e eyes of the world
by his splendour, and the robes and jewels of Beatrice were the wonder
of Ferrara and Venice. Ten chariots and fifty mules laden with baggage
followed in their train, and Prosperi describes one marvellous new
_camora_, which Beatrice brought with her, embroidered with Lodovico's
favourite device of the caduceus worked in large pearls, rubies, and
diamonds, with one big diamond at the top. Not to be outdone by her
sister-in-law, Madonna Anna appeared in a crimson and grey satin robe,
adorned with letters of massive gold, and borrowed her mother-in-law's
finest pearls for the occasion, so that, as Prosperi reports, her jewels
made almost as fine a show as those of the duchess. Nor was this rivalry
in clothes and jewels limited to the royal ladies themselves. Our lively
friend, Duchess Leonora's maid of honour, Teodora, gives Isabella an
amusing account of the keen emulation that existed between the Milanese
and Ferrarese ladies who were to accompany the two duchesses to
Venice.[37] Beatrice's ladies each wore long gold chains, valued at two
hundred ducats apiece, and her chief maids of honour had been provided
with some of their mistress's brocade robes for the occasion. Hearing of
this, the Ferrarese ladies begged duchess Leonora to give them similar
necklaces, and did not rest until they were supplied with chains valued
at two hundred and twenty ducats apiece. And since it transpired that
Beatrice had given some of her ladies strings of pearls for their
paternosters, Madama presented each of her attendants with pearl
rosaries of a still handsomer and costlier description. When Signor
Lodovico saw this, he went up to Beatrice, saying, "Wife, I wish all of
your ladies to wear pearl rosaries;" and straightway ordered some much
larger and finer ones to be made for the Duchess of Bari's attendants.
"But Madama," adds Isabella's correspondent, gleefully, "has given some
of her smaller pendants to our ladies, a thing which I do not think the
duchess can supply; and there is one other point in which the duchess's
suite will come off the worst. Madama has had pelisses of green satin
with broad stripes of black velvet made for all her ladies, which they
are to wear at Venice, and is taking a fresh supply of jewels to lend
them when they arrive. This I think the duchess can hardly manage."

However, the next day Prosperi reports that the famous goldsmith
Caradosso has just arrived with a quantity of rubies and d