hall--whilst in their cooling wine
cups, so much beloved of Francesco, the poison failed of its effect. To
be sure, two days before the Grand Duke's actual seizure, he rejected a
game-pasty which had a peculiar taste, and the Grand Duchess had, as she
thought, detected her brother-in-law playing with the wine glasses,
which she at once caused to be replaced by others.

Upon the evening when a ragout of mushrooms was served at the
supper-table, it was observed that the Cardinal quite emphatically
declined to partake of the dish, but that he pressed Francesco and
Bianca to eat largely of it! Bianca ate sparingly, and advised her
husband to follow her example; her intuition perceived danger in the
delicacy, alas, it was in vain!

This was all, perhaps, that came out concerning the tragedy, but the
Cardinal met the story with another. He caused it to be bruited about
that Bianca had tried to circumvent _his_ death! For this purpose she
had herself made a cake, which she urged him to eat, but which Francesco
insisted upon tasting, whereupon she consumed what he had left. The
Cardinal further put into the Grand Duchess's mouth the plausible
lament; "We will die together if Ferdinando escapes!"

Nobody believed this version, which merely confirmed the real truth, for
neither Francesco or Bianca had ever expressed a wish for Ferdinando's
death.

Within three hours of the death of Francesco, Ferdinando rode swiftly
into Florence, accompanied by a suite of his own creatures--not a single
officer of the Grand Ducal house accompanied him. His escort was fully
armed and so was Ferdinando. Stopped at the gate by the guard, he gave,
to the utter surprise of the subaltern, the Grand Ducal password, and
was accorded the Sovereign's salute. Thence he passed at a gallop to the
Palazzo Pitti, where he placed personally his seal upon the great doors,
and then put up at the Palazzo Medici.

A messenger was despatched before dawn to the Dean of the Duomo to order
the big bell to sound. This was the first intimation to Florence that
the Grand Duke Francesco was dead. The Lords of the Council hastened
from their beds to the Palazzo Vecchio, where Ferdinando joined them,
and, there and then, required them to pay him their allegiance.

Thus Ferdinando de' Medici became third Grand Duke of Tuscany. His
character as a ruler may not be discussed here at length, but of him it
has been succinctly said: "He had as much talent for government as i