The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-02-24

Peacara's absence by her studies with
the noted Wits and scholars Of the day
and by devOting herself to the educa-
ton ana moral development of her
adopted son AlphOnsO d'AvalOs. the
cousin and heir Of her husband.
VittOria discovered in this beautiful but
somewhat hayward boy a fine intellect
and the materials Of a noble man.
These she SO carefully developed that
the little tanned lion soon loved her as
a son. became q brave, renowned man
and always looked upon his gentle,
childless guardian as the mother Of his
moral nature.
As far as possible Vittoria kept her
self in touch with her husbands Prov
eeS, passing affeCtiOnately over many
Of those portions of his life which
modern historians condemn. Descend
ant herself of a long illustrious line
of freebOOteTs noted for clannish war
fare, and sharing the general ineen5i-
bility to the call Of patriotism. it is
hardly 10 be wondered at that the de-
voted wife Economically CLOSED over
many OF her husbands imperfectiOns-
His last achievements, however,
strained her loyalty. AS general-in-
chief of the armies of LOnfbardy cat
the age of 81 he betrayed HE allies in
/ a treacherous plot which he had origi-
mated against the Emperor Charles V.
As reward for his infamy he was ac-
corded the rank of geneTalissimO Of the
/ imperial forces in italy, a qualification
which he did not live to enjoy for a
year When Victoria heard rumOrs of
her husbands base part in this trans
action, she wrote him letter beseech-
ing him to abandon the project, insist
ing that she would far rather be the
wife of a loyal and upright man than
Of king. By the time this letter reach
ed Pescara he was already beginning to
feel disastrous effects from his three
wounds at Favia, which, combined with
the Uneasiness consequent upon his
tTeaCheTy, caused this Italian Benedict
Arnold to experience sudden and
premature falling away of his strength.
In alarm he sent for his wife whom he
had not seen in three years, but while
Fastening to join him she was met with
the news Of his death.
At the age Of Sc the MarchiOness Of
Pescara, always better known by her
maiden name of VittOria Colonna. be-
came a widow. and spent the next ten
years of her life in writing poems Of
despair. While these sOnnets show
great Improvement over those written
to while away the time in her Ischian
retreat-as all work gains in strength
under sorrows stern discipline-they
still lacked the fOTceful hand Of the
great poet. One hundred and thirty
four, in all the changes are TUng with
amazing ingenuity upon the virtues OF
/ the feTOciOUs Pescara, one sonnet even
/ going so far as to express the widows
metrical fear that she might not be
sufficiently prepared TO be admitted
/ into the same heaven with her incOm-
I parable spouse. Those who bring heav-
/ lily the charge of insinceritv against
]
/ by the literary pOpulace and jealousy
handed from king to cardinal, must te-
/ member that at this time the sonnet,
/ despite it, artificial restrictions, was
the acknowledged vehicle Of the
thought Of the day; that the loathsome
details of Pescara's cruelty never
pierced the insuiar solitude of Ischia,
and that VittOrIa. who had seen her
husband but seldom since he became a
professional warrior. lived largely upon
her memories Of their romantic youth
During the latter part of her life the
marchioness became deeply interested
in the more progressive religious views
stirring through intellectual Europe,
and her later s0nnets, known as the
"Rime Spirituale," show plainly the
broadening touch Of the renaissance.
/ Several medals which were struck Of
her at this time show her in the full
blOJiu VI llTl toHCL ttlLe- q -eN9e N--c 49,
alton Of Italy. She lived to see three
editions of heT poems published, Cspies
of her sonnetS being eagerly sought
as is the book Of the day in our circu-
lating library. She was, however, ut
terly unspOiled by the adUlatiOn OF the
contemporary poets, wits, diplomatists
and other officers Of state or church,
because her mind was set upon higher
things.
The last ten years of her life were
hallOwed by the pure friendship Of
Michael Angelo. The grace and deli
caCy Of NittOria's earlier sOnnets now
gained in force, and inspired the great
artist to WELD the poets pen with the