THE TRUE LUCREZI BORGIA.*

Otago Witness, Issue 2363, 8 June 1899, Page 59

THE TRUE LUCREZI BORGIA.*

(By Richard Davey, in the Sunday Sun.)

Not even Mary Stuart has provoked gi eater controversy than has the famous Lucrezia Borgia. Somewhere in 1805 the celebrated Dr Roscoe, whilst writing his *' History of Leo X," came to the conclusion that the popular idea of Lucrezia was utterly at variance with truth, and he therefore published in an appendix to his splendid work a vindication of the much-maligned Duchess of Ferrara. Unfortunately, however, for her good name and fame, Victor Hugo in the early thirties wrote his drama. "Lucrece Borgia," which obtained such immense popularity, especially when set to music by Donizetti, that I greatly fear to the end of time no amount of proof will shake the conviction of the majority that the very name of Lucrezia Borgia synonymous with mysterious murder. Some years ago I wrote an article in defence of Lucrezia Borgia, published in New York, and mainly founded upon unedited material which T discovered among the archives of Mantua, Padua, and Milan, which enabled me to prove to the satisfaction of, even the most prejudiced that Lu"crezia Borgia was never charged with murder by any of her contemporaries, and that I her evil fame rested solely on the malignant satires. of the vindictive Neapolitan poet Sanazzei'o, the avowed enemy of her -strange family. It was left, however, for the illustrious German historian Gregoro'vius to paint a possible Lucrezia who is neither- saint nor devil, but an Italian PRINCESS OF THE RENAISSANCE, with all the faults and all- the virtues common to the mighty in that singular epoch of transition.

So little, indeed, was known about her real life that up to quite recently no modern historian .exactly knew the true name of her mother," although,, to be sure, to find it he had not far to go, since she is buried in the well-known Church of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome, where her monument bore the following inscription : —

"Here lies Madonna Rosa Vennozza Catanei, who was ennobled by the great rank and illustrious lives of her children, Caesar, Duke of Valentinois; Giovanni, Duke of Gandia; Geoffroi, Prince of Squilace, and Lucrezia, Duchess of Fercara. She lived seventy-seven years four months and thirteen days, and died the 26th November, 1518." 4

This woman, who was twice married, hpr first husband being a Catanei, and her second Carlo Canale, Captain of the Noble Guard to Pope Alexander VI, was without any doubt the openly avowed mistress of Rcdorigo Lencol, afterwards Cardinal, and ultimately ' Pope under the title of Alexander VI. Distressing a.s this fact may be, Catholic readers may take heart of grace, for. though a Pope may be infallible as Vicar of Christ when pronouncing upon matters -of dogma ex cathedra Petri, lie is not necessarily impeccable as a man. " MADONNA VENNOZZA, says Gregorovius, lived in outward respectability with her husband and the children she had by the Cardinal, in a magnificent house in the Piazza de Merlo, on the road to St. Angelo and the Vatican. You asrended a fhassive staircase of peperino to find yourself in the principal hall of the hall, a vast chamber hung with tapestry, and having a lofty ceiling traversed by heavy wooden beams, richly gilded" and painted in vivid colours in the Roman^ fashion of that period. An enormous fireplace occupied one side of the room, and a vast credenza, or sideboard, the other, upon which was the usual display of gold and silver plate and majolica. Here and there .were images of the Madonna and saints, with silver lamps burning before them. The furnitura was massive and richly carved, and there may have been a few family portraits, and even a picture or two by Peiugino or Pinturrichio, the principal painter of that day. Standing against the wall were certainly several cassoni, or linen chests, often decorated by artists of great distinction, and doubtless, since it was the fashion, groups of newly-dis-covered statuary by Greek and Roman sculptors of hoary antiquity stood out in vivid relief against the tapestried walls. In the.=e apartments Stefano Porcario found refuge in one of the aforesaid cassoni from his pursuers, who charged him with conspiracy against tho .State; released by Vennozza, he was found to be nearly suffocated. Possibly, it was in this chamber, too, that poor Giovanni, Duke of Gandia, supped for the la&t time before his -dreadful assassination. Here, too, one Car- " nival evening, Benimbeni saw the young Lucrezia dressed up as a Romau peasant girl, dancing in the firelight before her mother, Madonna Vennozza,' the Cardinal Borgia, her father, and her then very youthful and handsome brothers, Caesar and Giovanni.

Truly a subject worthy of a painter's attention! None more picturesque could well be imagined.

When she had attained her ninth year, Lucrezia was sent to the Convent of San Sisto, the earliest educational establishment for women of the upper classes mentioned in history, where she received instruction in modern languages, music, and other accomplishments. Later, she became the pupil of several of the most learned men of hei time, and studied Latin and Greek. On leaving school Lucrezia did not return for some reason or other to her mother's house, but was lodged in a small palace adjacent to the old basilica of St. Peter, where she lived with a certain Adriana Borgia, who was in all probability a niece of the Pope, and who was married to an Orsini, and had a great influence over his Holiness. , As may well be imagined, the elevation to the Papacy of so near a relation as Alexander produced a prodigious effect upon the minds of Vennozza- and her daughter Lucrezia.- We know for certain that the two ladies beheld the triumphal procession of the Pope proceeding froir St. Peter's to be crowned at the Lateran, standing together on a balcony in the Borgo, and that the said procession, which was of the utmost magnificence, was received by the people with the greatest enthusiasm, " for, whatever may have been his private vices, ALEXANDER WAS JUSTLY POPULAR with the lower classes. He was the first

* " Lucrezia Borgia," per F. Grcgorovius, Iradotte dal Tedesco per Raffaele Mariano. Le lionnier, Firenze

sovereign- in Europe who seems to have cared in the least degree for their sufferings. He diminished the taxes, especially those weighing upon the poor. He filled the granaries of Rome with such prodigality that when- a famine broke otit in the rest of Italy the Eternal City was bountifully supplied with food. He enlarged the hospitals, endowed orphanages, and himself frequently visited the sick, inspected and reformed them. Meanwhile Lucrezia. on the Bth November, 1492, was publicly affianced, although only m her twelfth year, to Don Gasparo, Count of Procida, a lad of 14, who solemnly bound himself to marry no one else but the paid Lucrezia Borgia. However, two months later the contract was annulled, and in 1493 Lucrezia was once more officialy engaged to Giovanni Sforza, Prince of Pesaro.

When the news of this great event reached Pesaro, the fortunate Sforza, who had fought hard~against the many intrigues of the Roman court to frustrate his schemes of making so powerful an alliance as this with the Borgias, gave a great entertainment in his palace. There was a ball held in the grand saloon, and the dancing couples, led by Mgr Scaltes, the Papal Ambassador, went dancing hand in hand out of the castle into the street, to the music of flutes and robbecs. Through the btreats went they in their glittering garments, much to the delight of the people, who showered flowers upon them and clapped their hands on beholding so pretty a spectacle.

■ In the meantime the power of the House of Borgia had become' prodigious. Cresar, although in years a mere lad, had already made himself conspicuous by his prodigious force of character, not only in Italy, but throughout the civili&ed world.

A few days after the above interview Sforza arrived in Rome to claim his bride, and a series of magnificent entertainments were given in the Vatican in his honour. The marriage contract was signed, and superb presents given to both bride and bridegroom. - Csesar, even at this early stage, wa& meditating the possibility of breaking off the alliance and contracting his sister to a Prince of the House of Naples. A year later Sforza's life was already in danger, for we learn that on one evening when Lucrezia was seated by the fireside In her palace near St. Peter's, talking with Girolomo, a favourite servant of her husband,

(LESAR WAS UNEXPECTEDLY ANNOUNCED.

The Princess immediately hid the attendant behind a tapestry curtain, and then entered into an earnest conversation with her brother, who intimated to her that he had determined to- havo Sforza assassinated, "as he was tired of him." So scon as her uncanny but very handsome visitor was gone, Lucrezia raised the arras, and summoning the faithful servant to her, bade him take j horse and ride for his life, to Sforza and warn him of his imminent, danger. Such was Sforza's terror that in 24 hours lie was in Pesaro, while his horse fell dead under him. Once- bitten twice shy, and when 'afew months later it was proposed to Sforza to declare the marriage had never been consummated, he was quite willing to swear whatever he was told. In 1497 this second marriage was dissolved, and a little later we hear of another matrimonial alliance being arranged between Lucrezia and ALFONSO, PRINCE OF ARAGON, of the House of Naples. She was then about 17 years of age. This young gentleman, who was only 18, was exceedingly handsome, and the only man Lucrezia ever really loved. The marriage took place jn Rome on the 21st July, in the Chapel of the Vatican. There can be no doubt that for two years both bride and bridegroom were exceedingly happy together. Suddenly, however, Lußrezia was summoned from Spoleto, where she was then r living, to Rome. In November she gave birth to a child, the Popo standing godfather. Meanwhile Cse&ar had quarrelled with the House of Naples, and had made up his mind that his beautiful sister should -lose her husband eithei by dagger or poison and marry into the House of Ferrara, with Avhich he was particularly anxious at this time to become connected. He tried to pick an open quarrel with his brother-in-law. buL Alfonso, who was kept well informed of what vas going on by his wife, meekly lefuscd to pick up the gauntlet. This altitude exasperated Ca?sar, who only waited his opportunity.* The year of' the Jubilee, 1500, saw !• Rom© crowded by an enormous concourse j.of pilgrims from all parts of Italy and i Europe, and. Lucrezia was now

AT THE ZENITH OF HER POPULARITY,.'

but always in fcai and trembling for the safety of her beloved husband. She herseif was surrounded by all that was learned and artistic in the Eternal City. She had formed the acquaintance of the famous" Yittoria Colonna, and had even had the great Michael Angelo, then a young man of 25, presented to her. Her brilliant conversational powers, her learning and her grace, had won for her a conspicuous position in the Court of Rome, and all about her seemed sunshine and happiness But the clouds were gathering. One fine evening, whilst supping with hei sister-in-law, Donna Sancha- of Aragon, she was btartled by hearing a piercing shriek without. The young Alfonso had been pursued by armed and masked men form the Piazza of St. Peter into the Palace of the Vatican, where he fell at the feet of the Pontiff, bleeding from no- less than 22 daggei thrusts. He was transported into the apartments of his wife and sister, who for several weeks watched over him with the utmost care. At last, one night, when least expected. Oassar appeared suddenly in thr apartment where the two ladies were watching by the si-'k man. He seized Lucrezia and Sancha by the arm, and thrust them out of the room, and then, assisted by his sbirri, sli angled with his own hands his helpless brother-in-law with the same callousness he had displayed a few months before when he caused Giovanni Borgia, Duke of Gandia, to be

STABBED BY NIGHT in the streets of Rome, and then tied up in a sack and thrown in the Tiber. And so masterful was the character of this extraordinary fiend in human form thab Pope Alexander was absolutely powerless not only to punish him, but even to remonstrate

with him. Csesar was certainly an incarnation of evil, and at this date he was barely 24 years of age. Poor Alfonso was buried with maimed rites, and the heartbroken Lucrezia took refuge with the Dominican Nuns in the Convent of San Si&lo, where she had been educated.