Produced by Giovanni Fini, Melissa McDaniel and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) [Illustration: BIANCA CAPPELLO.] _From an Original Painting by Cristofero Allori in the Uffizi at Florence._ A DECADE OF ITALIAN WOMEN. BY T. ADOLPHUS TROLLOPE, AUTHOR OF "THE GIRLHOOD OF CATHERINE DE' MEDICI." IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. II. LONDON: CHAPMAN AND HALL, 193, PICCADILLY. 1859. [_The right of Translation is reserved._] LONDON BRADBURY AND EVANS, PRINTERS, WHITEFRIARS. CONTENTS. TULLIA D'ARAGONA. Born, about 1510. Died, about 1570. CHAPTER I. PAGE My Lord Cardinal's daughter 1 CHAPTER II. Aspasia rediviva 10 CHAPTER III. "All's well, that ends well" 21 OLYMPIA MORATA. Born, 1526. Died, 1555. CHAPTER I. Good old times in Ferrara.—How a Pope's daughter became a Duchess; bygones were bygones; and Love was still the lord of all 30 CHAPTER II. Troublous new times in Ferrara.—How a French King's daughter became a Duchess; bygones were aught but bygones; and Mitre and Cowl were lords of all 54 CHAPTER III. How shall a Pope be saved? with the answer thereto.—How shall our Olympia be saved? To be taken into consideration in a subsequent chapter 77 CHAPTER IV. "The whirligig of time brings in his revenges."—Still Undine.—The "salvation" question stands over 92 CHAPTER V. Dark days.—The great question begins to be answered 108 CHAPTER VI. The question fully answered at last.—Farewell, Ferrara!—Welcome inhospitable Caucasus.—Omne solum forti patria est 122 CHAPTER VII. At Augsburg; and at Würzburg 143 CHAPTER VIII. The home at Schweinfurth 154 CHAPTER IX. The makers of history.—The flight from Schweinfurth 168 CHAPTER X. A new home in Heidelberg; and a last home beneath it.—What is Olympia Morata to us? 182 ISABELLA ANDREINI. Born, 1562. Died, 1604. Italian love for the Theatre.—Italian Dramatic Literature.—Tragedy.—Comedy.—Tiraboschi's notion of it.—Macchiavelli's Mandragola.—Isabella's high standing among her contemporaries.—Her husband.—Her high character.—Death, and Epitaph.—Her writings.—Nature and value of histrionic art 205 BIANCA CAPPELLO. Born, 1548. Died, 1587.