the National Gallery, was finished,
and while the duke himself wandered in exile beyond the Alps, the
Umbrian painter's masterpiece was safely placed in the glorious church
which he had loved so well.

This letter relating to the Certosa altar-piece and the gift to Leonardo
were the last public acts in which the great Moro showed his love of art
and generosity to artists. His fate was sealed, and already his foes
were at the door. Before the end of May, King Louis and Caesar Borgia
came to Lyons, and Trivulzio descended upon Asti with fifteen thousand
men. A few weeks later the Milanese envoy to Venice was dismissed, and
the Venetian army prepared to enter the district of Cremona. Caterina
Sforza, almost the only Italian ally who was still faithful to Milan,
sent a troop of men from Forli to her uncle's help, but the invasion of
Romagna by papal troops hindered her from attacking the Venetians as she
had intended. In vain Lodovico sent despairing letters to Maximilian,
begging for the promised reinforcements. Week after week went by, and
still the German troops did not arrive. On the 13th of August, Trivulzio
invaded the Milanese with a powerful force of well-trained soldiers, and
took the castle of Annona. The same day the Venetians crossed the
eastern frontier and advanced towards the river Adda. On the 14th
Lodovico wrote the following letter to his niece, the Empress Bianca:--

"In our present great anxieties, while the French are attacking us on
the one side, and on the other a large Venetian army is advancing, your
Majesty's loving letter has been a great comfort, expressing not only
the sympathy which you feel in our troubles, but the efforts you have
made to induce your husband, the king, to help us in these bad times.
What you say of his good-will is not more than we expected, but your
kind words have given us unspeakable joy, and we are exceedingly
grateful, and beg you with all our heart to continue your offices on our
behalf with the king, entreating him to send us help immediately
(_presto, presto_). Indeed, his troops ought to be here now, for we are
already reduced to extremity, as you will learn from Messer Galeazzo
Visconti and others, whom we have sent to your Majesty, praying that
help may be speedy and effectual."[78]

Three days after, Bianca herself wrote to say that she had spoken to the
emperor, and begged her _maitre d'hotel_ to support her request, and
that he had solemnly promised to send h