ITALIAN GARDENS OF THE RENAISSANCE 



to the Belvedere that Alfonso's son, Ercole the Second, 

 brought his bride, Renee de France, to spend the night 

 before she made her triumphal entry into Ferrara. 

 The rejoicings that day were worthy of a king's 

 daughter, and when the bride set foot on the deck of 

 the Bucentaur, the sound of the Duke's famous guns 

 was heard as far as Bologna. 



But the most brilliant fete held in Renee' s honour 

 was that which Monsignore Ippolito, the young 

 Archbishop and future Cardinal, gave his sister-in-law 

 at the villa of Belfiore. After partaking of the most 

 delicate viands and sweetmeats, Renee and her ladies 

 fell to dancing, an accomplishment in which the French 

 princess excelled, in spite of her short stature and plain 

 face. Suddenly the sound of martial music was heard 

 in the garden, the ladies stopped dancing and rushed to 

 the windows, where Don Ippolito himself appeared 

 riding up the central avenue at the head of a 

 splendid troop of cavaliers in armour. After bowing 

 low to Renee, the gallant company drew up at one end 

 of the terrace, and the ladies were admiring the 

 prancing horses and rich attire, when another blast of 

 trumpets rent the air, the great gates at the other end 

 of the garden flew open, and a single knight, mounted 

 on a white charger and clad in white and gold from head 

 to foot, rode forth and challenged all comers to fight. 



" Of the brave deeds that followed and the lances that 



42 



