most eager to be taught 
 the more perfect way, as in the course of generations they 
 
 238 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 had lost much of the simpler form of worship of their 
 ancestors. As soon as this was known at Rome, two 
 monks were sent by the Inquisition to reduce the 
 Waldenses to obedience to the Holy See. When the 
 people refused, a stern order was put forth for their 
 destruction ; companies of soldiers were sent against them, 
 and a number of banniti proscribed for crimes were 
 called in to help. The unfortunate people, who had taken 
 refuge in the woods, were hunted like wild beasts, their 
 cities were destroyed by fire and sword, and, after tortures 
 unspeakable, and atrocities too terrible for words, the 
 whole colony of Waldenses was ruthlessly exterminated. 
 
 We see in the letters of Giulia Gonzaga what a terrible 
 impression this made upon her; she was powerless to 
 help, but her courage was unshaken. Many of her friends, 
 who had been fellow-pupils of V aides with her, were in 
 great danger; Cardinal Morone, Priuli, and others, were 
 thrown into prison in Rome, and she never knew who 
 would be the next victim of the Inquisition. She was 
 much grieved on hearing of the death of Cardinal Pole, 
 in 1558, and her letters at this time show how deeply 
 her meditation was fixed on the great change, and on 
 preparation for the passage from the terrestrial to the 
 celestial life. So many of her friends had passed " behind 
 the veil " not very long before, and amongst others she 
 lamented the loss of her devoted friend, the poet Molza, 
 and her former secretary, Gandolfo Porrino. But in the 
 letters which passed between Giulia Gonzaga and Pietro 
 Carnesecchi we find another cause of regret in the last 
 words of Cardinal Pole. Carnesecchi writes : " . . . But 
 that which matters more is a declaration and almost 
 a protestation made by His Reverence that he had always 
 held the Pope, and this one in particular [Paul IV.] to be 
 
 239 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 the true successor of Peter and the Vicar of Christ, and 
 that he had always revered and obeyed him as such, nor 
 had he differed from him in anything, nor from the 
 opinion of the Roman Church. . . ." Another letter 
 from Carnesecchi to Giulia in February, 1559, is very 
 important on this subject: "... It has pleased me 
 wonderfully that Donna Giulia has not approved the 
 declaration made by the Cardinal of England, being 
 superfluous, not to say scandalous, especially at this 
 time. . . . What a difference from the teaching of 
 Valdes, and how this verifies the proverb, 'The end 
 shows forth the life, the evening praises the day ' ! Let 
 us, indeed, thank God that our Faith does not depend 
 upon men, nor is it founded upon the sand, but upon the 
 living stone [fiietra], upon which in the same way have 
 built the Apostles and the Prophets and all the other elect 
 and saints of God, Whom may it please to grant us grace 
 to live and die in the same Faith, to His glory."* 
 
 Carnesecchi writes to raise the thoughts of his friend 
 on the subject of Death, and bids her not fear to " tread 
 the way which has been trodden by our Saviour Christ, 
 who in dying has triumphed over death and conquered 
 it, so that it can no more harm us. . . . But why, you 
 may ask, do I reason concerning death ? Because we 
 should become so domesticated with the thought of it, 
 that we should no more fear it, not for ourselves or for 
 others. ... It is but the gate of life, through which, 
 having passed, we are free from all the infinite troubles 
 and labours of this life, and above all we are safe from the 
 danger of sinning and offending God, which is the true 
 death of the soul. ..." The letter ends with a touching 
 
 * This letter was made great use of in the trial of Carnesecchi by 
 the Inquisition. 
 
 240 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 allusion to the fact of Cardinal Pole having died six hours 
 after his friend Queen Mary : 
 
 " Courage ! I only pray God that He will preserve my 
 Donna Giulia, and if He should desire to take her before 
 me, at least may He grant me the favour He has bestowed 
 upon the Cardinal of England, which is that I also may 
 quickly follow my Queen. Amen. Amen." 
 
 In looking through the immense number of letters 
 which have been preserved of Giulia Gonzaga's, we are 
 much struck by the extreme interest which she takes 
 in all the religious questions of the day, and her extra- 
 ordinary activity of mind. Her incessant correspondence 
 — sometimes she wrote as many as three letters in one 
 week to Carnesecchi — all turns upon the propagation of 
 certain ideas, on the publication of congenial writings, 
 on the use of her influence to advance the career of 
 various prelates, on seeking and obtaining news of friends 
 driven into exile by the Inquisition. A great number of 
 these are written in cipher, for the safety of those who 
 received her letters, as the Inquisition was already 
 suspicious of her as a disciple of Valdes, and kept a strict 
 watch upon her and her friends. We have seen the 
 extreme care she took in sending letters to her dear 
 Isabella Brisegna at Piacenza, and it was the same in all 
 other cases. 
 
 A very interesting letter of Giulia Gonzaga has been 
 preserved in a collection of " Letters of Many Brave 
 Women, in which it is clearly shown that they are 
 inferior neither in eloquence nor in knowledge to men."* 
 It is addressed to Livia Negra, apparently some dependent 
 of hers : 
 
 * Gabriel Giolito di Ferrari, MDXLVIII. Carte liv. Venezia. 
 
 241 16 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 " I have learnt with great displeasure that a certain 
 rogue of an alchemist has come to you, and with false 
 persuasion has so perverted your mind as to make you 
 believe that one element can be transmuted into another 
 — that from a branch silver may be made, and that silver 
 can be converted into gold. It is certainly a strange thing 
 that these thieves, beggars, and fools should wish to en- 
 rich someone else, and should care more for the poverty 
 and misery of others than for their own beggarly con- 
 dition ! What mad credulity is ours ! How infinite is the 
 cupidity of mortals ! For what should we do if we had 
 to remain in this world perpetually?* We cannot in- 
 habit a house for three days in this miserable world 
 without being dissatisfied. 
 
 "Truly, we are like drunkards, who, the more they 
 drink, the more their thirst grows ; for we cannot re- 
 member that we are mortal, and that we have one day 
 to leave all things behind us ; for naked we came into this 
 world, and naked we shall depart hence. . . . Would 
 you like me, Madonna Livia, to teach you a true and 
 beautiful alchemy ? Lay up for yourself treasure in 
 heaven, where thieves do not break through and steal, 
 where the rust doth not consume, nor the moth gnaw and 
 destroy. That which is acquired by evil means is no 
 gain, but a great and dangerous loss. The promises of 
 the alchemist are like those of the astrologers, who boast 
 that they can foretell future things, and do not even know 
 the present or the past, and yet they dare to profess that 
 they can reveal heavenly matters as if they were ever 
 present at the council of God. I do not really know 
 whether their fraud is more shameful, or our folly in 
 
 t Some alchemists professed to have a magic drug for lengthening 
 
 life indefinitely. 
 
 242 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 believing, as we do, that which is worthy of- all contempt. 
 Look within yourself, Madonna Livia, and if your power 
 does not correspond to your desires, at least place a rein 
 upon them, and then you will not devote yourself to 
 alchemy." 
 
 We see clearly from this letter how far advanced the 
 broad intelligence of Giulia was beyond the superstitions 
 of her day, and her splendid courage was equal to her 
 intellect. 
 
 During the persecution set on foot by Pope Paul IV. 
 against those who held the new doctrines, Giulia Gonzaga 
 was strongly advised to follow the example of those who 
 had fled to a land of free thought and liberty, but she 
 refused to listen to such advice. She wrote to inform 
 Pietro Carnesecchi of her resolution, and in this letter 
 (which was sequestrated), as he declared to his judges of 
 the Inquisition, " La Signora was determined not to leave 
 Naples, as she was strongly pressed to do, that she might 
 avoid the perils of the Inquisition, saying that she would 
 not be moved by imaginary fears, which often proved 
 fallacious . . . yet she quite understood her danger, for 
 she admitted that she knew the ill-will of the Pope and 
 Cardinal Caraffa towards her. . . . There is no doubt 
 that she meant on account of her religious views, knowing 
 that she was in evil case in the opinion of His Holiness 
 on account of her close friendship and intimacy with 
 Valdes." 
 
 Giulia knew how important it was that she should 
 remain at her post as a protection to her friends, and a 
 link with those who had already made their escape and 
 their families. Generous and devoted, she distributed a 
 great part of her fortune amongst the exiles for their 
 Faith, and she willingly gave her support to her own 
 
 243 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 servants, Ventura and Paolo, when they appealed to her, 
 and assisted them in their flight to Geneva, which at that 
 time seemed to have become the stationary fortress of the 
 Reformers. In this case there was a doubt whether, if 
 her attendants were arrested, they might not compromise 
 others by want of thought or knowledge. But she dis- 
 suaded Carnesecchi from this extreme step, perhaps 
 feeling that it would ruin his career and cut him off 
 from his friends. No doubt she had also great faith in 
 the influence of powerful prelates at Rome, and could not 
 believe that he would be in real peril, as he had neither 
 written nor openly preached the new doctrines. 
 
 There are so many letters which passed between these 
 two friends that we can only allude to a few. Thus, on 
 February 25, 1559, Carnesecchi writes " that although 
 Donna Giulia may not always quite agree with his views, 
 yet he has no doubt that she is guided and led by the 
 Spirit of God, and that in consequence, she cannot be 
 suffered to err in a matter of so much importance to her 
 welfare and that of others. The advice which Your High- 
 ness has given to the parents of Donna Isabella [Brisegna] 
 to make their retreat with their daughter, appears to me 
 most wise and according to your usual prudence. . . ." 
 In another letter, he expresses his satisfaction at not having 
 followed the example of those who fled : 
 
 " I give thanks to God and to Donna Giulia who, I often 
 say, is like a fixed star whose light directs us in our course 
 through the midst of the darkness of this blind world ; and 
 by her example guards us from many dangers, for we 
 might easily have fallen over a deep precipice. . . ." Then 
 follow many letters during the illness of Paul IV., speak- 
 ing of the hopes and fears of the imprisoned Cardinal 
 Morone and others; then at last he sends news of the 
 
 244 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 Pope's death, and the wild joy with which the populace 
 burnt the offices of the Inquisition and set free the 
 prisoners : 
 
 " Your Ladyship will have heard how the Holy Inquisi- 
 tion has died the same death which it was accustomed to 
 inflict upon others — that of fire. This certainly remains a 
 notable thing, from which it appears the judgments of that 
 Office were not pleasing to the Divine Clemency, and we 
 trust that in the future there may be less rigour and 
 severity than in the past." 
 
 But above all, the death of Paul IV. was a providence for 
 Donna Giulia, for so Carnesecchi records it in a letter sent 
 on September 9, 1559 : " I have rejoiced at the departure 
 of the Pope for all respects, public and private ; but above 
 all, I am most deeply thankful from having heard that if 
 he had not passed away so soon he would have given the 
 death-stroke to Donna Giulia ... in all that happened we 
 believe that we see the mercy of God, who permitted this 
 in order to save Donna Giulia, and for the love of her, all 
 her friends and servants." 
 
 Next we have an account of the Conclave, when for a 
 time it seemed possible that either Cardinal Morone or 
 Cardinal Gonzaga of Mantua might be elected. But 
 ultimately the choice fell upon Cardinal Medici, not one 
 of the great Florentine family, but of lowly Milanese 
 origin. He took the name of Pius IV., and was in every 
 way a contrast to the Inquisitor and fanatic, the haughty 
 ruler of kings, who had preceded him. Learned, kindly, 
 and of exemplary life, he only wished to live at peace with 
 all men, and he appointed his nephew, Carlo Borromeo, 
 the pointed Bishop of Milan, as his Secretary of State, to 
 look after the interests of the Church, and set an example 
 of piety to the clergy. Soon after the election of Pius IV., 
 
 245 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 the state of Europe made the calling of a General Council 
 absolutely necessary. England was already alienated, 
 Scotland was on the verge of Protestantism, the 
 Huguenots were growing stronger in France, the Confes- 
 sion of Augsburg was recognized in Germany, all Scandi- 
 navia was lost to the old Faith, and German Switzerland 
 was a stronghold of Reform. 
 
 After endless delay and opposition, the Council of Trent 
 finally opened on January 15, 1562. Amongst the five 
 Legates sent by Pius IV., the Cardinals Gonzaga and 
 Seripando were intimate friends of Giulia Gonzaga, and 
 kept her informed of the proceedings, in which she took 
 the keenest interest. She always maintained an eager 
 hope that with this new Pope, some compromise might be 
 made, alike in doctrine and in Church discipline, which 
 would secure the unity of the Christian Church ; but in 
 this she was destined to be grievously disappointed. 
 
 Girolamo Seripando, Archbishop of Salerno, formerly 
 General of the Augustinians, an elderly prelate* of great 
 learning and piety, had been for years an intimate friend 
 of Giulia Gonzaga, of whom we find him speaking in the 
 highest terms, in his many letters which have been pre- 
 served. In February, 1561, she congratulates him, in an 
 autograph letter, on being made Cardinal, and she thanks 
 God, " to Whom alone is due your promotion, and I pray 
 that you may have health and a long life to fulfil all our 
 fervent hopes . . . and also that you may be able to keep 
 your promise. . . ."f In August of this year, 1561, 
 Seripando hears that the Signora Giulia has been ill with 
 fever, and he expresses his regret to a friend I in Naples, 
 
 * He was born in 1493. 
 
 t This was to publish the religious writings of Cardinal Pole. 
 
 J Placido di Sangra. 
 
 246 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 saying that he also had suffered from fever, and had not 
 recovered until he had left the close city for Posilipo . . . 
 and he sends an urgent message to Giulia, begging her to 
 leave the convent, as in this hot weather she needs " a 
 little air," and if she will not be persuaded (he adds 
 playfully) that the first article he will propose to the 
 Council will be that " ladies be not allowed to live in 
 convents unless they become nuns." 
 
 Writing to the same friend in January, 1562, he 
 remarks that " if the Signora Donna Giulia 111™ 1 approves 
 of a certain work of his, he may be sure that it cannot 
 be harmed by ' nee Jovis ira nee ignes.' " 
 
 In a long letter from Trent, written in December, 1561, 
 Seripando had given a most interesting account of his 
 journey from Naples, of his anxious waiting for the 
 coming of the expected members of the Council, of 
 the difficulty in persuading France and Spain to send 
 their prelates, and other troubles and anxieties ; he ends 
 by recommending himself to her special prayers, and 
 implores our Lord God to preserve her in health and 
 happiness. 
 
 It would be too long to give an account of the worries 
 and difficulties of this famous Council, of which the Pope 
 himself said " that it resembled the Tower of Babel 
 rather than a Synod of Fathers." It dragged its weary 
 length for many months, and closed in December, 1563,' 
 with " an act of submission to the Pope." Pius IV. had 
 been quite willing to insist upon the strictest internal 
 reform of the corrupt clergy, but his triumph was that 
 he maintained the Roman supremacy and the cardinal 
 doctrines of Latin Christianity unimpeached. Meantime 
 Giulia's two friends — the Cardinals Seripando and 
 Gonzaga — had both died at Trent in March, 1563, to 
 
 247 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 her great and lasting sorrow. Yet, in the midst of all 
 her own troubles and afflictions, she never failed to keep 
 up her interest in all that happened to others, of good 
 fortune or bad. Thus, on the marriage of her kinsman 
 Duke Guglielmo with the Princess Eleonora of Austria, 
 she wrote a charming letter of congratulation to the 
 bride, deeply regretting that her infirmities did not allow 
 her to travel to Mantua and be present to welcome her. 
 
 " To the Duchess of Mantua. 
 " Naples, 
 
 " April 16, 1561. 
 "... If ever for my own sake ... I have been 
 troubled about my failing health and the indisposition 
 from which I suffer, to-day I grieve over it with all my 
 soul, because it is for this reason that I am absolutely 
 unable to be present at Mantua to wait upon the coming 
 of Your Royal Highness to Mantua, and to take part in 
 this universal rejoicing of the Gonzaga family. But as I 
 am not able to amend the defects of nature, nor in any 
 other way has it been possible for me to give proof of my 
 great respect and affection towards you, I have wished at 
 least to send the Mag c0 mes r Romano Assago to present 
 my respects to Your Highness, and to say how I rejoice 
 with all my heart at this happy marriage concluded 
 between you and the Signor Duca nostr. Ecc mo ."* 
 
 We have already seen how constantly she kept in 
 touch with her nephew Vespasiano, sharing all his joys 
 and sorrows, and most deeply regretting that her delicate 
 health had prevented her from being present on the great 
 occasion of his proclaiming his city open to all inhabitants. 
 * Archivio Gonzaga, Mantua. 
 248 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 In March, 1563, at the time when she lost her two dear 
 friends at Trent, another great bereavement awaited her. 
 We have seen with what constant affection she had 
 watched over the chequered life of her dearly loved 
 Ippolita, Duchess of Mondragone, the daughter of her 
 friend, Ferrante Gonzaga. After a brief illness of nine 
 days, this charming lady, at the early age of twenty-eight, 
 passed away from the loving care of Giulia Gonzaga. 
 The following quotations are from a letter written to 
 Vespasiano by Ippolita's husband, full of grief and 
 remorse : 
 
 " I remain so afflicted and disconsolate from this most 
 bitter event, which affords me such a sad occasion of 
 writing to Your Lordship, that it is with great difficulty 
 I can send you this most grievous news. My Duchess is 
 dead, and I do not know how I have remained alive yet 
 at the same time buried in eternal sorrow. To relate 
 briefly how it happened. . . . On the first of March she 
 was attacked by a little fever and headache, but on the 
 7th of the month, she was so much better that she thought 
 of asking the doctor's permission to leave her bed. Then 
 suddenly, at the 18th hour of the same day, she was 
 seized with violent pain, and in the night, about the 7th 
 hour of Wednesday the 8th instant — the most Illustrious 
 Signora Giulia Gonzaga being present, having with her 
 usual devotion kept loving watch from the beginning to 
 the end — my wife passed away from this life, leaving me 
 in despair. . . ." The Duke of Mondragone then alludes 
 to the death of Ercole Gonzaga, Cardinal of Mantua, 
 which had occurred at Trent on March 2, as an 
 additional grief for Giulia. 
 
 We have further particulars about Ippolita in some 
 letters written by II Tansillo to Onerata Tancredi, both 
 
 249 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 friends of the Countess of Fondi : "... At last God took 
 to himself this noble spirit . . . the Princess having com- 
 municated on the Sunday before, when she felt better, as 
 though she foresaw that which would happen. ... All 
 the circumstances which can deepen our sorrow are com- 
 bined in this death of Madonna, for she was so young, so 
 beautiful, so brave, and such a rare and wonderful lady, 
 that the whole city of Naples is plunged in grief. I do 
 not speak of myself, although I have received from her 
 grace and favour, more suitable to the greatness of her 
 soul than to my poor worth, and shall hold her memory 
 in eternal honour. May God give her a high place in His 
 glory. ... It is very sad to see the Duke deprived of 
 her now, when she is dearer to him than ever. But what 
 shall I say of our Signora Donna Giulia, whom I have 
 seen so tenderly watching over the poor girl, during her 
 sad and painful journey hence, and who is now over- 
 whelmed with incomparable sorrow ? I could not look 
 upon her without tears . . . and when we think that to 
 this is added other losses of dear friends* . . . which has 
 so afflicted the Signora Donna Giulia that she has indeed 
 need that God should help her. Now she has gone into 
 retirement, and does not receive any visits, because, in 
 truth, she is very far from well. . . . May it please God 
 to preserve her to us for many years, as, indeed, we cannot 
 spare her. . . ." 
 
 On March 27 Luigi Tansillo writes again : " I hear 
 that your Signora [Giulia] is bearing her great loss with 
 all the fortitude of her strong and Christian spirit. . . . 
 It is four days since I saw her, and she seemed to me 
 better in health. Our dear Lady is wise with heavenly 
 
 * Cardinals Gonzaga and Seripando, and Maria Cardona, Marchess 
 dclla Padula, had all died this month. 
 
 250 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 wisdom, and she well knows what are the fruits of this 
 world." 
 
 Ippolita Gonzaga was mourned for and lamented in so 
 many funereal odes and elegies that they were all collected 
 in a volume * and published the next year. 
 
 With gallant fortitude and Christian courage, Giulia 
 Gonzaga bore up against all these grievous losses of 
 friends and her own increasing ill-health. We find her 
 still taking the keenest interest in all that concerns her 
 friends and relations, constantly writing to her nephew 
 Vespasiano, and most anxious to have news of his health, 
 of his doings, and of his wife, Anna d' Aragona. She 
 sends loving messages to the little Isabellica, and is greatly 
 delighted to hear of the birth of a son and heir to him on 
 December 25, 1565. Cesare Gonzaga, the son of Don 
 Ferrante, is a constant correspondent, and Giulia is on 
 most friendly terms with his wife, the sister of Carlo 
 Borromeo. She even tries to arrange a suitable marriage 
 between two young people of the same reformed religious 
 views, the niece of Cardinal Morone with Andrea Gonzaga, 
 Cesare's brother. 
 
 Yet, during these last years of her life, she suffered 
 so much from ill-health that she received constant letters 
 of sympathy and comfort from her many friends and 
 admirers. And still the long death-roll of those who 
 had been her fellow-disciples of Valdes, continued to 
 increase. In 1560 she heard of the death at Padua of 
 Luigi Priuli, the great ally of Cardinal Pole; in 1563, 
 Bernardino Ochino passed away in Moravia, and in 1565 
 Pier Paolo Vergerio ended his days at Tubingen. All 
 these had found safety in flight from their country, but 
 
 * " Rime di diversi eccell. autori in morte delle Illustris Sig. D. 
 Hippolita Gonzaga." Napoli : Scotto. 1564. 
 
 251 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 Giulia's last and most devoted religious friend, Pietro 
 Carnesecchi, still lived to comfort and encourage her with 
 his letters. 
 
 On December 10, 1565, Pius IV. died, and after a brief 
 conclave Michele Ghislieri was elected Pope, taking the 
 name of Pius V., on January 7, 1566. He was a complete 
 contrast to his predecessor — a stern ascetic, and violent 
 Inquisitor, who now found himself in a position to make 
 the Holy Office far more violent in its measures, he 
 himself spending most of his time inquiring into cases of 
 heresy of ten or twenty years 1 ' standing. Giulia Gonzaga 
 had long been strictly watched by him, and for her it was 
 a merciful escape from the most cruel persecution that she 
 passed away from this life on April 19, 1566. 
 
 Feeling death approaching, she devoted much care and 
 thought to the making of her will, that she might continue 
 as far as possible her good works and loving care for all 
 who had any claim upon her charity. This document 
 begins in the usual way : " In the name of God the Father, 
 the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen. I, Giulia Gonzaga 
 Colonna, wishing to dispose of my goods and property 
 after my death. ... In the first place, I offer and 
 recommend my soul to the Lord God Almighty, most 
 merciful Father, and to Jesus Christ His Son and my 
 Redeemer, that He may deign to receive me into eternal 
 life. ... I institute and make my nephew, the Illus mo 
 Vespasiano Gonzaga, my universal heir . . . with the 
 exception of all the following legacies and charges. . . ." 
 Then she carefully enumerates all the poor friends whom she 
 supports, with minute directions concerning the payments 
 to them and to her dependants and servants, not forgetting 
 several slaves to whom she gives freedom and also pro- 
 vides for their care. She desired to be buried in the 
 
 252 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 Church of the Monastery of San Francesco delle Monache, 
 " where I have lived for so many years and at present 
 dwell." It is curious to note that Giulia especially asked 
 for the prayers of Signora Donna Anna d' Aragona, the 
 wife of her nephew Vespasiano. Well, indeed, was it 
 for the dying lady that the near future was hidden 
 from her. 
 
 Vespasiano was in Rome when he received the sad 
 news, and he wrote to the Duke of Mantua in these 
 words : "... It has pleased our Lord that the Signora 
 Donna Giulia Gonzaga, my aunt, has ended her days in 
 the most Christian manner — called away to the better 
 life, and leaving me stricken with the deepest grief. . . ." 
 
 Tasso has some charming lines : 
 
 " Giulia Gonzaga . . . che le luci sante 
 E i suoi pensier siccome strali al segno 
 Rivolti a Dio, in lui viva, in se morta 
 Di null' altro si ciba, e si consorta." * 
 
 Amongst the many elegies upon the death of this 
 greatly beloved lady, is one worthy of notice by the 
 Magnifico Sertorio Pepe, to whom she left in her will 
 dowries for his two daughters. 
 
 In a very different way was Giulia remembered by the 
 Crowned Inquisitor who sat on the throne of St. Peter. 
 It was the uncomfortable custom on the accession of a 
 new Pope for his personal goods to be pillaged by the 
 populace. Pope Pius V. was greatly disturbed by finding 
 that a certain chest containing a number of heretical 
 
 * " Giulia Gonzaga . . . who dwelt in the holy light, and whose 
 thoughts like arrows to the mark, turned to God ; in Him she lived, 
 in Him she died, by no other was she nourished, with no other did 
 she abide." 
 
 253 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 papers had been taken. This, however, was soon found, 
 and contained material which enabled Pius V. to com- 
 mand the sequestration of all Giulia Gonzaga's papers 
 and letters in the Convent of San Francesco. Here 
 the Inquisition found that " Donna Giulia had kept up 
 an heretical correspondence with Pietro Carnesecchi 
 and many others. . . ." The Pope, on seeing these 
 writings, declared that " if he had seen these before 
 her death, he would have taken good care to burn her 
 alive."* 
 
 Pietro Carnesecchi had long been a man marked by the 
 Inquisition, and his touching prayer that " he might not 
 long survive his queen " was destined to be realized. 
 Trusting in the friendship and protection of Duke Cosimo, 
 he remained at Florence, but a few months after Giulia's 
 death he was arrested at the table of the Duke by order 
 of the Inquisition, and thrown into prison in Rome on 
 July 4, 1566. Then followed that famous trial which 
 lasted for months, and in which Carnesecchi is but the 
 figurehead, " while the real heroes are the illustrious 
 dead." They had been watched and suspected for years, 
 that noble company who, under the teaching of Vald£s, 
 had striven bravely for the reformation of the Church. 
 Some had already suffered, some had fled, and many had 
 died before this process ; but the pursuit of heresy ceased 
 not at the grave, and men and women who in life had 
 been most honoured and revered, were arraigned before 
 that dread merciless tribunal and condemned as heretics. 
 The names of Giulia Gonzaga and most of her friends in 
 Naples will be found in that roll-call of martyrs — in will 
 if not in deed. To do full justice to this theme would 
 require another volume. We can only touch upon the 
 * II Rabbi, in a letter of June 28, 1566. Appendix, note 11. 
 
 254 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 tragic ending of that great trial, when seventeen living 
 heretics were condemned, of whom fifteen were sentenced 
 to imprisonment for life or to the galleys, and Pietro 
 Carnesecchi, in company with the Friar Giulio Maresio, 
 was beheaded, and then burned on the bridge of Sant' 
 Angelo. 
 
 255 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 The will of Giulia Gonzaga leaves all her possessions to her beloved 
 nephew Vespasiano — Mysterious fate of his wife, Anna d' 
 Aragona — Vespasiano Vice-Duca of Casale Monferrato — In- 
 teresting literary society — He is summoned to Spain by Philip II., 
 and devotes many years to works of fortification and defence of 
 the coast — Made Viceroy of Navarre — Death of his mother 
 Isabella ; he succeeds to the Colonna estates — Returns to Sab- 
 bioneta and devotes himself to its greatness and splendour — 
 Laden with honours and dignities, Vespasiano dies in 1591, 
 leaving as heir his surviving daughter Isabella, wife of the Prince 
 of Stigliano — With the death of the Master- Builder fades 
 away all the pomp and glory of his beloved city of Sabbioneta. 
 
 The history of Giulia Gonzaga and her family would be 
 incomplete without a brief account of the later life of 
 Vespasiano, the nephew whom she had adopted and loved 
 as her own son. 
 
 We left him at the beginning of the year 1565 on the 
 very pinnacle of his greatness and happiness, when his 
 city of Sabbioneta had risen from the ground, and a son 
 and heir had been born to him to carry on his pomp and 
 glory to posterity. But it is never safe to call any man 
 happy until death has set the seal upon his fate. 
 
 Fortunate as this Gonzaga prince was in all else, he 
 was certainly destined to meet with disaster in his 
 marriage arrangements. The Princess Anna d' Aragona, 
 a most interesting and charming personage to whom he 
 
 256 
 
GIULIA GONZAGA (reputed). 
 
 With Attributes of St. Agatha. 
 
 Sebastiano del Piombo. 
 
 In the National Gallery. 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 was devoted, had recovered her health after the birth of 
 her son, when, of a sudden, without any apparent reason, 
 during a temporary absence of her husband, she left 
 her home and her children and took up her solitary 
 abode at Rivarolo fuori, some miles away. Here she 
 dressed in mourning, was a prey to the most profound 
 melancholy, refused to see anyone — even her husband — 
 but dwelt alone with her secret trouble. After a year of 
 solitude and wretchedness, worn out and wasted away 
 with some consuming grief, she died on July n, 1567, 
 bearing her secret to the tomb. 
 
 Such, at least, is the common report; but it seems to 
 me that it is not difficult to suggest a reason for even such 
 strange conduct as that of the unfortunate lady. We may 
 naturally suppose that the mystery of her predecessor, 
 Diana di Cardona's terrible fate, had been kept from the 
 second wife of Vespasiano. Then, after her boy was born, 
 in her hour of weakness when she was more sensitive 
 and impressionable than usual, suppose that the sudden 
 revelation came upon her, by some chance words over- 
 heard, of the tragic event which had taken place in that 
 very palace of Sabbioneta. We can fancy the poor lady 
 overwhelmed with horror, and haunted by the thought of 
 those two days and nights of lingering agony, until the 
 pale spectre of the dead Diana became an ever-present 
 vision to the woman who had taken her place. If this 
 were so, could we wonder that Reason trembled on her 
 throne, and that poor Anna was driven away from her 
 home and all that she loved by an accusing ghost ? 
 
 Had Giulia lived, we can imagine the young wife 
 seeking comfort and strength from so brave and loving a 
 nature ; but, supposing this theory is correct, she was too 
 loyal and too proud to betray her husband's secret to her 
 
 257 17 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 Own family — she had no other near friend — and there was 
 nothing for her but to bury the tragic story in her heart, 
 until death came to her as a vicarious atonement. 
 
 On this occasion there was no doubt about the depth 
 and violence of Vespasiano's grief; he so far forgot his 
 own greatness and importance that he actually buried 
 himself in a cloister of monks and remained there, sharing 
 their ascetic life and devoting himself to religious observ- 
 ances, for a whole month. Then his kinsman Guglielmo, 
 Duke of Mantua, full of kindness and pity, went to see 
 the sorrowing widower, and persuaded him to return to 
 active life and to enter his service. The two friends 
 travelled together to Casale Monferrato on the River Po 
 (between Pavia and Turin), the capital of the Duchy of 
 Monferrato, which Guglielmo had inherited from his 
 mother, Margherita Paleologa. Here there seems to 
 have been a rebellion, and Vespasiano discovered a plot 
 to betray the city ; the rebels were punished, and the 
 Duke left his friend in possession as Vice-Duca. 
 
 We must presume that his buoyant nature had some- 
 what recovered from the unusual fit of depression, for the 
 young lord became very popular during his stay of more 
 than a year in this pleasant city, where there appears to 
 have been a lively literary society. A most interesting 
 account of the conversation at certain supper-parties in 
 Casale is given by one of the guests, Stefano Guazzo, 
 in a book which recalls parts of the " Cortegiano " of 
 Baldassare Castiglione. It was written by command of 
 Vespasiano, who said to Guazzo one night after a specially 
 interesting variety of discussions : 
 
 " You ought to preserve the memory of the converse 
 we have had; add to it with your skill the necessary 
 ornaments, and raise thus a temple to the Art of Conver- 
 
 258 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 sation." Guazzo assures us that he blushed at the 
 thought of it, but he set to work and wrote a book which 
 has made his name famous.* Most interesting and 
 characteristic of the period as it is, we have only space 
 for a brief account of this work. It is divided into four 
 parts, of which the last is entirely taken up with the 
 account of a certain supper-party at Casale, and this the 
 most curious. 
 
 The lady of the house, Madonna Caterina, is surrounded 
 by seven friends when Vespasiano arrives with his cousin, 
 Ercole Visconti. All the company rise at his entrance, 
 and when he has begged them to be seated, there follows 
 a space of silence. Looking round, the princely guest 
 notices that they are a company of ten — one too many, 
 as nine is the number of the Muses — and he offers to 
 retire. Madonna Caterina implores him to remain : 
 "... No doubt nine is the number of the Muses, but in 
 such an assembly there should always be a tenth — namely 
 Apollo. . . ." The ice being thus broken, conversation 
 begins, and it is suggested that Vespasiano should be 
 " king" of the evening, being of the highest rank. " No, 
 indeed," he replies. " Consider that I have left my titles 
 at home, and am only a private individual. Let us cast 
 lots for the king and queen of this company." 
 
 There was a book upon the table — of course, it was a 
 " Petrarch " — and the Lord Vespasiano opens it at the 
 sonnet which begins : " Oime il bel viso, . . ." the beautiful 
 lines written by the poet on hearing of the death of Laura. 
 He is thereupon proclaimed king, and Madonna Giovanni 
 is declared queen by virtue of the seventh line : " Alma 
 real, dignissima d' impero." 
 
 * Stefano Guazzo, " Conversazione Civite de Casale." Translated 
 into English and French. See Appendix, note 12. 
 
 259 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 It appears that at the moment of the arrival of the two 
 last guests, the subject discussed was " Solitude," and 
 each person had to point out the spot he, or she, would 
 rather choose in which to lead a solitary life, explaining 
 the reason of the selection. Each person makes an 
 ingenious answer, and the judges — Vespasiano and 
 another lord — have to decide which is best ; but as it 
 seems a long affair, they suggest that they had better have 
 supper first, leaving the solitary ones to their fasting and 
 prayers, for the good of their souls. " Not at all," these 
 last argue ; " this is our carnival before Lent begins ; 
 besides, fasts begin in the morning, not the evening." 
 After supper the conversation becomes more lively. A 
 subject suggested, was to name one thing which is caused 
 by two others. Vespasiano, turning to Madonna Caterina, 
 says : " I present you Confusion, which Hope and Fear 
 have brought forth in my heart." 
 
 Thereupon, she replies to him with flattering deference : 
 " I present you with a Crown which Letters and Arms 
 have combined to form." 
 
 Ercole Visconti has to pay a forfeit, and is condemned 
 by the queen to answer all the questions and solve all the 
 problems. He is asked : " What is swifter than the wind, 
 or the flight of a bird ?" And made answer : " The mind 
 of man, which can fly in a moment from earth to heaven." 
 
 " To whom can we most safely reveal a secret ?" He 
 replied : " To a liar, because if he says anything he is not 
 believed." 
 
 " What is envy most like ?" — " To the worm which eats 
 into the wood." 
 
 " What burns more fiercely than fire ?" — " Love," was 
 the reply. 
 
 " What thing resembles death most closely ?" — 
 
 260 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 " Woman, because, like death, she follows those who flee 
 from her, while she refuses to listen to one who calls 
 her." 
 
 " What other thing is like a woman ?" — " A pair of scales, 
 because she also bends towards the side where she receives 
 most." 
 
 " Who are the most unfortunate subjects ?" — " Those 
 who have to serve several lords, for several bags are more 
 difficult to fill than one." 
 
 These are only a few of the many subjects discussed. 
 Thus, much is said as to why lovers prefer solitude, 
 whether the eyes or the tongue speak with most eloquence, 
 what is the power of tears, and why it is that women are 
 more ready to weep than men ; what is the secret of beauty, 
 and a variety of other topics on which various witty and 
 flattering remarks are made. 
 
 We might almost fancy ourselves amongst the " Pre- 
 cieuses " of Moliere, save for a somewhat broad love of 
 good stories. Here is one which gave great pleasure. A 
 certain Messer Currado having shot a crane, was surprised 
 to see it brought up to table with only one leg and thigh. 
 The cook, Chichibio, is sent for next morning, and his 
 master angrily demands an explanation. Chichibio 
 humbly asks him to look out of the window which com- 
 mands a view of the lake, and then points out that all the 
 cranes on the water's edge have only one leg. Thereupon 
 Messer Currado cries aloud, and the cranes fly away, 
 clearly showing both legs. " Oh, master," exclaimed the 
 cook, " if you had only cried out like that last night, the 
 crane would have put down the other leg and thigh !" 
 
 This reply amused Messer Currado so much that 
 Chichibio escaped a beating for having given the tit-bits to 
 his Brunetta. 
 
 261 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 This book of Guazzo had a most extraordinary success, 
 and all over Italy, France, and England, attempts were 
 made to imitate the lively and fanciful conversation of the 
 " Suppers at Casale." We remember how, in later years, 
 Madelon wanted impromptus, and Cathos asked for 
 enigmas, until Moliere made the " Precieuses " ridiculous. 
 
 Life at Casale was only a brief interlude in the life of 
 Vespasiano, but the account of Guazzo gives a vivid 
 picture of the period. The prince had far more serious 
 work to think of at Sabbioneta, which, after his own 
 personal glory, was the one thing which he cared for in the 
 world. When he was called away to the Court of Spain, 
 he left his cousin, Ercole Visconti, to continue the great 
 work of improving and beautifying his new city. As for 
 his children, he provided the most careful nurses and 
 learned tutors for his son Luigi, and his little daughter 
 Isabella was sent to Naples to be brought up by her grand- 
 mother, the Princess of Sulmona. He then went to Genoa, 
 from whence he embarked for Barcelona on September 3 
 with all his equipage, and, continuing his journey to 
 Madrid, he was received with great honour by King Philip 
 and all the Court. In the early spring of the year 1570, 
 Vespasiano accompanied His Majesty to Cordova, and for 
 a time he appears to have had charge of the young arch- 
 dukes. But more important work awaited him, for there 
 came news of the Moorish rebellion at Granada, and it was 
 feared that the Turks would support them by an expedition 
 to ravage the coast. The Gonzaga prince was sent to 
 Carthagena as an expert in the art of fortification, to see 
 to the defences of the citadel and port, which he hoped to 
 make impregnable. 
 
 It was while he was on that distant coast that he heard 
 of the death of his mother, the Princess Isabella ; and now 
 
 262 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 he came into the vast possessions of his grandfather, 
 Vespasiano Colonna. But even this did not entice him 
 away from the service of the Spanish King ; he contented 
 himself with sending Federico Zanichelli as his Factor- 
 General, to claim and take charge of all the property and 
 castles in the Campagna, and also of the Duchy of Trajetto, 
 the Countship of Fondi, with other cities and great estates 
 in Southern Italy. The following year, Vespasiano was 
 promoted by Philip to a post of great importance, being 
 appointed Viceroy of Navarre — a high token of trust and 
 esteem. He appears to have given great satisfaction, and 
 to have found plenty of congenial work in his new kingdom. 
 He began with the fortification of Pampluna, where he 
 built a citadel and added a hospital for sick soldiers. 
 Then passing on to the Province of Guipuscoa, he added a 
 new fort to the little city of Fonterabia in April, 1572, and 
 greatly strengthened the defences of San Sebastian, so 
 important from its situation and the commerce of its 
 port. 
 
 We next hear of his crossing the seas to Africa that 
 he might fortify Oran, and traces of his defensive work 
 may still be seen above the town of Santa Cruz, which 
 commands the bay of " Marzaelquibir." On his way back 
 he saw to the defences of Gibraltar and Cadiz, and then 
 returned to the Court at Seville, where he was received 
 with enthusiasm by the king. As soon as his son Luigi 
 was old enough, he sent for him to Spain that he might 
 be enrolled as first page to Don Ferdinand, the son of 
 Philip II. 
 
 Meantime, Vespasiano had never forgotten his precious 
 city of Sabbioneta, the most beloved of all his possessions, 
 governed during his absence by his cousin, Ercole Visconti, 
 who constantly wrote to consult him about fresh buildings 
 
 263 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 and improvements. The Lord of Sabbioneta had long 
 desired to return to his home and his country; but the 
 king could not yet spare this master-builder of fortifica- 
 tions, and now sent him to inspect the realm of Valencia, 
 the coast of Alicante, then to Barcelona, to Peniscola, 
 everywhere building fresh forts, with moats and walls. 
 Always under the first stone of each building was placed 
 a precious medal with the effigy of Philip II. Mean- 
 time, fresh honours poured upon Vespasiano from all 
 sides, for his Governor, Visconti, had not been idle, as he 
 had obtained from the Emperor Maximilian II., a 
 diploma, by which Sabbioneta was raised to a Principality, 
 and Vespasiano could have his own Council of Justice, 
 which it was his privilege to enter in state, preceded by 
 two staff-bearers with silver maces. 
 
 On the occasion of each new reign he hastens to pay 
 homage, and obtains some fresh honour and dignity for 
 his beloved city. Thus, when Rodolph II. succeeds 
 Maximilian, Sabbioneta is created a Duchy, dependent, as 
 before, only upon the Roman Empire. The mild 
 successors of Charles V. " shelter him under their august 
 shadow, and grant him their protection and that of their 
 imperial eagle," as the diploma states. And this proud 
 captain meekly bows before them, satisfied with the fact 
 that he rules supreme over his city, to which all these 
 concessions are a practical advantage. Yet all this great- 
 ness had to be most carefully schemed in order to avoid 
 jealousy, for there were other dukes in his family, and 
 even the Ambassador from Mantua knew nothing of his 
 ducal honour until the imperial diploma was signed on 
 November 18, 1577. Vespasiano had now attained the 
 desire of his heart, and, loaded with honours, he returned 
 to Italy in July of the following year, pleading, with truth, 
 his failing health. 
 
 264 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 He was escorted by a fleet of five galleys, belonging to 
 Prince Doria, and reached Genoa in eleven days, having 
 been detained for three days in a port of Provence to 
 avoid a tempest. He greatly desired to visit his daughter 
 Isabella, who appears to have remained at Naples, but as 
 he said, "he could not wrong his first-born, the City!" 
 and he returned at once to Sabbioneta. 
 
 The first care of the duke was to enhance his pomp 
 and glory by causing his new arms to be carved all over 
 his city; the imperial eagle {bicipite) in a field of gold, 
 and below in golden words on a field azure, the magic 
 words " Libertas," which henceforth he also used on his 
 seals and his money. Then he set to work on completing 
 his fortifications and furnishing them with cannons. We 
 have an interesting account of the way he acquired his 
 artillery, and particulars of all his cannons, which were 
 each specially named. Having thus assured peace at 
 home, he could devote himself entirely to beautifying his 
 city with all the Arts. This had already made good 
 progress under the care of Visconti, for he found the new 
 gallery to contain his many treasures painted in frieze on 
 stucco, in bright colours, representing Naples, Rome, 
 Florence, Genoa, Constantinople, Venice, Augusta, and 
 Antwerp. In front is Sabbioneta, and Mirandola on the 
 other side. The camino of the gallery is of the deepest 
 red Venetian marble, and very fine. He next opened in 
 state the second gate of his city, which he called 
 " Imperial," and on it was placed this inscription : 
 
 VESPASIANUS DI GONZAGA. DUX SABLONET^ 
 POETAM HANC IMPERIALI 
 
 NOMINE DECORATAM 
 CONSTRUENDAM CURAVIT. 
 ANNO SALUTIS MDLXXIX. 
 
 265 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 The other gate of the city was dedicated to " Victory," 
 with another stately inscription. As we have already 
 seen, Sabbioneta had its Mint, where the duke coined his 
 money as a sovereign prince. It also had its library, to 
 which the Gonzaga lord made constant additions ; for all 
 his life he had a passion for books, and possibly was not 
 always scrupulous as to the means of obtaining them. 
 We are led to suppose that this was the case by a letter 
 from his friend, Galeazzo Florimont, Bishop of Sessa, 
 in which he writes: "I should be pleased to send you 
 certain books which I possess, and which would interest 
 you, but you soldier lords are so accustomed to pillage 
 that you might not trouble to return them to me." 
 
 So great was the duke's love of literature that he not 
 only had a rich collection of ancient works, but encouraged 
 living authors of repute. The famous Doctor of Law, 
 Jacopo Menechio, was so grateful that he presented his 
 patron with a portrait, while philosophers, orators, 
 mathematicians, and poets, all found in him the two 
 qualities of a Mecaenas — great earnestness in the en- 
 couragement of learning, and generosity in its remunera- 
 tion. Aldo Manuzio dedicated a work to Vespasiano, and 
 received a gold necklace, while rich presents were given 
 to Francesco Ziletta, Girolamo Bardi, Monaco Carnal - 
 dolese, Muzio Sforza, and many others. Good musicians 
 were encouraged at his Court, but above all he desired 
 the services of painters, sculptors, and wood-carvers, in 
 whose work he greatly delighted. 
 
 Thus, in the ducal palace we still find the suite of 
 fifteen or more reception-rooms, with the most splendid 
 carved ceilings of precious woods, such as cedar, olive, 
 etc., on which garlands of flowers, coats of arms, angels, 
 and amorini are carved in relief in the thickness of the 
 
 266 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 wood. As Bernardino Baldi says: "In the time of 
 Solomon we know how much precious woods were used, 
 and we have seen this custom renewed, with exquisite 
 taste, by the Most Excellent Vespasiano, Duke of 
 Sabbioneta, who, in the magnificence of his fabrics and 
 the greatness of his soul, is as famous as any of the 
 ancients." But perhaps the most interesting of these 
 carvings in wood were the twelve life-sized equestrian 
 statues of his ancestors, beginning with Luigi, first 
 Captain of Mantua and Vicar of the Empire in 1328, and 
 ending with himself. They formed a most imposing 
 group, with their rich costumes and ancient armour, 
 painted in natural colours in the upper hall at the head of 
 the great marble staircase,* and they are believed to be 
 excellent portraits. Another proof of the duke's devotion 
 to his family is shown in a series of medallions, some in 
 marble and others in stucco, round one of the splendid 
 chambers, representing all the princes and princesses of his 
 family, which are perfectly well preserved to this day, and 
 have immense value for the historian, as we learn from 
 contemporary documents that they are authentic likenesses. 
 As for the artists, they flocked to Sabbioneta from 
 Cremona, Venice, Mantua, and elsewhere, and perhaps the 
 most famous of the sculptors was Leone Leoni, famous 
 alike for his genius and his jealousy, whose only friend 
 was Michelangelo. To him we owe the splendid bronze 
 statue of Vespasiano, who is represented seated, in a semi- 
 antique costume, with outstretched hand — his look and 
 gesture of such supreme authority that we seem to hear 
 him command his city to rise from the dust. This great 
 work of art formerly stood on the Piazza Maggiore, but is 
 * Only four remain at the present day, and the colours are faded 
 
 by time. 
 
 267 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 now placed on the tomb of the master-builder, in the 
 Church of Santa Maria Incoronata. 
 
 Bernardino Campi, a pupil of Giulio Romano, was a 
 great favourite with the duke, who employed him in much 
 picturesque fresco work, both outside the palace walls and 
 in the great reception-rooms of the Palazzo del Giandino, 
 or the " Casino," near the fortifications at the end of the 
 wide Via Giulia, so called after his beloved aunt. Inside 
 the palace, more especially in the Sala di Giove and the 
 Sala di Saturno, we can still trace the charming designs 
 on ceiling and walls. We see a vivid presentment of the 
 Olympian games, columns, altars, golden statues, Victory 
 on a column, Ariadne asleep, and many scenes from the 
 legends of Jupiter. On a ceiling we make out Phaeton on 
 his car, and on the walls Pallas and Arachne, Saturn 
 turning into a horse, and a bewitching nymph who looks 
 at us with a mocking smile. We pass on from sala to sala, 
 and the frescoes follow us with the story of Orpheus, and 
 the whole tragedy of the siege of Troy, until at length we 
 reach the splendid gallery which once contained all the 
 priceless treasures of antiques, the pillage of Greece and 
 Rome — busts, statues, bas-reliefs, and sarcophagi — for 
 which Vespasiano was always willing to pay profusely. 
 He once gave Marcello Donati four hundred golden scudi 
 for seven ancient statues of gods and emperors. 
 
 Bernardino Campi was only one of many artists 
 employed at Sabbioneta ; amongst the others we may 
 mention Camillo Ballino from Venice, a pupil of Titian, 
 who was " welcomed with a smiling face "; Giovanni 
 Alberti of Borgo San Sepulchro, " a bizarre man of 
 uncertain temper 1 '; his brother Cherubino ; and Jean de 
 Ville, a Flemish painter who was drowned in the Oglio, 
 and who had a marble tomb raised to his memory. 
 
 268 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 To return to the personal affairs of Vespasiano. He had 
 returned from Spain in ill-health, and late in 1580 had a 
 serious illness. On his unlooked-for recovery, he had the 
 terrible grief of losing his only son Luigi, whom he had 
 brought back with him from Spain, and who was barely 
 fifteen years of age. In this deep sorrow for his heir, his 
 thoughts turned to religion : he rebuilt the great Church 
 of Sabbioneta, dedicated it to the " Assumption of the 
 Holy Virgin "; laid the first stone of a Church and Convent 
 of the Cappucini at Bozzolo ; gave a palace in his city to 
 the Carmelites of Mantua ; and finally began the beautiful 
 Church of Santa Maria Incoronata, "most rare and 
 wonderful," and destined later to be his mausoleum. 
 
 In the next year, the duke had recovered his spirits 
 sufficiently to build a fortified Castello at Bozzolo, where 
 he placed a paid garrison, and also made a park with a 
 circuit of two miles, in which he could keep various wild 
 animals for the chase, as the park of Sabbioneta had been 
 destroyed when he rebuilt the city. At the same time he 
 caused a strong tower to be raised at Comessagio, on 
 the river of the same name, and a bridge was constructed 
 for easier communication. Seeing him occupied at his 
 favourite work once more, his vassals appear to have 
 suggested that he should " take a new wife in the hope of 
 another heir." So it came to pass that on May 6, 1582, 
 he married the Signora Margherita Gonzaga, sister of 
 Ferrante II., Prince of Molfelto and Lord of Guastello. 
 She was born in Rome under the Pontificate of Pius IV., 
 when her father, Don Cesare, was Governor of Benevento, 
 and we are told that " she was a maiden of no small beauty 
 and in fresh age."* 
 
 There were great festivities at Sabbioneta, but as time 
 * The bride was about twenty, and Vespasiano fifty-three. 
 269 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 passed on and there were no children, Vespasiano decided 
 to make his daughter Isabella his heir, and therefore 
 married her to Luigi Caraffa, Prince of Stigliano, a " very 
 rich lord and a handsome youth." He came to Lombardy, 
 and the wedding took place at Bozzolo on November 29, 
 1584. Within two years, the son so ardently desired was 
 born, and the mighty Duchy of Sabbioneta had an heir, 
 who was welcomed with royal congratulations and many 
 odes. Honours still poured upon Vespasiano, who went 
 to Parma to receive the Order of the Golden Fleece, and 
 soon after was invited to Venice, where his name was 
 inscribed in the Golden Book, and the republic added 
 him to their nobility. He was also offered the command 
 of their armies, but this he courteously refused. His 
 fighting days, however, were not yet ended, for at this 
 time the Archduke Maximilian, brother of the Emperor 
 Rodolph, was chosen King of Poland, and went to fight 
 against Sigismond, who defeated and took him prisoner. 
 Vespasiano was asked to serve in the campaign against 
 Sigismond, and with eager chivalry he " placed himself 
 and his substance at the service of King Philip and the 
 Emperor." As a reward for his services he was made a 
 Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, and received the title 
 of "Altezza." 
 
 There was only one thing wanting to the greatness of 
 Sabbioneta ; it had as yet no theatre, and the duke lost 
 no time in setting the final seal on its glory, for the 
 dramatic art was one of those "without which it was 
 impossible to live well." Vitruvius was still his text- 
 book, and although the famous Palladio, exponent of that 
 style of architecture, had died in 1580, his pupil Scamozzi 
 had just completed the Olympian Theatre at Vicenza 
 according to the master's plans. He was summoned to 
 
 270 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 Sabbioneta, where he arrived on May 3, 1588, and was 
 received with great honour. He saw the site, and within 
 eight days he had drawn out the plans for "a theatre 
 capable of holding a great number of people, with one 
 chamber leading to the other . . . suitable for various 
 uses, with orchestra and steps for seats. . . . The 
 proscenio and the perspective to represent a great piazza 
 with a noble street in the middle, and other buildings 
 here and there of coloured wood, in imitation of 
 Nature. . . ." 
 
 These plans are yet to be seen in the museum of 
 Vicenza, and the Palladian Theatre still exists. The 
 seats of the half-circle are perfect, and also the ducal 
 box formed by a semicircular colonnade, behind which 
 the wall is covered with pictures in monochrome, repre- 
 senting classical heroes. 
 
 When Scamozzi departed on May 11, he received, in 
 the name of His Highness, who was absent, thirty 
 doubloons* of Spanish gold, besides all his expenses, 
 the " most generous expressions of esteem and gratitude," 
 and an escort back to Venice. When Scamozzi came 
 again to Sabbioneta to superintend the completion of the 
 theatre, the duke was so pleased with the work that he 
 gave the architect a gold collar, besides his fee, and " held 
 him ever in esteem and under his protection." The 
 theatre had a great loggia with eleven columns, adorned 
 by niches on the cornices, like that of Vicenza. These 
 Corinthian columns with carving are above and below ; 
 there is one continuous pedestal, with statues of the 
 divinities of Rome corresponding to each of the columns. 
 We can still look upon the gods in their ancient costume, 
 and " the goddesses in their splendid nakedness." 
 * A Spanish doubloon was then worth £3 is. iod. 
 271 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 The loggia was for the ladies, and the rows of seats 
 were for the cavaliers, and behind were two chambers. 
 Everything is adorned with frescoes painted by good 
 artists, and the three exterior facades are of such fine 
 architecture, that the whole forms a marvellous reminis- 
 cence of the pomp of Roman grandeur. 
 
 When this great work was completed, Vespasiano felt 
 that his city had reached the summit of perfection, and 
 that there was nothing more to live for. His health had 
 long been failing, and he rapidly grew weaker, until — 
 with every desire gratified, his greatness supreme, and 
 the succession assured to his grandson — he calmly pre- 
 pared for his latter end. On February 25, 1591, not yet 
 having completed his sixtieth year, he dictated his last will 
 and testament — a wonderful document of many pages — 
 in which he leaves a legacy by name to each one of those 
 who had loved and served him. No one is forgotten, 
 from the Court barber to his old friend, Monsignore 
 Schizzi of the Cathedral Church of Cremona, to whom, 
 besides 1,500 scudi, he leaves the choice of two sets of 
 tapestry hangings, one of which is to be "the tapestry 
 of the Story of Esther, with silk in the tissue, which I 
 brought back from Madrid." 
 
 Yet " himself " to the last, Vespasiano's dying thoughts 
 were filled with his own personal fame and glory. His 
 daughter Isabella was solemnly charged to erect a marble 
 sepulchre for his body in the Church of Santa Maria 
 Incoronata. She was commanded to spend upon it 
 1,500 scudi, "besides the value of the marble blocks, 
 which I myself have already had brought from Rome." 
 Upon this monument was to be placed the splendid 
 bronze statue of himself, cast by Leoni, and which " is 
 at present on the Piazza of Sabbioneta." 
 
 272 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 The duke passed away on February 26, 1591, the day 
 after he had signed his will, and was entombed according 
 to his decree, in the beautiful Church of Santa Maria In- 
 coronata, upon which a further sum of 2,500 ducats was to 
 be expended to make it a worthy resting-place for the 
 dust of — 
 
 " The Most Illustrious Highness, Vespasiano Gonzaga Colonna, 
 
 Duke of Sabbioneta and Trajetto, Marquis of Ostiano, 
 
 Count of Rodigo and Fondi, Viceroy of Navarre, 
 
 Grandee of Spain, Noble of Venice, and 
 
 Prince of the Holy Roman Empire." 
 
 With the death of Vespasiano, the pomp and glory of 
 Sabbioneta rapidly faded away ; like a dream-city it had 
 risen from the ground at his command, but without his 
 watchful care it had no real vitality. One by one all his 
 cherished institutions came to an end. The Halls of Justice, 
 the colleges, the printing works, were closed ; the priceless 
 collection of treasures was dispersed, the walls lost their 
 cannons, and the palaces were deserted, for the inhabitants 
 went back to their old pursuits. 
 
 From a splendid ducal city, Sabbioneta in the course of 
 time has became once more a straggling village in a marshy 
 plain, with only the picturesque ruins of its former 
 greatness. Peasant families encamp within the stately 
 palaces of Vespasiano ; the geranium - coloured walls 
 still enclose a forsaken city which no one attacks or 
 defends, while silence and desolation reign in the once 
 magnificent Via Giulia, and from the stately Imperial 
 Gate to the Gate of Victory, still proclaiming with blazon 
 and pomp of heraldry, the bygone splendour of its master- 
 builder. 
 
 273 18 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 CONCERNING THE PORTRAITS OF GIULIA 
 GONZAGA 
 
 These portraits have been a fertile subject of discussion 
 amongst Art critics, more especially as to which was the 
 famous picture painted by Sebastiano del Piombo, in the 
 summer of 1532, at Fondi, as a commission from the 
 Cardinal Ippolito dei Medici (see p. 106). 
 
 This honour has been attributed to various important 
 pictures by del Piombo, each of which has its supporters 
 amongst those who have studied the subject. 
 
 The whole subject is so involved, and so much has been 
 written about it, that I have thought it well to give in 
 this volume, photographs of the various pictures which 
 have been thought by well-known Art critics to be like- 
 nesses of Giulia Gonzaga. They are all extremely interest- 
 ing, and are undoubted works of Sebastiano del Piombo. 
 
 A picture from the Hof Museum, Vienna, is also 
 included — an undoubted likeness of Giulia Gonzaga by an 
 unknown painter. Here Giulia wears a black dress with 
 puffed sleeves, and a widow's veil of yellow silk. (In col- 
 lection of the Archduke Ferdinand of Tirol, and formerly 
 in the Schloss Ambras, near Innsbruck.) 
 
 We have positive authority, from Giulia's own letters, 
 that she was painted by Titian (see pp. 178, 179), but the 
 portrait has entirely disappeared. 
 
 274 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 APPENDIX 
 
 The sixteenth century was a time when everyone, with any 
 pretention to culture, wrote poetry. To lovers of Italian 
 literature of the Renaissance, it may be interesting to read 
 selections of the poems written by important characters of my 
 story, for which there would be no space in the Memoir itself. 
 This appendix also gives an opportunity for explaining and 
 entering more fully into other subjects of interest. 
 
 Note i (p. 17). — Letter of Giulia Gonzaga : 
 
 " Casalmaggiore, 23 Ottobre, 1520. 
 " Al Marchese di Mantova, 
 
 " Ilmo e t Ex mo Sig r mio obl mo Intendendoio che V. E mo . 
 S. ha molto a piacere et si dilecta de cose di musica et max e 
 cose nove, desideroso farli cosa grata, gli mando qui alligato un 
 mottetto quale ha composto Mons r Sebastiano Testa servitore 
 del R mo Mons re de Mondovi mio cit. honorar mo , el quale 
 mottetto anchora non e in mano di persona. ..." 
 
 Second letter of Giulia Gonzaga : 
 
 "Casalmaggiore, 2 Gennaio, 1521. 
 " Al Duca di Mantova, 
 
 " Havendo avuto accepto 1' altro mottetto qual mandai 
 a V. 111. S. mi son sforzata fame metere un altro inseme per 
 far piacere ad quella. . . ." 
 
 [These two letters are preserved in the Gonzaga Archives at 
 Mantua.] 
 
 275 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 Note 2 (p. 84). — Sonetto VII. (Luigi to his Isabella) : 
 
 " Se quella vostra travagliata barca, 
 Che or or vi parve in si sicuro porto, 
 Fortuna irata la respinge a torto 
 In F alto mar troppo gravata, e carca ; 
 
 Non vi turbate Donna, se ancor varca 
 II poco che vi resta, perche scorto 
 Tengo il bel lido, ove sara di corto 
 Di ricca, e onesta merce lieve, e scarca. 
 
 Ragion e se imitaste i duri giorni 
 
 Di quella Greca,* a cui '1 gran seme increbbe 
 D' Achille, si del primo amor le calse, 
 
 Ch' or imitiate 1' altra,t a cui piu valse 
 Torre a la notte quel, che '1 giorno accrebbe, 
 Accio ch' ogni valor vi fregi, e adorni." 
 
 Note 3 (p. 101). — Bernardo Tasso, in praise of Giulia 
 Gonzaga : 
 
 " II biondo, crespo, inalletto crine 
 
 Che con suavi errori ondeggia intorno, 
 Mosso da 1' aure fresche e pellegrine, 
 Ne d' altro mai che di se stesso adorno, 
 Quant' anime del ciel son cittadine 
 Stringer poria con si bel nodo intorno, 
 Che sciorso non saprian dal ricco laccio 
 Perche tornin piu volte i fiori e '1 ghiaccio. 
 
 " Chi contempla la fronte alta e serena 
 Di cui le Grazie fan dolce governo, 
 Onde 1' aere turbata si serena 
 E fugge il freddo e nubiloso vento, 
 Si sente porre al collo una catena, 
 Che non so sciogliera. forse in eterno, 
 
 * Briseis. t Penelope. From " Poems of Luigi Rodomonte Gonzaga." 
 
 276 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 Ove di man d' Amor scritto" si mira 
 Felice chi per me piange e sospira. 
 
 " S' apron due chiare e lucide fenestre 
 Sotto le nere sue tranquille ciglia, 
 Onde in questa prigion bassa e terrestre 
 Scorger si pud di Dio la meraviglia. 
 
 * -r -r ^r "K" 
 
 A quella bocca che perle e rubini 
 Avanza di vaghessa e di colore. . . . 
 
 " Purpurea grana sparsa in picciol colle 
 Di bianca neve pur caduta allora, 
 Sembra la guancia delicata e molle 
 Che foco di virtu pinge e colora ; 
 II merito ch' ad ogn' altro il pregio tolle 
 II collo e '1 petto, ove valor dimora, 
 U' castitate alberga e leggiadria. 
 L' odilo Amor, ch' ivi si nudre e cria. 
 
 "Ma 1' angeliche voci e le parole 
 
 Proprie di Dio e non d' uomo mortale. . 
 
 Oda parlar costei, ne cerchi poi 
 
 Trovar pari dolcezza unqua f ra noi. . . . 
 
 " Se gira i piedi in questa parte o in quella 
 Qualor grave e pensosa il passo muove, 
 Non tanta grazia di benigna Stella 
 Quanto da 1' orme lor deriva e piove : 
 De le sue piante per 1' erba novella 
 Esca e forme di fior leggiadre e nove, 
 Onde dice ciascun per maraviglia, 
 Quest' e di primavera o suora o figlia. 
 
 " Chiunque costei mira intento e fiso 
 Diventa pregno de 1' eterna luce 
 Tanto nel dolce suo serano viso 
 La bella donna ogn' or seco n' adduce ; 
 277 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 Ne di veder aperto il paradiso 
 
 Con quel chiaro splendor, ch' ivi riluce 
 
 S' allegran si gli spriti beati, 
 
 Come ne gli occhi suoi di foco armati. . . . 
 
 "... poscia ch' avra mill' anni e mille 
 Sepolti il tempo, de la costei gloria, 
 Ardin nel mondo ancor 1' alte faville 
 Nel dot to sen d' ogni purgata istoria ; 
 E si come di Cesare e Achille 
 Si serba ognor fra noi cara memoria 
 Viva di Julia il glorioso nome 
 Mentre speiglera il Sol 1' aurate chiome."* 
 
 Note 4 (p. 105). — Letter of Cardinal Ippolito to Giulia 
 Gonzaga, with the translation of the Second Book of the 
 "^niad": 
 
 "Illustrissima Signora, — Poiche spesso ad unoppressoad 
 gran male 1' esempio d' un maggiore alleggerisce il martire, 
 non trovando io alia pena mia altro rimedio, volsi 1' animo a 
 1' incendio di Troia e misurando con quello il mio, conobbi 
 senza dubbio nissun male entro a quelle mure essere avvenuto 
 che nel mezzo del mio petto un simile non si senta, lo quale 
 cercando in parte affogare, di quel di Troia dolendomi, ho 
 scoperto il mio ; onde lo mando a voi, acciocche egli per vera 
 simiglianza vi mostri gli affanni miei, poi che ne i sospiri, ne 
 le lagrime, ne il dolor mio ve 1' han potuto mostrare giammai."f 
 
 Note 5 (p. 112). — Barbarossa: 
 
 This Kheyr-ed-dln is the Barbarossa of modern writers ; but 
 his beard was auburn, while that of his elder brother, Uriij, 
 was the true Red-beard, and he was the real Barbarossa. 
 
 * " Stanze di diversi illustri poeti ecc." raccolte da M. Ludovico Dolci. 
 Venezia : G. Giolito De' Ferrari, 1558, p. 232. 
 
 •f II Secondo libro e tradotto da Ippolito de' Medici. In Vinegia per 
 Nicolo d' Aristotile detto Zopino con 1' anno di N.S. MDXXXX. 
 
 278 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 (Neither of the brothers was ever called Barbarossa by the 
 Turks or Moors.) Both were famous Corsair leaders — the 
 terror of the Mediterranean coast. UrQj died in 1517, while 
 his younger brother, Kheyr-ed-dln — from whom Giulia Gon- 
 zaga had so narrow an escape — lived till 1546, triumphant and 
 successful to the last. " The chief of the sea is dead " was his 
 requiem ; and long afterwards, no Turkish fleet left the Golden 
 Horn without her crew repeating a prayer and firing a salute 
 over the tomb at Beshiktish, where lie the bones of Kheyr-ed- 
 din, Barbarossa. 
 
 Note 6 (p. 113). — Muzio Giustinopolitano dedicated his 
 Eclogue, entitled " La Ninfa Fugitiva," to Monsignor Hyppo- 
 lito, Card, de' Medici, concerning the flight of the Signora 
 Giulia Gonzaga on the coming of Barbarossa : 
 
 " In questi umili accenti 
 Viene ardita a cantar nostra zampogna 
 II periglio, la fuga e lo spavento 
 D' un altra ninfa, i cui dolci vestigi 
 S' avesse seguitato un altro Apfeo 
 Fra noi s' avrebbe una nova Arethusa. 
 
 Fuggia da here man di fenti ladre 
 Che venute di la dal gelid 'Istro 
 Solcando V alto mar, trahendo prede 
 E svenando pastor, gregge et armenti, 
 Vaghi di riportane eterni pregi 
 A barbarichi lidi, al bel Petruolo 
 Corsi eran per spogliar le nostre rive 
 Del primo onor : fuggia la bella Ninfa 
 Che splende di belta fra 1' altre belle, 
 Qual fra i lumi minor la bianca Luna. 
 
 "... Addolorata e sola 
 Fuggia, sparse le chiome a 1' aura, e ignudo 
 II santissimo petto e scinta e scalza 
 Le molli piante per 1' oscura notte 
 279 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 Per duri sterpi e per deserti monti 
 Sospinto da timor, da gelosia 
 Di vita no, di liberta. e d' onore. 
 Et ne fan fede i rivi, ibalzi e itronchi 
 Che con voce di duol languide e fioche 
 Torno piu volte a dir, fra queste rupi 
 E' sia meglio il morir, che stando in vita 
 Sbramar la rabbia d' affamati cani. 
 O qual era a sentir il pianto amaro 
 Qual il dolor, de gli angosciosi huai ! 
 Per te dunque, dicea, forma infelice, 
 Caduco nor, per te 1' eterno frutto 
 Di mia onesta vedro caduto e sparso 
 Fracido in terra a le piu sporche belve ? 
 Tu col tuo van piacer prima cagione 
 Se 'de 'miei mali : tu il nimico stuolo 
 Mi tiri appresso : tu nel gran periglio 
 Di servitu m' hai posta e di vergogna ! 
 ***** 
 
 " O quante volte al tremolar de 1' ora 
 Fra le tenere frondi o al suon d' un ste 
 Mosso da lei col teneretto piede 
 Tutto di freddo orror si ricoverse, 
 Parendole sentir per le sue orme 
 II romor de' seguenti : e piu dappresso 
 Farlesi d' or in or ; e gia alle spalle 
 Aver la turba e rimaner cattiva. 
 
 " Ninfa ove fuggi ? e perche '1 dolce viso 
 Guasti col pianto ? Vuolsi aver piu cara 
 Tanta belta, per lo cui chiaro grido 
 Vengono amiche a te 1' armate squadre, 
 Che tu fuggi nemica. II santo amore 
 A te 1' ha porte con 1' aurate penne, 
 280 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 Amor, perche ti faccia il gran Tiranno 
 Tra le reine sue prima Reina." * 
 
 Note 7 (p. 115). — This cruel fable was published by a certain 
 Filocolo Alicarnasseo, apparently a bigoted friar, who could 
 not invent and circulate in his book enough scandals against 
 Giulia Gonzaga — a heretic " condemned by the Inquisition." 
 Ireneo Affo (1 741-1747), the learned historian and biographer, 
 says of Filocolo : " Questo frate mente per la gola !" 
 
 Note 8 (p. 140). — The father of Juan Valdes was Fernando, 
 Regidor of Cuenca, in Castile ; and he had a twin-brother, 
 Alfonso, who long held an important post at the Court of 
 Charles V. Alfonso was a great admirer of Erasmus ; but he 
 is chiefly known as writer of the "Dialogo de Lactancio," to 
 vindicate the Emperor after the sack of Rome, 1527. He 
 died in 1532, and it is interesting to find Thomas Cranmer 
 writing in his praise to Henry VIII., October 20, 1532 : " . . . 
 There has died of the plague Waldesius, a Spaniard, the 
 Emperor's Chief Secretary, who enjoyed his singular favour, 
 . . . when he would have anything well done in the Latin 
 tongue, it was ever put to Waldesius." 
 
 His more famous brother Juan devoted himself to literature, 
 and later became intensely interested in the reforming move- 
 ment. His dialogue on " Mercury and Charon " compromised 
 him with the Inquisition ; he therefore left Spain in 1530, and 
 settled at Naples, where he died in 1541. 
 
 His religious influence was very great in Italy ; and he also 
 had a circle of enthusiastic " Valdesian scholars " in Spain, 
 Germany, France, and, above all, in England. His books 
 were soon translated into all these languages. His chief 
 works are : 
 
 " Dialogo de Mercurio y Caron." 
 
 " Dialogo de la Lengua." A beautiful study of the Spanish 
 language. 
 
 * " Muzio Giustinopolitano." Egloghe, Venezia, 1550, libro v., p. 125. 
 
 281 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 " Alfabeto Cristiano." Religious dialogue between Vald6s 
 and Giulia. 
 
 " CX Considerationes." Celio Secondo Curione prefaces 
 the first edition with a letter, in which he says : " No writer 
 has soared to such a height, nor demonstrated so powerfully, 
 nor reasoned so sweetly, nor with such majesty, nor with such 
 authority, nor with such grace, as our Valdes." 
 
 Valdes also made translations from the Hebrew and Greek 
 into Spanish, and wrote Commentaries on the Psalms, most of 
 St. Paul's Epistles, those of St. Peter ; lastly, the Gospel of 
 St. Matthew, and possibly the other Gospels likewise. Most 
 of these were dedicated to Giulia Gonzaga by a preface nearly 
 five thousand words in length. In the Commentaries, each 
 verse or group of verses is taken and dwelt upon in earnest, 
 thoughtful words. 
 
 He also composed treatises on Christian Repentance, Faith, 
 and Life. He wrote a Catechism for children, of which the 
 Spanish is lost ; but the Italian translation was again translated 
 by Pietro Paolo Vergerio into Latin, and later turned into 
 German and Polish. 
 
 The teaching of Vald6s may be clearly traced in the " Bene- 
 ficio di Cristo crucifisso," which had an immense circulation 
 in Italy, but was supposed to have been extirpated by the 
 Inquisition, . . . until a copy was found at Cambridge in 
 1855. The authorship of the little book has been hotly 
 contested. 
 
 Note 9 (p. 141). — ■" Dialogo de Mercurio y Caron" (Dialogue 
 of Mercury and Charon). By Juan de Valdes. 
 
 In the form of dialogue, Valdes deals with the corruption of 
 the age. He tells how Mercury has travelled through the 
 world in order to discover a people living according to the laws 
 of Nature and Reason, but he has found only vanity. . . . 
 Charon, the boatman of the Styx, is described as holding con- 
 verse with his passengers to the other world, and each soul is 
 
 282 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 unconsciously compelled to tell the whole truth concerning his 
 past life. 
 
 Thus we have a famous preacher, vain of his great reputa- 
 tion, who calmly owned that he never reproved those who 
 were present at his sermons, and that his own glory and wealth 
 were his only aims in life. Then a Duke passes. He confesses 
 that he only lived to enjoy himself and grasp all the money he 
 could squeeze from his vassals ; ... but he had built churches 
 to make sure of heaven, and had bought Papa' Bulls as his 
 passport there. Charon argues with him, and points out that 
 all this is useless. . . . Next follow, first a Bishop and then 
 a Cardinal, who have each used their sacred office for their 
 own selfish purposes, and are much dismayed to learn the 
 vanity of their careless assurance. 
 
 Then a soul appears who had been looked upon as a saint 
 on earth, who had led an ascetic life, had been revered for 
 his poverty and self-denial, and believed himself to be in a 
 state of perfection. Charon abruptly asks him if he has charity, 
 as all else is of no avail without it, and the ascetic stands 
 self-condemned. 
 
 A theologian follows, who boasts that he could make people 
 believe whatever he pleased . . . while he himself neglected 
 the Scriptures and knew not God. After a long argument he, 
 too, sees his terrible mistake. Another soul is now seen cross- 
 ing the mountains, who proves to be a single-hearted servant 
 of God ; he modestly made answer that he prayed continually, 
 and trusted in Christ that his sins were forgiven. 
 
 Next we have a saintly Bishop and, that r;ire and strange 
 sight, a good King, in the company of a pious Franciscan friar, 
 who had welcomed poverty gladly — had indeed a lowly spirit, 
 and was full of heavenly charity. Then follows the soul of a 
 woman floating joyfully along. When questioned, she made 
 reply that she had studied the Holy Scriptures, and her only 
 desire had been to make her life conform to their teaching. 
 She had a bad husband, but won him over to the love of virtue 
 
 283 
 
A PRINCESS OF THE 
 
 by her example and her devotion. She had scarcely departed 
 when the soul of another woman, a nun, came quickly by. 
 Mercury wished to hear her story, but Charon exclaimed : 
 " Let her alone. Do you not see that it is a woman and a 
 nun ? If once she begins to talk she will never leave off !" 
 
 This is but a slight sketch of a very interesting work, which 
 also brings in the political affairs of Europe at that time. 
 
 Note 10 (p. 173). — This is the sepulchral inscription to the 
 memory of Madonna Antonia dal Balzo in the Church of San 
 Pietro, in Gazzuolo : 
 
 " Antonias Bauciae, quam Familiam ab uno ex tribus Magis 
 originem ducere, vetus, & constans fama est, Uxoris Jo : 
 Francisci Marchionis de Gonzaga, Fceminse lectissimse, & 
 numero, ac virtute Filiorum, Nepotum, Pronepotum, quos 
 vidit, haud paulo feliciori, & quod Isabella ejus Soror Friderici 
 ultimi Neapolitanorum Regis fuerit uxor, Scipio, & Pyrrhus 
 Fratres Marchiones de Gonzaga Abnepotes Abaviae de Familia 
 sua optime meritae P. Vixit ann. XCVII. obiit Anno salutis 
 MDXXXVIII." 
 
 Note 11 (p. 254). — Letter of II Rabbi, June 28, 1566. In 
 this he mentions how all Giulia's letters were seized by the 
 Inquisition. . . . 
 
 " Questo papa (Pius V.) per 1' occasione di queste scritture 
 ha detto eke se le havesse viste prima ehe lei fusse morta, che 
 l' avrebbe abrusciata viva !" 
 
 A letter of the Ambassador of the Duke of Florence, of 
 September 7, 1567, repeats the same words of the Pope, that, 
 had he known how serious was her heresy, " he would have 
 burnt her alive." 
 
 Note 12 (p. 259). — This book, "Conversazione Civile," of 
 Stefano Guazza, had a most extraordinary success. It was 
 first published in Venice, 1575, and soon became famous 
 throughout all Europe. It was translated into French, and 
 
 284 
 
ITALIAN REFORMATION 
 
 published at Lyon in 1579; and the English translation was 
 dated 1586. It was also translated into Latin. These elaborate 
 and artistic conversations enjoyed an immense popularity ; and 
 the " Supper at Casale " was imitated in many a famous salon, 
 of which, perhaps, the most successful was that of the Mar- 
 quise de Rambouillet in her hotel of the street St. Thomas du 
 Louvre ; and the tradition was carried on until Moliere gave it 
 a final blow in " Les Precieuses Ridicules." 
 
 285 
 
INDEX 
 
 Abana Baths, near Padua, 44 
 
 Abruzzi, 126, 135, 138 
 
 Africa, 119, 133, 263 
 
 Agnani, 215 
 
 Algiers, 119 
 
 Alicante, 264 
 
 Altamura, Prince of, 2 
 
 Alva, Duke of, 214, 215, 229 
 
 Ammirato, 107 
 
 Ancona, 92-94 
 
 Andrea, Giovanni, 128, 132 
 
 Aniello, Tommaso, 189 
 
 Antonia del Balzo (grandmother 
 of Giulia Gonzaga), I, 2, 9, 11, 
 16, 34, 56, 62, 83, 88, 123, 130, 
 J 7 2 > r 73 (her death), 184 
 
 Appiani, Bianca (first wife of 
 Vespasiano Colonna), 57 
 
 Aquila, 137 
 
 Aragona, d', Anna (second wife of 
 Vespasiano Gonzaga Col- 
 onna), 234, 235, 251, 253, 
 256, 257 
 Giovanna, 135 
 Maria, 135 
 
 Ariosto, Ludovico, 3, 6, 46, 47, 48, 
 
 49> 50. 9 2 
 Asola, 3, 6 
 
 Assago, Romano, 248 
 Atanagi, Dionigi, 178 
 Augsburg, 199, 213, 246 
 Austria, Eleanor of (wife of Gug- 
 
 lielmo, Duke of Mantua), 214, 
 
 236, 248 
 Avalos, Costanza, 199 
 
 Baldi, Bernardino, 233, 266 
 Ballino, Camillo, 268 
 Balzo. See Antonio del 
 Bandello, Matteo, 3, 4, 5, 6, 89, 90, 
 100, 184 
 
 Barba, Bernardino della, 94 
 Barbara of Brandenburg, 1 
 Barbarossa. See Kheyr-ed-din 
 Barbary, 107, 112, 122 
 Barcelona, 181, 262, 264 
 Basle, 144 
 
 Bembo, Pietro, 36, 40, 50, 167 
 Benedetto of Mantua, 156 
 Bentivoglio, Emilia, 11, 83, 184 
 Lucrezia (half-sister of Isa- 
 bella d' Este), 89 
 Berni, Francesco, 100 
 Betussi, G., 101 
 Bibbiena, Bernardo Doviso, 
 Boccaccio, 101 
 
 Boccalini, Francesco, 71, 75, 79 
 Boiardo, Matteo, 46, 47, 48 
 Bologna, 84, 85, 106, 109, 161, 199 
 Bona, 120 
 
 Bonfadio, Giacomo, 149, 150 
 Borgia, Lucrezia, 22 
 Borromeo, Carlo, Archbishop of 
 
 Milan, 194, 245 
 Bourbon, Charles Duke of, 27, 
 
 28, 72, 73, no 
 Bozzolo, 1, 4, 5, 269, 270 
 Brisegna, Isabella, 136, 148, 168, 
 
 201, 202, 206, 207, 214, 241 
 Brognina (lady-in-waiting to 
 
 Isabella d' Este), 18, 38, 39, 58, 
 
 60, 61 
 Brussels, 183, 202 
 Bruto, Giammichele, 179 
 Buonavoglio, Giovanni, 6, 8, 16, 
 
 23 
 
 Cademosta, Tomasso, surgeon, 
 
 81 
 Cadiz, 263 
 
 Calabria, 99, 113, 238 
 Calais, 228 
 
 286 
 
INDEX 
 
 Calvin, 163, 213 
 Cambray, 205 
 Camerino, 160 
 
 Duchess of. See Caterina 
 Cibo 
 Campi, Bernardino, 209, 230, 268 
 Campomidele, 115 
 Capilupi, Camillo, 178, 179 
 
 Ippolito, 179 
 Capua, Isabella of, 87 
 Caracciolo, Carlo, 213 
 
 Colantonio, Marchese de 
 
 Vico, 211, 213 
 Gian Galeazzo, 149, an, 212, 
 213 
 Caraffa, Antonio, Duke of Mon- 
 dragone, 209, 210, 249, 250 
 Luigi, Prince of Stigliano 
 (husband of Isabella Gou- 
 zaga Colonna), 270 
 Duke of Nocera 
 See Paul IV. 
 Caramanico, 138 
 Cardona, Antonio, 197, 
 
 Diana di (first wife of Ves- 
 pasiano Gonzaga Colonna), 
 134, 197, 198, 199, 200, 204, 
 
 205, 206, 207, 214, 2l6-22I,J257 
 
 Maria, 136, 250 
 Violante di, Duchess of Pag- 
 liano, 220 
 Carnesecchi, Pietro, 149, 159, 160, 
 
 214, 239, 240, 241, 243, 244, 245, 
 
 254, 256 (martyrdom of) 
 Caro, Annibale, 173 
 Carthagena, 262 
 Casale, 104. 258, 259, 262 
 Casalmaggiore, 3, 4, 16, 180, 232 
 Casano, Benedetto, 153 
 Caserto, Gian Francesco di, 149, 
 
 160, 2ii, 213 
 Castiglione, Baldassare, 51, 89, 
 
 90, 153, 160, 162, 177, 258 
 Castriotti, Alfonso, Marchese Tri- 
 
 palda, 3 
 Cateau Cambre'sis, Treaty of, 228 
 Catherine of Austria, 196 
 Cavalli, Andrea, 231 
 Cervia, 22 
 
 Cervini, Cardinal, 172 
 Cetrara di Monaci, 113 
 Charles V., Emperor, 12, 14, 68, 
 
 70, 82, 83, 84, 85, 108, 109, 119, 
 
 120, 121, I33-I39. J 53, 175. 179 
 184, 188, 189, 190, 192, 196-199, 
 204, 205, 207, 210, 213, 219, 226 
 Chiaja, 144, 148, 149, 150, 153, 183, 
 
 210 
 Chiavenna, 20 
 Chiericati, Francesco, Bishop, 35, 
 
 40, 41, 42 
 Cibo, Caterina, Duchess of Cam- 
 erino, 107, 148, 163 
 Civita-Castellana, 87 
 Clement VII., Pope, 18, 27,43, 68, 
 75, 82, 85-94, 102, 104, 108, 109, 
 no, 117, 127, 159, 164 
 Colocci, Angelo, 91 
 Colonna, Ascanio, 77, 135, 167, 
 174 
 Fabnzio, 183, 191, 193, 194, 
 
 208 
 Giulia, (infant daughter of 
 Vespasiano Gonzaga), 234, 
 
 235 
 
 Isabella (wife of Luigi Rodo- 
 monte Gonzaga, later Prin- 
 cess of Sulmona), 57, 63, 64, 
 84-96, 102, 104, 122-126, 135, 
 137, 138. i73> 174. 2x1, 216, 
 229, 262 (death of) 
 
 Isabella (daughter of Ves- 
 pasiano Gonzaga), 234, 235, 
 251, 262, 265, 270, 272 
 
 Liugi (son of Vespasiano Gon- 
 zaga), 235, 251, 262, 269 
 (death of) 
 
 Marcantonio, 114 
 
 Pompeo, Cardinal, 31, 52, 69, 
 
 74 
 
 Prospero, 68, 98, 99, 1 14 
 
 Sciarra, 77 
 
 Vespasiano, Duke (husband 
 of GiuliaGonzaga), 52, 57-61, 
 64, 69, 74, 76 (death of), 99, 
 104, 123 (will of), 125, 263 
 
 Vespasiano, Gonzaga (son of 
 I/uigi, nephew of Giulia), 92, 
 95. 124, 173, 176, 179, 184, 
 193-207, 214-236, 248, 249, 
 251, 252, 253, 256-273 
 
 Vittoria, Marchesa di Pes- 
 cara, 35, 52-56, 63, 99, 135, 
 140, 148, 150, 155, 157, 158, 
 160, 162, 163, 166, 170, 171, 
 186 
 
 287 
 
INDEX 
 
 Comessagio, 269 
 
 Contarini, Gaspero, Cardinal, 148, 
 
 160, 161, 167, 170 
 Cordova, 262 
 Cornaro, Caterina, Queen of 
 
 Cyprus, 26 
 Costanza, Angelo di, 216 
 Cremona, 232, 267 
 Crescensi, Persio, Secretary of 
 
 Isabella Colonna, 138 
 
 Dante, 23, 24 
 
 Doria, Andrea, Doge of Venice, 
 
 119, 180 
 Dover, 14 
 
 Dovizzi, Cardinal, 159 
 Dragut the Corsair, 199 
 
 Elizabeth, Queen of England, 228 
 Emanuel Philibert, Duke of 
 
 Savoy, 205 
 Erasmus, 161 
 Este, Alfonso d', Duke of Ferrara, 
 
 35 
 Isabella, Marchesa of Mantua, 
 3, n, 17, 21-32, 36-51,54-58, 
 59, 185, 196 
 
 Falco, 100, 101 
 
 Farfa, Abate di. See Orsini. 
 
 Napoleone. 
 Farnese, Allessandro, 236 
 
 Ottavio, Pier L/uigi, 183, 203, 
 
 204 
 Vittoria, 183 
 Ferdinand, Emperor, 109, 236 
 (death of) 
 King of Spain, 99, 234 
 son of Philip II., 262, 263 
 Ferrar, Nicholas, 145 
 Ferrara, 21, 22, 47, 92, 163, 170 
 
 Ercole, Duke of, 163 
 Fiandino, Ambrogio, 84 
 Fieschi, Francesca (mother of 
 
 Giulia Gonzaga), 2, 82 
 Flaminio, Giannantonio, 159, 160 
 Marcantonio, 100, 149, 156, 
 159, 160, 166 
 Flanders, 207 
 Florence, 87, 104, 137, 149, 164, 
 
 166, 170 
 Florimonte, Galeazzo, Bishop of 
 Sessa, 216, 266 
 
 288 
 
 Foligno, 25 
 
 Fondi, city of, 91, 97-100, 105, 106, 
 
 113, 114, 117, 118, 122, 123, 127, 
 
 128, 129, 186, 207, 263 
 Fontanellato, 81 
 Fonterabia, 263 
 Francois I., King of France, 107, 
 
 109J no, in, 112, 188 (death of) 
 Fregoso, Federico, Cardinal, 161 
 Frundsberg, 72 
 
 Gadaldino, Antonio, 57 
 
 Gaeta, 127 
 
 Galeotto, Mario, 149 
 
 Gallipoli, 94 
 
 Gambara, Veronica, 136 
 
 Garfagnana, 48 
 
 Gazzuolo, 2, 6, 9, n, 14, 83, 87, 
 
 123, 138, 184, 232 
 Genazzano, 65 
 Geneva, 213 
 
 Genoa, 84, 1 18, 119, 193, 203, 262, 265 
 Germany, 108, 137, 186, 198, 199 
 Giberti (Papal "Datario"), 160 
 Gibraltar, 263 
 Giovio, Paolo, 35, 36, 74, 87, 100, 
 
 102, 108, 130, 134 
 Giustinopolitano, Muzio, 115, 194 
 Goletta (Tunis), 119, 120 
 Gonzaga, Agostino, 139 
 
 Alessandro, 73 
 
 Cagnino. See Gianfrancesco 
 
 Camilla, 18, 22, 37 
 
 Carlo, 83, 92, 184 
 
 Caterina (sister of Giulia), 3, 
 
 19 
 Cesare (son of Ferrante), 194, 
 
 195, 198, 251 
 Curzio, 12 
 Elisabetta (sister of Giulia). 
 
 2, 19 
 Ercole, Cardinal, 30, 73, 99, 
 
 100, 182, 245, 249 (death of) 
 Federico II., Duke of Mantua, 
 
 17, 62, 86 (made Duke), 124, 
 
 196 
 Ferrante (son of Isabella 
 
 d' Este), 73, 85, 87, 124 
 
 (made Viceroy of Sicily), 
 
 125, 133. l 3 6 > 173, r 74. 175. 
 180, 182, 183, 190, 193, 194, 
 197, 200, 203, 208, 210, 211, 
 214 (death of), 249 
 
INDEX 
 
 Gonzaga, Francesco I., Marchese 
 of Mantua, 9 
 
 Francesco II., Duke of Man- 
 tua, 196 
 
 Gianfrancesco (brother of 
 Giulia, called " Cagnino"), 
 2, 85, 184, 197 
 
 Guglielmo, Duke of Mantua, 
 196, 214, 248, 258 
 
 Ippolita (sister of Giulia), 2, 
 
 19 
 Ippolita, Duchess of Mondra- 
 
 gone, 182, 183, 190, 193, 194, 
 
 208, 209, 2:0, 213, 217, 249 
 
 (death of), 250 
 Isabella, 83 
 Leonora (sister of Giulia), 2, 
 
 19 
 Lucrezia, 83, 89, 90, 209 
 Lodovico III. (grandfather of 
 
 Giulia), 1 
 Lodovico, Abate (father of 
 
 Giulia), I, 9, 28, 59, 71, 82, 
 
 90, 95, 124, 172, 173, 174, 
 
 175. 184 3 A „ 
 
 Luigi, called "Rodomonte" 
 (brother of Giulia), 2, 6, 9, 
 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 25-35, 37, 
 46-50, 59. 63. 64, 70-79. 81-96 
 (death of), 122, 123, 124, 
 174. 175. 181, 184, 215, 
 235 
 
 Margherita (third wife of Ves- 
 pasiano Gonzaga Colonna), 
 269 
 
 Paola (sister of Giulia), 2, 19, 
 81 
 
 Pirro (brother of Giulia), Car- 
 dinal, 3, 4, 5, 11, 14, 74, 79. 
 
 82 (death of), 184 
 
 Pirro (uncle of Giulia), 62, 79, 
 
 83 (death of) 
 Sigismondo, Cardinal, 30, 50, 
 
 Vespasiano (son of Luigi). 
 See Colonna 
 Granada, 262 
 Grisone, Antonio, 1S9 
 Guarda, La, 239 
 Guastello, 194 
 Guazzo, Marco, 96 
 
 Stefano, 259, 262 
 Guipuscoa, 263 
 
 Hamburg, 155 
 
 Henri II. of France, 109, 205 
 
 Henry VIII., King of England, 
 
 13, 188 (death of) 
 Herbert, George, 145 
 Hippocrates, 107 
 Horace, 97, 98 
 Hungary, 106, 109, 112 
 
 Inghirami, Tommaso, Cardinal, 
 
 35,36 
 Innsbruck, 205 
 Isabel of Spain, 14 
 Ischia (Island), 53, 75, 190 
 Itri, city of, 117, 127, 128, 129, 130 
 
 Jerusalem, 198 
 
 Julius III., Pope, 202, 203, 204 
 
 Katherine of Aragon, 14 
 Kheyr - ed - din, Corsair leader, 
 called " Barbarossa," 112, 113, 
 117, 118, 119, 120, 126, 134 
 
 Lannoy, Charles de, Viceroy of 
 
 Naples, 137 
 Philippe de, Prince of Sul- 
 
 mona, 137, 172, 183, 205 
 Lecco, 104 
 
 Leo X., Pope, 10, 18, 43, 103, 161 
 Leoni, Leone, 267, 272 
 Lintz, 109 
 
 Loffreda, Isabella (a nun), 169 
 Lombardy, 21, 184, 185, 186, 196 
 London, 14 
 Loreto, 25 
 Lucca, 152, 153, 238 
 Luna, Beatrice di (mother of 
 Diana Cardona), 197, 200, 214, 
 (death of), 219 
 Luther, 35, 155 
 
 Magliana, La, 57 
 
 Magno, Marcantonio, 100, 154, 
 
 155, 174 
 Majocci, Bartolommeo, 230 
 Malatesta, 23, 24 
 I Malta, 120, 235 
 Manrique, Garcia di, 148, 161 
 Mantua, 2, 3, 9, 20, 71, 109, 182, 
 196, 203, 214, 232, 236, 248, 267 
 I Maresio, Giulio (Friar), 255 
 1 Maria of Portugal, 236 
 
 289 19 
 
INDEX 
 
 Marino, 64 
 
 Marseilles, 109, no 
 
 Martinengo Girolamo, 19 
 
 P i.';„ Marcantonio, 70 
 
 Mary, Queen of England (death 
 
 of), 228, 241 
 Masserotti, Pietro Antonio, 195 
 Matilda, Countess of Tuscany, 
 
 158 
 
 Maximilian II., Emperor, 236, 264 
 
 Medici, dei, Alessandro, 84, 103, 
 
 127, 128, 132 
 
 Caterina, 109, no 
 
 Clarice, 69 
 
 Cosimo, Duke of Flor- 
 ence, 43, 44, 69, 254 
 Giovanni (delle Bande 
 
 Nere), 43, 44, 71 
 Giuliano, 103 
 Ippolito, Cardinal, 74, 77, 
 78, 81, 82, 84, IOO-IIO, 
 126-132 (his death), 139 
 Menechio, Jacopo, 266 
 Messina, 113 
 Michelangelo, 155, 269 
 Mignoz, Sigismondo, 149 
 Milan, 3, io, 53, 182, 188, 193 
 Minadois, D. Germano, 149 
 
 Minturno, II, 216 
 Miranda, Francesco, 121 
 Modena, 161 
 Mohacs, Battle of (in Hungary), 
 
 112 
 Molza, Francesco Maria (the 
 poet), 37, 74, 91, 100, 106, 126, 
 128, 129, 160 
 Moncada, Ugo di, 68, 69 
 Monferrato, Duchy of, 258 
 Morata, Fulvia Olympia, 164 
 Moravia, 251 
 Morone, Giovanni, Cardinal, 148, 
 
 161, 167, 239, 245 
 Muley Hassan, King of Tunis, 
 118, 120, 121 
 
 Namur, 207, 214 
 
 Naples, 76, 78, 99, 113, 118, 119, 
 125, 134, 136, 137, 150, 166, 176, 
 186, 188, 1S9, 191, 201, 203, 209, 
 214, 216, 229, 238, 246, 254, 262, 
 265 
 
 Narmi, 25 
 
 Navarre, 263 
 
 Negra, Iivia (letter to), 241, 242, 
 
 243 
 Nizolio, Maro, Professor, 233 
 
 Novellara, 36 
 Novilana, 6 
 
 Ochino, Bernardino, 139, 140, 150, 
 151, 152, 160, 163, 169, 170, 208, 
 251 (death of) 
 
 Oglio, River, 2, 
 
 Oran, 263 
 
 Orange, Prince of, 85 
 
 Orsini, Francesco, 215 
 Napoleone, 77 
 
 Orvieto, 74 
 
 Ostia, 161, 215 
 
 Ottavio della Genga, Conte, 127 
 
 Pagliano, Castle of, 65, 66, 67, 71, 
 
 72, 77, 78, 79. 8l > 9° 
 Paleario, Aonio, 156 
 Paleologa, Margherita, 185, 197, 
 
 203, 214, 258 
 Palladio, 270 
 Palombara, 215 
 Pampluna, 263 
 Parma, 81, 183, 194, 203, 204, 208, 
 
 215, 236, 270 
 Passerini, Cardinal, 103 
 Passignano, Monte, 97 
 Paterno, II (poet), 116 
 
 Paul III. (Alessandro Farnese), 
 119, 129, 132, 139, 160, 161, 173, 
 183, 188, 199, 202 
 
 Paul IV., 149, 160, 211, 213, 215, 
 
 216, 228, 238, 239, 243, 245, 
 (death of) 
 
 Pavia, 25, 44, 85, 258 
 
 Pellegrino, Giacomo, Bishop of 
 
 Fondi, 114 
 Pelleta, Margherita, 101 
 Peniscola, 264 
 Pepe, Sertorio, 253 
 Pesaro, 241 
 
 Pescara, Marchese di, 35, 53, 99 
 Peter Martyr. See Vermigli 
 Petrarch, 259 
 Petrucci, Fabio, 79 
 Philip II.. King of Spain, 180, 184, 
 
 185, 193. 195. 198. 199, 2 °3. 215, 
 
 216, 228, 232, 234 (accession to 
 
 throne), 264 
 
 290 
 
INDEX 
 
 Piacenza, 84, 161, 214, 241 
 
 Picardy, 205 
 
 Piccolimini, Alfonso, Duke of 
 
 Amalfi, 160 
 Pico, Galeotto, Conte de la Miran- 
 dola, 19 
 I,ucrezia, 169 
 Pietrantonio di Capua, 149, 153 
 Piombo, Sebastiano del, 105, 106 
 Pisa, 118 
 Pius XV., 228, 229, 245, 246, 247, 
 
 252 (death of) 
 Pius V. (Michele Ghisleri), 245, 
 
 252, 253 
 Placido de Sanguine, 149 
 Pole, Reginald, Cardinal, 149, 158, 
 
 159, 161, 170, 171, 202, 239, 240, 
 
 241, 251 
 Poggiola, Lucrezia, 169 
 Porrino, Gandolfo, 73, 99, 100, 
 
 102, 106, 239 
 Posilipo, 150, 247 
 Pozzuoli, 98, 189 
 Priuli, I,uigi, 187, 239, 251 (death 
 
 of) 
 Procida (Island), 113 
 
 Raineri, Annibale, 217, 218 
 Rinaldo, 221 
 
 Rangone, Lodovico, 82 
 
 Ravenna, 23, 201 
 
 Rene'e of France, Duchess of 
 Ferrara, 91, 163, 170 
 
 Ridolfo, Cardinal, no 
 
 Rivalta, 92 
 
 Rivarolo, 84, 236, 257 
 
 Rodolph II., Emperor, 264, 270 
 
 Rome, 18, 25-29, 52, 69, 72, 73, 74, 
 75, 81, 121, 128, 131, 157, 170, 
 188, 215, 229, 238, 253, 254, 255 
 
 Rossi, Troito, 203 
 
 Rota, Bernardino, 216 
 
 Rullo, Ronato, 149 
 
 Sabbioneta, city of, 1, 13, 16, 82, 
 90, 124, 195, 202, 204, 205, 214, 
 216, 219, 222-236, 257, 263-273 
 Sadoleto, Jacopo, Bishop of Car- 
 
 pentras, 35, 40, 54, 161 
 Salerno, Princess of, 136 
 Salviati, Bernardino, Cardinal, 
 no, 129 
 Jacopo, 43, 44 
 
 Salviati, Lucrezia (dei Medici), 43, 
 
 44 
 Maria, 43, 44, 69, 71, 109 
 San Sebastian, 263 
 Sanseverino, Dionora, 136 
 
 Prince of Bisignano, 138 
 Santander, 14 
 Santo Xisto, 239 
 Sanvitale, Galeazzo, 19, 81 
 Scamozzi, 270, 271 
 Schizzi, Monsignore, 272 
 Seripando, Girolamo, Cardinal, 
 
 214, 246, 247 (death of) 
 Seville, 263 
 
 Sicily, 124, 133, 197, 202 
 Siena, 140, 188 
 Sinigaglia, 25 
 Soragno, 81 
 
 Soranzo, Vittorio, Bishop, 106 
 Spadoforo of Messina, 149 
 Spain, 14, 112, 113, 193, 228, 269 
 Sperlonga (fishing village), 98, 
 
 113, 114, 118 
 Stigliano, Princess of, 136 
 Strozzi, Filippo, 69 
 Suleyman II., Sultan, in 
 Switzerland, 186, 246 
 Symonds, Addington, 148, 219 
 
 Tancredi, Onorata, 213, 249 
 Tansillo, Luigi, 178, 250 
 Tasso, Bernardo, 83, 96, 100, 102 
 Torquato, 195, 210, 216, 253 
 Terenziano, Giulia, 169 
 Terni, 25 
 Terouanne, 215 
 Terracina, 98, 117 
 Titian, 106, 109, 178, 179, 268 
 Tivoli, 127 
 Toledo, Don Pedro di, Viceroy of 
 
 Naples, 119, 135, 153, 188, 189, 
 
 190 
 Tolomei, Claudio, Secretary of 
 
 Cardinal Ippolito, 87, 100, 178 
 Toscanella, Orazio, 100 
 Trajetto (city of Giulia), 75, 88 
 Trebbio, 45 
 Trent, Council of, 198, 246, 247, 
 
 249 
 Tubingen, 251 
 Tufo, Lucrezia del, Princess of 
 
 Stigliano, 210 
 
 291 
 
INDEX 
 
 Tunis, city of, 11S, 119, 120, 121, 
 
 127. 133 
 Turin, 215, 258 
 
 Urbino, city of, 100 
 Urbino, Elisabetta, Duchess of, 
 24, 51, 61 
 Francesca Maria, Duke of, 24 
 Guidobaldo, Duke of, 165, 
 
 166, 183 
 Leonora, Duchess of, 24 
 
 Valdes, Alfonso de, 140, 153 
 
 Juan de, 99, 140, 160, 163, 165, 
 166, 169, 186, 2ii, 214, 239, 
 240, 243, 255 
 Valladolid, 12 
 Vallecosa, 115 
 Varano, 165 
 
 Varchi (historian), 128, 129 
 Vasari, 106 
 Vasto, Marchese di (Alfonso d' 
 
 Avalos), 119, 135 
 Venice, 118, 119, 156, 170, 267, 270 
 Venier, Domenico, Venetian Am- 
 bassador, 35 
 
 Vergerio, Pietro Paolo, 149, 155, 
 
 156, 160, 251 
 Vermigli, Pietro Martire (Peter 
 
 Martyr), 149, 152, 169, 170, 171, 
 
 211, 238 
 Verona, 170, 213 
 Vespasiano Gonzaga Colonna. 
 
 See Colonna 
 Viadana, 209 
 Vicenza, 270, 271 
 Vicovaro, 94, 215 
 Villafranco, 203 
 Vincencio, Joanni, 201 
 Virgil, 37, 105 
 Visconti, Krcole, 259, 260, 262, 263, 
 
 264, 265 
 Viterbo, 53, 81, 99, 157, 158, 160, 
 
 162, 1 86 
 Vitruvius, 224, 226, 270 
 Vittorio del Feltre, 3 
 Voliano, 214 
 
 Waldenses, 238, 239 
 
 Zanichelli, Federico, 263 
 Zurich, 201 
 
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