r to retire to a monastery or to accept
another husband. She firmly refused to embrace the religious life, and
declared that she was already lawfully united to a living husband, the
Duke of Bracciano. It seemed impossible to deal with her; and at last,
on November 8, she was released from prison under the condition of
retirement to Gubbio. The Duke had lulled his enemies to rest by the
pretense of yielding to their wishes. But Marcello was continually
beside him at Bracciano, where we read of a mysterious Greek enchantress
whom he hired to brew love-philters for the furtherance of his ambitious
plots. Whether Bracciano was stimulated by the brother's arguments or by
the witch's potions need not be too curiously questioned. But it seems
in any case certain that absence inflamed his passion instead of cooling
it.

Accordingly, in September 1583, under the excuse of a pilgrimage to
Loreto, he contrived to meet Vittoria at Trevi, whence he carried her in
triumph to Bracciano. Here he openly acknowledged her as his wife,
installing her with all the splendor due to a sovereign duchess. On
October 10 following, he once more performed the marriage ceremony in
the principal church of his fief; and in the January of 1584 he brought
her openly to Rome. This act of contumacy to the Pope, both as feudal
superior and as Supreme Pontiff, roused all the former opposition to his
marriage. Once more it was declared invalid. Once more the Duke
pretended to give way. But at this juncture Gregory died; and while the
conclave was sitting for the election of the new Pope, he resolved to
take the law into his own hands, and to ratify his union with Vittoria
by a third and public marriage in Rome. On the morning of April 24,
1585, their nuptials were accordingly once more solemnized in the Orsini
palace. Just one hour after the ceremony, as appears from the
marriage-register, the news arrived of Cardinal Montalto's election to
the Papacy. Vittoria lost no time in paying her respects to Camilla,
sister of the new Pope, her former mother-in-law. The Duke visited
Sixtus V. in state to compliment him on his elevation. But the reception
which both received proved that Rome was no safe place for them to live
in. They consequently made up their minds for flight.

A chronic illness from which Bracciano had lately suffered furnished a
sufficient pretext. This seems to have been something of the nature of a
cancerous ulcer, which had to be treated by th