_Children by one Mother._--In Vol. ix., p. 186., I. R. R., in reply to a
Query in Vol. v., p. 126.--"If there be any well-authenticated instance of
a woman having had more than twenty-five children?"--sends an account of a
case, which he "firmly believes" to be authenticated, of a farmer's wife
who had thirty. I now send you a much better authenticated case of
_polyprogenitiveness_, which utterly throws the farmer's wife into the
shade.
In Palazzo Frescobaldi, in this city, the ancient residence of the old
Florentine family of that name, there is, among many other family
portraits, one full-length picture of a tall and good-looking lady with
this inscription beneath it: "Dianora Salviati, moglie di Bartolomeo
Frescobaldi, fece cinquantadue figli, mai meno che tre per parto" (Dianora
Salviati, wife of Bartolomeo Frescobaldi, gave birth to fifty-two sons, and
never had less than three at a birth). The case is referred to by Gio.
Schenchio, in his work _Del Parto_, at p. 144.
The Essex lady, as well as I should suppose all other ladies whatsoever,
must hide their diminished heads in presence of this noble dame of
Florence.