Part 20 (1/2)
After resting a day in Imola the cavalcade set out January 28th for Bologna. When they reached the borders of the territory belonging to the city they were met by Bentivoglio's sons and his consort Ginevra, with a brilliant retinue, and two miles from the city gate Giovanni himself was waiting to greet them.
The tyrant of Bologna, who owed his escape from Caesar wholly to the protection of the French, spared nothing to honor his enemy's sister.
Accompanied by several hundred riders, he led her in triumph through the city, where the arms of the Borgias, of Caesar, the Pope, and Lucretia, and those of France, and of the Este met her eye on every side. The proud matron Ginevra, surrounded by a large number of n.o.ble ladies, received Lucretia at the portals of her magnificent palace. How this famous woman, the aunt of Giovanni Sforza of Pesaro, must in her soul have hated this Borgia! However, it was neither Alexander nor Caesar, but Giuliano della Rovere, subsequently Julius II, who was destined, only four years later, to drive her and all her race from Bologna forever.
January 30th was devoted to gorgeous festivities, and in the evening the Bentivoglio gave a ball and a banquet.
The following day they accompanied Lucretia for a part of the way, as it was her purpose to continue her journey to Ferrara, which now was not far distant, by boat on the ca.n.a.l, which at that time ran from Bologna to the Po.
The same day--January 31st--towards evening, Lucretia reached Castle Bentivoglio, which was but twenty miles from Ferrara. She had no sooner arrived at that place than her consort Alfonso suddenly appeared. She was greatly overcome, but promptly recovered herself and received him ”with many professions of esteem and most graciously,” to all of which he responded with great gallantry.[152] Hitherto the hereditary Prince of Ferrara had sullenly held aloof from the wife that had been forced upon him. Men of that age had not a trace of the tenderness or sentimentality of those of to-day, but, even admitting this, it is certainly strange that there is no evidence of any correspondence between Lucretia and Alfonso during the time the marriage was being arranged, although a great many letters then pa.s.sed between the d.u.c.h.ess and Ercole. Either owing to a desire to please his father or to his own curiosity or cunning, the rough and reticent Alfonso now threw off his reserve. He came in disguise, remained two hours, and then suddenly left for Ferrara.
During this short interview he was greatly impressed by his wife.
Lucretia in those two hours had certainly brought Alfonso under the spell of her personality, even if she had not completely disarmed him.
Not wholly without reason had the gallant burghers of Foligno awarded the apple of Paris to Lucretia. Speaking of this meeting, one of the chroniclers of Ferrara says, ”The entire people rejoiced greatly, as did also the bride and her own followers, because his Majesty had shown a desire to see her and had received her so well--an indication that she would be accepted and treated still better.”[153]
Probably no one was more pleased than the Pope. His daughter immediately informed him of her reception, for she sent him daily letters giving an account of her journey; and he also received numerous despatches from other persons in her train. Up to this time he had felt some misgivings as to her reception by the Este, but now he was relieved. After she had left Rome he frequently asked Cardinal Ferrari to warn the duke to treat his daughter-in-law kindly, remarking, at the same time, that he had done a great deal for her, and would do still more. He declared that the remission of Ferrara's tribute would, if paid for in money, require not less than two hundred thousand ducats, and that the officials of the chancellery had demanded between five and six thousand ducats merely for preparing the bulls. The kings of France and Spain had been compelled to pay the Duke of Romagna a yearly tribute of twenty thousand ducats for the remission of the taxes of Naples, which consisted only in the payment of a single white horse. Ferrara, on the other hand, had been granted everything.[154]
The duke replied to the cardinal January 22d, a.s.suring him that his daughter-in-law would meet with a most affectionate reception.[155]
FOOTNOTES:
[146] Lucretia's colors were yellow and dark brown (morrelo aperto), while Alexander's were yellow and black.
[147] Spogli di Giambattista Almerici. i, 284. Ms. in the Oliveriana in Pesaro.
[148] Si per attendere a lava.r.s.e il capo, como anche per essere a.s.sai solitaria et remota di soa natura. Despatch from Rimini, January 22, 1502.
[149] Ferrante to Ercole, Rimini, January 23, 1502.
[150] The expression is lavarsi il capo.
[151] Ferrante to Ercole, Imola, January 27, 1502.
[152] Gianluca to Ercole, January 31, 1502.
[153] Bernardino Zambotto. See Monsignor Giuseppe Antonelli's work, Lucrezia Borgia in Ferrara, sposa a Don Alfonso d'Este, Memorie storiche.... Ferrara, 1867.
[154] The amba.s.sador Beltrando Costabili to Duke Ercole, Rome, January 7, 1502.
[155] The duke to his amba.s.sador in Rome, Ferrara, January 22, 1502, in the Minute Ducali a Costabili Beltrando Oratore a Roma.
CHAPTER II
FORMAL ENTRY INTO FERRARA
February 1st Lucretia continued her journey to Ferrara by the ca.n.a.l.
Near Malalbergo she found Isabella Gonzaga waiting to meet her. At the urgent request of her father, the marchioness, much against her will, had come to do the honors during the festivities in his palace. ”In violent anger,” so she wrote her husband, who remained at home, she greeted and embraced her sister-in-law. She accompanied her by boat to Torre della Fossa, where the ca.n.a.l empties into a branch of the Po. This river, a majestic stream, flows four miles from Ferrara, and only a branch--Po di Ferrara--now known as the Ca.n.a.le di Cento, reaches the city, where it divides into two arms, the Volano and Primaro, both of which empty into the Adriatic. They are very small ca.n.a.ls, and, therefore, it could have been no pleasure to travel on them, nor was it an imposing spectacle.
The duke, with Don Alfonso and his court, awaited Lucretia at Torre della Fossa. When she left the boat the duke saluted her on the cheek, she having first respectfully kissed his hand. Thereupon, all mounted a magnificently decorated float, to which the foreign amba.s.sadors and numerous cavaliers came to kiss the bride's hand. To the strains of music and the thunder of cannon the cavalcade proceeded to the Borgo S.
Luca, where they all descended. Lucretia took up her residence in the palace of Alberto d'Este, Ercole's illegitimate brother. Here she was received by Lucretia Bentivigolio, natural daughter of Ercole, and numerous ladies of her court. The duke's seneschal brought to her Madonna Teodora and twelve young women who were to serve her as ladies-in-waiting. Five beautiful carriages, each drawn by four horses, a present from her father-in-law, were placed at her disposal. In this villa, which is no longer in existence, Lucretia spent the night. The suburb of S. Luca is still there, but the entire locality is so changed that it would be impossible to recognize it.