DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.36839#0022
4 COUNT BAUDASSARE CASTIGLIONE
woman in the world than I am, which indeed, my
sweet lord, is the actual truth, and 1 could not take
a greater revenge than this. But since they dare not
say any more harm of V. S., they have turned against
me, and say that I am nothing but a lump of Aesh
with two eyes. I am quite content to wait patiently
until I come to Mantua. I thank V. S. for the neck-
lace. Nothing could please me better, and I could
have nothing that I like as much as these beautiful
emeralds. I will not ask you to think of me, hoping
to see you again very soon; and as the pleasure of
writing to you seems to scatter the few senses that are
left me, I will only commend myself to all our family.
And I kiss and embrace you. The illustrious ladies
Madonna Bianca and Madonna Caterina, Elisabetta,
Cecilia, and every one else in the house, commend
themselves to you.
' From a wife who cannot write away from your
lordship,
' IPPOLITA TORELLI DA CASTIGLIONE/
'Fro??; MuTiNA, 22, 1516.'
The ladies to whom Ippolita alludes were probably
her aunt Bianca Bentivoglio, her cousin Caterina
Torelli, the widow of Gianpietro Gonzaga of Novellara,
and her own sister Elisabetta, who died unmarried.
Castiglione, we see from these letters, had intended
to return to Modena in a fortnight, and bring his wife
home, but being unable to carry out his intention, he
sent Ippolita s brother, Marc Antonio, to express his
regrets and escort the bride to Mantua.
Ippolita's disappointnent was great, and she vented
her pretended displeasure on her bridegroom in the
following playful note :
' You will forgive me if this note is short, for I
write it half in anger, having just heard from Messer
i Appendix 1.
woman in the world than I am, which indeed, my
sweet lord, is the actual truth, and 1 could not take
a greater revenge than this. But since they dare not
say any more harm of V. S., they have turned against
me, and say that I am nothing but a lump of Aesh
with two eyes. I am quite content to wait patiently
until I come to Mantua. I thank V. S. for the neck-
lace. Nothing could please me better, and I could
have nothing that I like as much as these beautiful
emeralds. I will not ask you to think of me, hoping
to see you again very soon; and as the pleasure of
writing to you seems to scatter the few senses that are
left me, I will only commend myself to all our family.
And I kiss and embrace you. The illustrious ladies
Madonna Bianca and Madonna Caterina, Elisabetta,
Cecilia, and every one else in the house, commend
themselves to you.
' From a wife who cannot write away from your
lordship,
' IPPOLITA TORELLI DA CASTIGLIONE/
'Fro??; MuTiNA, 22, 1516.'
The ladies to whom Ippolita alludes were probably
her aunt Bianca Bentivoglio, her cousin Caterina
Torelli, the widow of Gianpietro Gonzaga of Novellara,
and her own sister Elisabetta, who died unmarried.
Castiglione, we see from these letters, had intended
to return to Modena in a fortnight, and bring his wife
home, but being unable to carry out his intention, he
sent Ippolita s brother, Marc Antonio, to express his
regrets and escort the bride to Mantua.
Ippolita's disappointnent was great, and she vented
her pretended displeasure on her bridegroom in the
following playful note :
' You will forgive me if this note is short, for I
write it half in anger, having just heard from Messer
i Appendix 1.