WOOD-ENGRAVING. 



noured liim with his liberal friendfhip. Of all the books 

 I poffefs, I efteem it the moft, on account of the quarter 

 from whence it came into our family ; and on account of 

 the fcience, the valour, the beauty of the amiable twins 

 Ciinio, and their noble and generous intention of thus 

 gratifying their relatives and friends. Behold their Angular 

 and curious hiftory in the manner in which it was feveral 

 times related to me by my venerable father, and according 

 to which I have caufed it to be written more legibly than 

 I myfelf could have done it." What follows is written in a 

 better hand, and with blacker ink. 



" The young and amiable Cunio, twin brother and filler, 

 were the firft children of the fon of the count di Cunio, 

 which he had by a noble and beautiful Veronefe lady, allied 

 to the family of pope Honorius IV., when he was only a 

 cardinal. This young nobleman had efpoufed this young 

 lady clandeftinely, without the knowledge of the relations 

 of either of them ; who, when they difcovered the affair by 

 her preg[iancy, caufed the marriage to be annulled, and the 

 plied who had married the two lovers to be banifhed. The 

 noble lady, fearing equally the anger of her father and 

 that of the count di Cunio, took refuge in the houfe of one 

 of her aunts, where fhe was delivered of thefe twins. 

 Neverthelefs the count di Cunio, out of regard to his fon, 

 whom he obliged to efpoufe another noble lady, permitted 

 him to bring up thefe children in his houfe, which was 

 done with every inftruftion and tendernefs poflible, as well 

 on the part of the count as on that of his fon's wife, who 

 conceived fuch an affeftion for Ifabella Cunio, that fhe 

 loved and cherifhed her as if fhe had been her own daughter ; 

 loving equally AlelTandro Alberico Cunio her brother, 

 who, like his filler, was full of talent, and of a moft amiable 

 difpofition. Botli of them made rapid advances in various 

 fcieiices, profiting by the inllruftion of their mailers ; but 

 efpecially Ifabella, who, at thirteen years of age, was 

 already confidered as a prodigy ; for fhe perfe£lly under- 

 ftood and wrote Latin, compofed verfes, had acquired a 

 knowledge of geometry, was fliilful in mufic, and played 

 upon feveral inflruments ; moreover, fhe was pradlifed in 

 drawing, and painted vnth tafte and delicacy. Her brother, 

 urged on by emulation, endeavoured to equal her; often, how- 

 ever, acknowledging that he felt he could never attain to fo 

 high a degree of perfection . He himfelf was, neverthelefs, 

 one of the finell young men of Italy ; he equalled his filler 

 in beauty of perfon, and poffeffed great courage, elevation 

 of foul, and an uncommon degree of facility in acquiring 

 and perfefting himfelf in whatever he applied to. Both of 

 them conftituted the delight of their parents, and they loved 

 each other fo perfeftly, that the pleafure or chagrin of the 

 one or the other was divided between them. At fourteen 

 years of age, this young gentleman could manage a horfe, 

 was praftifed in the ufe of arms, and in all exercifes proper 

 for a young man of quality ; he alfo underflood Latin, and 

 had confiderable lliill in painting. 



" His father having,in confequenceof thetroublesof Italy, 

 taken up arms, was induced, by his repeated folicitations, 

 to take him with him the fame year, [viz. at the age of 14,) 

 that under the eyes of his father he might make his firfl 

 campaign. He was entrufled with the command of a 

 fquadron of twenty-five horfe ; with which, for his firft 

 effay, he attacked, routed, and put to flight, after a vigor- 

 ous refiilance, almofl two hundred of the enemy ; but 

 his courage having carried him too far, he unexpeftedly 

 found himfelf furrounded by many of the fugitives ; from 

 whom, neverthelefs, with a valour not to be equalled, he 

 fucceeded in difengaging himfelf, without fuftaining any 

 other injury than that of a wound in his left arm. His 

 father, who had flown to his fuccour, found him returning with 



one of the ftandards of the enemy, with which he had 

 bound up his wound : he embraced him, full of delight at 

 his glorious achievement, and at the fame time, as his fon's 

 wound was not confiderable, and as lie was defirous to re- 

 vvard fuch great bravery upon the fpot, he folemnly made 

 him a knight, (i. e. a knight-banneret,) although he was al- 

 ready one by his birth ; dubbing him in the fame place whe^e 

 he had given fuch proofs of his extraordinary valour. The 

 young man was fo tranfported with joy at this honour conferred 

 on him in the prefence of the troops commanded by hit 

 father, (who, in confequence of the death of ^w father, which 

 had recently happened, was now become the count di 

 Cunio,) that, wounded as he was, he inftantly demanded 

 permiffion to go and fee his mother, that he might inform 

 her of the glory and of the honour which he had juft ac- 

 quired ; which was granted by the count the more readily, 

 as he was glad to have this opportunity of teftifying to that 

 noble and afflifted lady (who had always remained with 

 her aunt a few miles from Ravenna ) the love and efteem 

 which he ever continued to entertain for her ; of which he 

 certainly would have given more folid proofs, by re-efta- 

 blifhing their marriage, and publicly efpoufing her, had 

 he not felt it his duty to cherifh the wife his father had 

 obhged him to marry, by whom he had feveral children. 



" The young knight, therefore, immediately fet out, 

 efcorted by the remains of his troop, out of which he had 

 eight or ten men killed or wounded. With this equipage, 

 and thefe attendants, who bore teftimony to his valour 

 wherever he paffed, he arrived at the refidence of his mother, 

 with whom he ftaid two days ; after which he repaired to 

 Ravenna, to fliew a fimilar mark of refpeft to the wife of 

 his father, who was fo charmed by his noble aftions, as well 

 as by his attentions towards her, that fhe herfelf led him 

 by the hand to the apartment of the amiable IfabeUa, who, 

 feeing him with his arm bound up, was at firft alarmed. 

 He remained a few days in that city ; but impatient to re- 

 turn to his father, that he might have an opportunity of 

 diftinguifhing himfelf by new exploits, he fet off before his 

 wound was yet healed. The count reprimanded him for not 

 having fent back his troop, and for not remaining at Ravenna 

 till he was cured, and would not permit him to ferve again 

 during the reft of the campaign : fhortly after, when his 

 arm was perfeftly healed, he fent him home, faying to him 

 pleafantly, that he did not choofe to be outdone by him all 

 the remaining time the troops would continue in aftion that 

 year. It was foon after this that Ifabella and he began to 

 compofe and execute the piAures of the aftions of Alexander. 

 He made a fecond campaign with his father, after which he 

 again worked upon thefe piftures, conjointly with Ifabella, 

 who applied herfelf to reduce them, and to engrave them 

 on blocks of wood. After they had finifhed and printed 

 thefe pieces, and prefented them to pope Honorius, and to 

 their other relations and friends, the cavaher joined the army 

 for the fourth time, accompanied by a young nobleman, 

 one of his friends, called Pandulfio ; who, enamoured of 

 the lovely Ifabella, was defirous to fignalize himfelf, that 

 he might become more worthy of her hand before he ef- 

 poufed her. But this laft campaign was fatal to the cava- 

 lier Cunio ; he fell, covered with wounds, by the fide of 

 his friend, who, whilft attempting to defend him, was 

 alfo dangeroufly wounded. Ifabella was fo much affefted 

 by the death of her brother, which happened when he was 

 not yet nineteen, that fhe determined never to marry : fhe 

 languilhed and died, when flie had fcarcely completed her 

 twentieth year. The death of this beautiful and learned 

 young lady was followed by that of her lover, who had 

 always hoped that his attentions and affeftions towards her 

 would be^rewarded by her confent at length to become his, 



and 



