enerations.

But the most splendid _fete_ given in Beatrice's honour was the banquet,
ball, and torchlight procession that were held on Thursday in the ducal
palace. That same morning the duchesses attended mass in state at St.
Mark's, and by the Doge's request the Milanese choir took part in the
service. Beatrice's letters to her husband give a full account of the
day's festivities--

"MOST EXCELLENT AND ILLUSTRIOUS LORD, MY DEAREST HUSBAND,

"To continue my relation of what is happening here day by day, I must
now inform you that this morning my illustrious mother, Don Alfonso,
Madonna Anna, and I, with all our company, set out for St. Mark's, where
the Prince invited both us and our singers to assist at mass and see the
Treasury. But before reaching St. Mark's, we landed at the Rialto, and
went on foot up those streets which are called the Merceria, where we
saw the shops of spices and silks and other merchandise, all in fair
order and excellent both in quality and in the great quantity and
variety of goods for sale. And of other crafts there was also a goodly
display, so much so that we stopped constantly to look at now one thing,
now at another, and were quite sorry when we reached St. Mark's. Here
our trumpets sounded from a loggia in front of the church, and we found
the prince, who advanced to meet us at the doors of St. Mark's, and
placing himself as before, between my illustrious mother and myself, led
us to the high altar, where we found the priest already vested. There we
knelt down with the prince and said the confession, and then took the
seats prepared for us and heard mass, which the priest and his
assistants sang with great solemnity, and our singers did their part,
and their singing greatly pleased both the Prince and all who were
present, especially that of Cordier, who always takes great pains to do
honour to your Highness. After mass, we accompanied the Prince to see
the Treasury, but had the greatest difficulty in the world to get in,
because of the crowds of people who were assembled there, as well as in
the streets, although every one tried to make room for us, even the
Prince crying out to try and clear the way. But at last the Prince
himself was forced to retire on account of the great pressure of the
crowd, and left us to enter with only a few others, and even then we had
the greatest difficulty to get in. Once safely inside the Treasury we
saw everything, which was a great pleasure, for the