Women of History

<h3>TARQUINIA MOLZA.</h3> <p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_114" id="Page_114"></SPAN></span></p> <p class="heading">[1600.]<br/> HILARION DE COSTE.</p> <p><ANTIMG src="images/ic.jpg" alt="C" width-obs="69" height-obs="66" class="floatl" />AMILLAS Molza, Knight of the Order of St James in Spain, who was son of the great Frances Maria Molza of Modena, orator and excellent poet, having remarked from her early years the bounty and excellence of her spirit, sent her with her brothers to learn the principles of grammar. John Politian, a native of Modena, very learned in all the sciences, very virtuous, and of holy life, became her master. She apprehended also the humane letters, learned to write well, and to compose correctly, under the care of Lazarus Labadini, a celebrated grammarian of the time, reducing his instruction to practice in elegant compositions in prose and verse. She became well versed in the rhetoric of Aristotle under Camillus Corcapini. The mathematician Antonio Guarini taught her the knowledge of the sphere. She became intimately acquainted with poetry under the famous philosopher Patricio, with logic and general philosophy under P. Latoni, and also attained to an entire and perfect knowledge of the Greek tongue. Rabi Abraham taught her the principles of the Hebrew language, as her uncle had taught her before; the consequence of all which was that, with her inclination to study so well observed by these great men, she made such notable progress, that it became easy for her <span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_115" id="Page_115"></SPAN></span> to solve the most subtle questions in theology.</p> <p>Nor did she stop here. John Maria Barbier, a man of great knowledge and judgment, introduced her to the refinements of the Tuscan language, in which she not only composed many elegant verses, but also many letters and other works, much esteemed by the most accomplished and learned men of Italy. With her more peculiar inventions, she mixed up a quantity of translations of Greek and Latin works, in which she expressed so happily and properly the thoughts of the authors, that she reduced the reader to doubt whether she had not a better knowledge of these languages than of her own. She afterwards applied herself to music, to entertain her and divert her from more serious studies, and soon surpassed all the dames who had been in use to sing with great applause, and to ravish the ears with admiration. She acquired the conduct of her voice by the true rules of books of the best authors, of whom many had the ambition to show her something rare; and, while playing on instruments, she could join her voice with such address and science as could not be equalled. And so much did she excel in this, that Alfonso, the second Duke of Ferrara, a judicious prince, and who had an extreme passion for all fair and good things, was ravished with admiration, having found more of the marvellous in this dame than he had looked for. A little afterwards she instituted the celebrated concert of dames, who did her so much honour, that they always called her into their company, that, by her presence, she might perfect the choir she had formed.</p> <p>[Having lost her husband, says Bayle, this admirable woman, though left without children and still young, wished to remain unmarried; while her grief was so remarkable, that she might have been compared to <span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_116" id="Page_116"></SPAN></span> Artemisia. She was by the senate and Roman people honoured with the title of Incomparable, and invested by patent with the right of a Roman citizen,&mdash;a privilege extended to the whole house of Molza.]</p> <div class="figcenter p4"> <ANTIMG src="images/i020.jpg" width-obs="191" height-obs="163" alt="Decoration" /></div> <div class="figcenter p6"> <ANTIMG src="images/i119.jpg" width-obs="400" height-obs="631" alt="Queen Mary" /> <p class="caption">From a Painting at S^t. James's. 1580.</p> </div> <div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />