his
expedition had already entailed heavy expenses, and on every side the
same complaint was heard. There was no money to pay the salaries of the
numerous professors at Pavia and Milan, whose chairs had been founded
by Lodovico himself; none to pay the bills for building and furnishing
the new rooms in the Castello, or to cast Leonardo's great horse in
bronze. Everywhere people were groaning at the heavy burdens imposed
upon them, and at Lodi, Cremona, and other places there had been not
only murmuring against the duke, but actual rioting and tumults, while
in some parts of the duchy the inhabitants were leaving their homes to
escape these harsh exactions. Lodovico's most faithful servants began to
look grave, and the duke himself could not but be aware of his growing
unpopularity among his subjects.

Whether these rumours reached the ears of Beatrice and disturbed her
happiness, we cannot tell; but we know that her life was saddened and
the gladness of her heart clouded by a new sorrow that autumn. The duke,
who for many years past had proved himself a devoted and affectionate
husband, and realized better than any one what an admirable companion
and partner he had in his young wife, suddenly found a new object for
his affections in Lucrezia Crivelli, a beautiful and accomplished maiden
of a noble Milanese family, who was one of the duchess's
ladies-in-waiting. Soon Lodovico's passion for this new mistress became
publicly known, Leonardo was employed to paint her picture; and, under
the date of November, 1496, the annalist of Ferrara writes, "The latest
news from Milan is that the duke spends his whole time and finds all his
pleasure in the company of a girl who is one of his wife's maidens. And
his conduct is ill regarded here." The chronicler Muralti, in his brief
and touching account of the young duchess, after recalling Beatrice's
charms and joyous nature, tells us that, although Lodovico loved his
wife intensely, he took Lucrezia Crivelli for his mistress, a thing
which caused Beatrice the most bitter anguish of mind, but could not
alter her love for him. And remorse for the pain which he had caused
Beatrice gave the sharpest sting to Lodovico's own despair, on that sad
day when he wept for his young wife's early death.

That autumn a fresh and unexpected blow fell upon the ducal family, in
the death of Lodovico's beloved daughter Bianca, the young wife of
Galeazzo di Sanseverino, who died very suddenly at Vigeva