86 Lionel's Remaining Life 



IX. LIONEL'S REMAINING LIFE 



The Milanese annalist tells us that Lionel, after the consum- 

 mation of the marriage, remained in Milan for some days, and 

 then left for Alba. The chronicles of Saluzzo and Montferrat 

 agree in stating that after the wedding Violante left for Pavia, 

 while Lk)nel, with his retinue, betook himself to Alba. Before 

 he had finished what he had to do there, he fell sick, and returned 

 to Pavia, where he spent a few days. Thereupon he went back 

 to Alba, and there died.^ We have, in all, four months and 

 twelve days to account for between his marriage (June 5) and 

 his death (Oct. 17). As he was able to take part in a tourney 

 on Aug. 16,^ it is probable that he did not return to Pavia before 

 that time; and as his will was made on Oct. 3, he must have 

 been ill before then. With respect to the cause of his malady, 

 Jovius^ ascribes it to excessive feasting in a country where he 

 was not yet acclimated, and intimates that while this was in 



^ Petrus Azarius (quoted by Benvenuto) concurs with these two chron- 

 iclers in saying that Lionel left Violante at Pavia — where she would 

 naturally be most at home. In the next sentence there seems to be a 

 corruption, for it runs: 'Nee umquam praedictus dominus Leonotus 

 praedictis peractis Papiam redivit, sed, parva mora in Pedemontio pro- 

 tracta, Albam reversus diem clausit extremum.' But how could Lionel, 

 after delaying a short time in Piedmont, return to Alba, seeing that Alba 

 was itself in Piedmont? Perhaps the 'nee umquam' should be construed 

 with 'peractis/ for Cron. Saluz. has: 'Ancora non habiando finito le 

 cosse soe [Cron. Monf.: le cose predette], se amalo e ritorna a Pavia' 

 (similarly Cron. Monf.). On this supposition, we might translate 

 Azarius: 'Lionel, though he had never finished up the matters referred 

 to above [but they were not referred to], returned to Pavia; but, making 

 only a short stay here [reading Papia for Pedemontio], he went back to 

 Alba.' This would then agree with the chronicles of Saluzzo and 

 Montferrat, which evidently deserve our confidence. 



' See p. 88. 



^He writes: 'Sed non multo post Leonatus quum novae nuptae operam 

 daret, intempestivisque conviviis ad patrii moris disciplinam, alieni caeli 

 ignarus, intemperantius uteretur, ad Albam morbo consumptus interiit' 

 Thus translated by Stow : 'But not long after, Leonel living with his new 

 wife, whilest after the manner of his owne Countrey, as forgetting or 

 not regarding his change of ayre, hee addicted himselfe overmuch to 

 untimely banquettings, spent and consumed with a lingering sickness, dyed 

 at Alba.' 



