Pavia to Milan 49 



sister of the Green Count, and wife of Galeazzo; Isabella^^ of 

 France, wife of Gian Galeazzo; and Ricciarda, wife of Andrea 

 de' Pepoli.'*' These, and 80 ladies beside, were all dressed alike 

 in cote-hardies" of scarlet,^^ with sleeves of white cloth^'' 

 embroidered in trefoil-designs, and with gilded belts about their 

 loins of the value of 80 golden florins. Next followed, under 



without having accomplished his purpose, Bernabo promptly had him 

 hanged. 



'" Isabella was 19 years of age, having been born on Oct. i, 1348 

 (Delachenal 2. 233, note 5). She was just over 12 when she was married 

 to Gian Galeazzo on Oct. 8, 1360. It was she of whom Matteo Villani 

 said (R. I. S. 14. 617-8; cf. Delachenal 2. 232, note i) : 'Who could have 

 dreamed, considering the greatness of the crown of France, and the 

 insignificance of the King of England compared with him who wore it, 

 that he would be reduced to sell, as it were, his own flesh at auction?' 

 The marriage, like that of Violante, had been brought about by Amedeo 

 (R. I. S. 16. 505-6; Delachenal 2. 235). Villani (R. I. S. 14. 608) thus 

 speaks of her demeanor on that 8th of October : 'Her attire and bearing 

 were royal as she received homage from the [two] lords and their ladies ; 

 but she would not endure the cloth upon her head, and thus she stood 

 until she was wedded. Then, laying aside her royal dignity and her 

 nobility of blood, she did reverence to Galeazzo, Bernabo, and their 

 ladies.' She was not to live long: four years after Violante's wedding 

 (September. 1372), she died in childbed of her third son, Charles 

 (Delachenal 2. 237). Her first child, a daughter, Valentina, was born 

 in May, 1366 (Magenta i. 129). The Chronicle of Piacensa (R. I. S. 

 16. 512, and so 748) calls her a noble woman, good, wise, humble, God- 

 fearing, and virtuous, the mother of several excellent children, and 

 declares that when she died, her like was not left upon earth. See 

 also p. no. 



'' See p. 27. 



" See the pictures of Jeanne and Bonne de Bourbon, on pp. 35, 36, and 

 cf. Encyc. Brit., nth ed., 7. 238. In the picture of Iseult (see p. 50), her 

 gown is skyblue, edged with crimson bands at neck and elbow. The 

 precious stones of her crown and pendant, and of the knight's garter, are 

 probably rubies. Iseult's hair is golden. The knight's doublet is crimson. 



'' It is uncertain whether 'scarlatta' here denotes a color or not ; Frag. 

 has 'cotardia di scarlatto, con maniche dentro di scarlata bianca.' 



"^ Such contrasting colors were also found in men's clothing at this 

 period. Thus we are told (Encyc. Brit., as above) : 'A gentleman would 

 have his coat parted down the middle in red and white, with hose of 

 white and red to match.' And in the first reference that we have to 

 Chaucer, April 4, 1357 (Kirk, Life-Records of Chaucer IV, pp. xiv, 153), 

 he is down for a pair of red and black [breeches, probably]. See espe- 

 cially Chaucer, Parson's Tale ^22-7. For some centuries before Shake- 

 speare's time, the robes of serjeants at law were parti-colored, the 



Trans. Conx. Acad., Vol. XXI 4 I9i6 



