HAWKWOOD, A ROMANCE OF ITALY. IN THREE VOLUMES VOL. II. LONDON SAUNDERS AND OTLEY, CONDUIT STREET. 1840. HAWKWOOD. CHAPTER I. He never set a squadron in the field, More than a spinster. OTHELLO. In a large Gothic apartment of the Castle of Pavia, there sat a solitary individual, at a table covered with charts and manuscripts. His dress and appearance bespoke a person of studious habits; and he seemed absorbed in the perusal of a paper which lay before him. The night was far advanced; and the light of a single lamp, which stood by his side, fell upon his anxious features, as he rapidly turned over VOL. II. B his the leaves of the manuscript. Sometimes he paused to meditate; again he would resume his task, and a smile of triumph would light up countenance, although its predominating expression was remarkably serious and calm. It was the master of the castle, John Galeazzo Visconti. The chamber which he occupied was fitted up more for convenience than elegance. The furniture was plain and massive, and the tapestry on the walls was somewhat faded: both the floor and ceiling were of solid oak; and the whole apartment had a sombre and lonely air, entirely in accordance with the appearance and pursuits of its owner. "So," he said at length, throwing aside the manuscript, and striding thoughtfully across the room; "Father Hugo* has predicted the fall of the Eagle, and the rise of the Viper ;†—nay, that the Visconti shall one day be Lords of Italy. * A celebrated Italian astrologer, who flourished in the early part of the 14th century. The viper was the armorial device of the Visconti, the eagle that of the Emperors. |