Valperga (23 page)

"Nay, by the Virgin! I will not be backward in doing my
part to tame the cubs of this wild lioness: if Florence ever can be
mine, she shall, and may God's will and your prophecy be
fulfilled."

"That is well.--At present you are at peace with them; but
it must be a peace to crush, and not to invigorate them. You are
freshly entered into your lordship, your authority is new, perhaps
unstable; but form your troops, be a prince among your own people,
and then fall upon these enemies of all princes. Oh! believe me,
give up this old fashioned name of consul; it is tainted by the
idea of that which I abhor--a commonwealth: make yourself a prince,
and then so pure and ardent a hatred of Florence will arise in your
mind, that you will not need my spurring to ride them to their
destruction. The contagion of liberty is dangerous;--the Ghibelines
must fall in Lucca, if the Guelphs be not destroyed in Florence.
Think you, if your people are allowed free intercourse with this
republic, that the plague of liberty will not spread to your state?
For no quarantine will eradicate that spot, if once it has entered
the soul: plots, rebellions will be formed against you; Florence,
the watchword, the rallying point for all. Choose; for that choice
alone is left to you, to quell that city, or depart once more to
exile."

These were the lessons with which Galeazzo awakened the latent
flame in the soul of Castruccio; a flame, covered, but not
extinguished, and which now burned more fiercely than ever. He
swore the destruction of the Guelphs, and interminable war to
Florence; and his blood flowed more freely, his eyes shone
brighter, his soul was elevated to joy, when he thought that one
day he might be the master of that proud city.

In the mean time the marquess of Este occupied their attention;
and Castruccio prepared for this embassy to the bishop of Ferrara.
He took no papers with him that might be dangerous, if discovered;
but, habiting himself like a merchant from Ancona, and taking such
documents as might enable him to support this character, he left
Rovigo for Ferrara, which was about twenty miles distant, and
entering that town at ten o'clock in the morning he hastened,
unquestioned by any, to the episcopal palace. The bishop was an old
man of the most benign physiognomy, and a sweet, mild tone of
voice; he was tall, and upright in figure, with an air of dignity
and benevolence, that won, yet awed every one; his temples were
slightly shaded by his silver locks, and his white beard, reaching
to his girdle, increased the dignity of his appearance. Castruccio,
who by his intercourse with the world had learned always to honour
age, approached him with respect, and disclosed to him his rank and
mission. The bishop replied:

"My noble lord, the marquess has done that which I have
long desired, in sending to me one to whom I may intrust the
important secret, which I do not doubt will be the means of his
re-establishment in his government. This evening my friends will
assemble at my palace; with their counsel all shall be arranged,
the means disclosed to you by which I propose to deliver Ferrara
into the hands of its rightful prince, and the day fixed for the
commencement of the enterprize."

The bishop and Castruccio continued together the whole day, both
mutually delighted with each other; and, as is often the case where
sympathy of opinion and feeling exists, they became as intimate in
a few hours, as in other circumstances an intercourse of years
would have effected. Castruccio had a great taste for theological
knowledge, and the bishop, as a man of the world, was delighted
with the conversation and remarks of one who had passed through so
many scenes, and visited so many nations. Confidence quickly arose
between them; so well did each seem to understand the feelings and
character of the other. The bishop was a Ghibeline; but his motives
were pure: his indignation at the corruptions of the Papal court,
and his disapprobation of the faction and brawls which appeared to
him inseparable from a republic, attached him strongly to the
Imperial party, and to those lords who, reigning peacefully over a
people who loved them, seemed to him to ensure the quiet of
Italy.

In the evening the partizans of the marquess of Este assembled
at the episcopal palace to deliberate on their projects. Castruccio
was introduced among them, and received with cordiality and respect
by all. The assembly consisted of nearly the whole nobility of
Ferrara, chiefly indeed Ghibelines, but there were even some
Guelphs, disgusted by the introduction of foreign troops, and the
haughtiness and tyranny of their governors. The government however
was formidable; they possessed the gates, and the fortress; their
armed guard was numerous and faithful; and the restoration of
Obizzo could be achieved by stratagem alone.

In one corner of the vast apartment in which the assembly sat,
were two women. One was old, and dressed in the fashion of an age
gone by: she was in black as a widow; her vest was close and
strait, trimmed with beads, and made of black cloth; a black veil
covered her head, and her capuchin thrown aside discovered the
years and wrinkles of the venerable wearer. It was impossible to
judge of the age, and hardly of the sex, of the figure that sat
beside her; for her capuchin was wrapped closely round her form,
and the hood drawn over her face, as she sat silently, turned away
from the company, in the darkest part of the room.

The bishop at length addressed Castruccio: "My lord,"
said he, "you now possess the details of our plan, and may
perceive the sincerity of our intention, and the eagerness of our
desire to receive again our rightful prince: it alone remains to
shew you the secret entrance of which I spoke, and to fix the day
for our attempt."

The old lady, who had been hitherto silent, now turned quickly
round, and said: "My brother, Beatrice ought to name the
fortunate day on which we may undertake this work. Speak, my child,
and may the holy Virgin inspire your words!"

As she spoke, she threw back the hood of her young companion;
and Castruccio gazed on her exquisite and almost divine beauty. Her
deep black eyes, half concealed by their heavy lids, her curved
lips, and face formed in a perfect oval, the rising colour that
glowed in her cheeks which, though her complexion was pure and
delicate, were tinged by the suns of Italy, formed a picture such
as Guido has since imagined, when he painted a Virgin or an
Ariadne, or which he copied from the life when he painted the
unfortunate Beatrice Cenci. Her jet hair fell in waving luxuriance
on her neck and shoulders below her waist; and a small silver plate
was bound by a white riband on her forehead. Castruccio could only
gaze for a moment on this lovely being; for, turning a supplicating
look on her aged friend, she again drew the hood over her face,
speaking in so low a tone, that he could not distinguish the words
she uttered; the elder lady acted as interpreter, and said
"Beatrice intreats you not to fix the day until to-morrow, and
then she hopes, by the grace of God and the Virgin, to name such a
one as will bring your enterprize to an happy issue."

Castruccio turned quickly round to see what effect these words
would produce upon the bishop; he thought that he saw a slight
smile of derision hover on the old man's lip; but he replied:
"Be it so; my lord Castruccio, you will accompany my sister,
Madonna Marchesana, to her palace; she will disclose to you the
secret entrance, and acquaint you with the means by which you may
find it, when you return with the marquess Obizzo and his
troops."

The assembly broke up; and Castruccio followed Madonna
Marchesana and her beautiful companion. His horse was brought to
the door; they mounted their white palfreys, and attended by
several esquires and pages carrying torches, arrived at a
magnificent palace close to the eastern gate of Ferrara. When they
had entered, Madonna Marchesana dismissed her servants, and led
Castruccio into a room, hung with tapestry, and furnished with the
rich and heavy furniture of the age. She lifted up the hangings;
and, while Castruccio supported them, she pushed back a panel in
the wainscot, and discovered a long, dark gallery; then, taking up
a torch that lay within, and lighting it at a lamp which hung from
the ceiling of the room, she presented it to Beatrice, saying:
"Do you, my child, light us, and lead us the way, that success
may attend our steps."

A small snow white hand and taper wrist were put out from
beneath the capuchin; and Beatrice silently took the torch, and led
the way, along the gallery, down several flights of stairs, and
then along numerous vaults and corridors, until they arrived at
what appeared the end of these subterraneous passages. "You,
my lord," said the lady Marchesana, "must help me."
She pointed to a large stone, which Castruccio rolled away, and
discovered behind it a small, low door. The lady drew back the
bolts, and bade Beatrice hide the light, which she did, placing it
within a kind of recess in the passage that seemed formed for the
purpose of receiving it; the lady then opened the door; and
Castruccio, creeping out, found himself in an open country, covered
with bushes, and surrounded by marshy land, at some distance from
the strong fortifications of the town. Castruccio smiled:
"Ferrara is ours!" he cried; and the old lady with a
countenance expressive of the greatest delight, said: "I
intreat you, my lord, to lay my respectful submission and zealous
fidelity at the feet of the marquess Obizzo; tell him the joy and
triumph that I feel, in being the humble instrument of restoring
him to his sovereignty and inheritance. When you mention the name
of the viscountess di Malvezzi he may distrust my professions;
since the viscount, my late husband, was his bitter and determined
enemy. But he is no more; and I have been brought to a true
knowledge of the will of God by this divine girl, this Ancilla Dei,
as she is truly called, who is sent upon earth for the instruction
and example of suffering humanity."

Castruccio listened with astonishment; while the gifted damsel
stood, her face covered by her cowl, and her arms crossed over her
breast: the eyes of the old lady beamed with joy and pride. "I
do not entirely fulfil my commission," she continued,
"until I have taught you how you may again discover this
place. Do you see those straggling sallows that skirt that stagnant
drain, and which, although they appear to be without order, are the
clue by which you will be guided thither? Four miles distant from
Ferrara, on the right-hand side of the road, you will find a
mulberry tree, a poplar, and a cypress, growing close together;
strike from the road at that point, and follow the line of sallows,
however they may lead, until you come to that where the line ends.
You must then mark the drains of the marsh, remembering to follow
only those which are bordered by dwarf myrtles, and which at every
turn have a cross carved in a low stone on their banks; that line
will lead you hither; and you will stop at that cross of wood which
you see half buried in the tall grass and bulrushes, until this
door is opened for your entrance."

The viscountess di Malvezzi repeated her instructions a second
time in the same distinct manner; and, finding that Castruccio
fully apprehended them, she led the way back to her subterranean
passages; and with quick steps they regained the tapestried
apartment. Beatrice remained a moment behind to extinguish the
torch; and, when she re- appeared, she had thrown off her capuchin,
and shone in the light of her divine beauty. Her dress was of the
finest white woollen; and in fashion it partook of the usual dress
of the age, and of the drapery of the ancient statues: it was
confined at her waist by a silken girdle, and fell about her figure
in thick and rich folds; a golden cross glittered upon her bosom,
on which lay also the glossy ringlets of her hair; on the silver
plate bound to her forehead Castruccio could distinguish the words,
Ancilla Dei. Her black eyes beamed as with inspiration, and the
wide sleeves of her vest discovered her white and veined arm, which
she threw up in eager gesticulation as she spoke:

"Mother, I promised that tomorrow I would name the day for
my sovereign's enterprize; I feel the spirit coming fast upon
me; let this noble gentleman inform your revered brother, that
tomorrow in the church of St. Anna I shall speak to my countrymen,
and in the midst of the people of Ferrara tell in veiled words the
moment of their deliverance."

With a light step Beatrice glided out of the room, and the
viscountess, not regarding the surprise of Castruccio, said to him:
"Fail not, my lord, to convey the message of my Beatrice to
the bishop. God has been gracious to us, in bestowing on us his
visible assistance through this sacred maiden, who by her more than
human beauty, the excellence of her dispositions, and, above all,
by her wisdom beyond that of woman, and her prophecies which have
ever been fulfilled, demonstrates, even to the unbeliever and the
Gentile, that she is inspired by the grace and favour of the
blessed Virgin."

THUS dismissed, Castruccio returned, burning with curiosity and
admiration, to the bishop. He delivered the message with which he
had been intrusted, and then eagerly asked who this enchanting
Beatrice really was, and if it were true that she was an angel
descended upon earth for the benefit and salvation of man. The
bishop smiled.

"My lord," he relied, "so much have you won my
confidence and esteem, that I am willing to satisfy your curiosity
on this subject also. But you must recollect, that neither my
sister, nor even the lovely girl herself, knows what I shall now
reveal, and that I shall tell it you under the most solemn vow of
secrecy."

Castruccio readily promised discretion and silence, and the
bishop then related the following particulars.