Page:The Book of the Courtier.djvu/348

 THE THIRD BOOK OF THE COURTIER good man who complained of being ill rewarded, nor any bad man of being too severely punished. Thus there sprang up among the people an exceeding great reverence for her, com- posed of love and fear, which still remains so implanted in the minds of all, that they almost seem to think that she looks down upon them from heaven and must bestow praise or blame upon them from above; and thus those realms are still governed by her name and the methods she ordained, so that although her life is at an end, her authority lives, — like a wheel which, long revolved with force, still turns of itself for a good space, although nothing more impels it. " Consider also, my lord Gaspar, that in our times nearly all the men in Spain who are great or famous for anything what- ever, were made so by Queen Isabella; and Consalvo Ferdi- nando, the Great Captain, was far prouder of this than of all his famous victories, and of those eminent and worthy deeds which have made him so bright and illustrious in peace and war, that if fame is not very thankless, she will always herald his immor- tal praises to the world, and give proof that we have in our age had few kings or great princes who have not been surpassed by him in magnanimity, wisdom, and in every virtue. 36 — " Returning now to Italy, I say that here too there is no lack of very admirable ladies; for in Naples we have two re- markable queens;*" and a short time since there died at Naples also the other queen of Hungary,"^ you know how admirable a lady, and worthy to be the peer of the unconquerable and glorious king, Matthias Corvinus, her husband.''' Likewise the Duchess Isabella of Aragon, worthy sister to King Ferdinand of Naples; who (like gold in the fire) showed her virtue and worth amid the storms of fortune.'"' " If you come to Lombardy, you will find my lady Isabella, Marchioness of Mantua;''' to whose very admirable virtues in- justice would be done in speaking as soberly as in this place anyone must needs do who would speak of her at all. I regret, too, that you did not all know her sister the Duchess Beatrice of Milan, in order that you might never more have need to marvel at woman's capacity.*" And Eleanora of Aragon, Duchess of Ferrara and mother of both these two ladies whom I have men- 204