[Illustration: 101a.jpg The Gentleman killing the Duke] [The Gentleman killing the Duke] [Illustration: 101.jpg Page Image] _TALE XII_. _The Duke of Florence, having continually failed to make known to a certain lady the love he bore her, confided in her brother, and begged his assistance that he might attain his ends. This, after many remonstrances, the brother agreed to give, but it was a lip-promise only, for at the moment when the Duke was expecting to vanquish her whom he had deemed invincible, the gentleman slew him in his bed, in this fashion freeing his country from a tyrant, and saving both his own life and the honour of his house_. (1) 1 The basis of this story is historical. The event here described--one of the most famous in the annals of Florence--furnished Alfred de Musset with the subject of his play _Lorenzaccio_, and served as the foundation of _The Traitor_, considered to be Shirley’s highest achievement as a dramatic poet. As Queen Margaret’s narrative contains various errors of fact, Sismondi’s account of the affair, as borrowed by him from the best Italian historians, is given in the Appendix, C--Eu. Ten years ago there reigned in the city of Florence a Duke of the house of Medici who had married the Emperor’s natural daughter, Margaret. (2) She was still so young that the marriage could not be lawfully consummated, and, waiting till she should be of a riper age, the Duke treated her with great gentleness, and to spare her, made love to various ladies of the city, whom he was wont to visit at night, whilst his wife was sleeping.