ndures it will hold an immortal place in literature. Lucretia
too was given a position of honor in the poem; but however beautiful the
place which she there holds, Ariosto ought to have bestowed greater
praise on her if she was the inspiration which he required for his great
work.

Lucretia's relations with her husband, which had never been based upon
love, and which were not of a passionate nature, apparently continued to
grow more favorable for her. In April, 1514, she had borne him a third
son, Alessandro, who died at the age of two years; July 4, 1515, she
bore a daughter, Leonora, and November 1, 1516, another son, Francesco.
With no little satisfaction Alfonso found himself the father of a number
of children--all his legitimate heirs. He was engrossed in his own
affairs, but, nevertheless, he was highly pleased with the esteem and
admiration now bestowed upon his wife. While the admiration she excited
in former years was due to her youthful beauty, it was now owing to her
virtues. She who was once the most execrated woman of her age had won a
place of the highest honor. Caviceo even ventured, when he wished to
praise the famous Isabella Gonzaga, to say that she approached the
perfection of Lucretia. Her past, apparently, was so completely
forgotten that even her name, Borgia, was always mentioned with respect.

About this time Lucretia was reminded of her life in Rome by a member of
her family who was very near to her, Giovanni Borgia, the mysterious
Infante of Rome, formerly Duke of Nepi and Camerino, and companion in
destiny of the little Rodrigo who died in Bari. He had disappeared from
the stage in 1508, and where he was during several succeeding years we
do not know; but in 1517, a young man of nineteen or twenty, he came
from Naples to Romagna, where he was shipwrecked. His baggage had been
saved by the commune of Pesaro, and was claimed by a representative of
Lucretia, December 2d; in the legal document Giovanni Borgia was
described as her "brother." Other instruments show that he remained at
his sister's court as late as December, 1517.[230] Her husband,
therefore, did not refuse to allow her to shelter her kinsman. In
December, 1518, Don Giovanni went to France, where the Duke Alfonso had
him presented to the king. Lucretia had given him presents to take to
the king and queen.[231]

He remained at the French court some time for the purpose of making his
fortune, in which, however, he did not succeed.