DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.42863#0083
ALFONSO D’ESTE IN ROME
61
races on the Piazza di S. Pietro, and a splendid
masquerade in the Campo dei Fiori, when Isabella’s
uncle, the handsome Cardinal of Aragon, and several
other Monsignori, appeared on Arab horses in mag-
nificent Hungarian costumes, blazing with gold and
silver and jewels, with belts and scimitars, boots and
spurs to match.1
The Marchesa, we may be sure, appreciated these
details fully, and was still better pleased to hear how
diligently Federico studied Greek and mathematics
with Raphael’s friend, the learned old humanist, Fabia
Calvi of Ravenna, whose frugal habits and devotion
to his studies filled his pleasure-loving contemporaries
with amazement. Her maternal pride was highly
flattered when Filippo Beroaldo composed an ode in
honour of Federico, and she wrote back that she
hoped this would encourage him to still greater
efforts, even though she could hardly believe that he
possessed all the excellent gifts which the poet
ascribed to him. She now resolved to make use of
Federico’s influence with the Pope to pave the way
fori a reconciliation between His Holiness and her
brother Alfonso.
The Duke, finding himself abandoned by his
French allies, humbly asked leave to come to Rome
and obtain absolution from the Pope. He had a
powerful friend at the Vatican in the person of
Fabrizio Colonna, Elisabetta Gonzaga’s brother-in-
law, whom he had taken prisoner in the battle of
Ravenna, and released without ransom. At his
intercession, Julius consented to grant the Duke a
safe conduct for his journey, and Alfonso came to
Rome in July, accompanied by Isabella’s Latin
1 Luzio, op. cit., pp. 28-34.
61
races on the Piazza di S. Pietro, and a splendid
masquerade in the Campo dei Fiori, when Isabella’s
uncle, the handsome Cardinal of Aragon, and several
other Monsignori, appeared on Arab horses in mag-
nificent Hungarian costumes, blazing with gold and
silver and jewels, with belts and scimitars, boots and
spurs to match.1
The Marchesa, we may be sure, appreciated these
details fully, and was still better pleased to hear how
diligently Federico studied Greek and mathematics
with Raphael’s friend, the learned old humanist, Fabia
Calvi of Ravenna, whose frugal habits and devotion
to his studies filled his pleasure-loving contemporaries
with amazement. Her maternal pride was highly
flattered when Filippo Beroaldo composed an ode in
honour of Federico, and she wrote back that she
hoped this would encourage him to still greater
efforts, even though she could hardly believe that he
possessed all the excellent gifts which the poet
ascribed to him. She now resolved to make use of
Federico’s influence with the Pope to pave the way
fori a reconciliation between His Holiness and her
brother Alfonso.
The Duke, finding himself abandoned by his
French allies, humbly asked leave to come to Rome
and obtain absolution from the Pope. He had a
powerful friend at the Vatican in the person of
Fabrizio Colonna, Elisabetta Gonzaga’s brother-in-
law, whom he had taken prisoner in the battle of
Ravenna, and released without ransom. At his
intercession, Julius consented to grant the Duke a
safe conduct for his journey, and Alfonso came to
Rome in July, accompanied by Isabella’s Latin
1 Luzio, op. cit., pp. 28-34.