the
altar, where Monsignore the Archbishop pronounced the marriage service,
and the Bishop of Brixen first gave the ring to the queen, and then,
assisted by the archbishop, placed on her head the crown, which act was
accompanied with great blowing of trumpets, ringing of bells, and firing
of guns and shells. And the said crown was of gold, enriched with
rubies, pearls, and diamonds, set in the form of arches meeting in the
shape of a cross, and on the top of all was a figure of the globe,
crowned with a small imperial cross, after the pattern given by the
ambassadors, in obedience to the king's directions.

"After this, every one walked in procession to the gates of the Duomo,
the above-named feudatories bearing the train and sleeves. Then the
women, as well as the men, mounted horses, and a _baldacchino_ of white
damask lined with ermine was prepared, under which the queen rode,
preceded by the ambassadors and the whole court, with the duke and my
husband at their head. Next to the queen rode the ambassadors of her
husband the king, the Bishop of Brixen being on the left hand, outside
the _baldacchino_, and so the long procession moved towards the
Castello. All the clergy of the city of Milan, richly apparelled and
very devout in appearance, were drawn up between the Castello and Duomo,
both on the way thither and on the return journey. Messer Zoan Francesco
Pallavicino and Messer Francesco Bernardo Visconti acted as the queen's
staff-bearers, from the Duomo to the Castello. The _baldacchino_ was
carried all the way by doctors robed in the manner described above, and
behind the queen rode the duchess and myself, followed by the relatives,
courtiers, and invited guests, all on horseback. Then came the ladies of
the queen, those of the duchess, and my own, all sumptuously clad and
making a splendid show, and finest of all was the queen, with the
imperial crown on her head. Nothing but gold and silver brocade was to
be seen, and the least well-dressed persons wore crimson velvet, so that
the costumes were a marvellous sight, besides the infinite number of
gold chains worn by knights and others. All those who were present
agreed that they had never seen so glorious a spectacle. And the
ambassador of Russia, who was among the spectators, declared that he had
never seen such extraordinary pomp. The nuncio of His Holiness the Pope
said the same, as well as the French ambassador, who declared that,
although he had been presen