Born, 1347. Died, 1380.
| CHAPTER I. | |
| PAGE | |
| Her Birth-place | [1] |
| CHAPTER II. | |
| The Saint's Biographer | [9] |
| CHAPTER III. | |
| The Facts of the Case | [18] |
| CHAPTER IV. | |
| The Church View of the Case | [32] |
| CHAPTER V. | |
| St. Catherine as an Author | [51] |
| CHAPTER VI. | |
| Catherine's Letter to the King of France | [67] |
| CHAPTER VII. | |
| Dupe or Impostor? | [77] |
| CHAPTER VIII. | |
| The Secret of her Influence | [83] |
CATERINA SFORZA.
Born, 1462. Died, 1509.
| CHAPTER I. | |
| PAGE | |
| Of Catherine's father, the Duke, and of his magnificent journey toFlorence | [90] |
| CHAPTER II. | |
| A Franciscan Pope and a Franciscan Cardinal.—A notable illustrationof the proverb concerning mendicants' rides.—TheNemesis of Despotism | [102] |
| CHAPTER III. | |
| Catherine's marriage.—"Petit Courrier des dames" for 1476.—Fouryears of prosperity.—Life in Rome in the fifteenthcentury.—A hunting party in the Campagna.—Guilty or notguilty.—Catherine and her husband leave Rome | [121] |
| CHAPTER IV. | |
| From Rome to Forlì with bag and baggage.—First presentation ofa new lord and lady to their lieges.—Venice again shows avelvet paw to a second Riario.—Saffron-hill in brocade andermine.—Sad conduct on the part of our lieges.—Life inRome again.—"Orso! Orso!"—"Colonna! Colonna!"—APope's hate, and a Pope's Vengeance.—Sixtus finally losesthe game | [140] |
| CHAPTER V. | |
| The Family is founded.—But finds it very difficult to stand on itsFoundations.—Life in Rome during an Interregnum.—MagnificentPrince short of Cash.—Our Heroine's Claims to thatTitle.—A Night Ride to Forlì, and its results.—An Accidentto which splendid Princes are liable | [166] |
| CHAPTER VI. | |
| Catherine in trouble.—"Libertà e Chiesà!" in Forlì.—TheCardinal Savelli.—The Countess and her Castellano performa comedy before the lieges.—A veteran revolutionist.—Nohelp coming from Rome.—Cardinal Legate in an awkwardposition.—All over with the Orsi.—Their last night in Forlì.—Catherineherself again.—Retribution.—An octogenarianconspirator's last day | [182] |
| CHAPTER VII. | |
| An unprotected Princess.—Match-making, and its penalties.—Aladies' man for a Castellano.—A woman's weakness, and awoman's political economy.—Wanted, by the city of Forlì, aJew; any Israelite, possessing sufficient capital, will find this, &c. &c.—The new Pope, Alexander VI.—The value of aJubilee.—Troublous times in Forlì.—Alliances made, andbroken.—Catherine once more a widow | [204] |
| CHAPTER VIII. | |
| Guilty or not guilty again.—Mediæval Clanship.—A woman'svengeance.—Funeral honours.—Royal-mindedness.—Its costliness;and its mode of raising the wind.—Taxes spent inalms to ruined tax-payers.—Threatening times.—Giovannide' Medici.—Catherine once more wife, mother, and widow | [223] |
| CHAPTER IX. | |
| A nation of good haters.—Madama's soldier trade.—A new Popehas to found a new family.—Catherine's bounty to recruits.—Ashrewd dealer meets his match.—Signs of hard times.—Howto manage a free council.—Forlì ungrateful.—Catherineat Bay.—"A Borgia! A Borgia!"—A new year's eve party in1500.—The lioness in the toils.—Catherine led captive toRome | [238] |
| CHAPTER X. | |
| Catherine arrives in Rome; is accused of attempting to poison thePope; is imprisoned in St. Angelo; is liberated; and goesto Florence.—Her cloister life with the Murate nuns.—Hercollection of wonderful secrets.—Making allowances.—Catherine'sdeath | [256] |
VITTORIA COLONNA.
Born, 1490. Died, 1547.
| CHAPTER I. | |
| PAGE | |
| Changes in the Condition of Italy.—Dark Days.—Circumstanceswhich led to the Invasion of the French.—State of things inNaples.—Fall of the Arragonese Dynasty.—Birth of Vittoria.—TheColonna.—Marino.—Vittoria's Betrothal.—The Duchessadi Francavilla.—Literary Culture at Naples.—Education ofVittoria in Ischia | [271] |
| CHAPTER II. | |
| Vittoria's Personal Appearance.—First Love.—A Noble Soldierof Fortune.—Italian Wars of the Fifteenth and SixteenthCenturies.—The Colonna Fortunes.—Death of Ferdinand II.—TheNeapolitans carry Coals to Newcastle.—Events inIschia.—Ferdinand of Spain in Naples.—Life in Naples inthe Sixteenth Century.—Marriage of Pescara with Vittoria.—Marriagepresents | [287] |
| CHAPTER III. | |
| Vittoria's Married Life.—Pescara goes where glory waits him.—TheRout of Ravenna.—Pescara in prison turns penman.—His"Dialogo di amore."—Vittoria's poetical epistle to herHusband.—Vittoria and the Marchese del Vasto.—Threecart-loads of ladies, and three mule-loads of sweatmeats.—Characterof Pescara.—His Cruelty.—Anecdote in proof of it | [301] |
| CHAPTER IV. | |
| Society in Ischia.—Bernardo Tasso's sonnet thereon.—How awedding was celebrated at Naples in 1517.—A SixteenthCentury trousseau.—Sack of Genoa.—The Battle of Pavia.—Italianconspiracy against Charles V.—Character of Pescara.—Honourin 1525.—Pescara's treason.—Vittoria's sentimentson the occasion.—Pescara's infamy.—Patriotism unknown inItaly in the sixteenth century.—No such sentiment to befound in the writings of Vittoria.—Evil influence of herhusband's character on her mind.—Death of Pescara | [312] |
| CHAPTER V. | |
| Vittoria, a widow, with the Nuns of San Silvestro.—Returns toIschia.—Her Poetry divisible into two classes.—Specimensof her Sonnets.—They rapidly attain celebrity throughoutItaly.—Vittoria's sentiments towards her husband.—Herunblemished character.—Platonic love.—The love poetry ofthe Sixteenth Century | [328] |
| CHAPTER VI. | |
| Vittoria in Rome in 1530.—Antiquarian rambles.—Pyramus andThisbe medal.—Contemporary commentary on Vittoria'spoems.—Paul III.—Rome again in 1536.—Visit to Lucca.—ToFerrara.—Protestant tendencies.—Invitation from Giberto.—Returnto Rome | [345] |
| CHAPTER VII. | |
| Oratory of Divine Love.—Italian reformers.—Their tenets.—Consequenceof the doctrine of justification by faith.—Fear ofschism in Italy.—Orthodoxy of Vittoria questioned.—Proofsof her Protestantism from her writings.—Calvinism of hersonnets.—Remarkable passage against auricular confession.—Controversialand religious sonnets.—Absence from the sonnetsof moral topics.—Specimen of her poetical power.—Romanistideas.—Absence from the sonnets of all patrioticfeeling | [356] |
| CHAPTER VIII. | |
| Return to Rome.—Her great reputation.—Friendship with MichaelAngelo.—Medal of this period.—Removal to Orvieto.—Visitfrom Luca Contile.—Her determination not to quit theChurch.—Francesco d'Olanda.—His record of conversationswith Vittoria.—Vittoria at Viterbo.—Influence of CardinalPole on her mind.—Last return to Rome.—Her death | [377] |
| | |
| Appendix: | |
| The Original of the Letter of St. Catherine of Siena to theKing of France | [393] |
| | |
| Notes | [398] |
| | |
| Index | [410] |