l documents sent out by the
Cancelleria are worded in this manner. Some persons who knew his
Excellency well, say that it is his intention to call himself _Rex
Insubrium_. On the return of the ambassador who has been sent to the
emperor, perhaps this will be announced."

Now that Giangaleazzo was actually dead, the Moro felt that there was no
time to be lost in obtaining the publication of the imperial diploma.
Accordingly he ordered one of his most trusted agents, Maffeo Pirovano,
to start the next day for Antwerp, with letters informing Maximilian and
his wife of Giangaleazzo's death, and asking for the prompt despatch of
ambassadors with the coveted privileges. And that same evening he wrote
long and minute instructions to Maffeo himself and to Erasmo Brasca at
Antwerp, urging them to lose no time in laying the case before the
emperor. The letter to Maffeo, discovered in the Taverna archives at
Milan, and first published by Signor Calvi in his life of Bianca Sforza,
is of especial interest.

"MAPHEO,--We have written this evening to Germany to inform the Most
Serene King of the Romans of the death of the illustrious Duke, our
nephew, and must now send you to state our case _viva voce_ to his
Majesty, desiring him to give effect in our person to the ducal
privileges, which he never consented to give our nephew, in consequence
of the wrong which the emperor supposed to have been done him by our
father and brother, in holding the duchy without any concession from the
imperial authorities. And therefore the said king has conceded these
privileges to us, as being innocent of this fault, and as having claims
to the title by reason of our maternal descent, but has desired that
these privileges should not be made public before the next feast of St.
Martin, and before this date will not fix the time and place for the
expedition of the said privileges. The approach of this time, the fact
that this death has compelled us to take up the succession, have
impelled us to send an envoy to the said king, and for this purpose we
have made choice of yourself, being persuaded that your faithfulness and
prudence will be equal to the gravity of this emergency. And so I desire
you to start with the utmost speed, and not to rest till you have found
his Majesty, and our councillor and ambassador Messer Erasmo Brasca, to
whom you will explain the reason of your coming, and having through his
means obtained an audience of his Majesty, you wil