rupture with the court of Vienna, had it not been averted by the death of the emperor Maximilian, brother to the grand-duchess; but his successor, Rudolph, whose interest it was to be upon good terms with the grand-duke, endeavoured, ineffectually, to bring about a reconciliation. But on the birth of an heir to the dukedom, Francesco behaved with more kindness to his wife.
Nobody now doubted that Bianca would soon be removed. She actually retired from Florence for awhile, and lived either at her villa, or at Bologna, far from the court, and apparently in no connection with the prince. But from, this very circumstance she derived the greatest advantage. He could not live absent from the society he loved, and, in the following year, Bianca returned from her voluntary exile, but continued in appearance a life of retirement for some time. The grand-duchess was fully convinced, that her husband had relinquished all connections with her. The pleasing deception did not, however, last long. She once happened to meet them as they were going into the country: and, it is thought this circumstance occasioned her death, which has commonly been attributed to a fall. So much is certain, that she returned home with the symptoms of the most profound dejection, and that very day was seized with an illness which put a period to her life.
At the solemnity of her funeral, no symptom of grief was visible on his countenance; and when the procession approached the house of Bianca, who then stood at her window, the grand duke took off his mourning cap, and bowed to her. How little he was affected appears plain enough from the circumstance, that immediately after the interment, he attended a rout at Bianca's house.
