NOTE TO LARA. THE event in section 24, Canto II. was suggested by the description of the death or rather burial of the Duke of Gandia. 66 66 66 The most interesting and particular account of this mysterious event is given by Burchard; and is in substance as follows: "On the eighth day of June, the "cardinal of Valenza, and the Duke of Gandia, sons of "the Pope, supped with their mother, Vanozza, near the church of S. Pietro ad vincula; several other persons being present at the entertainment A late hour approaching, and the cardinal having reminded "his brother, that it was time to return to the apostolic palace, they mounted their horses or mules, with only "a few attendants, and proceeded together as far as the palace of cardinal Ascanio Sforza, when the duke in"formed the cardinal, that before he returned home, " he had to pay a visit of pleasure. Dismissing therefore "all his attendants, excepting his staffiero, or footman, “and a person in a mask, who had paid him a visit "whilst at supper, and who, during the space of a month, or thereabouts, previous to this time, had called upon him almost daily, at the apostolic palace; he "took this person behind him on his mule, and pro 66 "ceeded to the street of the Jews, where he quitted his "servant, directing him to remain there until a certain “hour; when, if he did not return, he might repair to "the palace. The duke then seated the person in the "mask behind him, and rode, I know not whither; but "in that night he was assassinated, and thrown into the "river. The servant, after having been dismissed, was "also assaulted and mortally wounded; and although "he was attended with great care, yet such was his situ"ation, that he could give no intelligible account of what had befallen his master. In the morning, the "duke not having returned to the palace, his servants began to be alarmed; and one of them informed the 66 66 66 pontiff of the evening excursion of his sons, and that "the duke had not yet made his appearance. This gave "the Pope no small anxiety; but he conjectured that "the duke had been attracted by some courtesan to pass "the night with her, and not choosing to quit the house "in open day, had waited till the following evening to "return home. When, however, the evening arrived, ❝and he found himself disappointed in his expectations, "he became deeply afflicted, and began to make inqui"ries from different persons, whom he ordered to attend him for that purpose. Amongst these was a man "named Giorgio Schiavoni, who, having discharged some timber from a bark in the river, had remained "on board the vessel to watch it, and being interrogated "whether he had seen any one thrown into the river, on the night preceding, he replied, that he saw two men on foot, who came down the street, and looked diligently about, to observe whether any person was passing. That seeing no one, they returned, and a 66 66 66 66 66 "short time afterwards two others came, and looked "around in the same manner as the former; no person "still appearing, they gave a sign to their companions, “when a man came, mounted on a white horse, having “behind him a dead body, the head and arms of which hung on one side, and the feet on the other side of the "horse; the two persons on foot supporting the body, "to prevent its falling. They thus proceeded towards "that part, where the filth of the city is usually dis 66 66 66 66 charged into the river, and turning the horse, with his "tail towards the water, the two persons took the dead body by the arms and feet, and with all their strength flung it into the river. The person on horseback "then asked if they had thrown it in, to which they replied, Signor, si (yes, Sir). He then looked towards "the river, and seeing a mantle floating on the stream, “he inquired what it was that appeared black; to which 66 66 they answered, it was a mantle; and one of them "threw stones upon it, in consequence of which it "sunk. The attendants of the pontiff then inquired "from Giorgio, why he had not revealed this to the governor of the city; to which he replied, that he had 66 seen in his time a hundred dead bodies thrown into "the river at the same place, without any inquiry being "made respecting them, and that he had not, therefore, considered it as a matter of any importance. "The fishermen and seamen were then collected, and "ordered to search the river; where, on the following 66 66 evening, they found the body of the duke, with his "habit entire, and thirty ducats in his purse. He was pierced with nine wounds, one of which was in his throat, the others in his head, body, and limbs. 66 66 No 66 66 son, sooner was the pontiff informed of the death of his and that he had been thrown, like filth, into the "river, than giving way to his grief, he shut himself up "in a chamber and wept bitterly. The cardinal of Segovia, and other attendants on the Pope, went to "the door, and after many hours spent in persuasions "and exhortations, prevailed upon him to admit them. "From the evening of Wednesday, till the following 66 66 66 Saturday, the pope took no food; nor did he sleep "from Thursday morning till the same hour on the ensuing day. At length, however, giving way to the "entreaties of his attendants, he began to restrain his sorrow, and to consider the injury which his own "health might sustain, by the further indulgence of his grief."-Roscoe's Leo Tenth, Vol. I. page 265. 66 6.6 |