ing her into his own errors, which produced discord between
her and her religious husband, and resulted in his placing her in
temporary seclusion, in order to attempt her conversion. Hence, the
chapel is faced with marble, paneled in relief, and studied to avoid
giving place to saints or images, which were disapproved by the almost
Anabaptist doctrines of Calvin, then fatally imbibed by the princess."

We would willingly, as Protestants, have visited this wicked chapel;
but we were prevented from seeing it, as well as the famous frescoes
of Dosso Dossi in the Hall of Aurora, by the fact that the prefect was
giving a little dinner (_pranzetto_) in that part of the castle. We
were not so greatly disappointed in reality as we made believe; but
our _servitore di piazza_ (the unlettered one) was almost moved to
_lesa maesta_ with vexation. He had been full of scorching patriotism
the whole morning; but now electing the unhappy and apologetic
custodian representative of Piedmontese tyranny, he bitterly assailed
the government of the king. In the times of His Holiness the Legates
had made it their pleasure and duty to show the whole castle to
strangers. But now strangers must be sent away without seeing its
chief beauties, because, forsooth, the prefect was giving a little
dinner. Presence of the Devil!

VII.

In our visits to the different churches in Ferrara we noticed devotion
in classes of people who are devout nowhere else in Italy. Not only
came solid-looking business men to say their prayers, but gay young
dandies, who knelt and repeated their orisons and then rose and went
seriously out. In Venice they would have posted themselves against a
pillar, sucked the heads of their sticks, and made eyes at the young
ladies kneeling near them. This degree of religion was all the more
remarkable in Ferrara, because that city had been so many years
under the Pope, and His Holiness contrives commonly to prevent the
appearance of religion in young men throughout his dominions.

Valery speaks of the delightful society which he met in the gray old
town; and it is said that Ferrara has an unusual share of culture in
her wealthy class, which is large. With such memories of learning and
literary splendor as belong to her, it would be strange if she did
not in some form keep alive the sacred flame. But, though there may
be refinement and erudition in Ferrara, she has given no great name to
modern Italian literature. Her men of lett