The Marquis of Mantua dismissed by the Venetians--He incurs Duke
Lodovico's displeasure by his intrigues--Isabella d'Este's
correspondence with the Duke of Milan--Leonardo in the Castello--Death
of Charles VIII.--Visit of Lodovico to Mantua--Francesco Gonzaga
appointed captain of the imperial forces--Isabella of Aragon and
Isabella d'Este--Chiara Gonzaga and Caterina Sforza--Lodovico's will.
1497-1498
While Lodovico was building sanctuaries and raising memorials to his
dead wife, his brother-in-law of Mantua had excited the suspicions of
the Venetians by his French sympathies, and in April, 1497, was suddenly
dismissed from his post of captain-general of the Signoria's armies.
Isabella d'Este was deeply distressed, and Francesco Gonzaga declared
loudly that this disgrace was the result of Galeazzo di Sanseverino's
jealousy and of the Moro's intrigues. In September the marquis and
Messer Galeazzo met at a tournament held at Brescia in honour of the
Queen of Cyprus. Fracassa was also present with his wife, Margherita
Pia, in a chariot driven by twelve fine horses, and both he and the
marquis entered the lists with their followers, but the hero of the day
was Galeazzo, who appeared suddenly at the head of forty horsemen, all
in deep mourning, with hair dyed black, and black and gold armour, and a
herald bearing a black pennon with gold griffins. When the joust was
over, the queen entertained Fracassa's wife, and all the cavaliers, at
supper, and the next day Galeazzo escorted her home over the hills to
Asolo. But this meeting did not improve the strained relations between
the princes of Milan and Mantua, and the secret intrigues which
Francesco Gonzaga carried on both with France and Florence soon came to
Lodovico's ears. In November the duke wrote a strong remonstrance to
Isabella, complaining bitterly of her husband's ingratitude, and
declaring that he would have exposed his fraudulent conduct in the eyes
of the Venetians, and of all Italy, had it not been for the love and
regard which he had for her. Isabella was seriously alarmed at the tone
of her brother-in-law's letter, and did her best to effect a
reconciliation between him and her husband. Her efforts were seconded by
her father, Duke Ercole, and his sons, who were often at Milan, and kept
up friendly relations with Lodovico after their sister's death. Alfonso
and his wife, Anna Sforza, were at the Castello in June, and Galeazzo di
Sanseverino himself accompanied the heir of Ferrara to the shop of the
famous Missaglia to order a suit of armour which should be "of a
gallantry and perfection worthy of Don Alfonso." We hear of a splendid
suit of gilded armour, also the work of the Missaglias, being presented
to Ferrante d'Este by the Duke of Milan, while Beatrice's youngest
brother, the boy-cardinal, Ippolito, succeeded Guido Arcimboldo as
Archbishop of Milan, and took up his abode in that city. But a new
calamity befell the house of Este that November in the death of Anna
Sforza, who, like her sister-in-law, gave birth to a still-born child on
the 30th of November, and herself expired a few hours later, to the
grief of her whole family, and more especially of Duke Ercole, who, in
his advancing years, saw himself bereaved of all of those he loved best.
The sweetness and goodness of this princess, the Ferrarese diarist tells
us, had endeared her to all the people of Ferrara, and in the shock of
her sudden death Lodovico felt a renewal of his own sorrow. In the same
week, another Este princess, who had been closely associated with the
Milanese court, also passed away. This was the widowed mother of Niccolo
da Correggio, that once beautiful and charming Beatrice, who had been
known in her youth as the Queen of Festivals, and who for many years had
been a staunch friend of the Moro, and had long occupied rooms in the
Castello. After her death, Niccolo, feeling that the last link which
bound him to Lodovico's court was severed, left Milan, and returned to
his old home at Ferrara. That autumn, Cristoforo Romano also left the
court, which Duchess Beatrice's death had shorn of its old brightness
and splendour, and entered the service of her sister Isabella d'Este at
Mantua, while the court-poet, Gaspare Visconti, died early in the
following year. One by one artists and singers were dropping out of
sight, and the brilliant company which Lodovico's wife had gathered
round her was fast melting away. The gay days of Vigevano and Cussago
were over, the deer and wild boars grazed unharmed in these woodland
valleys, and when Kaiser Maximilian asked the duke for one of his famous
breed of falcons, Lodovico sent him one belonging to Messer Galeazzo's
breed, saying that he no longer kept any of his own, and had quite given
up hunting since the death of the duchess of blessed memory.
But his love of art and learning was as great as ever, and Fra Luca
Pacioli, the able mathematician, who came to Milan in 1496, and
dedicated his treatise of _La Divina Proporzione_ to Lodovico, describes
the laudable and scientific duel of famous and learned men, that was
held on the 9th of February, 1498, in the Castello of Milan--"that
invincible fortress of the glorious city which is a residence worthy of
His Excellency." The duke himself presided at this meeting, which some
writers have supposed to be a sitting of an academy of arts and sciences
founded by Lodovico, with Leonardo for its president, and left Milan the
next day, on a pilgrimage to the Holy Mount of the Madonna at Varese.
Among the many illustrious personages, religious and secular, who were
present on this occasion, Fra Luca mentions "Messer Galeazzo Sforza di
San Severino, my own special patron," to whom he presented the beautiful
illuminated copy of his treatise, now in the Ambrosiana, the Prior of
the convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, the doctors and astrologers,
Ambrogio da Rosate, Pirovano, Cusani and Marliani, and many well-known
jurists, councillors, architects, and engineers, including Leonardo da
Vinci, "our fellow-citizen of Florence, who, in sculpture and painting
alike, justifies his name and surpasses"--i.e. _vince_ = conquers--"all
other masters."[72]
Leonardo's Cenacolo, we learn from his friend Pacioli, was at length
finished, and preparations were being made for casting his great horse
in bronze, but the master himself was chiefly engaged in the study of
hydraulics, and was writing a treatise on motion and water-power. In
April, however, he was again painting in the Castello, and Messer
Gualtero, one of Lodovico's most trusted servants, informed the duke,
who was absent for a few days, that both his sons were very well, and
that Magistro Leonardo was at work in the Saletta Negra. He would
shortly proceed to the Camera Grande in the tower, and promised to
complete the decorations by September, in order that the duke might be
able to enjoy them next autumn. A note in one of Leonardo's manuscripts
speaks of twenty-four Roman subjects, probably small decorative groups
in _camaieu_, painted on the vaulting of these rooms, and gives the
exact cost of the blue, gold, and enamel employed, but all trace of
these decorations has vanished. At the same time Lodovico appointed his
favourite master to the post of ducal engineer, and employed him to
survey those vast and elaborate fortifications in the Castello, which
excited the wonder of the French invaders.
Two of Amadeo's great architectural works, the cupola of the Duomo of
Milan, and the façade of the Certosa, were brought to a successful
conclusion in these last years of Lodovico's rule, while the foundation
stone of the noble Cistercian monastery attached to S. Ambrogio, now a
military hospital, was laid by the duke, and built at his expense from
Bramante's designs. The charitable society known as the Confraternity of
the Santa Corona, or Holy Crown of Thorns, a name familiar to all who
have visited its ancient halls, and seen Luini's fresco, was another
excellent institution intended for the relief of the sick poor in their
own homes, which was founded under the duke's auspices, and largely
supported by his liberality. But once more wars and rumours of war came
to disturb the Milanese, and to call Lodovico away from these public
works and improvements in which he took delight.
The renewed intrigues of Charles VIII. with the Florentines, and revived
fears of a French invasion, induced Lodovico to send Baldassare Pusterla
to Venice in February, 1498, to solicit the help of the Signoria, but
while these negotiations were going on, a courier arrived from Ferrara
with the news of the French king's sudden death. Charles, who was not
twenty-eight, had died of apoplexy as he was watching a game of bowls at
Amboise, and his cousin, the Duke of Orleans, had been proclaimed king
under the title of Louis XII. Sanuto reports that the courier who
brought the news from Amboise to Florence had ridden the whole way in
seven days, and had killed no less than thirteen horses!
"Magnificent ambassador!" said the Doge to the Milanese envoy, "you told
us that His Most Christian Majesty was on his way to Italy. We hear that
he is dead!"
The news was a great relief to most of the Italian powers, to none more
so than Lodovico, who saw his immediate fears removed, and did not
realize how much reason he had to dread the ambitious designs of his old
rival king Louis. But in his eagerness to secure the alliance of
Florence, he committed the fatal mistake of affronting the Venetians. He
refused to allow a fresh detachment of troops, which they were sending
to Pisa, to pass through his dominions, and the Signory in revenge sent
an embassy to the King of France with secret orders to take counsel with
Trivulzio and negotiate a league with Louis XII. against the Duke of
Milan. All Lodovico's hopes were now fixed on the formation of a new
league between Maximilian, the Pope, Naples, and Milan. When this was
concluded, he offered the generalship of the allied forces, with the
title of Captain of the King of the Romans, to the Marquis of Mantua.
Still Francesco Gonzaga was not satisfied, and complained that he ought
also to be entitled Captain-general to the Duke of Milan, a title which
Lodovico refused to take from his son-in-law Galeazzo. However,
Isabella, who had already paved the way for this reconciliation,
implored her husband to be content for the present with the duke's
offer, remarking that the salary was the important thing, and in May the
marquis went to Milan, where he received a cordial welcome, and the
terms of the agreement were satisfactorily arranged.
Lodovico now announced his intention of coming to Mantua in person, and
on the 27th of June arrived there on a visit to the marquis and
marchioness, accompanied by the young Cardinal Ippolito and the German,
Spanish, Florentine, and Neapolitan ambassadors, with a suite of a
thousand persons. Great was Isabella's anxiety that nothing should be
lacking on this occasion, and endless were the pains which she took to
do honour to her splendid brother-in-law. She borrowed plate and
tapestries from Niccolo da Correggio, and desired her own envoy at
Milan, Benedetto Capilupi, to ask Galeazzo Visconti and Antonio
Costabili what wines the duke preferred and what clothes he would expect
her to wear. Lodovico himself had not yet laid aside his mourning, and
Isabella wondered if the rooms of his apartments at Mantua must be hung
with black velvet, or if she might venture to relieve them with violet
tints, as would, she felt, be more fitting to this festive occasion. The
duke, Capilupi replied, would be satisfied with any arrangements the
marchesa liked to make, and as for the wines, he found that those
usually preferred by his Excellency at supper were clear white wines,
rather sweet and new, while at dinner he generally drank light red wine,
such as Cesolo, all very clear and new.
The visit passed off successfully, and after three days of _fêtes_ and
entertainments Lodovico returned to Milan. Francesco Gonzaga, however,
still wavered between the duke and the Venetians, and it was not till
Lodovico sent Marchesino Stanga and Fracassa to Mantua in November, that
the agreement was finally concluded, and Erasmo Brasca delivered the
bâton to the marquis in the emperor's name. Isabella herself interviewed
the ceremony from a tribunal erected on the piazza in front of the
Castello di Corte at Mantua, and the duke wrote a graceful note to his
sister-in-law, thanking her for her good offices in the matter. He still
constantly sent her presents of choice fruits or wines and venison,
while Isabella, in return, sent him salmon-trout from Garda, and
Evangelista, the marquis's famous trainer, tamed the duke's horses. In
July Lodovico sent her a basket of peaches, wishing they had been even
finer than they were, to be more worthy of her acceptance, and Isabella
wrote in reply: "The peaches sent by your Excellency are most welcome,
not only because they are the first ripe ones I have tasted this summer,
but far more because they are a proof of your gracious remembrance, for
which I can never thank your Excellency enough." On New Year's Day,
1499, Lodovico sent the marchioness two barrels of wine--"_vino
amabile_"--and two chests of lemons, and in February wrote to thank her
for the fish, which were very fine and good and had reached him
opportunely, as it was Friday in Lent.
Gifts of artichokes, which were then esteemed a great delicacy, were
often sent to the duke by Genoese nobles, and in March, 1499, we find
Giovanni Adorno, the brother-in-law of the San Severini, who evidently
knew Lodovico's taste for flowers, sending a basket of forty artichokes
together with a bouquet of the finest roses. Another characteristic note
was the following, written by the Moro to Francesco Gonzaga, in
January:--
"I always take great delight in seeing the swans which you sent us some
years ago, sailing on the castle moat under these windows. So if you
have any others to spare, I beg you to send me some, for which I shall
be very grateful."[73]
Two of the last letters, which Isabella addressed to her brother-in-law,
are of especial interest, as relating to Giangaleazzo's widow, the
Duchess Isabella of Aragon. A few weeks after Beatrice's death, this
unfortunate lady had been desired by the duke to leave her rooms in the
Castello, and take up her abode in the old palace near the Duomo. Some
contention arose respecting the boy Francesco Sforza, whom Lodovico
wished to keep with his own sons in the Rocchetta, and who remained
there for a time, only visiting his mother once a week. "You have taken
my son's crown away," said the duchess, indignantly, "and now you would
take his mother too!" Lodovico is said to have replied, "Madam, you are
a woman, so I will not quarrel with you." But in spite of her hatred for
Lodovico, Isabella of Aragon still kept up friendly relations with her
Este cousins. In 1498, she asked the marchioness for an antique bust,
which Andrea Mantegna had brought back from Rome, and which she heard
bore a striking likeness to herself. The painter, however, valued the
marble so highly that for long he refused to part with it, and offered
to send the duchess a cast of the bust in bronze. Isabella d'Este,
however, finally prevailed upon him to let her buy the head, and send it
as a present to her cousin, whom she declared it resembled in a
marvellous manner. At the same time she promised the duchess a replica
of a portrait of her brother, King Ferrante of Naples, which she valued
too much to part with, but would have copied as soon as possible by
Francesco Mantegna. Before satisfying her cousin's wishes, however, the
prudent Isabella applied to the duke and ascertained that he had no
objection to her action. Again, when in March, 1499, the duchess begged
Isabella to let her have her own portrait, the marchioness sent the
picture to Lodovico, and asked him for leave to send the picture to
Giangaleazzo's widow.
"MOST ILLUSTRIOUS PRINCE AND EXCELLENT DUKE AND DEAR FATHER,
"I am afraid I shall weary not only your Highness, but all Italy with
the sight of my portraits; but reluctantly as I do this, I could not
refuse the Duchess Isabella's urgent entreaties to let her have my
portrait in colours. I send this one, which is not very like me, and
makes me look fatter than I really am, and have desired Negro, my master
of the horse, to show it to your Highness, and, if you approve, give it
to the duchess from me."[74]
Lodovico replied pleasantly that he admired the portrait, and thought it
very like Isabella, although it made her look stouter than when he had
last seen her, but suggested that perhaps she had grown fatter during
the interval. And the picture was duly presented to Duchess Isabella
that same day.
The marquis's widowed sister Chiara Gonzaga, Duchess of Montpensier,
also kept up an active correspondence with the Moro at this time, and
warned him repeatedly of the intrigues against him that were going on at
the French court, and of the dangers he had to fear from Trivulzio and
the Venetians.
So warm was the friendship between this lady and Lodovico, that a
Mantuan doctor wrote from Milan to Francesco Gonzaga, on pretence of
having received a commission from the duke to ask for his widowed
sister's hand in marriage, and as well as for that of his youthful
daughter Leonora on behalf of the young Count of Pavia. The duke wrote
back that he had never seen the doctor, and that the whole was a
fabrication. As he informed Chiara, he had not the smallest intention of
marrying a second time, although he had already received proposals to
this effect, both from Naples and Germany. And, by way of
peace-offering, he sent her a beautiful little _niello_ pax, as a
specimen of the work of his Milanese goldsmiths, and as a proof that he
placed himself altogether at her service. In return, Chiara sent him her
cordial thanks, and informed him that her brother had given orders for
the instant arrest of the mischievous doctor, and would see that he was
delivered into the duke's hands.
Another princess, who was in constant correspondence with the Moro
during these last years, was his niece Caterina Sforza, the famous
Madonna of Forli. Long ago, he had helped her against the conspirators
who had killed her first husband and besieged her in the Rocca, and ten
years before, Galeazzo di Sanseverino had won his first laurels at
Forli. Since those days, Lodovico had been a good friend to this warlike
lady in all her perpetual quarrels with her subjects and neighbours. "I
should be ready to drown myself, were it not for the trust that I place
in your Excellency," Caterina wrote to her uncle in 1496. Now that she
had aroused the wrath of Venice by her alliance with Florence, and that
Romagna was actually invaded by a Venetian force, the duke sent first
Fracassa and then the Count of Caiazzo to her help. In her gratitude she
called the infant son born of her third marriage with Giovanni de'
Medici, Lodovico, a name which he afterwards changed, to become famous
in history as Giovanni _delle bande nere_. But this _virago_, as
Machiavelli named the gallant lady of Forli, was by no means easy to
deal with, and she was constantly appealing to Lodovico to settle her
disputes. One day she welcomed Fracassa as a delivering angel, the next
she quarrelled with him violently, and turned a deaf ear to the Moro's
advice to overcome the Condottiere's rudeness by fair words and gentle
courtesy. After summarily rejecting his suggestion of a Gonzaga bride
for her son, and informing him that she was about to accept the Count of
Caiazzo's proposals for her daughter Bianca, she changed her mind,
declaring the count to be too old, and suddenly bethought herself of
Galeazzo di Sanseverino, as a suitable husband. This proposal, however,
the Moro promptly declined in a curt note, telling the countess that
Messer Galeazzo had no intention of marrying again.[75]
But the days of the once powerful Moro's reign were already numbered,
and the time was coming when he would be in sore need of help himself.
His subjects were already grievously discontented. At Milan, Cremona,
and Lodi, even in faithful Pavia, there had been tumults and riotings.
It became increasingly difficult to exact the loans required to meet the
heavy expenses for the national defence, while the ill-paid troops
murmured, and in many cases deserted the standard.
"In the whole Milanese there is trouble and discontent. No one loves the
duke. And yet he still reigns.... But he is a traitor to Venice, and
will be punished for his bad faith." So wrote Marino Sanuto that autumn;
while another Venetian chronicler, Malipiero, gave vent to his bitter
hatred in these words:
"Lodovico hoped to give the Signory trouble by his alliance with Charles
VIII., but God our protector has taken away that monarch's life, and has
made King Alvise his successor, who is Lodovico's enemy."
So the year closed gloomily. The political horizon was black and
lowering, and Lodovico had lost the wife upon whose courage and presence
of mind he had learnt to lean. He was suffering from gout himself, and
was often unable to mount a horse. But he still found pleasure in his
artistic dreams and in the vast schemes that filled his brain. Already
he had seen many of his plans carried out. Bramante's cupola and
sacristy were finished and Beatrice's tomb, with the sleeping form and
face, had been exquisitely wrought in marble by the sculptor's hand.
Leonardo had completed the Cenacolo to be the wonder of the world in
coming ages, and the great equestrian statue was only waiting for better
times to be cast in bronze and become a permanent memorial of the proud
Sforza race. Now a new and grander vision filled his thoughts. He would
rebuild the convent of the Dominican Friars on a vast and splendid
scale, and make it the most glorious sanctuary in the world, surpassing
even his beloved Certosa, for the sake of Beatrice, and as a living
memorial of the love which he had borne to his dead wife.
He began by rebuilding the friars' dormitories, enlarging their gardens,
and giving them a good water-supply. Then, on the 3rd of December of
this year, 1498, he drew up a deed by which he granted his beautiful
villa of the Sforzesca, with the spacious farms and fertile lands which
had been his pride and pleasure in past days, to the prior and convent
of Santa Maria delle Grazie, in perpetuity. In the preamble to the deed
of gift, the duke expresses his great love for this church, "where our
dead children repose, and our most dear wife Beatrice d'Este sleeps,
where, God willing, we ourselves hope to rest until the day of
resurrection," and ends with a devout prayer "that God and the Blessed
Virgin, the Dominican saints, Peter Martyr, Thomas Aquinas, and Dominic,
St. Vincent, St. Katharine of Siena, and all the saints, will hear the
prayers offered at these altars by the brothers of the order, and
forgive our failings, increase our merit, preserve our sons, give peace
and tranquillity to our subjects, receive the soul of our dearly loved
Beatrice into rest eternal, and finally place us, when this life is
over, among the holy monarchs and princes of His kingdom." This deed,
signed and sealed by Lodovico's own hand, and beautifully illuminated by
Antonio da Monza, or some miniaturist of his school, is preserved,
together with the former privileges granted to the community during the
lifetime of Duke Giangaleazzo, in the collection of the Marchese d'Adda.
Each leaf is elaborately decorated with Lodovico's favourite mottoes and
devices and other ornaments, while on the first page is a miniature of
the duke in black cap and mantle, in the act of presenting the act of
donation to the Dominican prior. After the French conquest of Milan,
Louis XII. annulled this deed of gift, although the friars escaped
further spoliation owing to the protection of the powerful Borromeo
family, and, after a long dispute, their possession of the Sforzesca was
eventually confirmed by Emperor Charles V. An inscription was placed
over the gates of the Sforzesca in honour of Lodovico Sforza and his
wife, and the domain remained the property of the convent until the
general confiscation of Church lands by Napoleon in 1798. Now Lodovico's
foundation has become national property, the remnants of his spacious
buildings are used as government schools.
On the same day, December 3, 1498, Lodovico made his will, a curious and
interesting document, which is still preserved in the Milanese archives,
and opens with these sentences:
"The holy Fathers teach us that according to the laws of the Eternal
kingdom, ordered by God Almighty, the elect may attain to this immortal
heritage by purifying their souls from every earthly stain. By mourning
for our sins, by giving alms and making reparation for wrong done to
others, by fasting, prayers, and good works, we can win everlasting
life, as has been decreed by God in all eternity. Believing this truth
with our whole heart, in full agreement with the Catholic faith, and
desiring to provide for the salvation of our soul as precious above all
earthly treasures, so that by the help of God we may rise purified from
the stains of this life to enjoy life and peace in the company of the
blessed, we order these things."[76] After recommending his soul once
more to all the saints, mentioned in the former deed, he desires that
his body, the ducal robes and insignia, may be buried on the right of
his wife, in the tomb erected by him, in the _Cappella Maggiore_ of
Santa Maria delle Grazie, and further endows the convent with a rent of
1500 ducats, in order that they may never cease to pray for his own soul
and that of his lady, Beatrice. Seven masses, he decrees, are to be said
daily for the duke, seven for the duchess, five requiems are to be
chanted every Wednesday, and the whole office for the dead is to be used
on the 3rd of every month, being the day on which Beatrice died; while
in the church of the Sforzesca, masses are to be said in January and
June--these being the months of Beatrice's birth and death--for both the
duke and his wife. For a whole year after his death, the alms which he
has given since the duchess's death are to be continued, a certain
number of poor families are to be relieved, and poor maidens and nuns
dowered, who are to pray for the souls of Beatrice and of his children
Leone and Bianca. He leaves 4000 ducats to be distributed yearly in
alms, and 3000 more to pension his old servants, while 5000 ducats are
to be paid to each of his illegitimate sons, Cesare and Gianpaolo. All
his debts and those of his mother are to be discharged, and a sum of
money equal to that which he, his father, and brother Galeazzo had
exacted from the Jews is to be spent in good works. All his gifts to the
Duomo of Milan are confirmed, including the rich plate and vestments
presented by Azzo Visconti to the chapel of S. Gottardo in the old
palace, and removed by Duke Galeazzo to the Castello, but restored by
Lodovico.
To this same date, another even more interesting document must be
assigned: the political will of Lodovico, which was among the
manuscripts brought from Milan by Louis XII., in 1499, and is still
preserved in the Bibliothèque Nationale.[77] This document consists of
thirty-four parchment leaves, enriched with delicately painted initials
and the monogram of Lodovico and Beatrice, bound in black velvet and
fastened with gold clasps. By the duke's orders, it was placed in an
iron casket, richly ornamented with silver work, bearing his arms and
those of his wife, as well as the Sforza devices of the lion with the
buckets and his own favourite emblem of the caduceus. This casket was
sealed with the cornelian engraved with Beatrice's portrait, which
Lodovico always used after her death, and deposited in the treasury of
the Rocchetta, in the charge of the governor of the Castello, to be
opened by him and the chief secretary and chamberlain, immediately after
the duke's death. The writer begins by explaining that since the
premature death of his wife, in whose wisdom and knowledge he placed
absolute trust, has deprived his sons of their natural guardian, he has
drawn up the following instructions for their education and guidance and
for the proper administration of the State, until the elder of the two,
Maximilian Count of Pavia, shall attain the age of twenty.
First of all, he desires the governors and regents set over his son, to
impress upon the new duke the love and duty which he owes to his Father
in heaven, who is the Disposer of all, and the King of earthly kings,
and under Him to his vicar, the holy pontiff, and his Imperial Majesty,
Maximilian King of the Romans. And immediately on the present duke's
death, his son is to apply to the Cesarean Majesty for a confirmation of
the privileges granted to Duke Lodovico as a singular mark of favour,
after they had been refused to his father, brother, and nephew. Lodovico
then proceeds to give minute directions for the constitution of a
Council of Regency, the administration of the finances, the punishment
of criminals, appointment of magistrates, and organization of the
national defences. A standing army of 1200 men-at-arms and 600 light
cavalry is to be kept up, as well as garrisons in the fortresses, and
great stress is laid on the selection of tried and trusted castellans. A
special paragraph is devoted to Genoa, and Lodovico begs his successor
to pay especial attention to the noble families of Adorno, Fieschi, and
Spinola, warning him that the Genoese are easily led but will never be
driven, and must be treated courteously, and with due regard. All
important questions of peace and war and of making new laws are to be
referred to representatives of the people, and the voice of the nation
is as far as possible to be consulted in these matters. The young duke
is to make the Castello his residence, and be as seldom absent from
Milan as possible, never going further than his country houses of
Abbiategrasso, Cussago, Monza, Dece, and Melegnano, until he has reached
the age of fourteen. After that, he may, if he pleases, cross the
Ticino, and visit Vigevano and Pavia, but is recommended to be seldom
absent from Milan, if he wishes to keep the affection of his subjects.
His education is to be entrusted to none but the best governors and
teachers, who are to train him carefully in all branches of religious
and secular learning, in good conduct and habits, and in the knowledge
of letters, which last is not merely an ornament but an absolute
necessity for a prince. From his earliest years he is to take his place
in the council, and is to be gradually initiated into the management of
affairs, taught to deliver speeches and receive ambassadors, and
instructed in all that is necessary to make him a wise and good prince,
who cares for the welfare of his subjects and is capable of ruling them
in days of peace, and defending them in time of war. One particular on
which Lodovico insists is the restraint which he places on his son's
expenditure. The young prince is to observe great caution in his gifts
to his favourites. Up to the age of fourteen, he is never to give away
more than 500 ducats at a time, without the leave of his councillors,
and may never give presents exceeding that value to strangers on his own
authority, before he is twenty. Similar directions are given for the
education of Lodovico's younger son, Sforza, Duke of Bari, and the
revenues of his principality are to be carefully invested in Genoese
banks until he is of age. The wise management of the ducal stables and
of the chapel choir is especially recommended to the regents, and good
horses and good singers are always to be kept, for the duke's pleasure
and the honour of his name. Minute instructions for the safe custody of
the treasure in the Rocchetta are given, and the very forms to be
observed in the payment of public money and in the use of the different
seals affixed to public documents are all carefully determined. Great
discrimination is to be observed in the appointment of certain
ministers, in the choice of the Podesta of Milan, in the selection of
Commissioners of Corn and Salt, as well as of the officer of Public
Health, since all three of these departments are of the foremost
importance in a well-regulated State.
In conclusion, directions are given as to the ceremonial to be observed
at Lodovico's own funeral, which is to take place before the
proclamation of his successor, who is warned, on pain of incurring the
paternal malediction, not to assume the ducal crown until his father has
been laid in the grave.
This political testament, which is so characteristic a monument of
Lodovico's forethought and attention to detail, and of his enlightened
theories of government, bears no seal or signature, but ends with the
following lines in the Moro's own handwriting--
"We Lodovico Maria, lord of Milan, affirm these orders to be those which
we desire to be followed after our death, in the government of the
State, under our son and successor in the Duchy. And in token of this,
we have subscribed them with our own hand, and have appended our ducal
seal."
FOOTNOTES:
[72] G. Uzielli, _Ricerche sopra L. da Vinci_, i.
[73] L. Pélissier, _op. cit._
[74] Luzio-Renier, _op. cit._, p. 650.
[75] P. Pasolini, _Caterina Sforza_, iii.
[76] Cantù in A. S. L., vi. 235.
[77] Italian State papers, M. 821.