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BOUT the end of the 15th century, Thomas Buonaventuri, a young Florentine, of a good family, but poor, took up his refidence with a merchant in Venice, his countryman. Oppofite to the house where he lodged, was the back-gate of the dwelling of a Venetian of quality, Bartolemeo Capello. In this houfe lived a young lady of extraordinary beauty, of the name of Bianca.She was indeed clofely watched; how ever, Buonaventuri foon difcovered her, as the came frequently to the window. Of a nearer accefs to her, he did not dare to form any hopes; yet he did all he could to entertain her, and to evince his inclination. He was young and amiable; it was not long before he ceafed to be indifferent to her; and, in fhort, after repeated negociations, the two lovers at length found means to accomplish their wishes. Bianca never failed, every evening at a late hour, when all the family were in bed, to flip into Buonaven tura's chamber, in the merchant's houfe, by means of a little back-door, which fhe took care to leave a-jar for that pur-" pofe; and without any foul being aware of it, returned every morning before break of day. After they had carried on this diver-p fion for a pretty long while, as it commonly happens, he grew bolder by habit; and, having once ftaid longer than ufual with her lover, it happened by chance that a baker's boy, who wanted to fetch yeaft from an adjoining house, perceived that the little back-door flood open. Not dreaming that this could be owing to any thing but neglect; he shut it to. Prefently after came the young lady and found the door faft. In great confternation, the hurries back to the house from whence fhe was come out; knocked gently at the door, was let in by her lover, to whom the related the ugly ac cident. Gratitude, as well as love, impelled him to take a fudden refolution; every thing was to be facrificed to their safety. He quitted the house on the fpat ; A hired an apartment for himfelf and Bianca in the house of another Florentine, and kept themfelves concealed with all poffible care, till a favourable opportu nity offered for eloping to Florence. In Florence he had a small house, on the Via Larga, near S. Marco, direaly facing a nunnery. Here they kept them felves in clofe retirement, for a confider able able time, för fear of any pursuit from Venice. The then Grand Duke of Tuscany was Francis Maria, the fon of Cosmo I. and father of Maria di Medicis. He had to his wife Johanna of Auftria, daughter of the Emperor Ferdinand, dowager Queen of Hungary; a very worthy princess, but now fomewhat advanced in years. Hence happened, as is no uncommon cafe, that the Grand Duke would fometimes prefer another lady to her. One of his courtiers, who had a fpoufe as well skilled in officiouf nefs as himself, used commonly to play the confidante in these intrigues of the prince. Bianca might keep herfell concealed as much as fhe would: there was foon a rumour in Florence of the beautiful Venetian lady that was newly arrived; and the report of her adventure as well as of her beauty, to which her ftudied referve not a little contributed; all this made the Grand Duke long ardently to fee her. Every day he purpofely paffed before her chamber; and, as it was her only favourite paftime to ftand at the window, it was not long before his curiofity was fatisfied. She was half-veiled; but the Grand Duke had seen enough for being desperately in love with her. The confident, who foon perceived the unconquerable paffion of his mafter, now began to fet his wits at work, in conjunction with the Duke, in order to contrive the means of fatisfying it. His like-minded lady was duely admitted of the confultation. The late hard fortune of Bianca, and her gloomy profpects in the future, gave the worthy dame the faireft opportunity for letting Bianca privately know, that matters of confequence could be communicated to her; and accordingly for inviting her to her. houfe. Buonaventuri had a long frug gle with himself, whether he ought to confent that Bianca fhould accept of the invitation or not. Yet, the high rank of the court-lady, and then his own penurious circumftances, helped him at length to furmount all difficulties. Bianca went, and was received with the moft flattering politeness, that bordered on real tenderness. She was defired to -relate her flory; it was liftened to with heartfelt emotion, at least in appearance; the most affectionate offers were made her; fhe was loaded with civilities; prefents were tendered, almoft forced upon her. Highly fatisfied with this firft vifit, the Grand Duke flattered himfelf that he might be prefent at the fecond.——— Shortly after, the court-lady invited Bianca once more: fhe was again accofted with the utmost respect and tenderness; and after repeated expreffions of pity, and numberless encomiums on her beauty, fhe was asked whether she was not defirous of being prefented to the Grand Duke? He, for his part, had intimated his wifhes to be able to make her acquaintance, as he had already found an opportunity of feeing and admiring her. Bianea had either not fortitude or not virtue enough, for refifting this fresh inftance of good-will. At first indeed the made fome attempts to elude it; but the made them with a look—as her artful feductress quickly perceived that only wished to be farther intreated. At this moment, according to their preconcerted plan, the Grand Duke entered the room, as if by chance. Bianca found herself extremely taken with his perfon, with his animated praises, with his liberal offers. The vifits were repeated; they imperceptibly grew familiar together: a few pretents which he did not dare to refufe, as coming from the bounty of her fovereign, helped to further the Grand Duke's defigns; and her husband thought it, on the whole, not advifeable to interrupt a connection, that at any rate was advantageous, and might perhaps be innocent. The Grand Duke would not flop fhert in fo fair a courfe: promotions of the husband muft neceffarily aflift him in gaining the favour of Bianca ; and to be brief, he at length attained the end of his wifhes, fo come pletely to the fatisfaction of the several parties; that he and Bianca, and Buonaventuri, were at laft as perfectly fitted together as the three fides of an equilateral triangle. The husband very quickly adapted himself admirably to his new fituation; he hired for himself and his handfome wife a better house; and daily made new acquaintances with the courtiers, and people of figure. But this fudden good fortune was too much for the merchant's clerk to be able to bear; he grew, as ufual, haughty and arrogant; began to fhew his infolence to the principal nobility, and even to the Grand Duke himself; and thus raifed himself fo many enemies, that at length he was one night attacked in the street, (it was in Italy,) and murdered. Who now were more glad than the Grand Duke and Bianca? They completely laid afide the laft remains of de felves publicly in fplendour and magni ficence. Johanna, the legitimate wife of the Grand Duke, though the ftrove, as much as poffible, outwardly to conceal her juft indignation at the conduct of her spouse, and her jealoufy towards her rival, yet they rankled only the more furioufly within; the pined at heart, feil fick, and died. decorum and referve; and fhewed them- fooner got intelligence that the confer for was fent for, than he haftened to the ante-chamber of the Grand Dachefs; where he walked up and down, and kept reading his breviary. The Grand Duchefs, on hearing that he was there, ordered him to be told; that fhe begged him, for God's fake, to be gone, as fhe could not endure the thought of a man being fo near her in the prefent circum-' flances. The Cardinal aufwered drily, Let her Highnels attend to her own bufinefs, and I will mind mine; and conti nued to read his breviary. Now came the confeffor, according to appointment. As foon as he appeared the Cardinal flew to meet him with open arms: Welcome, welcome, my dear ghoftly father! The Grand Duchefs has labour-pains, and is greatly in want of your alliftance. With thefe words he hugged him fast in his arms, and was thereby immediately firuck with the fight of a lovely new-born child which the good father had concealed in his bofom. He took it away from him, and called our fo loud, that even the Grand Duchefs could hear him in the adjoining chamber, God be thanked! the Grand Duchets is happily delivered of a chopping prince; and directly prefented the little one to the byeflanders. The death of the Duchefs opened fresh profpects to the afpiring Bianca. The heart of the Grand Duke was wholly at her command; he muft do what The pleafed and now the exerted all her art to induce him to wed her in form. In vain did the Grand Duke's brother, Cardinal Ferdinand de Medicis, who, in default of a male defcendant, was next fucceffor to the throne, employ all the means in his power to prevent it; the was was fo happy as to accomplish her aim; and Bianca was, in a fhort time after, Grand Duchefs of Tuscany. The Grand Duchefs, incenfed even to fury at this inalicious trick, refolved to be revenged of the Cardinal in the crueleft way, coft what it would. And the found means to make the Grand Duke himself, whofe devotion to her remained always entire, to furnith her with an opportunity for effecting her purpofe. She now naturally wished to blefs her fpoule with a prince who hereafrer fhould fucceed to the throne. She caused prayers to be put up for her in all the churches; had maffes read; ordered ftar-gazers and prophets to be fetched from eve ry quarter: all to no purpofe ! She therefore at length took up the refolution, in order that the might have her defire, to feiga herself pregnant, and then to substitute a foreign child. Intending thus, at least, to have the honour of a mother. A bare-foot friar of the monaftery of Ogni Santi, was eafily perfuaded by bribes to take the execu tion of the project upon him. The Grand Duchefs now began to be indif- One day they all three made a party pofed: he was taken with unaccount- of pleafure to Poggio a-Caino, and dinable longings: the complained of tooth-ed together. Now the Cardinal was achs, head-achs, qualms, indigeftions, &c. She took to her chamber; and at length to her bed: the acquainted the court with her fituation, and no one was more rejoiced at the news than the Grand Duke himfelf. When, according to her reckoning, the time of her delivery must be come, the fuddenly made a great alarm at midnight; rouzed her attendants; complained of the first pangs, and ordered, with great impatience, her confeffor, (the bare-footed Carmelite,) to be called. particularly fond of almond-foup: the Grand Duchefs therefore caufed an almond foup to be prepared for him,which, was poiloned, and to be fet upon the table. The Cardinal had his fpies upon all her actions, who executed fo well their commiffion, that he knew of this plot before the almond-foup came upHe feated himself as ufual at table; but would not take any of the almond-loop, though the Grand Duchefs preff.d it upon him with all the politenets imagin able. Well, faid the Grand Duke, tho' the Cardinal will have none of it, yet I fhall take fome. And immediately took a portion of it on his plate. (H.re the fituation of the Grand Duchefs will be The Cardinal, who was not unac quainted with the cunning of his filter in-law, had a long time paft caufed her to be to closely watched, that he was perfectly informed of the plot. He no Ed. Mag. June 1796. 3 N цоге more eafily imagined than defcribed.)Unable now to prevent him from eating it, without making an entire difcovery of her horrid purpofe, fhe faw that he was undone; therefore, in order to escape the vengeance he had to expect from her brother-in-law, fhe ate up what remained of the almond-foup. The confequence was, that the and her hufband died, both on one day, namely the aft of Oober 1587. The Cardinal fucceeded to the Grand-Ducal dignity, under the name of Ferdinand I. and reigned till the year 1608. This narrative which is faid to be taken from an ancient MS. is not indeed perfectly conformable to hiftory; for Moreri fays, that Francifcus Maria had abfolutely a legitimate fon, of his fecond marriage, named Antonius de Medicis, who lived till 1621. However, on the fide of the narrative, it is again certain, that really no son of the Grand Duke Francis Maria, but that this very Cardinal Ferdinand did fuc. ceed him; which would fcarcely have been the cafe if a legitimate fon had then been living. Farther, this circumftance allo agrees with it, that, according to the fame author, they both did die on the fame day, namely the ninth of October, which difference in the date may be in fome meafure accoufted for, by fuppofing that the two relators followed different styles. POETRY. FOR THE EDINBURGH MAGAZINE. THE REMEMBRANCE. Nith/dale, 1792. ET, let me figh, and think again, YThe thinking but renews my pain; Let me beftow one grateful tear, Sweet flows thy filver current, Nith, And pure the air thy fhepherds breathe; Bright fpring the flowrets on thy fide, And fair the vales thy fireams divide; But dearer, Thames, thy gliding wave, And thofe gay plains thy waters lave, For them I'll rune my finiple lays, Where dwelt the friends of early days. In vain thy glittering fpires arife, Yet foon perhaps may come a day Thy ftream, O Thames, may glad my eyes, MARIA RIDDELL, |