The House of Visconti 19 



Barnabas, grown old, had divided the cities of his dominions 

 amongst his numerous children.'"* His brother, Galeazzo, had died on 

 the 4th of August, 1378, and been replaced by his son, Gian Gale- 

 azzo, called Count de Virtus, from a county in Champagne, given 

 him by Charles V, whose sister he had married. Barnabas would 

 willingly have deprived his nephew of his paternal inheritance, to 

 divide it among his children. Gian Galeazzo, who had already dis- 

 covered several plots directed against him, uttered no complaint, but 

 shut himself up in his castle of Pavia, where he had fixed his resi- 

 dence. He doubled his guard, and took pains to display his belief 

 that he was surrounded by assassins. He affected, at the same time, 

 the highest devotion : he was always at prayers, a rosary in his 

 hand, and surrounded with monks; he talked only of pilgrimages 

 and expiatory ceremonies. His uncle regarded him as pusillanimous, 

 and unworthy of reigning. In the beginning of May, 1385, Gian 

 Galeazzo sent to Barnabas to say that he had made a vow of pilgrim- 

 age to our Lady of Varese, near the Lago -Maggiore, and that he 

 should be glad to see him on his passage. Barnabas agreed to meet 

 him at a short distance from Milan, accompanied by his two sons. 

 Gian Galeazzo arrived, surrounded, as was his custom, by a numerous 

 guard. He affected to be alarmed at every sudden motion made 

 near him. On meeting his uncle, however, on the 6th of May, he 

 hastily dismounted, and respectfully embraced him; but, while he 

 held him in his arms, he said, in German, to his guards, * Strike !' 

 The Germans, seizing Barnabas, disarmed and dragged him, with his 

 two sons, to some distance from his nephew.^" Gian Galeazzo made 

 several vain attempts to poison his uncle in the prison into which he 



forced to cut out another man's tongue, and finally to drink a cup of 

 poison (p. 797) ; and tried to have Gian Galeazzo poisoned (p. 798). 

 See also pp. 48-9. In the very year of Lionel's marriage, Bernabo issued 

 a mandate that when he rode through the streets of Parma, every one 

 should bow the knee, and do him reverence (R. I. S. 16. 740-741). 



For an amusing story of Bernabo's encounter with a rustic, see R. I. S. 

 16. 393-6, cf. 743- 



The little good that could be said of him will be found in R. I. S. 16. 

 801; Corio, p. 509. 



'Lodovico (see pp. 109-110) received Lodi and Cremona (R. I. S. 16. 

 800; Corio, p. 498, cf. 507). 



At one particular time Bernabo is reported to have had 36 children, 

 and 18 women to have been with child by him (R. I. S. 16. 800). He is 

 accused, when already advanced in years, of keeping a regular harem 

 (16. 799). 



^'R. I. S. 15. 510, 1082; 16. 543, 784-5, 853; 17. 497-9, 1126-7; 18. 

 92-3, 195-6, 525-6; 19. 785-6; Corio, p. 506; cf. Muratori 8. 412-4; Giulini 5. 

 653-5; Rosmini 2. 153-5; Leo 3. 327-8; Symonds, Age of the Despots, 

 chap. 2. 



