JULIA GONZAOA. 3^7 



cured himfelf the inveftiture of the cardinalVpurple 

 from his uncle. His exceeding great love and Julia's 

 gratitude formed themfelves into the tenderer!: friend- 

 Ihip ; which was never once interrupted till his untime- 

 ly death* 



The fair fex have often been compared to the vine, 

 which cannot fupport itfelf without fame fubftantial 

 prop. Lewis, the brother of Julia, and fpoufe of her 

 ftep-daughter Ifabella, was forced to quit them both 

 on account of his military vocation. Scarcely was he 

 gone in compliance with his orders, when Afcanio Co- 

 lonna, by force and ftratagem, made himfelf matter of 

 the towns of Palliano and Genazzano, with all the. ef- 

 tates which had belonged to her deceafed hufband in 

 Campagna di Roma ; and obliged the forlorn Julia to 

 retire with Ifabella, to her neapolitan domains. Here 

 they made the town of Fondi the place of their abode ; 

 where Ifabella, in the year 153 1. brought the famous 

 Vefpaliano Gonzaga into the world. At the fame time 

 death ravifhed from her, her brother the cardinal Pir- 

 ro, her principal fupport at the court of Rome ; and, 

 fhartly afterwards, deprived her of her protector and 

 deliverer, her other brother Lewis, The pope recalled 

 him from the imperial fervice, and difpatched him, as 

 captain-general, with his troop's, to quell the tumults 

 excited by the feditious Napoleone Qrfini. He routed 

 him at Vicovaro, and took from him that jftrong-hold ; 

 but died there a few days afterwards, of a wound he had 

 deceived in the encounter. Julia was inconfolable on 

 the lofs of him. Bernardo TaiTo, t&e father of Torquato>, 



* He wrote at that time the elegant poem which he entitled -Sd^a^ 



and 



