Lucrezia Borgia, Duchess of Ferrara, a Biography (Volume 2); A Biography (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Castle ofFerrara. 97 CHAPTER III. LVCREZIA DOMICILED IN I'ERRAHA. The Castle of Perrara?Lucrezia gains the Goodwill of the Citizens?Her Love for the Marchioness of Mantua- Francesco Gonzaga?Belriguardo?Lucrezia's Letters? The Rival Doctors?Bembo?The Lock of Hair?Letters in the Amhrosian Library. TDEFORE speaking of Lucrezia's manner of life in Ferrara, a short description of her residence may not be out of place. There are few ancient palaces in Italy of such immense magnitude, in a more perfect condition, or which give a better idea of the power exercised by the Italian potentates of the Middle Ages than the castle of Ferrara in the present day. Hardly a single room in it is not in as complete repair as when it was occupied by Lucrezia, and many of the ornaments, especially the paintings of the VOL. II. H celebrated Dosso Dossi, which adorned the great hail, are almost in as perfect a condition as the first day they were painted. The exterior is perhaps more suggestive of the great power the feudal lords of Ferrara exercised than any description we could give. There is something not only grand, but almost fearfully sombre in the appearance of its drawbridges, its battlemented walls, strong towers, and the deep moat surrounding all. Few who behold it leave it without having its outline well fixed on their memory. The castle of Ferrara was originally constructed after the plans of Bertolino Ploti of Novara, but before it was completed so many additions were made to it that when terminated it bore but little resemblance to the designs of the original architect. The external walls, as they appear at the present day, hardly date further back than the year 1570, as they were then so much damaged by the earthquake which occurred in that year that a considerable port...