BIANCA. 559 



fhe was again accofted with the utmoft refpect and ten- 

 dernefs ; and after repeated expreffions of pity, and 

 numberlefs encomiums on her beauty, lhe was alked 

 whether fhe was not defirous of being prefented to the 

 grand duke ? He, for his part, had intimated his 

 wifhes to be able to make her acquaintance, as he had 

 already found an opportunity of feeing and admiring 

 her. Bianca had either not fortitude or not virtue 

 enough, for refilling this frelh inflance of good-wilL 

 At firft indeed lhe made fome attempts to elude it ; but 

 fhe made them with a look — as her artful feductrefs 

 quickly perceived — that only wifhed to be farther in- 

 treated. At this moment, according to their preconcerted 

 plan, the grand duke entered the room, as if by chance. 

 Bianca found herfelf extremely taken with his perfon, 

 with his animated praifes, with his liberal offers. The 

 vilits were repeated ; they imperceptibly grew familiar 

 together: a few prefents which fhe did not dare to 

 refufe, as coming from the bounty of her fovereign^ 

 helped to further the grand duke's defigns ; and her 

 hufband, thought it, on the whole, not advifeable to 

 interrupt a connection, that, at any rate was advan- 

 tageous, and might perhaps be innocent. — The grand 

 duke was not a man to flop fhort in fo fair a courfe : 

 promotions of the hufband mull neceflarily affift him 

 in gaining the favour of Bianca ; and, to be brief, he 

 at length attained the end of his wifhes, fo completely 

 to the fatisfaction of the feveral parties ; that he and 

 Bianca, and Buonaventuri, were at laft as perfectly 

 fitted together as the three lides of an equilateral trian- 

 gle. The hufband very quickly adapted himfelf ad- 

 mirably to his new fituation ; he hired for himfelf and 



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