CHAPTER I PAGE LUCRETIA'S FATHER 3 CHAPTER II LUCRETIA'S MOTHER 10 CHAPTER III LUCRETIA'S FIRST HOME 15 CHAPTER IV LUCRETIA'S EDUCATION 20 CHAPTER V NEPOTISM--GIULIA FARNESE--LUCRETIA'S BETROTHALS 34 CHAPTER VI HER FATHER BECOMES POPE--GIOVANNI SFORZA 44 CHAPTER VII LUCRETIA'S FIRST MARRIAGE 53 CHAPTER VIII FAMILY AFFAIRS 62 CHAPTER IX LUCRETIA LEAVES ROME 71 CHAPTER X HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION OF PESARO 76 CHAPTER XI THE INVASION OF ITALY--THE PROFLIGATE WORLD 87 CHAPTER XII THE DIVORCE AND SECOND MARRIAGE 102 CHAPTER XIII A REGENT AND A MOTHER 113 CHAPTER XIV SOCIAL LIFE OF THE BORGIAS 125 CHAPTER XV MISFORTUNES OF CATARINA SFORZA 137 CHAPTER XVI MURDER OF ALFONSO OF ARAGON 145 CHAPTER XVII LUCRETIA AT NEPI 152 CHAPTER XVIII CAESAR AT PESARO 159 CHAPTER XIX ANOTHER MARRIAGE PLANNED FOR LUCRETIA 167 CHAPTER XX NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE HOUSE OF ESTE 182 CHAPTER XXI THE EVE OF THE WEDDING 196 CHAPTER XXII ARRIVAL AND RETURN OF THE BRIDAL ESCORT 207 BOOK THE SECOND--LUCRETIA IN FERRARA CHAPTER I LUCRETIA'S JOURNEY TO FERRARA 229 CHAPTER II FORMAL ENTRY INTO FERRARA 239 CHAPTER III FETES GIVEN IN LUCRETIA'S HONOR 250 CHAPTER IV THE ESTE DYNASTY--DESCRIPTION OF FERRARA 266 CHAPTER V DEATH OF ALEXANDER VI 279 CHAPTER VI EVENTS FOLLOWING THE POPE'S DEATH 293 CHAPTER VII COURT POETS--GIULIA BELLA AND JULIUS II--THE ESTE DYNASTY ENDANGERED 303 CHAPTER VIII ESCAPE AND DEATH OF CAESAR 317 CHAPTER IX MURDER OF ERCOLE STROZZI--DEATH OF GIOVANNI SFORZA AND OF LUCRETIA'S ELDEST SON 326 CHAPTER X EFFECTS OF THE WAR--THE ROMAN INFANTE 338 CHAPTER XI LAST YEARS AND DEATH OF VANNOZZA 345 CHAPTER XII DEATH OF LUCRETIA BORGIA--CONCLUSION 355 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Lucretia Borgia, from a portrait attributed to Dosso Dossi _Frontispiece_