DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.42861#0235
FETES IN ROME
195
membered with a sigh, had belonged to her dearly
loved mother. The Pope was delighted, and ex-
claimed as he took the jewels in his hands that the
young Cardinal’s charm of manner doubled the value
of the jewels. But Duke Ercole had been careful
to insert a proviso in the contract stipulating that the
jewels were to be returned, and only the wedding
ring kept by Lucrezia if the marriage were afterwards
dissolved.
Cardinal Ippolito then presented the bride with
his own gift of four jewelled crucifixes, and the other
Cardinals followed with their gifts, after which the
whole company witnessed a succession of races and
jousts on the Piazza before the Vatican. Steel
weapons were used, and as many as six noble youths
were wounded, reports II Prete. “ Then Caesar,”
he goes on, 66 took the Madonna’s hand and danced
before the Pope with rare grace, and the maids-of-
honour followed and danced very well in couples.
His Holiness was in high spirits, and laughed all the
time. This lasted over an hour. Then the comedies
began. One was in Latin verse, and a shepherd and
children were introduced, and looked very fine, but I
could not understand its meaning. After that the
company dispersed, and only His Holiness, the bride,
and her brother and brothers-in-law sat down to the
wedding feast at the Pope’s table.”
Isabella’s correspondent gave her detailed accounts
of the week’s festivities that followed, of the comedies
and ballets, the masquerades and dancing, the recita-
tion of epithalamiums and marriage hymns, the bull-
fights organised by Ceesar Borgia, and the torchlight
processions in which Lucrezia took part.1 At length,
1 Gregorovius, op, cit., pp. 200-217.
195
membered with a sigh, had belonged to her dearly
loved mother. The Pope was delighted, and ex-
claimed as he took the jewels in his hands that the
young Cardinal’s charm of manner doubled the value
of the jewels. But Duke Ercole had been careful
to insert a proviso in the contract stipulating that the
jewels were to be returned, and only the wedding
ring kept by Lucrezia if the marriage were afterwards
dissolved.
Cardinal Ippolito then presented the bride with
his own gift of four jewelled crucifixes, and the other
Cardinals followed with their gifts, after which the
whole company witnessed a succession of races and
jousts on the Piazza before the Vatican. Steel
weapons were used, and as many as six noble youths
were wounded, reports II Prete. “ Then Caesar,”
he goes on, 66 took the Madonna’s hand and danced
before the Pope with rare grace, and the maids-of-
honour followed and danced very well in couples.
His Holiness was in high spirits, and laughed all the
time. This lasted over an hour. Then the comedies
began. One was in Latin verse, and a shepherd and
children were introduced, and looked very fine, but I
could not understand its meaning. After that the
company dispersed, and only His Holiness, the bride,
and her brother and brothers-in-law sat down to the
wedding feast at the Pope’s table.”
Isabella’s correspondent gave her detailed accounts
of the week’s festivities that followed, of the comedies
and ballets, the masquerades and dancing, the recita-
tion of epithalamiums and marriage hymns, the bull-
fights organised by Ceesar Borgia, and the torchlight
processions in which Lucrezia took part.1 At length,
1 Gregorovius, op, cit., pp. 200-217.