1 6 Italy and the Visconti 



sons of his brother Stephen, agreed to succeed him in common. The 

 eldest, who showed less talent for government, and more sensuality 

 and vice, than his brothers, was poisoned by them the year following. 

 The two survivors, Barnabas and Galeazzo, divided Lombardy 

 between them ; preserving an equal right on Milan, and in the 

 government. ... 



The two brothers Visconti, masters of Lombardy, had at their 

 disposal immense wealth and numerous armies ; and their ambition 

 was insatiable. They were allied by marriage to the two houses of 

 France and England ; their intrigues extended throughout Italy, and 

 every tyrant was under their protection. At the same time, their own 

 subjects trembled under frightful cruelties. They^ shamelessly pub- 



^ The edict was due to Galeazzo alone, so far as appears (R. I. S. i6. 

 410), and is assigned by Sismondi, Fr., who wrongly attributes it to 

 Bemabo (6. 302-3), to 1359. For an account of these tortures, see 

 Sismondi, Fr., 6. 302-3; Leo 3. 31 1-2. The following account is directly 

 from the original. 



The tortures, which were to be inflicted on traitors and their accom- 

 plices, that is, according to Rosmini (2. 113), on all who had opposed 

 him in the recent war, or favored his enemies, were to extend over a 

 period of 41 days, and terminate in death. All the even days of the 

 series were to be spent in recuperating from the agonies inflicted on 

 the odd days, so that there were 21 days of active torment. Only speci- 

 mens will be here described. They began with the strappado, which 

 consisted of attaching a rope to the condemned, perhaps typically to his 

 hands joined behind his back, and letting him fall, but not to the ground, 

 the length of a rope suspended from a beam. This was done five times 

 a day for days i, 3, 5, and 7. On days 9 and 11, lime, vinegar, and 

 water were given him to drink. On day 15 the soles of the feet were 

 flayed, and the wretch walked upon peas, the walking to be repeated on 

 day 17. On days 19 and 21, the rack. On day 23, one eye gouged 

 out; 25, the nose cut away; 27, one hand chopped off; 29, the other 

 hand; 31, one foot, etc. On the last day, the sufferer was laid on a 

 cart, and his flesh torn with pincers ; following which, he was broken 

 on the wheel ('intenaglietur super plaustro, et postea in rota ponetur'). 

 If we reflect how easily the stigma of treason could be fastened on a 

 person, that there was no appeal from a sentence, that these punishments 

 were actually inflicted on numbers of persons in 1362 and 1363 (R. I. S. 

 16. 411), and that Galeazzo was the less sanguinary of the two brothers, 

 we shall be in a position to estimate one aspect at least of the character 

 of the Visconti. 



For Galeazzo's character in general, see R. I. S. 16. 402-5 ; cf. Muratori 

 8. 382; Rosmini 2. 140-143; Leo 3. 323-4. He has been called the 

 wealthiest and most magnificent Italian of his epoch (Encyc. Brit., nth 

 ed., 15. 38). For the pious foundations which he established on March 

 27, 1374, see Giulini 7. 240-243. He died on Aug. 4, 1378, aged 59 years 

 (Corio, p. 495). 



